Sam Appleton
IRONMAN 70.3® World Championship
Sam's headline numbers
Sam'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.
Compared to both Boulder and the Collin’s Cup, Sam consumed a very similar intake of carbohydrates at this race. Although it fell within the recommendations, it is still on the lower end for this particular duration and intensity, suggesting Sam could benefit from increasing it to further support his performance. His carb intake on the run was over 50% lower than during the bike leg, likely due to removing the soft flask containing a concentrated volume of PF 30 Gels from his pre-planned intake. It’s hard to say whether keeping this flask would have made a significant difference to his performance, but it’s certainly worth experimenting with more fuel in training to see if it helps maintain his energy levels and prevent any dips in his blood glucose.
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 Sam’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 moreSam consumed an appropriate amount of sodium and fluid to replace what he would have been losing in his sweat in these conditions. He did experience some small twinges in his hamstring on the run, suggesting he may have had a higher sweat rate than expected in the hotter conditions and subsequently required more fluid than normal. Sam was able to push through to the end on this occasion, but in future, it’d be helpful to also preload with a stronger electrolyte drink like PH 1500 instead of PH 500 to ensure he is starting as hydrated as possible.
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.
Sam was slightly below the recommended range for caffeine intake, similar to what we have seen him consume during his previous races. Increasing this to reach the 3-6mg/kg range would help support his performance and could be practically achieved by using a couple more PF 30 Caffeine Gels during the latter part of the race to sustain energy levels right up until crossing the finish line.
How Sam hit his numbers
Here's everything that Sam ate and drank on the day...
Sam's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Sam
PF&HSam's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).