Sarah Crowley
The Collins Cup
Sarah's headline numbers
Sarah'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.
Sarah consumed an average of ~68g of carb per hour on the bike and ~73g/h on the run. This is the reverse of the typical trend we see in our Case Study Database, where athletes usually reduce carb intake during the run due to the mechanical challenges of consuming carbs while running compared to cycling. Her intake was at the lower end of the recommended 90g/h for a race of this length and intensity. To improve, Sarah could increase her carb intake, particularly on the bike to ‘front-load’ her fuel before the run. She noted experiencing low energy toward the end of the bike and the beginning of the run, which could be mitigated by increasing her intake earlier on.
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 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 moreThe mild and wet weather conditions led Sarah to feel she didn’t need to drink as much as she normally would, which is also why she chose not to preload. However, we always recommend having PH 1500 on the morning of a race of this duration, regardless of weather, to boost plasma volume and ensure optimal hydration at the start line. Throughout the race, Sarah’s relative sodium concentration was close to matching her low sweat sodium concentration, and she didn’t experience any cramping, indicating that her sodium intake was likely sufficient. Similarly she drank ~444ml/h, adequate for maintaining her hydration strategy during the race given the cool conditions.
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.
Sarah had her usual coffee with breakfast and supplemented with one small caffeine dose on the run. While this likely provided a boost to her perceived energy levels, she could have experienced greater ergogenic benefits by taking a larger dose of caffeine earlier in the bike or even within the hour before the race started.
How Sarah hit her numbers
Here's everything that Sarah ate and drank on the day...
Sarah's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HSarah'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).