• IM 70.3 Vichy was changed to a bike-run duathlon the night before the race with the swim being removed due to poor water quality. Whilst this upset a few, Leon adapted swiftly and executed a solid race on the day to take 2nd overall, just 30 seconds behind the winner
• Leon executed another impressive race, recovering well from an early crash on the bike where a momentary lapse in concentration meant he lost a few vital seconds to his rivals
• He was still able to run hard and recorded a top three fastest run time en route to his eventual second place

Hydration

• As someone who understands the core reasons behind starting a race optimally hydrated, Leon preloaded his sodium levels with ~500ml/16oz PH 1500 the night before and ~650ml/18oz the morning of the race so he started well hydrated
• Leon typically carries all his race nutrition in two 1L/32oz bottles, so along with one PF 90 Gel already in each bottle, he drank ~1.4L/47oz with four PF 1500 (Drink Mix) packets in, and ~550ml/17oz plain water which he picked up from the aid stations on course. This meant he drank ~1.95L/63oz of fluid on the bike, with a fairly high relative sodium concentration of ~1,538 milligrams per litre
• With a sweat sodium concentration of 1,331mg/L, Leon falls in the high-salt category and therefore opts for a slightly stronger concentration of drinks to allow for a natural taper in sodium intake during the run discipline
• With that, Leon actually didn’t take any sodium on the run, only grabbing a single cup of Coca Cola and two cups of plain water. Thankfully he didn’t experience any hydration related issues during the race, and was focussed solely on hunting down his opposition
• Incidentally, Leon mentioned that whilst he didn’t experience any cramping during the race, he did have some severe bouts of cramp afterwards, and he struggled to get back on top of his hydration for a few days. Perhaps taking some Electrolyte Capsules during the run could have helped his recovery somewhat by preventing the decline in his blood sodium levels
• In all, Leon drank ~2.2L/72oz of fluid across the bike-run race, averaging ~647ml/21oz per hour which is inline with what we’ve seen him drink during previous races such as Triathlon de l’Alpe d’Huez

Fueling

Conclusions

• Considering the far from optimal start to the race, Leon recovered well from the crash and stayed composed enough to nail his fuel and hydration strategy and gradually recover the time he lost to finish 2nd by a slim margin
• Leon now begins his build towards the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in October, where another impressive fuel and hydration plan execution will set him up for a brilliant performance