IRONMAN Hamburg

Solveig used a plan very similar to her World Championship winning Kona setup, with the only significant difference being a lower overall fluid intake to account for the cooler conditions in Hamburg. Her fueling execution was excellent: ~162 g/h of carbs on the bike and ~115g/h on the run, close to her targets of ~150 and ~120g/h.

A sustained 162g/h of carb sits well beyond the 60-90g/h guidelines. Although this intake is higher than traditional recommendations, it likely supported her fueling requirements well, especially considering her high energy use across the fastest bike split of the day. Easing to 115g/h on the run matches her strategy across her four most recent full-distance IRONMAN® races (all of which she’s won). Since running is more challenging for the gut than riding, this is a sensible decision, and this reduction, along with consistent gut training, has resulted in minimal stomach trouble. Despite lowering her overall intake from bike to run, ~115g/h is still a very high intake, but emerging evidence is starting to support such high fueling rates as they may improve both running economy and reliance on ingested carbohydrate as a fuel source.

Solveig sits around the average sodium loss we see across all our ~30,000 sweat tests. With two PH 1500 (Tablets) in every bottle and some additional plain water and PH 1000 from aid stations, her intake ran at a relative sodium concentration of ~1,167mg/L - close to her losses, supporting plasma volume maintenance.

Her fluid intake was ~969ml/h on the bike and ~1,063ml/h on the run - well matched to the cool conditions and her predicted sweat rates on the bike and run. That level of fluid intake versus her predicted sweat losses leaves her finishing the race at ~1.9% down in fluid loss, which is perfect for a race of this duration. Her tried and tested strategy means she is able to carry all the sodium and carbs she needs on the bike and run, then dilute this down with plain water from aid stations as planned and required.

Solveig hit the same caffeine intake as her recent win at IRONMAN® Texas. She took caffeine in three main doses through the day in line with the evidence, which supports 3-6mg/kg for an endurance benefit, with gels a proven format. She took two PF 30 Caffeine Gels before the start, then two more halfway through the bike. The one miss came on the run; she took just one of the two gels she carried. At ~7mg/kg across the race, she was slightly above the effective range already; however, she tolerates caffeine very well across this duration through experience, and may have benefited from that extra caffeine gel to help offset some of the late race fatigue - an easy win for next time.