Stuart Hayes' scorecard
World Sprint Championships
Saturday 15th July, 2023
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
- 57gCarb per hour
- 141mgSodium per hour
- 281mlFluid per hour
- 500mg/LRelative sodium concentration
- 200mgTotal caffeine
How Stuart hit those numbers
Before race (>30mins)
1 x 3 Egg omelette
1 x Serving of mixed fruit
8 x Rice cakes
2 x Protein Balls
Pre-race (<30mins)
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
Race - Swim
*** Try to avoid drinking too much at this point in the race!
Race - During
300ml x PH 500 (Tablets)
1 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
- 2012 Olympian Stuart is an English triathlete who, after retiring in 2015, returned to international competition in 2023 to compete in the World Sprint Championships in Hamburg alongside his wife Michelle Dillon
- In an event which would be finished in less than an hour and a half, the key thing from a fueling and hydration perspective is the preparation for the race
- Stuart was pleased with his performance, especially given the fact that he'd severely injured both calves and wasn’t yet back at full run fitness
Hydration
- Flying over from the UK, Stuart knew that it would be warmer in Hamburg than he had been experiencing at home. And with temperatures reaching 23ºC (73ºF) on the day, starting optimally hydrated was paramount
- To do this, Stuart drank a 500ml (16oz) serving of PH 1500 both the night before and morning of the race, in order to boost his blood plasma volume ahead of the midday start time
- During a sprint triathlon, Stuart is only on the course for just over an hour and isn’t personally losing enough fluid via sweat to impact his performance negatively
- Despite this, he still chose to sip on some PH 500 while on the bike. This can be a satisfying tactic to clear the mouth out after swimming and help with perceived cooling if the bottle has been chilled beforehand
- When on the 20 minute run, Stuart didn’t drink anything, but did dump water over his head in order to cool down
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30gcarb 30 mins before
0-30gcarb per hour during
- Just like he ensured he arrived at the startline optimally hydrated, Stuart carb loaded to make sure that he started the race with the glycogen stores in his muscles and his liver fully stocked and ready to provide energy to his working muscles
- In order to do this and not overeat, Stuart had to reduce the proportion of protein and fibre slightly in his diet the day before the race. Instead, replacing those types of foods with things like corn cakes, of which he ‘ate as many as he could possibly stomach’
- An important final step in Stuart’s preparation for this race was his PF 30 Caffeine Gel within the last 30 minutes before start time. Not only did the carbohydrate content increase the available blood glucose his muscles had to use at the start, but it also enabled him to reap the performance benefits associated with caffeine
- The timing of this caffeine gel was excellent, as it takes ~45 minutes to peak in the bloodstream, meaning he’d be finishing the bike and moving onto the run just as it was taking full effect
- Stuart then had one more PF 30 Caffeine Gel while on the bike to top off his energy and give him an average carb intake of ~57g per hour
- Typically, the scientific recommendations would suggest that during events up to an hour long, athletes won’t benefit from fueling more than 30g/h a huge amount, and so it may be worth Stuart considering using a small amount of PF Carb & Electrolyte Energy Drink Mix and save some time by not having to sit up and open the gel packet
Conclusions
- Stuart approached this race with optimal fueling and hydration preparation and was pleased with how he performed, especially as making it to the end of the run following his return from injury was the main aim.
- After this race, Stuart told us that he’s already looking forward to the World Champs in Malaga in 2024, where his training build intensity can be a bit higher than this time around where he was hampered by injury
Key info
Stuart Hayes
Male
Result
Position4th
Overall Time1:04:09
Swim Time0:10:01
Bike Time0:33:47
Run Time0:20:21
Event information
SportTriathlon
DisciplineShort course
EventWorld Sprint Championships
LocationHamburg, Germany
Date15th July, 2023
Swim Distance0.8km / 0.5mi
Bike Distance20.0km / 12.4mi
Run Distance5.0km / 3.1mi
Total Distance25.8km / 16.0mi
Race conditions
Weather ConditionsHot
PrecipitationNo Rain
Min Temp22°C / 72°F
Max Temp23°C / 73°F
Avg Temp22°C / 72°F
Humidity67%
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.