Calling all Ironman athletes

[nkob]

Hi

Any experienced Ironman athletes on the Hub??

What do you carry with you on the bike and the run? Is it necessary to have a gel belt on the run and a food basket on the bike? What's the bare minimum to carry? And what food equipment (names please) do you use?

Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

NK

[Tridude]

Don't worry about energy bars or gels. At every water point you can get as many of these as you can carry. (I think it will be Powerbar, it was last year) As for drinks, you get fresh bottles at each water point. (Also Powerbar) If you want to use any other drinks, take refill sachets with and mix it with the water you get at the water points. If you want to use any other food on the cycle leg, carry it with you.

On the run they also give coke, marmite samies, and baby boiled potatoes. If you want to drink or eat anything else, take it in your fuel belt.

[nkob]

What kind of fuel belt do you recommend? Are you saying i don't need my own water bottles? Or i get them refilled?

[paragon]

Hi.

I have completed Ironman once, and a number of other ultra-distance events, and  have been on both sides of the fence regarding nutrition - and when it goes bad, it goes really bad - so good to see you're thinking about it. In Ironman, they call it the fourth discipline!

I would say that you need to cater for about 300kcal/hour while you're on the bike - that is a number that works for me, but will obviously be different for everyone, depending on age/weight/sex. Don't eat on how you feel though, have a plan and stick to it. By the time you feel like eating something on the bike - that can be the beginning of the end.

You need to experiment on your long rides - find an energy bar that works for you - personally, I use good ol' PVM bars, Powerbar gels & Cytomax. 1 bar and 1 gel every hour/ drink every 15 minutes or so. I would recomend for race day that you get yourself a bento-box or similar, and keep your nutrition in there, as most tri-suits (incl. the SpecSavers Ironman top) don't really have big enough pockets to carry everything. Get yourself a couple of behind-the-seat bottle cages as well -that way you can carry 4 bottles of your own drink that you know works - unless you want to train with powerbar drinks - as that's what is available on the course. So ... on the bike - assuming a 6hour time - I would recommend:

6 x energy bars;

8 gels (2 extra in case the wheels fall off and you feel like you need a boost);

4 bottles drink;

The run is a different story. I would recommend that when doing your long runs in training, get used to having water & coke. Get yourself some powerbar gels, and take these towards the end of your runs to make sure that your digestive system is able to handle it as these are available every 2km on the course. I wouldn't recomend a belt unless you have specific nutrition needs. I think the less you carry on the run, the better. It's hard enough as it is.

Hope this helps a little bit - please remember it's only based from my personal experience and may not work for everyone. Give it a try, c how you feel.

 

[nkob]

Thanks for the info guys! This really helps a whole lot!!! 

[SwissVan]

Hi

Any experienced Ironman athletes on the Hub??

What do you carry with you on the bike and the run? Is it necessary to have a gel belt on the run and a food basket on the bike? What's the bare minimum to carry? And what food equipment (names please) do you use?

Your contribution is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

NK

 

This all depends on your personal needs and how comfortable you are with carrying extra stuff.

Bike - Nothing special other than a good cycling top with 2 or 3 deep pockets for all your favourite goodies. You can also tape a few things (gels, bars) to the bike if there is not enough room in the pockets. If you can try and get a cycling specific feed zone bag which one of your seconds can hand to you while you are riding which you can use to top up your supplies later on in the ride, and then toss it once you have topped up.

Run - A running specific belt which can hold gels / bars, small bottles or pilletjies will be usefull, especially if you require special stuff that you cannot get from the organisers water and food tables.

Sorry to deviate off the topic slightly but I wonder if anyone remembers the old days of the Leppin / Voltaren Iron Man events in SA where each athlete was allowed 2 seconds who could accompany the athlete the whole way on the run, 1 on a bike (with basket full of goodies) and 1 runner who could run next to you the whole way. This used to create a real ?family? atmosphere at the races because everyone got involved in the race - some of the creations that people cam up with just to try and make life more comfortable for the athlete?Made life a bit easier for the athlete who did not need to carry anything.

 

[SBR220]

I use a product perpeteum from hammer nutrion it gves you the correct amount of cal,protein and fats you require on the long ride,i use what they call a multi bottle format were you mix your cal intake into a 4hr bottle 280cal per hr *4 you then sip every 20min, at the special needs station on lap 3 pick up a 2 hr bottle to finish the ride if your ride is longer or shorter adjust accordingly,I will then pick up a water bottle at the water stations drink 2-300ml then throw the bottle,this means you only carrying one bottle on the course.If you go to the web site www.hammernutrition.com they have free downloads explaining in detail  its a good read like 50 pages but well worth the effort. Ialso take e- caps on the bike and run this replaces your electrolytes and prevents cramping. The product is available in SA contact seanb@polka.co.za based inCT.Good Luck    

[PhilipV]

can anyone point me in a direction on finding a fuel belt please? a friend is doing ironman and I would like to give him a belt as a good luck gift.good luck guys.I hope it goes well for all of you crazy nutters.big respect

[pastapouch]

The runner group sells fuel belts...but the best is to shop around, sportsmanswarehouse, Edge, ...the sweatshop

[Wheelsuck]

Hi

Sorry to deviate off the topic slightly but I wonder if anyone remembers the old days of the Leppin / Voltaren Iron Man events in SA where each athlete was allowed 2 seconds who could accompany the athlete the whole way on the run' date=' 1 on a bike (with basket full of goodies) and 1 runner who could run next to you the whole way. This used to create a real ?family? atmosphere at the races because everyone got involved in the race - some of the creations that people cam up with just to try and make life more comfortable for the athlete?Made life a bit easier for the athlete who did not need to carry anything.

 

[/quote'] Hey Swissvan, those were the days. If it was not for my seconds I would never have finished. The seconds were not Mrs Wheel, who thinks that seconding is sitting at the end reading her book and when you come crawling in goes: Mooi so Bokkie!"  that's if she sees you. (Still havent gotten over that although it has not stopped). But I agree, The company makes it. BTW how u keeping, and did u ever get that dvd to work?      

[SwissVan]

 

Wheelsuck - So u also did a few of the Canoe IM's or did u do the swim ones.

Yep if I could have those days over perhaps things would be different

Seconds did help, but the best was the 1 lap routes, that way you had no choice but to finish - my finishing record on the multi lap routes was a bit suspect.

The DVD is still "intact and uncoded" the way things are going will have to wait for next years race to see it - do u need more chocolate...

 

[Wheelsuck]

Hey Swissvan, I did  the swim ones, still remember the likes of Nick Bester etc. That's when I realised that why should I be bad at only one discipline if you can suck at all 3, so did tri's for about 4 years till work started interfering. Will have to make up for the DVD and will do 2007 Commies for you on a machine that wants to cooperate. Still have one bar of that chocolate. Did not give anybody any and hid the last slab, hid it so well I forgot about it and found it last week.  

[SwissVan]

Hey Swissvan' date=' I did  the swim ones, still remember the likes of Nick Bester etc. That's when I realised that why should I be bad at only one discipline if you can suck at all 3, so did tri's for about 4 years till work started interfering. Will have to make up for the DVD and will do 2007 Commies for you on a machine that wants to cooperate. Still have one bar of that chocolate. Did not give anybody any and hid the last slab, hid it so well I forgot about it and found it last week.  [/quote']

 

Impressed, you are stronger then I am - chocolate does not survive longer than a few hrs in my house.

 

I can hear chocolate calling - buy me... buy me.... eat me ... eat me .... awefull being able to understand chocolish

[Grantc]

Hi

Sorry to deviate off the topic slightly but I wonder if anyone remembers the old days of the Leppin / Voltaren Iron Man events in SA where each athlete was allowed 2 seconds who could accompany the athlete the whole way on the run' date=' 1 on a bike (with basket full of goodies) and 1 runner who could run next to you the whole way. This used to create a real ?family? atmosphere at the races because everyone got involved in the race - some of the creations that people cam up with just to try and make life more comfortable for the athlete?Made life a bit easier for the athlete who did not need to carry anything.

 

[/quote'] Hey Swissvan, those were the days. If it was not for my seconds I would never have finished. The seconds were not Mrs Wheel, who thinks that seconding is sitting at the end reading her book and when you come crawling in goes: Mooi so Bokkie!"  that's if she sees you. (Still havent gotten over that although it has not stopped). But I agree, The company makes it. BTW how u keeping, and did u ever get that dvd to work?      

 

 

and who remembers the the last 10k uphill slog into megawatt park

[BaieSukkel]

My 2c worth.......and back to the topic.

 

On race day the most important thing is to have a plan, and the core of the plan should be your nutritional needs.

 

There are two "special needs" stations, one for the bike and one for the run. You can have whatever you want, put in a numbered bag to be handed to you when and if you need it. I have seen too many people missing their bag though, or receiving the wrong one, to plan on these!

 

I use a aero drink bottle (between the tri-bars) on the bike, behind the saddle two bottles (powerbar drinks). One ready to drink, the other mixed as a concentrate so I can refill the aero bottle with water from the watering points. After 30min on the bike I eat some fruitcake and thereafter every hour a powerbar gell - I take these along.

 

On the run, I start out of T2 with a Powerbar gell and have coke & water along the route with another gell after 2 hours.

 

During T1 and T2 I take any suplement tablets I may need.

 

The other thing not to forget is a proper sunblock! You do not want to be under the African sun all day with only your helmet to keep the sun away!

 

[SwissVan]

[

and who remembers the the last 10k uphill slog into megawatt park

 

The best 10 km's ever, other than the first 10 km's that last pull was the only section I managed to run without stopping to walk  the other bits in between on the old Pretoria road were not exactly flat either...