• Line had a tough race at the IM 70.3 World Champs, coming in 19th in a time of 4 hours 34 minutes. She felt her second attempt at IRONMAN 70.3 distance racing was “poor compared to my first” and that this was in part due to a “tough lead up” to the race
• She rated her overall race satisfaction as a low 2 out of 10, but she actually felt she stuck to her fueling plan in this race far better than during her debut IM 70.3

Hydration

• Line preloaded with PH 1000 tablet in 1L of water. Having some sodium pre-race will have helped her start hydrated but we would recommend she uses a stronger PH 1500 in 500ml (16oz) water going forward.
• Having only one tablet in additional water dilutes the concentration of sodium she is taking on board. Drinking one PH 1500 tablet in 500ml/16oz would allow her to start the race optimally hydrated, with maximal blood volume.
• Line consumed around ~396mg/hr sodium and ~853ml/hr fluid which equates to The relative sodium concentration of Line’s race intake was ~464mg/L. We don’t yet know Line’s sweat sodium concentration so it’s hard to determine if she was replacing an adequate amount of what she was losing in her sweat, but this is generally on the more low-to-moderate sid
• As a first step, we would recommend she looks to increase her sodium intake slightly (especially in warm or hot conditions) simply by mixing each tablet in 500ml/16oz of water to avoid diluting the concentration of the PH electrolytes she’s consuming
• On the same note, Line’s fluid consumption could possibly also have been slightly reduced from ~853ml/hr, which is quite a high volume of fluid. Decreasing her overall fluid intake slightly would increase the relative sodium concentration she’s consuming. Line did mention there were portions of the run where she felt she had lots of fluid on board, supporting the recommendation that fluid intake was on the high rather than low side for the conditions
• We’re hoping to Sweat Test Line in November which will help us refine her hydration strategy for future races

Fueling

Conclusions

• Overall, Line executed her hydration and fueling plan reasonably well considering it was only her second ever race over the IM 70.3 distance
• Going forward, Line’s upcoming Sweat Test will give us a greater insight into her sweat sodium concentration and help refine her hydration strategy
• In broader terms, she could look to push her carb intake up further which could benefit her performance. When encountering similar race conditions in the future we would also recommend that she slightly reduces her fluid intake, mixing tablets as advised to not dilute the relative sodium concentration of PH electrolytes