IRONMAN 70.3® Bolton

Matthew spent time training his gut to tolerate a higher amount of carbohydrate to ensure he had the fuel he needed on board to support a big effort. After chatting with Lexi on the PF&H Team, he adjusted his plan to ‘decouple’ the fuel and hydration elements to be easier on his stomach. He achieved this separation by filling his bottles with only fluid and electrolytes, and taking in carb through gels. On race day, this prep paid off, keeping his energy levels relatively stable and experiencing no GI discomfort whilst fueling consistently over the whole race. He relied primarily on Flow Gel on the bike, switching to a PF 90 Gel for the run plus a few PF 30 Caffeine Gels to hit his high target intake. He averaged a whopping ~140g/h on the bike, further showcasing his gut training efforts ahead of time. While achieving these heights of carb intake wouldn’t be recommended for everyone, it is a trend we are seeing more often these days, with elite athletes being able to take in much more than the original 90g/h ‘ceiling’ people once thought existed.

Although Matthew hasn’t had a Sweat Test, he exhibits the signs of being a salty sweater and has struggled with cramping in the past. So, he used PH 1500 to preload and hydrate whilst on the bike. On the run, since he picked up cups of PH 1000 on-course, his relative sodium concentration dropped slightly and he could have supplemented with Electrolyte Capsules to keep his sodium intake consistent. A Sweat Test would confirm if targeting a relative sodium concentration of 1500mg/L is appropriate for Matthew. It was a mild day in Bolton, so his fluid intake was within the recommended range for Matthew, though it was certainly on the lower end. For future races, it’d be helpful for Matthew to do some sweat rate testing to see how much fluid he loses in different weather conditions and better inform his goal fluid intake. This, along with maintaining a higher relative sodium concentration through the run, would hopefully alleviate the cramp twinges he experienced and keep any other dehydration-related issues at bay.

The caffeine recommendations we see in the scientific literature are based on bodyweight, and since Matthew is a taller guy, his frame requires a higher dose to reap the benefits of the stimulant. After his pre-swim PF 30 Caffeine Gel, he used four additional doses strategically placed throughout the bike and run to keep boosting his energy levels. He was just barely over the top of the range, but as he experienced no negative impacts from this and tolerates caffeine well, it was a suitable strategy for his race.