Stacey Carron
IRONMAN® California
SacramentoCompleted, F40-44Stacey's headline numbers
Stacey's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"Despite not getting as much breakfast as planned because I ran late, my fueling felt good."
Stacey hit the recommended carb intake on the morning of her race despite having less time than planned for breakfast. She then had a last minute top up on the start line from her PF 30 Caffeine Gel to help fuel her speedy swim and save her stored glycogen for later in the race.
Overall, Stacey’s well planned intake sat within the 60-90g per hour recommended by science. The majority of her bike fueling came from the PF 300 Flow Gel with some PF 30 Chews to add some variety. However, her strategy on the run relied more on aid stations, which was a sensible move as it minimised the amount she had to carry, which can add up when running for over 7 hours. Stacey had planned for this, and knew what she needed and choosing to rely on energy bars and some ‘real food’ to avoid developing any flavour fatigue, whilst supplementing with a few PF 30 Chews which she took with her.
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.
Stacey676mg/L
Stacey 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 Stacey'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 moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Stacey start optimally hydrated
"I’ve used the sweat rate spreadsheet over the past year, so I had data from a variety of temperatures and intensities to plan race day needs based on what the weather was going to be."
After having her sweat sodium concentration measured with a Sweat Test, Stacey understands the importance of drinking close to her known relative sodium losses to stay optimally hydrated when she is racing. On the bike, she supplemented plain water with Electrolyte Capsules to ensure the average relative sodium concentration of her intake was within 100mg of sodium per litre of her known losses. However, on the run, her relative sodium concentration was nearly three times higher than what she was losing in her sweat. Being mindful of the salt content in real foods and energy bars as well as adjusting her sodium intake alongside how much she is drinking, is something for Stacey to consider next time out.
Doing sweat rate testing is a really good way of preparing for a race by understanding how much fluid she sweats out. Overall, Stacey got her fluid intake from plain water refills on the bike, and then by picking up cups of PH 1000 and plain water on the run. Without knowing her exact sweat rate on race day, it’s likely her losses were closer to ~750ml/h given the temperatures reached up to 29℃. Carrying a soft flask out of T2 could help her be more self-sufficient for the first section of the marathon.
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
Stacey didn’t shy away from caffeine for her IRONMAN®, taking a high morning dose before eating two PF 30 Caffeine Gels on the bike, which meant her overall intake sat within the 3-6mg/kg recommendations to get the proven performance benefits of the stimulant. Given caffeine has a half-life of 4-5 hours, and Stacey was out on course for over 16 hours, she may feel some additional benefit from taking 2-3 top-up PF 30 Caffeine Gels on the run, to make sure that her circulating levels sit within the 3-6mg/kg window across the race.
How Stacey hit her numbers
Here's everything that Stacey ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It was an amazing day! My goal was to finish in 17 hours and I accomplished that - it was my first full IRONMAN®.”
“Stacey fueled and hydrated strongly to achieve her target of completing the race within 17 hours. She had prepared well and mapped out her strategy using the aid stations to maximal effect. Increasing her fluid, as well as closely matching her sodium intake to her losses continually, would likely support her performance for her next race.”
PF&HStacey'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 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.