Solveig Løvseth
IRONMAN® Texas
The Woodlands, Texas1st, FPROSolveig's headline numbers
Solveig's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"Energy wise I felt great all day. My stomach was not quite right at times, though I don't feel that it limited anything. "
Solveig fueled aggressively across ~8 hours of tough racing, averaging a career-typical ~132g/h overall and moving from ~157g/h on the bike to ~119g/h on the run, well above the 60-90g/h guidelines that only holds up with a well-trained gut. On the bike, she carried three 1L bottles, each with ~210g of PF Carb Only Drink Mix, plus two PF 30 Caffeine Gels. With the strategy adjustments from PF 300 Flow Gel to PF Carb Only Drink Mix, the timing of her carb delivery might not have been optimal. Since only her front bottle was within easy reach, this meant there were periods of very high carb intake followed by times of very little intake, as Solvieg made considered efforts to maximise her time in her most aero bike position. That irregular pattern of carb intake, combined with the unusually strong mix, likely contributed to the mild GI discomfort she noticed mid-bike. For the IRONMAN® World Champs in Kona later in the year, an adjusted set-up with two bottles up front (one bottle fully concentrated with carbs, one primarily fluid and sodium, and one-two cages on the back) should help smooth both distribution and flavour fatigue.
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.
Solveig1044mg/L
Solveig 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 Solveig's losses are on the moderate 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 hydrated enough. Perhaps I had a little too much on the bike, but I enjoy drinking plenty, and I felt like I needed it during the race. "
In hot and humid conditions (~28°C, ~79% humidity as measured by our Sports Science Team on the ground), Solveig drank ~1.1 litres per hour which sits appropriately inside her predicted bike sweat rate and is a realistic ceiling for the run given her predicted run sweat rate. This intake will have kept her within the dehydration tolerance threshold of 2-3% that's thought to impact performance. The relative sodium concentration of her intake was ~1076mg/L and that was a near-exact match to her measured sweat sodium concentration. She achieved this by carrying two PH 1500 Tablets in each of her three bike bottles, and one PH 1500 in each of her four 500ml soft flasks she used on the run. She topped up on course with ~3.5 PH 1000 bottles on the bike and 8 cups of PH 1000 on the run course. She sensibly skipped the Electrolyte Capsules she carried as a backup in case conditions got hotter on the run, and she’d need to drink more fluid and balance that out with more sodium.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Solveig took in a total of 500mg of caffeine by consuming two PF 30 Caffeine Gels ~30 minutes before the start, two more around halfway on the bike, and one on the run. That's above the 3-6 mg/kg guidance range before factoring in her pre-race coffee, but one fewer than her usual IRONMAN® strategy of six PF 30 Caffeine Gels. She showed sharp in-race judgement, intentionally skipping her planned final caffeine gel once the gap to second place was secure because she didn't want it affecting sleep that evening.
How Solveig hit her numbers
Here's everything that Solveig ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I would say it was a 10 results-wise, but my bike power and run speed were slower than I feel I'm capable of.”
“Solveig executed a very high fuel and hydration plan during her first win of 2026. The one clear area to refine at her next full-distance races is optimising her bike set-up for her new fuelling strategy, to help carb distribution and fluid while maximising time in the most aero bike position.”
PF&HSolveig'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 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).