• Professional British triathlete, Tom Bishop, is most renowned for racing shorter distances, often appearing on the International Triathlon Union (ITU) circuit. This year has seen him step up to middle distance and at IM 70.3 Swansea, despite it being just his second time competing at this distance, he impressively took third place in a time just marginally over four hours
• Tom has been working with the PF&H Sports Science team to formulate a robust fuel and hydration strategy which supports his needs over these longer events
• He didn’t have the smoothest of races in Wales, losing his gel bottle and suffering a flat on the bike, but he learnt a lot in regards to improving his race nutrition strategy in the future

Hydration

• Tom began race day by consuming two coffees and ~300ml/10oz of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix. He added three scoops of the drink mix to 500ml/16oz of water which increased the relative sodium concentration to ~1,500mg/L, an optimal concentration for preloading his hydration
• That said, whilst the concentration of the drink was optimal, Tom could have drunk slightly more to set himself up for the tough effort ahead, something he mentioned afterwards
• From a Camelbak, stored down the front of his trisuit, Tom drank ~1.5L/48oz of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, mixed as three scoops (1.5 servings) per 500ml/16oz. He didn’t pick up any further fluids so on average consumed ~647ml/22oz per hour for the 2-hour 20-minute ride
• The PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix is a good option for middle distance racing as it provides an athlete not only with carbohydrate but also a high sodium content (500mg per serving). In total on the bike, Tom consumed ~2,250mg of sodium which, when the volume of fluid he drank alongside it is factored in, equates to a relative sodium concentration of ~1,500mg/L
• We don’t yet know Tom’s sweat sodium concentration but given we know that the average sweat sodium concentration falls ~950mg/L, Tom’s degree of replacement on the bike was more than likely optimal, especially as temperatures weren’t too high (average of ~18℃/64℉) which would elicit a greater sweat rate and ultimately a high net sodium loss
• Tom failed to manage his hydration as well on the run as he did on the bike, drinking minimal water (estimated ~300ml/10oz in total) and taking in no sodium
• Unfortunately, Tom cramped in his adductor and hamstring ~15km into the run, which forced him to walk for ~200m until it eased off. The cause of cramp can be difficult to nail down but Tom’s minimal fluid and sodium consumption during the run could be a factor
• It’s also plausible that having suffered a flat tyre on the bike that Tom had to work harder on the bike to counter this which induced greater muscle fatigue and possible muscular damage which may also have had an influence
• In future races of this length and intensity, Tom should consider carrying 1-3 PH Electrolyte Capsules with him on the run and being mindful to drink a greater volume of water alongside these (~500ml/16oz per hour is a good target). Tom rated his hydration strategy in this race an 8 (out of 10) and commented “I could try to drink more running but it’s hard at that pace”
• Tom should think about practising the mechanisms of drinking at race pace during some training sessions leading up to his next race

Fueling

Conclusions

• Tom executed a great performance at IM 70.3 Swansea and, despite having to navigate some challenges, took home the bronze medal
• The fuel and hydration strategy that Tom had planned for the race was good. For future races, his focus should be on increasing fluid and sodium provision on the run, and better securing his gel bottle to his bike!
• All in all, this was a brilliant early show of what Tom could achieve over this distance going forwards and we’re excited to continue helping him dial in his race nutrition strategy