Rebecca Clarke
IRONMAN® New Zealand
Taupo3rd, FPRORebecca's headline numbers
Rebecca's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt pretty good throughout, but felt I was lacking some energy at the start of the run."
After analysing her intake during her win at the Tauranga Half around 6 weeks prior to this race, Rebecca knew she needed to increase her carb intake for maximal energy availability during this full-distance IRONMAN®. Confidently leading the race out of T1, Rebecca involuntarily donated ~500ml of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to the bike course due to a bump in the road and had to adapt her fuel plan while riding, deciding to use the on-course isotonic sports drink to replace these lost carbohydrates. But, she still hit an impressive carb intake while cycling, which was 59% higher than her intake during the bike at her previous race. On the run, however, Rebecca initially felt a lull in energy, which may have been caused by slightly mistimed caffeine consumption. Impressively, despite a higher carb intake than she’s used to, Rebecca experienced no GI discomfort while on the bike, and only minor distress while racing at her limit on the run course.
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.
Rebecca553mg/L
Rebecca has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan
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 Rebecca's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I felt quite thirsty on the run, but I should have prepared for the warm conditions."
After speaking with the PF&H Sports Science team, Rebecca knew that a strong electrolyte drink before her race would help her to start optimally hydrated. Unfortunately, dropping a half-finished 1L bottle of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix meant she had to use whatever was available on course to stay on top of her hydration strategy. On the run she reported feeling thirsty, which may in part have been due to her fluid intake dropping from ~1.1L/h on the bike to ~690ml/h. Along with reduced fluid intakes on the run, temperatures peaked on course at around 23 ºC (73 ºF) which further worsened her hydration status. In future, we’d recommend her to maintain a higher fluid intake on the run to help sustain her performance to the highest level, particularly in warm weather conditions..
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Rebecca’s caffeine intake during this race put her just above the general recommendations for performance enhancement. This ensured she maximised the chance of experiencing all of the benefits associated with caffeine. The only adjustment she plans to make in future is in regards to the timing, as she will try delaying one of her PF 30 Caffeine Gels to the end of the bike leg to see if this helps her avoid an energy dip at the start of the run.
How Rebecca hit her numbers
Here's everything that Rebecca ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I'm happy to have been on the podium and bag my slot for Kona, but being so close to the win makes the small mistakes seem so much more impactful.”
“Rebecca did well to overcome the adversity of losing a bottle and still hit her intake targets throughout the race. Going forwards, she is going to experiment with the timing of her carb and caffeine doses to optimise her perceived energy levels, especially when transitioning from bike to run. Overall, this was an excellent early season race for Rebecca which should give her confidence for upcoming events, especially on the build to the championships later in the year. ”
PF&HRebecca's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
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.