Fuelling strategy for 140.6 miles of an Ironman
I’ve been training for nearly 7 months for Ironman USA, which as many of you know consists of 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running. During the past 7 months I’ve experimented with many different types of ‘fuel’ to get me through and help me recover from the numerous daily workouts. After much deliberation I’ve decided on the following fueling stategy to get me to the finish line sometime on the evening of Sunday, July 25th.
My fuels of choice are as follows:
- Hammer Gel (raspberry flavour)
- Hammer Gel (espresso flavour)
- Sustained Energy
- Perpetuem
- Race Caps Supreme
- Endurolytes
- Race Day Boost
Estimated calorie expenditure during the Ironman (based on my 5′7″ 140lbs frame):
Swim:
Predicted finish time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Speed: steady
Calories expended: approximately 850
Bike:
Predicted finish time: 7 hours 15 minutes
Speed: 16-17 miles per hour
Calories expended: approximately 5000
Run:
Predicted finish time: 4 hours 15 minutes
Speed: 6.5 mph, 9:43 minutes/mile
Calories expended: approximately 3500
Approximate finish time: 13 hours
Approximate total calories expended: 9350 (not including transitions)
By following the rule that my body can process about 260 calories per hour, it will only be possible to take in 3380 calories during the entire Ironman. Take out the 90 minutes I’ll be in the water and it appears there’ll be a huge deficit to overcome.
The main point I’m trying to make is I won’t be able to eat or drink enough calories throughout the Ironman race to adequately replace what is lost. So, I need a nutrition plan to emphasize the following:
1. Proper pre-race nutrition and carbohydrate loading to ensure that the muscle and liver glycogen stores are at their fullest.
2. Adequate fluid intake to prevent or delay dehydration.
3. Maximal calorie intake per hour that can be supported by the athlete’s body to deliver the necessary energy needed for muscular contraction.
4. Proper nutrition after the race to enhance recovery.
So without further ado, here’s the plan:
Pre-race:
race cap x1 [30-90 minutes prior]
sustained energy x5 [120-180 minutes prior] [570 calories]
water [sip as needed]
Bike (both loops):
sustained energy x7 [798 calories]
perpetuem x6 [780 calories]
hammer gel (raspberry) x4 [172 calories]
hammer gel (espresso) x4 [172 calories]
race cap x7 [1 every hour]
endurolyte x7 [1 every hour]
water [as required]
Run (1st loop):
sustained energy x3 [343 calories]
hammer gel (raspberry) x3 [129 calories]
race cap x2 [1 every hour]
endurolyte x2 [1 every hour]
water [as required]
Run (2nd loop):
sustained energy x3 [343 calories]
hammer gel (espresso) x3 [129 calories]
race cap x2 [1 every hour]
endurolyte x2 [1 every hour]
water [as required]
You may notice there’s a severe shortage of solid foods in my fuel plan. I realized early on in the training plan that I don’t process energy bars, fruit or other solids very effectively. That’s one of the main reasons I love the E-Caps/Hammer Nutrition range of products. Sustained Energy and Perpetuem are mixed with water, so not only are you fuelling up, but you’re hydrating at the same time. I can’t say enough good things about these products, hence the following plug.
Here’s a link to the E-Caps/Hammer Nutrition products and the extensive endurance specific resources that are offered on the e-caps web site. If you visit the web site and mention my name [Steve Speirs] and customer number [29178] when you check out, you’ll receive 15% off the purchase price of your first order.
(NOTE: The discount won’t show up on the shopping cart checkout page, but I promise they’ll deduct it when the order is processed.)
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