Leon Chevalier
T100 Singapore
Leon's headline numbers
Leon's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Leon made a couple of minor changes to his bike set up for this race, and felt this impaired his power production slightly, thus feeling like he couldn’t really push too hard. He also took slightly less carbohydrate on both the bike and run than his previous middle distance races, which may have contributed to his overall lower energy levels. Between the higher intensity of the bike, and the run taking slightly longer than expected, as his pace slowed in the heat, he ended up prioritising his fluid intake more so than his carb intake.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Given Leon’s losses are High (1,392mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it’s hot and/or humid.
Learn moreWith temperatures exceeding 30℃ (86℉) and humidity rising to the mid nineties, Leon's body was under considerable strain to keep his core temperature at a safe level. By prioritising his fluid intake, Leon will have kept a lid on things, and by subjectively rating it a solid 9 out of 10, it seems like he did a suitable job. He may have somewhat alleviated his need to pee during the run by including extra sodium to help his body retain more water. In future races, he could look to include some Electrolyte Capsules, particularly in races in oppressive conditions like this race.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
Leon executed his usual caffeine strategy ahead of the later race start, with a few cups of coffee in the morning to kick-start his blood caffeine levels. His evenly distributed PF 30 Caffeine Gels during the race will have done their best to limit his perception of effort and fell within the recommended guidelines, so we wouldn’t advise changing anything.
How Leon hit his numbers
Here's everything that Leon ate and drank on the day...
Leon's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Leon
PF&HLeon's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.