Nicholas Peter Koniarska Ward
IRONMAN® World Championships
Nicholas Peter's headline numbers
Nicholas Peter'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.
Nicholas won the opportunity to get his numbers crunched as one of the first 10 people to book a Sweat Test at the IRONMAN® World Championships in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Part of the reason Nicholas came in for a Sweat Test was that he has struggled with negative gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms in the past and was hoping to avoid them in this key race. His plan for race day was to hit just above the 90g/h recommended carb intake for a race of this duration and intensity. He achieved this high intake of carb without experiencing any GI discomfort, even in such hot and humid conditions which are known to increase the risk of GI symptoms. Unfortunately, he struggled to access additional carbohydrates from the run aid stations due to congestion and availability, so he should consider bringing some spare nutrition for races like this and utilising the personal needs aid station.
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.
Whilst Nicholas Peter’s losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it’s hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreNicholas thought his aforementioned GI issues could’ve been related to pushing both his sodium and carbohydrate intake too high in previous races. When we consume high concentration fluids (i.e., carbs and/or electrolytes), the high osmolarity of those drinks can slow the absorption rate in the gut, leading to GI symptoms. After having his sweat tested, Nicholas learned that he is not a very salty sweater. Since he had been planning to consume closer to 1,000mg of sodium per litre of fluid he drank, he reduced his intake to better match his sweat losses and thankfully, he didn’t experience any GI symptoms.
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.
During such a long event, it’s common to see athletes exceed the typical guidelines of 3-6mg/kg of caffeine. Nicholas consumed a total dose of caffeine slightly above these recommendations, but didn’t experience any negative side effects which can occur after over-consumption. The effects of caffeine can vary between individuals, with some athletes experiencing a performance boost, and others seeing less or no benefit. Nicholas has practised using the stimulant in training and found himself to be in the performance-boosting camp.
How Nicholas Peter hit his numbers
Here's everything that Nicholas Peter ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
PF&HNicholas Peter'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.