1st
Sarah Crowley's scorecard
IRONMAN Cairns
Sunday 12th June, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
75g
Carb per hour
269mg
Sodium per hour
661ml
Fluid per hour
407mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
6.00mg/kg
Caffeine per bodyweight
How Sarah hit those numbers
How Sarah's hydration and fueling went...
- Sarah had a dominant race at IM Cairns, making a break from the pack out of T1, to hold off her competitors all the way to the finish line and take another win just five weeks after winning IM Australia
- Sarah stuck to her tried and tested hydration and fueling strategy for this race, executing a similar plan to previous IM races, but increasing her fluid intake on the bike to account for the warmer conditions
Hydration
- Knowing that the conditions were going to be warm, Sarah made sure that she preloaded by drinking ~600ml/19oz of PH 1500 ahead of the race, ensuring she started well-hydrated
- On the bike, Sarah carried with her ~1.5L/48oz of a carb-rich energy drink and ~500ml/16oz of a protein drink mix. In addition to this, she picked up an additional ~1.5L/48oz of the on-course mix and ~500ml/16oz plain water. This averaged an intake of ~883ml/30oz per hour on the bike course, which is ~100ml/3oz greater (per hour) than we saw her drink at Port Macquire a few weeks prior
- Due to the warmer temperature (~26℃/80°F) Sarah’s sweat rate and therefore, net fluid losses were greater. It was fantastic to see Sarah adjust her fluid intake in response to this
- On the run, we are used to seeing Sarah pick up a selection of the available on-course fluids, and this race was no exception. Sarah opted for a mixture of plain water (~1L/32oz), carb drink mix (~400ml/13oz) and Coca Cola (~300ml/10oz)
- In total, Sarah drank ~5.9L/200oz of fluid, averaging an intake of ~661ml/hr (~20oz/hr). For the warm conditions and from what we’ve seen Sarah drink previously, this is a sensible overall fluid intake which should have prevented her from incurring a significant fluid deficit
- Sarah consumed an average of ~269mg of sodium per hour across the race, equaling a relative sodium concentration of ~407mg/L when we account for her average fluid intake. Sarah has a low sweat sodium concentration and as a result, doesn’t require a great intake of sodium when racing. Importantly, Sarah made sure she started well hydrated before the event, and then did an adequate job at staying on top of her losses by drip feeding her system with fluids and sports products which contain small amounts of sodium throughout the race. Should Sarah race in much hotter, or more humid conditions, then she should consider replacing a greater proportion of electrolytes in a more strategic way
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Sarah fuelled her race by consuming her usual breakfast of oats mixed with Nutella, banana and a nutritional shake, alongside a coffee to give her a caffeine hit. Closer to the race, Sarah also ate half a packet of energy chews and another banana, meaning that all-in-all she took on board plenty of energy pre-swim
- Throughout the event, Sarah fueled her performance using a mixture of carb drink mixes (~3.4L/115oz), energy gels and on-course fluids like Coca Cola and Red Bull
- Using a variety of carb sources can be good for morale, as long as the mix is well tolerated by the individual
- On average, Sarah consumed ~75g of carb per hour (including her swim time) which broke down into ~100g/hr on the bike and ~59g/hr on the run. This is the highest carb intake we’ve seen Sarah consume on the bike, most likely a result of consuming a greater volume of energy drink mix, and once again reflects the effort she’s been putting into training her gut
- Sarah met the recommendations of the Quick Carb Calculator (60-90g/hr) for a race of this duration and intensity, and didn’t report any gastrointestinal issues, having enough in the tank to run strongly for the duration of the marathon
Conclusions
- Sarah continued to show her great form by taking the win at IM Cairns, crossing the finish line with a comfortable five and a half minute lead
- She executed a similar fueling and hydration strategy, increasing her fluid intake on the bike to account for the higher temperatures, but ultimately hitting similar overall numbers to previous races
Key info
Sarah Crowley
Female
54kg
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
8:59:41
Swim Time
0:54:00
Bike Time
4:48:11
Run Time
3:12:19
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
IRONMAN Cairns
Location
Cairns, Australia
Date
12th June, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
3.8km / 2.4mi
Bike Distance
180.2km / 112.0mi
Run Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Distance
226.2km / 140.6mi
Bike Elevation
1,135m / 3,724ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
24°C / 75°F
Max Temp
26°C / 79°F
Avg Temp
25°C / 77°F
Humidity
60%
Sarah's Thoughts
I upped my consumption of the on-course drinks on the bike because it was hotter than my previous races
Sarah's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 670 | 2,414 | 5,937 | 324 | 407 |
Per hour | 75 | 269 | 661 | 36 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 670 | 2,414 | 5,937 | 324 | 407 |
Per hour | 84 | 302 | 742 | 41 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 481 | 2,183 | 4,237 | 200 | 515 |
Per hour | 100 | 455 | 883 | 42 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 190 | 231 | 1,700 | 124 | 136 |
Per hour | 59 | 72 | 531 | 39 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
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.