• With a win at the Hell of the West Tri under her belt a month prior, Sarah went into IM Australia knowing she was in good form and she showed it; taking the win in a time of 09:06:04 and finishing a minute ahead of second place
• Sarah used a range of carb-rich drink mixes, gels and real food to meet her fueling needs, hitting an impressive carbohydrate intake on the bike and continuing this on the run
• Temperatures increased as the race progressed and being mindful of this, Sarah did a good job at taking in enough fluids but could have benefitted from supplementing with greater sodium replacement

Hydration

• Sarah preloaded before the race with 500ml/16oz of PH 1500 which ensured she was starting the event in a well hydrated state
• In total, Sarah drank ~6.3L/213oz across the 9 hour race, averaging a fluid intake of ~696ml/24oz per hour (including her swim time)
• On the bike, Sarah rode with two aero bottles totaling ~1.5L/48oz (~760ml/25oz per hour) and estimated that she also picked up ~1L/32oz of plain water
• On the run, Sarah’s strategy was to pick up fluids from the on-course aid stations. She picked up water at every aid station (estimating ~150ml/5oz per station) as well as a total of four cups of Coca Cola and seven cups of the carb mix. This equaled a fluid intake of ~817ml/h, a greater intake than on the bike but aligns with the day getting warmer
• The temperature rose from start to finish, topping out at around 20℃/68°F, and so it would appear that Sarah drank a sensible volume which would have adequately replaced her increasing sweat losses. That said, she didn’t pee at all during the race which could indicate not drinking enough, however not peeing in an IM isn’t uncommon for Sarah
• Like her carb intake in this race, Sarah increased her sodium replacement versus previous events, consuming an average of ~245mg/h, which when compared to the volume of fluid Sarah drank is a relative sodium concentration of ~352mg/L. This intake is still considered low but is the highest we’ve seen Sarah take
• Our advice to Sarah would be to include some more electrolytes into her hydration strategy in her upcoming races, especially if the conditions get any hotter and sweat losses increase

Fueling

Conclusions

• Sarah had a fantastic race at IM Australia, taking the win and executing a robust fueling and hydration plan
• Building on last year, she consumed her greatest carb and sodium intake; an increase which had no negative impact on her gut comfort and supported her good performance
• Following on from this race, we can’t wait to see what else Sarah can go on to achieve this season