3rd
Neil Eddy's scorecard
Challenge Roth
Sunday 3rd July, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
86g
Carb per hour
855mg
Sodium per hour
671ml
Fluid per hour
1,275mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
1.75mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How Neil hit those numbers
How Neil's hydration and fueling went...
- Neil is a member of the 2022 Zwift Triathlon Academy who will be racing the IM World Championships in Kona this October
- Having worked with the team at PF&H as an ambassador for a few years, Neil has dialled his hydration and fueling strategy and tested it in several races
- Challenge Roth saw a large number of athletes walking during the marathon as temperatures soared to ~32℃/ 90℉. Neil certainly found the day tough, but managed to stay relatively on top of his fueling and hydration and finished strong
Hydration
- Neil began his pre-race routine as he usually does by preloading with 500ml/16oz PH 1500 the night before and the morning of the race. This will have helped make sure he started optimally hydrated with his body ready to tackle the high temperatures that were expected
- During the bike leg, Neil drank ~3L/101oz PH 1500 Drink Mix and ~600ml/20oz of plain water, which gave him an average fluid intake of ~783ml/26oz per hour
- This fluid intake is fairly good considering the temperatures, however as Neil has done some sweat rate testing, in which he determined he lost ~1L/h (32oz/h) in conditions similar to Roth, he could perhaps increase his fluid intake to help limit his losses
- Neil’s sodium intake was strong on the bike as he averaged ~1,304mg/h, giving him a relative sodium concentration of ~1,667mg/L
- With a sweat sodium concentration of 1,492mg/L measured by our Sweat Test, despite the high temperatures, Neil will have replaced a large proportion of his losses through sweating during the 180k bike
- By the time he hit the marathon, the air temperatures were approaching 32℃/90℉, and he knew his hydration strategy needed to be ‘on point’ so he could continue to push hard and execute the solid run he’s capable of producing (for context, Neil ran a 1:11 half marathon in 2020)
- Neil picked up ~800ml/28oz of plain water on the run course, and had planned to take five Electrolyte Capsules but unfortunately misplaced them in T2, and could only take one
- Because of this, Neil had to be more proactive with getting sodium from other sources, and so picked up his ~500ml/16oz bottle containing PH 1500 (Drink Mix) and half a PH 1000 (tablet) from the special needs aid station
- In total, Neil drank ~2.1L/71oz of fluid on the run, averaging ~704ml/23oz per hour with a relative sodium concentration of ~602mg/L. Considering he misplaced his main source of sodium, he achieved a solid intake, using his years of experience to adapt well ‘on the fly’
- We would typically recommend a slightly higher concentration of sodium for someone with an above average sweat concentration like Neil, especially when racing in such high temperatures, but he still did a good job considering the circumstances
- Neil was tipping several cups of water over his head to keep himself cool, which proved effective as he ran his way to 3rd place in his age group, and 20th place overall amongst the professional athletes
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Neil ate his usual bowl of porridge for breakfast to top off his glycogen stores, and gave himself a last minute glucose hit with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel. This will have ensured he had plenty of energy available when he started the swim, while saving his stored energy for later in the race
- When it came to carb intake throughout the race, Neil averaged a strong 86g/h. This is very close to his recommended 90g/h from our Fuel & Hydration Planner, and meant he had adequate energy availability throughout the race
- On the bike, Neil got all of his carbohydrates from 12 x PF 30 Gels and ~3L/101oz PH 1500 (Drink Mix), giving him an average of ~104g/h
- Neil rated his GI comfort nine (out of ten), indicating that his stomach is well trained at dealing with this high quantity of carbs. This supports the recent evidence which suggests athletes can take more than 90g/h and see significant performance improvements compared to lower amounts
- Averaging ~74g/h of carbohydrate on the run, Neil ate two PF 30 Gels and one PF 90 Gel and topped up with a few cups (~320ml/10oz) of Coca Cola from aid stations
- To prevent the slight drop-off in pace that Neil experienced in the latter stages of the marathon, he should aim to sustain a slightly higher carb intake, trying to hit closer to 90g/h
Conclusions
- Neil had suffered with some illness after his last IM race in Mallorca, and so was pleased with how his body has responded considering his limited training in recent weeks
- Rating his bike energy and hydration strategy 10/10, Neil said to improve his overall race satisfaction from an eight to a ten, he needs to work on both hitting a higher carb intake and remembering his Electrolyte Capsules on the run!
- Overall, Neil said “I’m able to take several positives from this race, and more importantly I know where I can improve further”, which puts him in a good position as he builds his training up towards Kona this October
Key info
Neil Eddy
Male
72kg
Sweat sodium concentration
1492mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Very High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
3rd
Overall Time
8:30:50
Swim Time
0:51:32
Bike Time
4:36:09
Run Time
2:59:32
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
Challenge Roth
Location
Roth, Germany
Date
3rd July, 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
Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
25°C / 77°F
Max Temp
32°C / 90°F
Avg Temp
28°C / 82°F
Humidity
52%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
8/10
Hydration rating
8/10
10/10 on the bike but more like 7/10 on the run
Energy levels
8/10
Bike was 10/10, the run dropped to 4-5/10 on the second half
Toilet stops
Yes
GI comfort
9/10
Cramping
No cramping
Neil's Thoughts
I can take several positives from this race, and thankfully I know where to improve
Neil's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 732 | 7,265 | 5,700 | 126 | 1,275 |
Per hour | 86 | 855 | 671 | 15 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 702 | 7,265 | 5,700 | 26 | 1,275 |
Per hour | 93 | 958 | 752 | 3 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 480 | 6,000 | 3,600 | 0 | 1,667 |
Per hour | 104 | 1,304 | 783 | 0 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 222 | 1,265 | 2,100 | 26 | 602 |
Per hour | 74 | 424 | 704 | 9 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
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.