Relationship between In-Race Nutrition and Race Finish Time
for Ironman Triathletes
Stephanie Harpenau, Elaina Biechler, Ph.D, Lauren Sutton & Vincent Paolone, FACSM
Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa
Introduction
The ACSM recommends 60-70 grams of
carbohydrates per hour for events lasting longer than
90 minutes, in addition to 0.4 to 0.8 liters of fluid per
hour to maximize performance. Furthermore, new
ACSM guidelines recommend up to 180 milligrams of
caffeine during endurance events. During an Ironman
Triathlon, up to 92% of triathletes experience
gastrointestinal distress during the Ironman race while
trying consume the recommended carbohydrates and
fluids. The current study wanted to determine the
feasibility of the ACSM guidelines that have been
established in a lab setting, as there is some
questionability to its feasibility given the amount of
gastrointestinal distress experienced by triathletes in
an Ironman Race.
Purpose: The purpose of the present investigation
was to determine the predictive power of
triathletes’ in-race nutrition plans during an
Ironman triathlon on overall finish time. Aspects of
the in-race nutrition plans considered were
calories consumed per hour while biking, total
caffeine consumed while biking, and total fluids
consumed on the bike portion of the Ironman race.
Methods
Ironman triathletes (N= 152) were surveyed to
determine their in-race nutrition plan at Ironman
Wisconsin and the Ironman World Championships. A
regression analysis was utilized to determine the
predictive power of calories, fluid and caffeine
consumed on the bike on overall Ironman finish time.
Table 1
Descriptive Statistics of Subjects (N = 152)
________________________________________________
Variables Mean SD
________________________________________________
Finish Time (hrs) 12:41:12 2:04:43
Calories Consumed/hr on Bike 268.83 131.71
Fluids Consumed on Bike 3559.52 1802.52
Caffeine Consumed on Bike 89.16 143.82
________________________________________________
Results
The amount of calories consumed per hour on the bike and in-
race caffeine consumption was significantly (p < .01) correlated
with Ironman finish time (r = -.355, r=-.191, respectively), while
fluid intake was not significantly (p > .05) correlated with
Ironman performance (r = -.054). Calories and caffeine
consumption while biking were used to create a multiple
regression equation. The overall regression model was
statistically significant F (2, 137) = 12.845, p < .05. The
regression equation revealed that 15.8% of the variance in
Ironman race time can be significantly (p < .05) attributed to
calories and caffeine consumption during the bike portion of the
race.
Relationship between Kcals/Hour on the Bike & Finish Time
600
500
y = -19.238x + 522.7
400
R² = 0.1022
Kcals/Hr
300
200
100
0 References
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Finish Time (Hrs)
14
Figure 1. Relationship between Kcals/Hr and Finish Time on the
Bike Portion during an Ironman Triathlon (p<.01)
Figure 2. Relationship between Caffeine Consumption and Finish
Time on the Bike Portion of an Ironman Triathlon (p<.01)
Discussion
In the current investigation, there was a significant
relationship between calories consumed per hour and
finish time, as well as a significant relationship between
caffeine consumption and overall finish time. These
findings are supported by previous research. Fluid
intake was found to have no significant impact on finish
time, which contradicts current research.
These findings may provide insight into how in-race
nutrition—specifically calories, caffeine, and fluid
intake—affect overall finish time in an Ironman
Triathlon, in addition to the feasibility of meeting the
ACSM guidelines during an Ironman Triathlon.
Conclusion: Total fluid consumed on the bike
portion of the Ironman was not correlated to overall
finish time; however, calories per hour and total
caffeine consumed both were negatively correlated
with overall finish time. This suggests that greater
calorie and caffeine consumption on the bike can
contribute to decreased overall finish time, and
hence an improvement in performance.
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