Zach Josie's scorecard
IRONMAN World Championships
Saturday 7th May, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
57g
Carb per hour
409mg
Sodium per hour
446ml
Fluid per hour
917mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
331mg
Total caffeine
How Zach hit those numbers
How Zach's hydration and fueling went...
- Zach made his debut over the IRONMAN distance at the World Championships in St George
- Zach described the experience by saying “I was pleased to finish. I lost a fair amount of time due to some poor decision making, but I can still take a lot of positives from the experience”. He swam well, and set off on the bike conservatively so to avoid “blowing up” later in the race
- After meticulously planning his fuel and hydration strategy, Zach had a momentary lapse in concentration on the run and ate some potato chips, something he had never done before. Unfortunately this caused him to feel sick, and put a hold on his running for a few kilometres until this settled
- Overall, Zach is grateful for the experience and even though he had hoped for more in terms of his performance, he remains positive and determined to execute his plan better in future long distance triathlons
Hydration
- Zach preloaded the night before the race by drinking ~750ml/24oz of PH 1500, and he sipped on ~450ml/15oz of PH 1500 whilst walking through transition before the race start
- Zach drank an average of ~446ml/15oz per hour across the duration of the 14 hour 45 minutes. The conditions were extremely hot, with temperatures hitting ~35℃/94℉ at some points which would have elicited a high rate of sweating
- Zach’s hydration strategy consisted of five 500ml/16oz bottles containing PH 1500 tablets, and 10 x ~250ml/8oz bottles of plain water on the bike. This quantity of sodium (~525mg/hr average) in these warmer conditions will have done a good job of replacing Zach’s sodium lost in his sweat, and as he reports to be a ‘low-salt’ sweater, he would likely have replaced the majority of his losses. We hope to validate this by getting Zach booked in for an Advanced Sweat Test
- Zach’s relative sodium concentration for his intake during the whole race was ~917mg/L. This is a solid amount, and if Zach’s estimation of being a ‘low-salt’ sweater is accurate, he would likely have done a decent job of replacing his losses. Despite this, we would still recommend he bumps up his total fluid intake whilst maintaining a similar relative sodium concentration
- During the run, Zach used the on-course aid stations for all of his hydration needs, taking cups of water and coke interchangeably. Unfortunately, due to the stomach issues he experienced in the middle of the run, his fluid intakes were low overall, with an average of ~171ml/hr. This is considerably lower than we would recommend in temperatures as hot as St George, and is something Zach should look to bump up in future race, especially in these conditions
- During the marathon, where temperatures reached as high as ~35℃/94℉, Zach kept himself cool by pouring cups of water over himself at every aid station
- Overall, Zach rated his fueling and hydration plan 8 out of 10, saying he was pleased with his increased sodium intake due to the heat, but as he held off drinking for several miles on the run, his execution of the plan was stalled
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Zach topped up his glycogen stores by eating a carb rich meal the night before the race which consisted of chicken, rice and two pieces of white bread. He followed this up by having pancakes and maple syrup for breakfast on race day, further topping up his glycogen stores
- Zach took a carbohydrate hit as he stood on the start line by having a PF 30 Energy Gel. This will have hit his bloodstream quickly and spared his stored glycogen stores for use later in the race
- Throughout the race, Zach took a total of ~841g of carb, averaging ~57g per hour for 14 and ¾ hours. This is a good attempt at fueling, although it does fall below the recommended 60-90g/hr from our Quick Carb Calculator
- Zach hit these numbers by using a range of energy products and real foods. These real foods can be more satisfying to eat and keep 'flavour fatigue' at bay, especially over extended periods
- On the bike, Zach ate 11 PF 30 Energy Chews, three PF 30 Energy Gels and one and a half PF 90 Energy Gels. This gave Zach an average carb intake of ~82g/hr, which is towards the upper end of the 60-90g/hr recommendations of our Quick Carb Calculator
- Zach describes fading a little towards the end of the bike, but doesn’t think this was due to his fueling strategy, and perhaps his reduced long-ride conditioning in training
- During the run, Zach’s average carb intake per hour dropped significantly to ~35g/hr. Whilst he was feeling good for the first ~22kms, he grabbed some salted potato chips from an aid station which made him feel quite sick shortly after
- Consequently, Zach was unable to eat for ~5 miles until he could make himself sick, then he was gradually able to resume his carb consumption
- Eventually, Zach’s stomach could tolerate fuel again, and he took his final energy gel and banana in the last ~7k before the finish
Conclusions
- Overall, Zach had an eventful debut at the IRONMAN distance, where he battled the hilly course and brutal temperatures
- His sodium and carb intakes were adequate, but he should aim to increase his fluid intake, especially on the run discipline in his future long-distance triathlons
- Zach rated his overall race satisfaction as a 6 out of 10 and considered his first tilt at IM racing as a good learning experience, saying “I am positive I lost a lot of time due to a few bad decisions”
- The advice Zach would give to anyone who’s going into their first IRONMAN, is “don’t eat potato chips on the run if you’ve never done it before, however tempting they may be!”
Key info
Zach Josie
Male
Result
Position
213th
Overall Time
14:46:46
Swim Time
1:23:11
Bike Time
7:34:17
Run Time
5:26:26
Event information
Sport
Triathlon
Discipline
Full distance
Event
IRONMAN World Championships
Location
Utah, USA
Date
7th May, 2022
Website
Swim Distance
3.8km / 2.4mi
Bike Distance
180.2km / 112.0mi
Run Distance
42.2km / 26.2mi
Total Distance
226.2km / 140.6mi
Bike Elevation
2,248m / 7,375ft
Run Elevation
431m / 1,414ft
Total Elevation
2,679m / 8,789ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Very Hot
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
21°C / 70°F
Max Temp
35°C / 95°F
Avg Temp
29°C / 84°F
Humidity
12%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
6/10
Hydration rating
8/10
Increased sodium concentration from 1000s-1500s. Only an 8 as I had to miss 3 aid stations due to sickness
Energy levels
8/10
I faded slightly towards the end of the bike and run, but perhaps not due to lack of energy
Toilet stops
Yes
Once after the swim, once during the bike and once during the run
GI comfort
3/10
At mile 14 I strayed from my fueling plan and took some potato chips. This was a mistake!
Cramping
Twinges but not full-on cramps
Zach's Thoughts
For the first time in my triathlon racing I am condifent that I planned my hydration correctly for the whole day
Zach's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 841 | 6,036 | 6,580 | 331 | 917 |
Per hour | 57 | 409 | 446 | 22 | |
Bike and Run | |||||
Total intake | 810 | 5,361 | 6,130 | 331 | 875 |
Per hour | 62 | 412 | 472 | 25 | |
Bike | |||||
Total intake | 620 | 3,971 | 5,200 | 300 | 764 |
Per hour | 82 | 525 | 687 | 40 | |
Run | |||||
Total intake | 190 | 1,390 | 930 | 31 | 1,495 |
Per hour | 35 | 256 | 171 | 6 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.