Neil Eddy
Challenge Roth
Neil's headline numbers
Neil's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Neil’s pre-race meal always consists of a bowl of porridge 2-4 hours before the start and a PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the final 30 minutes. This routine, as well as a structured 48-hour carb load, ensures that he goes into his races with maximised glycogen on board. On the bike, Neil followed a simple plan with most of his carbohydrates coming from PF 30 Gels, supplemented by the small amount of carbs in his PH 1500 (Drink Mix). In total, this delivered an average of ~104g/h on the bike. Neil’s gut training allowed him to take on this high quantity and still maintain a GI comfort rating of 9/10, supporting recent evidence that intakes over 90g/h can be tolerated and subsequently improve performance. On the run, his intake dropped slightly to ~74g/h, which isn’t uncommon due to the mechanics of running.
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.
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 Neil’s losses are Very High (1,492mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it’s hot and/or humid.
Learn moreNeil’s very high sweat sodium concentration combined with the ~32℃ (~89℉) peak temperature meant keeping on top of hydration was crucial to finishing and succeeding in this race. During the bike leg, he consumed ~783ml/h; while this is a good intake, Neil has sweat rate data to know that he would have lost over ~1L/h so increasing his fluid consumption closer to this will help to limit his cumulative losses going into the run. Neil had planned to have five Electrolyte Capsules but he misplaced them in T2 so could only have one! Luckily he had consumed a relative sodium concentration of ~1,667mg/L on the bike which kept dehydration at bay until he was able to pick up 500ml of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) from his personal needs bag. Adapting well ‘on the fly’ is a testament to Neil’s experience in full distance triathlon, as despite the weather and his mishap, he still maintained a relative sodium concentration that kept him on top of his losses and well hydrated.
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.
The pre-race PF 30 Caffeine Gel and some small doses from cola on course were the only sources of caffeine that Neil had during his race. This meant his average intake fell significantly below the recommended range of 3-6mg/kg. Increasing his caffeine intake will help to reduce perceived exertion and increase mental alertness, so it’s worth considering for future races.
How Neil hit his numbers
Here's everything that Neil ate and drank on the day...
Neil's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HNeil's full stats
Data Confidence?
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.