Sam Appleton
IRONMAN® Australia
Port Macquarie1st, MPROSam's headline numbers
Sam's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Sam start optimally fueled
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy was great. I felt very lucid for the whole event and even at the end my energy felt good. I felt I was slowing down more from muscle damage on the run than anything else."
Sam is notoriously an athlete who struggles to consume a large carb-rich breakfast as we've seen ahead of many of his previous races. This time was no exception with a breakfast on the smaller side, though it was slightly more than we saw ahead of his 2022 IRONMAN Cairns performance, and he followed it with a PF 30 Gel 15 minutes before the swim. His average carb intake for the race was spot on, but taking a closer look at the breakdown, this was largely due to an impressively high intake (~124g/h) on the bike. Sam has undertaken vast amounts of gut training over the past 3 years of racing to increase his tolerance to these high carb intakes and in particular work to take on more fuel whilst running, this was evidenced in his slight increase per hour to ~48g/h over the under 3 hour marathon compared to ~40g/h in Cairns. He did experience some GI distress near the end of the bike, so may have benefitted from reducing his intake under 120g/h in an attempt to avoid any discomfort going on to the run. That being said, this intake was sufficient to keep his energy up and fuel his epic course record time.
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.
Sam655mg/L
Sam has been Sweat Tested to dial in his 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 Sam's losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Sam start optimally hydrated
"I am happy with how everything turned out, and I was able to adapt on the fly and still maintain great energy levels. I didn’t have any cramping during the race either."
Using a combination of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, PH 1000 and additional on-course fluids, Sam was able to consume a relative sodium concentration pretty close to his losses. He was particularly in line with the recommendations on the bike, setting him up for success later in the race and helping to prevent cramping. Even though his sodium intake dropped quite a bit on the run, the mild weather conditions helped keep him from accumulating too high a level of dehydration to negatively impact his performance. For hotter races when this would be more of a risk, he could carry Electrolyte Capsules to pair with the fluid he picks up at aid stations to make sure he doesn’t fall too far below his target relative sodium concentration.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Sam started the morning with a coffee and then utilised PF 30 Caffeine Gels during the race to maximise the ergogenic effects of caffeine. Between two doses on the bike, one on the run, and a small contribution from cola, his caffeine intake fell perfectly in line with the scientific recommendations.
How Sam hit his numbers
Here's everything that Sam ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I am super stoked with the race. It feels like a nice weight off the shoulders to execute a great IRONMAN that I knew I was capable of.”
“We are just as stoked about this race and course record as Sam is! He executed a well-planned strategy that he's been refining since 2019, including lots of practice gut training, helping him earn his first full-distance IRONMAN win after 16 70.3 wins. The only adjustments we’d advise Sam try in the future would be to slightly reduce his carb intake on the bike to avoid GI distress. But still, Sam managed an absolutely killer performance and a massive congrats to him!”
PF&HSam'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 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.