2nd
Mel Varvel's scorecard
IRONMAN Wales
Monday 12th September, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
51g
Carb per hour
483mg
Sodium per hour
343ml
Fluid per hour
1,410mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
238mg
Total caffeine
How Mel hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
1 x PF 30 Original Chew
2 x Porridge Pots
1/2 x Bagel
1 x Coffee
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
*** Try to avoid drinking too much at this point in the race!
1.25L x PH 1500 (Drink Mix)
500ml x PH 1500 (Tablets)
2 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
4.25 x PF 90 Energy Gel
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
1.5L x Plain water
6 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
0.91 x PF 90 Energy Gel
500ml x Plain water
160ml x Energy drink (22g carb)
160ml x Coca Cola Original
80ml x Red Bull
How Mel's hydration and fueling went...
- Mel is one of the newest members of the Athlete Support Team at Precision Fuel & Hydration, but has been instrumental in her time with the company - even helping to develop the original PF 30 Gel recipe we know and love today
- Racing in the 50-54 age group, Mel had a tough but successful day out in Tenby - braving the rolling waves on the swim and the hilly bike and run course to place 2nd with a time of 12:07:03
Hydration
- Before heading to Wales, Mel sat down with Sports Scientist Chris to discuss the best strategy for her first full distance triathlon in a few years
- As a ‘salty sweater’ with a relative sweat sodium concentration of 1,290mg/L, Mel has been prone to cramps in prolonged races previously. This meant that she was well aware of the impact that her sodium intake could have on her performance on the day
- Mel preloaded using PH 1500 (Drink Mix) to ensure she topped up her blood plasma volume and started the race optimally hydrated
- She then used PH 1500 (Drink Mix) as her source of electrolytes on the bike leg alongside a couple of Electrolyte Capsules which resulted in her consuming ~656mg/h. She drank more than 3L/96oz of fluid while on the bike, which meant the relative sodium concentration of her intake was ~1,308mg/L
- This replaced a good proportion of her losses and ‘frontloaded’ her sodium intake somewhat, meaning that when it fell away during the second half of the run she was still pleased to report zero cramping
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Mel has been working hard on increasing her fuel intake in the build-up to this race, having admitted it’s never been a major strength of hers before
- After eating carb-rich meals both the night before and on the morning of the race, Mel topped off her glycogen stores with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel 15 minutes ahead of the start
- Using mainly PF 90 Gels, Mel fueled extremely well on the bike, managing to hit ~73g carb per hour which sits nicely within the recommended ~60-90 range for an event of this duration
- Mel also utilised the ergogenic benefits of caffeine well during this race, with both a pre-race coffee and her in race PF 30 Caffeine Gels topping up her levels to between the general 3-6mg/kg recommendation
- Unfortunately, after enduring some stomach discomfort coming off the bike, Mel struggled to fuel without feeling nauseous on the run. This mean that she only had ~29g carb per hour during this section - which no doubt contributed to what she described as a ‘spectacular bonk’ at the finish line
Conclusions
- She followed her plan to the letter while on the bike, recording a solid 6:29:58 split, and this ensured she felt like she had a good amount of energy left in her legs for the run
- Unfortunately, the onset of nausea meant that she couldn’t fuel effectively on the run which caused some problems during the final laps
- For Mel’s future events it’ll be important to continue her gut training to ensure she can prolong her capacity to take on fuel and avoid that dreaded bonk
Key info
Mel Varvel
Female
Sweat sodium concentration
1,290mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
2nd
Overall Time
12:07:03
Swim Time
1:12:56
Bike Time
6:29:58
Run Time
4:00:07
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
IRONMAN Wales
Location
Temby , Wales
Date
12th September, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
3.8km / 2.4mi
Bike Distance
180.2km / 112.0mi
Run Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Distance
226.2km / 140.6mi
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
Rain
Min Temp
15°C / 59°F
Max Temp
17°C / 63°F
Avg Temp
16°C / 61°F
Humidity
85%
Athlete feedback
Hydration rating
8/10
Did a great job of hydrating properly on the bike, but stomach discomfort mid-way through the run disrupted my strategy
Energy levels
7/10
Really good until last half of run when I stopped eating, spectacular bonk but lessons learned
Toilet stops
Yes
GI comfort
8/10
Mild stomach discomfort post bike but cleared up thankfully for the majority of the run
Cramping
No cramping
Mel's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 622 | 5,852 | 4,150 | 238 | 1,410 |
| Per hour | 51 | 483 | 343 | 20 | |
| Bike and Run | |||||
| Total intake | 592 | 5,852 | 4,150 | 138 | 1,410 |
| Per hour | 56 | 558 | 396 | 13 | |
| Bike | |||||
| Total intake | 474 | 4,250 | 3,250 | 100 | 1,308 |
| Per hour | 73 | 656 | 501 | 15 | |
| Run | |||||
| Total intake | 117 | 1,602 | 900 | 38 | 1,780 |
| Per hour | 29 | 401 | 225 | 10 | |
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.