Sarah Crowley
IRONMAN® Australia
Port Macquaire1st, FPROSarah's headline numbers
Sarah'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 steady all day and was able to hit a good amount of carbs to keep me fuelled throughout the race"
Sarah used what she learnt and began to implement from the 2021 season to increase her carbohydrate intake for full-distance races. She implemented this change in strategy well and had no GI discomfort, which is a testament to her efforts to train her gut in her race simulation training sessions in the 8-10 weeks leading into IRONMAN® Australia. To hit this higher intake, Sarah predominantly used carb-rich drink mixes plus several PF 30 Gels on the bike, and alternating between Gels and Chews on the run.
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.
Sarah387mg/L
Sarah 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 Sarah'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 think I managed to consume most of my prepared bottles and got more fluid from on course aid stations. I didn't pee during the race but that's not uncommon for me!"
Throughout the nine-hour race, Sarah consumed ~760ml per hour on the bike and ~817ml/h on the run, a sensible volume given the warm conditions. Although she didn’t pee at all during the race - which typically might indicate not drinking enough - this isn’t uncommon for Sarah and her lack of dehydration-related symptoms suggest she stayed adequately hydrated. Sarah’s drinks contained a low relative sodium concentration, which matched her lower than average sweat sodium concentration. For races in hotter conditions, she may benefit from including *slightly* more electrolytes in her hydration strategy in upcoming races, erring on the higher side of the recommendations for her personal losses. Alongside an appropriate amount of fluid intake, this would help to maintain her fluid and electrolyte balance, using the water retention property of sodium to her advantage.
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
Sarah didn’t take any caffeine before the race but did a great job at drip-feeding caffeinated drinks and chews while on the move. Her total intake slightly exceeded the scientific recommendations for an acute dose based on her body weight, but considering her tolerance to caffeine and lack of negative side effects, it was likely appropriate and helped to mask any fatigue as she powered through.
How Sarah hit her numbers
Here's everything that Sarah ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This was my highest carb intake to date and I had no GI issues. I’m happy I was able to fight to the end and take the win!”
“Sarah had a fantastic race at IRONMAN® Australia, taking the win and executing a robust fueling and hydration plan. She consumed more carb than ever before, fueling consistently through the run, and even maintained perfect gut comfort levels. With no dehydration-related issues, she managed her fluid and electrolyte levels well from (even before) the gun to the tape.”
PF&HSarah'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.