IRONMAN 70.3® World Championships

Ahead of Race Day: Despite being aware of the well-documented performance benefits associated with carb intake before and during endurance exercise, Tash had previously struggled in both areas with experiencing GI issues. Ahead of the World Champs she undertook a structured approach to carb loading and gut training to minimise her risk of GI discomfort, whilst maximising her performance potential. She built up her tolerance to carbs during exercise by implementing a progressive increase in carb consumption using PF 30 Gels and Chews in several sessions that lasted more than one hour per week, particularly when riding/running at race intensity. Tash then primed her body well for race day by consuming ~11.6g/kg of her bodyweight in the 24 hours prior. She did this predominantly through easily digestible sources of carb like rice, oats and of course, PF 30 Chews. This meant she nailed the scientific recommendations for carb loading which are between 8-12g/kg to ensure maximal glycogen storage.

Race Fueling: Notably, Tash experienced no GI issues during the race and managed to consume nearly 150g more carbohydrates across the event compared to her previous 70.3® race. Given the established link between carbohydrate availability and delayed fatigue, this additional fuel likely contributed to her top 10 finish. With continued gut training, Tash is well on her way to comfortably tolerating 90g/h in future events, further enhancing her performance potential.

Tash has struggled previously with severe dehydration on several occasions during her training sessions and races and knew a meticulously planned hydration strategy would be crucial to see her finish strong. The race day conditions in Taupo (temperatures hitting 25°C / 77 F and a UV index of 11) presented a significant challenge, something Tash wasn’t accustomed to being from the UK. As a result, she planned her hydration intake, using knowledge gained whilst exercising in the heat at the Precision Performance Lab, to ensure she stayed on top of both her known sweat sodium and fluid (~1.5L/h) losses. She anticipated that she’d crave plain water during the race as she usually does in hot environments, so Tash planned her bottles to be slightly more concentrated in sodium than necessary to replace her losses, to allow for dilution with water from aid stations. Her proactive approach to practice cooling throughout the bike by pouring water over her body and head no doubt helped manage her perception of body temperature in the heat.

Tash enjoys a coffee like most of the team at the PF&H HQ. That being said, in her previous race at Weymouth 70.3® she chose to abstain entirely from the stimulant during her race, concerned it might exacerbate her GI issues. Fortunately, after determining caffeine wasn’t the primary cause for discomfort, here in Taupo she was able to utilise the stimulant to its full potential, consuming towards the upper end of the scientific recommendations through PF 30 Caffeine Gels interspersed throughout her race.