11th
Neil Eddy's scorecard
IRONMAN World Championships
Saturday 8th October, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
85g
Carb per hour
1,629mg
Sodium per hour
1,343ml
Fluid per hour
1,213mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
4.97mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How Neil hit those numbers
How Neil's hydration and fueling went...
- Neil raced the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona for the fourth time, but the first time as a member of the Zwift Triathlon Academy 2022
- He is well accustomed to the brutal conditions on the Big Island, but unfortunately suffered with some illness leading into the race which hampered his progress towards his pre-race target of an age group podium
Hydration
- Neil got on top of his hydration ahead of the race by preloading his sodium levels with 500ml (16oz) PH 1500 the evening and morning before. This will have helped expand his blood plasma volume and potentially reduce the cardiovascular load he would endure during the race
- As someone with a sweat sodium concentration of 1,269 milligrams of sodium per litre (mg/32oz), and who has experienced hydration related issues in some of his races prior to joining the PF&H squad, Neil knows the value of an appropriate strategy with accurate execution
- After a solid swim, Neil headed out onto the bike where he was aiming to consume a similar fluid and sodium dose to his race at Challenge Roth earlier in the year, where he finished third overall. His Kona bike was loaded with a highly concentrated drink in his ~1.3L (45oz) integrated hydration system containing six PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets. He also carried two 750ml (24oz) bottles with a further three PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets
- Neil’s plan, which he’s practised extensively in training, was to dilute these sodium-rich fluids with plain water obtained from the on-course aid stations. He did so by picking up nine bottles of water, bringing his total fluid intake to ~7.8L (263oz), averaging ~1.6L (54oz) per hour, with a relative sodium concentration of ~1,216mg/L (mg/32oz). It’s worth noting that despite Neil’s best efforts, due to the large number of aid stations where he collected water, there is more potential for error within the fluid calculations
- During the run, Neil headed out of T2 with a Soft Flask containing two PH 1500 (Drink Mix) packets, and he collected another at the special needs aid station. Similarly to the bike, Neil then set about diluting this salty solution with cups of water (~2.59L/91oz in total) from the on-course aid stations positioned every ~1.6 miles (~2.5km)
- In addition to a few cups of on-course energy drink and ~720ml (22oz) Coca Cola, gave Neil a similar relative sodium concentration of ~1,206mg/L (mg/32oz) which will have closely matched the concentration of his sweat loss, thus replacing a good proportion of his losses
- Neil was feeling the effects of an illness he’d been battling for a couple of days before the race, and went to the medical tent post-race to get checked over. He had lost ~3.1kg (~7lbs) which equates to ~4% reduction in body weight, which highlights the severe effect the heat has on sweat rate, even on someone as familiar with racing there as Neil
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Neil has worked hard over the last few seasons to increase his tolerance to carbohydrates by training his gut regularly throughout his training, so come race day he can comfortably consume fairly high quantities without GI distress
- Neil ate carb-rich meals two days prior to Kona, which will have given his stored glycogen levels a top up and ensured he started the race with maximal energy supplies
- He completed this pre-race energy priming by having a PF 30 Caffeine Gel ~20 minutes before the swim start to boost his blood glucose and optimise energy provision in the initial stages of the race
- On the bike, his plan was similar to Challenge Roth where he emptied nine PF 30 Energy Gels into an aero water bottle with a little bit of water, and helped reduce his perception of effort with a top up of caffeine with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel at around the three hour mark
- This brought his total carb intake to ~480g, meaning he averaged an impressive ~99g per hour for the 180k ride, slightly lower than the bike intake we saw from Neil at Roth
- Heading out onto the run, Neil utilised the storage of his PH Running Belt to carry his PF 30 Gels, Caffeine Gel and Energy Chew which made up the majority of his carb intake. In total he averaged ~81g per hour while running (~9% higher than his intake at Roth) bringing his overall race average to ~85g/h
- Neil struggled in the first few miles of the run to take on much nutrition, as he felt his stomach was “still feeling the effects of the sickness earlier in the week”. He felt that once the cups of Coca Cola hit his system though, it seemed to “settle his stomach” and he could really concentrate his efforts on fueling
- This intake provided him with ample energy for the 9 hour race, and helped him “mentally park” his nutrition strategy and focus on the job in hand, whilst battling against his lingering illness from the previous days
Conclusions
- In all, Neil had a good race in Kona, demonstrating a well-rounded hydration and fueling plan that he’s executed several times with great success, and this time was no different
- Whilst it’s unfortunate that he wasn’t able to fight for the age group world title, he was proud of his performance considering his health at the time
Key info
Neil Eddy
Male
72kg
Sweat sodium concentration
1,492mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Very High
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Result
Position
11th
Overall Time
9:08:11
Swim Time
0:54:05
Bike Time
4:50:06
Run Time
3:16:19
Bodyweight change
-5.0%
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
IRONMAN World Championships
Location
Kona, Hawaii
Date
8th October, 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
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
24°C / 75°F
Max Temp
30°C / 86°F
Avg Temp
27°C / 81°F
Humidity
69%
Athlete feedback
Energy levels
8/10
Toilet stops
Yes
GI comfort
8/10
Cramping
No cramping
Neil's Thoughts
I'm stoked to have started and finished after being sick all week, I'm proud of how I performed considering
Neil's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 775 | 14,874 | 12,266 | 358 | 1,213 |
Per hour | 85 | 1,629 | 1,343 | 39 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 745 | 14,874 | 12,266 | 258 | 1,213 |
Per hour | 92 | 1,836 | 1,514 | 32 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 480 | 9,500 | 7,810 | 100 | 1,216 |
Per hour | 99 | 1,966 | 1,616 | 21 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 265 | 5,374 | 4,456 | 158 | 1,206 |
Per hour | 81 | 1,645 | 1,364 | 48 |
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.