1st

Matthew Marquardt's scorecard

IRONMAN World Championships

Thursday 6th October, 2022

Within recommended ranges

Just outside recommended ranges

Significantly outside recommended ranges

120g

Carb per hour

797mg

Sodium per hour

1,162ml

Fluid per hour

686mg/L

Relative sodium concentration

5.70mg/kg

Caffeine per bodyweight

How Matthew hit those numbers

1 x Cup of Oatmeal

1 x Cup of Berries

680ml x lactose free ultra-filtered milk

4 x Eggs (3 Whites, 1 whole)

170g x Beetroot Powder

500ml x Starch based energy drink

1 x Energy gel (25g carb)

*** Try to avoid drinking too much at this point in the race!

1.44L x Plain water

5 x Energy gel (25g carb)

1 x Energy gel with caffeine (25g carb, 100mg caffeine)

1 x Energy gel (22g carb)

1L x Energy Drink Mix (116g carb)

2.55L x On Course Energy drink

1L x Lemon and Lime Energy Drink Mix (100g Carb)

6 x Electrolyte Capsules (215mg Sodium)

2.59L x Plain water

8 x Energy gel (25g carb)

3 x Energy gel with caffeine (25g carb, 100mg caffeine)

227ml x Energy drink mix serving (29g carb)

810ml x Energy drink (22g carb)

486ml x Cola

3 x Electrolyte Capsules (215mg Sodium)

How Matthew's hydration and fueling went...

Matthew is a medical student and triathlete currently studying at Ohio State University. After emerging victorious in his 25-29 age group at IRONMAN Texas with a time of 8:23:3 in April, he was looking to carry his good form through to the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii
With the third fastest amateur swim (49:58) and bike (4:38:22) times at the event, Matthew closed out his stellar performance with a 3:01:35 marathon to be crowned 1st in his age group, and 2nd overall non-professional across the two days of racing
As a Supersapiens ambassador, Matthew wore a Supersapiens sensor throughout the race, which allowed him to be conscious of his continuous glucose levels, so that he could monitor his fuel intake effectively while on the move

Hydration

We generally recommend athletes preload with a strong electrolyte drink the night before and on the morning of races to ensure that they start optimally hydrated. Matthew only had lactose free milk and a sports drink with relatively low sodium, so this is certainly something that he could consider ahead of his next race
On the bike, Matthew drank around ~1.4L (49oz) of water that he picked up at aid stations, whilst also taking the opportunity to dump some on his head in order to help keep himself cool in a race where the soaring temperatures and high humidity would play a key role for many athletes
Accounting for his pre-mixed bottles and aid station energy drinks, Matthew had an average fluid intake of ~1.26 litres per hour (44oz/h) while on the bike - maintaining a relative sodium concentration of ~868mg of sodium per litre (mg/32oz)
While on the run, based on estimations from ~48 cups that he picked up from aid stations, Matthew averaged ~1.36L (48oz) of fluid per hour, while the use of electrolyte capsules mitigated the severity of decline in relative sodium concentration to ~421mg/L (mg/32oz)
As someone with a Sweat Test score of 655mg/L, Matthew did extremely well to maintain a relative sodium concentration of ~686mg/L throughout this race, undoubtedly replacing a good proportion of his losses
Matthew perceived his hydration strategy as a 10 (out of 10) while on the bike, before dropping to a 4 (out of 10) for the run as he said it was difficult to simultaneously manage drinking and stuffing ice down his trisuit while moving at such high speeds

Fueling

Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation

30g

carb 30 mins before

60-90g

carb per hour during

With a good level of physiological knowledge, Matthew knew that carb-loading in the days before the event would top up his liver and muscle glycogen stores, giving him access to maximal energy on the day
A final energy gel ~15 minutes before the start of the swim also topped off Matthew’s glucose levels to help spare stored glycogen for later on in the race. This was confirmed by his Supersapiens sensor which recorded a significant uplift in glucose shortly before his starting time, supporting their recommendations on the best time to eat before exercising
He also perceived his energy as a 10 (out of 10) for the swim, suggesting that this strategy is definitely one to carry forward to his future races
Through the use of various products with different gut transit times and carbohydrate types which he extensively trialled in training, Matthew was able to hit an impressive overall average of ~120g carb per hour. This average actually includes the swim, with him hitting ~132g/h on the bike and run splits! This is another example of an athlete exceeding the 90g/h value which had previously been thought to be a ceiling to absorption, whilst maintaining a perceived GI rating of 10 (out of 10) throughout
Having reported a dip in energy from miles 20-45 on the bike, this is corroborated by his Supersapiens glucose trace which reflects a significant drop in blood glucose at the same time
Interestingly, David Lipman, Head of Sport Science at Supersapiens, pointed out that reductions in energy perception often arise when there's a drop in blood glucose, even if this starts from a high initial point and drops down to one which would still normally be perceived as in the ‘performance zone’
Similarly Matthew reported declining energy in the latter stages of the run. This is the time during the race when fueling becomes even more important because glycogen stores are at their lowest and fatigue at its highest. Getting more fuel on board in the form of easily tolerated gels and drink mixes becomes crucial, with very little stored energy to fall back on while maintaining such high intensity output

Conclusions

Matthew was satisfied to come away from the 2022 IRONMAN World Championships with the fastest amateur time of his race day, and a 25-29 age group win. Although he does admit that he hoped the run would be slightly faster - Matthew described the last 20 miles as the most challenging and painful he’s ever experienced. It’s worth taking into account the fact that he was still recovering from a recent infection which may have had some influence on this too
Immediately after this race, Matthew had to jump back into medical school classes so certainly had an ‘active recovery’ experience, both mentally and physically
Matthew has his sights set on replicating this performance at the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, just 3 weeks after his race in Hawaii

Key info

Matthew Marquardt

Male

77kg

Sweat sodium concentration

655mg/L

Sweat sodium classification

Low

* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test

Result

Position

1st

Overall Time

8:35:49

Swim Time

0:49:58

Bike Time

4:38:22

Run Time

3:01:35

Event information

Sport

Triathlon

Discipline

Full distance

Event

IRONMAN World Championships

Location

Kona, Hawaii

Date

6th October, 2022

Website

Show me

Swim Distance

3.8km / 2.4mi

Bike Distance

180.2km / 112.0mi

Run Distance

42.2km / 26.2mi

Total Distance

226.2km / 140.6mi

Bike Elevation

1,772m / 5,814ft

Run Elevation

307m / 1,007ft

Total Elevation

2,079m / 6,821ft

Race conditions

Weather Conditions

Very Hot and Humid

Precipitation

No Rain

Min Temp

25°C / 77°F

Max Temp

31°C / 88°F

Avg Temp

29°C / 84°F

Humidity

73%

Athlete feedback

Race Satisfaction

9/10

Hydration rating

7/10

I'd say it was perfect until the run, where it was more like a 4/10

Energy levels

8/10

I was not perfectly “with it” all the time, but it is hard to tell how much of that was from not enough fueling versus just needing to dig really deep to get to the finish line

Toilet stops

Yes

GI comfort

10/10

Thankfully I suffered no GI distress, after being ill in the week leading up to the race

Cramping

Twinges but not full-on cramps

Matthew's Thoughts

The results that I had truly are a dream come true and are hard to fathom given that I picked up triathlon just over 18 months ago... I hope to use the sport to make a difference in the lives of cancer patients, and that got me through the most challenging moments

Matthew's full stats

	Carbohydrate (g)	Sodium (mg)	Fluid (ml)	Caffeine (mg)	Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)
Overall
Total intake	1,034	6,838	9,971	439	Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)	686
Per hour	120	797	1,162	51		686
Bike and Run
Total intake	1,009	6,818	9,971	439	684
Per hour	132	891	1,303	57	684
Bike
Total intake	612	5,085	5,856	100	868
Per hour	132	1,098	1,264	22	868
Run
Total intake	397	1,733	4,115	339	421
Per hour	132	574	1,364	112	421

Data Confidence

1

2

3

4

5

There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.

Matthew's recent case studies

see all