IRONMAN Barcelona

Neil front-loaded his carb intake on the bike like he normally does in IRONMAN races, although to a slightly lesser extent than we’ve seen him do previously (~99g/h in Kona, ~104g/h in Roth). Amongst the athlete intakes we’ve analysed, 83% dropped their carb consumption on the run compared to the bike, and by ~22% on average. Neil’s intake dropped by ~33% from bike-to-run, but was likely due to learning that he’d been disqualified for a course infringement 30 minutes into the run. This meant his usual high-carb strategy was reduced, and despite his position being reinstated post-race, his fuel intake had already fallen dramatically to just ~62g/h on the run, meaning his overall average fell to ~74g/h, below the 90g/h+ scientific recommendations.

Similarly to his fueling strategy, Neil executed his hydration on the bike as planned, frontloading both his sodium and fluid to prepare himself for the run where fluid is usually more difficult to access and consume. By running out of T2 with a Soft Flask of PH 1500, Neil controlled his hydration better than most, and kept on top of his sweat losses as temperatures peaked at ~29℃ / 84ºF. Neil later mentioned that his fluid intake dropped in the latter stages of the run, likely mimicking his dropping motivation following the confusion about his disqualification.

By utilising a drip-feed caffeine strategy to meet the recommended guidelines, Neil will have utilised the performance enhancing benefits of the stimulant throughout the entire race.