IRONMAN Les Sables d'Olonne

Pre-race Fueling:

Tash has found it tough to hit the recommended carb intake during her previous 70.3® races, usually relying on a solid carb-load, and then trying to limit her losses during the race. Still, she finished pretty empty each time. So, when deciding to tackle her first full-distance triathlon, she knew prioritising her fueling and ‘practicing what she preaches’ as a PF&H Sports Scientist was going to be the key to achieving her potential. She introduced ‘gut training’ into almost every training session, helping her body adapt to digesting large amounts of carbohydrates during exercise without causing GI distress.

Race Fueling:

Tash’s preparation clearly paid off as she consumed a whopping ~101g of carb per hour on the bike, made easy by relying on PF 300 Flow Gel in her aero bottle, and a bento box full of pre-opened PF 30 Chews to vary texture and taste and avoid ‘flavour fatigue’. She did crave something a little different after halfway, so she picked up an on-course energy bar which hit the spot and kept her morale high. We typically expect a drop off in carb intake from bike-to-run as the logistical and gastric limitations whilst running make consuming large amounts of carb difficult. From the ~190 full distance triathlon intakes we’ve analysed in our database, Tash’s fueling across the two disciplines was almost exactly the same as our average. Whilst this includes all data from male and females, the gender split actually shows females consume ~86g/h on the bike and ~65g/h during the run on average, vs their male counterparts who typically consume ~110g/h then 77g/h. This highlights the importance of individualising fueling strategies to suit individual athletes’ needs, as Tash finished with no GI issues, and never felt her energy levels fade except when her muscles began to fatigue in the latter miles of the marathon.

Tash has spent copious hours in the heat chamber at PF&H HQ preparing for this race. Not only was she expecting to race in warm conditions, but also knew the fitness benefits from heat training are undeniable, so she wanted to prepare herself optimally. As a result of all her time in the lab, she knew her sweat rate was relatively high, thus her hydration strategy needed to be proactive to avoid getting too dehydrated. All of her fluid intake on the bike and run came from sips of plain water alongside her own bottles of PH 1500 to begin with, before switching to the on-course PH 1000 from aid stations on her way to drinking more than 1L per hour during the ~5 hour bike ride. She balanced her electrolytes well, as the average relative sodium concentration she consumed was very similar to her sweat sodium concentration, meaning her body could maintain fluid balance more easily. She also focused intently on her cooling strategy throughout the race, limiting spikes in power or pace, and dousing herself with cold water at every aid station from the beginning of the bike to limit the rise in her core temperature.

Tash has made a generous contribution to our total coffee consumption here at HQ since joining the squad in 2024. She’s definitely comfortable tolerating large doses of caffeine during her training and races, citing it as an obvious performance enhancer for her. Tash chooses to leverage the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant, particularly feeling the benefit of caffeine’s fatigue-resisting properties as it acts to block adenosine receptors and thus mask fatigue. She took a gradual approach to caffeine intake, using PF 30 Caffeine Gels shortly before the swim and then every ~2 hours during the bike and run. This strategy helped steadily raise and maintain her blood caffeine levels, while avoiding the potential side effects of taking too large a dose at once.