1st
Leon Chevalier's scorecard
Embrunman
Sunday 15th August, 2021
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
87g
Carb per hour
665mg
Sodium per hour
602ml
Fluid per hour
1,105mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
225mg
Total caffeine
How Leon hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1500 (Tablets)
400g x Banana bread
1 x Black tea
1 x Energy gel with caffeine (22g carb, 75mg caffeine)
*** Tip: For sea swims, put a bottle of water at T1 to rinse your mouth out
2.5L x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
3 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
1 x PF 30 Gel
250ml x Plain water
-400ml x Additional fluid in mixed drinks
2.5L x Energy drink mix (79g carb)
1 x Energy gel with caffeine (22g carb, 75mg caffeine)
1 x Energy gel with caffeine (22g carb, 75mg caffeine)
2 x Snickers
1 x Hard boiled sweet
2 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
6 x PF 30 Gel
850ml x Plain water
How Leon's hydration and fueling went...
- Following successful races at IRONMAN Bolton (3rd) and Alpe d’Huez Triathlon (2nd) earlier in the year, Leon raced Embrunman for the first time in his career and picked up a hugely impressive win, crossing the finishing line in a time of 9 hours and 28 minutes
Hydration
- Leon’s sodium consumption of 665mg/hr was significantly higher than during his Alpe d’Huez race intake (527mg/hr) and this was largely due to his decision to switch from PH 1000 to PH 1500 because he (sensibly) felt he’d need more sodium due to the hotter conditions at Embrunman (31°C / 87.8°F)
- Leon opted to mix the PH 1500 with an energy drink in his bottles on the bike leg and also sipped on a small bottle of plain water
- It’s important to note here that mixing your energy and electrolyte drinks isn’t a technique we would recommend for all athletes taking part in such long endurance events, but Leon has found that it’s a method that works for him through plenty of trial and error during training and races. Learn more
- The relative sodium concentration of Leon's consumption over the course of the race was ~1,105mg/L, which is pretty close to his sweat sodium losses of 1,392mg/l. This is a big improvement from his last race at Alpe d'Huez, where he only took in 787mg of sodium per litre of fluid. Replacing a greater proportion of what he was losing in his sweat will no doubt have helped Leon stay hydrated and able to maintain his performance
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- The Quick Carb Calculator recommended Leon consume ~30g of carbohydrate 15 minutes prior to the race start. As he’d done in his recent races, Leon topped off his glycogen stores by taking on an energy gel alongside a sip of water about 20 minutes before he got to the start line
- We’ve been working with Leon on his fueling strategy during recent races and he’s been able to consume an impressive amount of carbohydrate. He consumed about 87g/hr during this race, which was achieved by taking in 110g/hr during the bike leg and 62g/hr on the run. This puts him right at the top of the range we recommended which is fantastic
- This ‘front-loading’ of carb intake on the bike leg is a sensible tactic, as it’s easier to eat on the bike because it’s less mechanically demanding on the body than whilst running. This tactic also meant Leon felt he was able to dial his fuel intake back towards the lower end of his range on the run leg
- He tactically ate a gel at the bottom of Col d’Izoard, which is towards the end of the bike leg, and this set him up for the large climb and the run
- Leon reported that, in the last 40 minutes of the race, he “couldn’t really stomach anything anymore”, so he listened to his body and chose not to take his last gel
Conclusions
- This race is a great example of how Leon is able to be flexible and refine his strategy according to the race conditions
- He also tweaked his plan for Embrunman to include sodium pre-loading with PH 1500 before the race, as well as eating a pre-race breakfast that was high in carb and low in fibre
- Leon had an excellent race and he didn’t think his fueling and hydration strategy could’ve gone any better. He told us, “it felt like I executed the plan perfectly once again”
Key info
Leon Chevalier
Male
Sweat sodium concentration
1,392mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Very High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
9:28:18
Swim Time
0:49:52
Bike Time
5:38:03
Run Time
2:55:54
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
Embrunman
Location
Embrun, France
Date
15th August, 2021
Website
Swim Distance
3.8km / 2.4mi
Bike Distance
186.0km / 115.6mi
Run Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Distance
234.0km / 145.4mi
Bike Elevation
3,600m / 11,811ft
Run Elevation
440m / 1,444ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
22°C / 72°F
Max Temp
32°C / 90°F
Avg Temp
27°C / 81°F
Feels like temp
40°C / 104°F
Humidity
68%
Athlete feedback
Hydration rating
9/10
Toilet stops
Yes
Once 30 minutes before the end of the bike
GI comfort
9/10
Cramping
No cramping
Leon's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 822 | 6,296 | 5,700 | 225 | 1,105 |
| Per hour | 87 | 665 | 602 | 24 | |
| Bike and Run | |||||
| Total intake | 800 | 6,281 | 5,700 | 150 | 1,102 |
| Per hour | 94 | 735 | 667 | 18 | |
| Bike | |||||
| Total intake | 620 | 5,781 | 4,850 | 150 | 1,192 |
| Per hour | 110 | 1,026 | 861 | 27 | |
| Run | |||||
| Total intake | 180 | 500 | 850 | 0 | 588 |
| Per hour | 62 | 171 | 291 | 0 | |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).