IRONMAN World Championships

Using the new PF 300 Flow Gel as part of his fueling strategy during the challenging bike course in Nice, Ross consumed over ~130g of carbohydrate per hour. We’re seeing more athletes reaching up to and in excess of 120g/h on the bike leg, but this takes a large amount of gut training in race simulation sessions to tolerate this intake on race day. On the run however, Ross didn’t stick to his fueling plan and his carb intake dropped over 50% per hour from the bike to ~54g/h. A reduction from the bike to the run is expected, but Ross should look to increase his run intake to avoid the energy dip he experienced towards the end of the marathon.

After chatting with the PF&H Sports Science team pre-race, Ross executed a hydration strategy specific to his sweat losses. By using PH 1000 and PH 1500 in two of his bottles on the bike and proactively picking up water at each aid station, he took on a relative sodium concentration similar to his sweat concentration, and drank a suitable volume per hour to stay hydrated in the warm conditions. Ross may look to take Electrolyte Capsules on the run alongside the water he is picking up to maintain this strategy towards the end of the race.

Ross used caffeine effectively over the course of the day to glean the associated ergogenic effects. By drinking a coffee in the morning, having a PF 30 Caffeine Gel pre-race, three PF 30 Caffeine Gels during the race and caffeinated energy drinks on the run, he will have kept his blood caffeine levels topped up throughout the race. This high intake meant he slightly exceeded the general guidelines, so he could reduce this and still reap the benefits.