IRONMAN® World Championships

Livia worked closely with the Sports Science team at PF&H and her coach to optimise her fueling approach, striking an ideal balance between PF 30 Gels and bottles of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to maintain a steady carb supply and avoid ‘taste fatigue’. Her fuel intake was lower than we’d usually expect from athletes of her standard, but this reflects her bodyweight of 47kg (103lbs), and was still a vast improvement from her previous IRONMAN. This meant her fuel intake still amounted to ~1.7g per kg (2.2g per lb) on the bike and run, which is in line with what we typically see from other athletes at this level. Livia’s lighter breakfast was a strategy to avoid any forced toilet stops like in her previous full distance race. This may explain the brief energy dip in the swim, so trialling some larger carb-rich breakfasts may help prevent this in future races.

Having had a Sweat Test earlier in 2023, Livia actively managed her intake using bottles of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and PH 1500 (Drink Mix) to keep her sodium consumption controlled along with plenty of plain water from aid stations to help her balance the relative concentration to closely match her losses. Her excellent subjective hydration rating indicates she nailed this. Livia also doused herself in water, consumed a measured amount of fluid and electrolytes and executed a controlled pacing strategy to help regulate her core temperature. This all helped her deliver one of the fastest amateur marathon times during the IM World Champs 2023.

Livia’s smaller body mass meant that her four Caffeine Gels put her ~33% above the general recommended intake for endurance performance enhancement. That being said, she didn’t experience any negative side effects, and is a frequent caffeine user, so likely has a higher tolerance than others. It’s worth noting that Livia won’t have received any additional performance benefits from exceeding the recommendations.