Luke Henderson
IRONMAN 70.3® Melbourne
Melbourne7th, M35-39Luke's headline numbers
Luke's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Luke would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"My energy was high throughout, and I felt fine other than feeling slightly nauseous about an hour into the bike leg."
Before the race, Luke was towards the lower end of the pre-race carbohydrate intake guidelines as he relied on a corn starch-based carbohydrate energy drink containing only glucose. He may want to consider switching to a pre-race fuel that also includes fructose, as this is more effective at replenishing liver glycogen after overnight depletion. Whilst racing, Luke’s source of carbs came solely from energy gels (25g carb each), and he took six on the bike and a further three on the run, which meant he fell short of the recommended carb intake per hour for this race. This was in part due to a slight feeling of nausea from 60 minutes into the bike, which saw him delay taking his third gel until the 90-minute mark. This delay was a sensible decision to settle his stomach, especially considering the large volume of fluid he was drinking, but does suggest that he may benefit from increasing his fuel intake during more race simulation training sessions to train his gut.
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.
Luke2129mg/L
Luke has been Sweat Tested to dial in his hydration plan
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 Luke's losses are Very High (2,129mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I wouldn’t have changed anything in my hydration strategy."
As he did ahead of his last full distance race, Luke aggressively preloaded using two PH 1500 (Tablets) in 700ml of water in an attempt to maximise his blood plasma volume and start fully hydrated for the hard race to come. With cooler conditions in Melbourne and a shorter race duration compared to IRONMAN® Western Australia, he drank a lower volume of fluid on average (~100ml/h less on the bike and ~200ml/h less on the run) than in his previous race. Given his history of hydration-related issues, including cramping and hyponatremia, Luke’s fluid and in particular his sodium intake was still higher than the average across our middle distance triathlon case studies as he battled to keep up with his exceptionally high sweat losses; Luke drank ~1.2L/h (39oz/h) on the bike leg, ~1.4L/h (50oz/h) on the run, along with a total sodium intake of ~10,351mg across the race. Whilst consuming this level of fluid and sodium is above what would be recommended for *most athletes*, some, like Luke, are outliers and their extreme physiology warrants such extreme levels of hydration to keep up with their losses across endurance events.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
On race morning, Luke drank one coffee, which was followed on the bike leg with two high-dose caffeine tablets (200mg each); the first around one hour in and the other just before transitioning off the bike. This placed him at the top end of the recommended intake range for a race of this 3 - 5 hour duration, considering his body weight.
How Luke hit his numbers
Here's everything that Luke ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I don’t think I could have done any better with my fueling and hydration, but I would’ve liked to go into the race with more running under my belt.”
Luke“Given his very high sweat sodium concentration and high sweat rate, Luke was once again proactive in his strategy while adjusting to the shorter race duration and slightly cooler conditions to execute a brilliant strategy during the race. Next time out, he may want to consider refining his pre-race fueling, using more real foods to hit the recommendations of 1-4g/kg in the final hours before the swim.”
PF&HLuke's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
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.