Body temperature and hydration - racing in the heat

Tomorrow is the 2024 Men's Ironman World Championship in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. The females showed us great resiliency, strength and courage on/by the mountains of Nice, France and tomorrow the men will battle it out on an island.

The heat and humidity in Kona is something that you have to feel to understand.

The human body can do incredible things - like race for 140.6 miles - but it thrives within a limited range of body temperatures. Muscle contractions keep the body moving but a substantial amount of energy is converted into heat. As a result, the body generates a large amount of heat which significantly raises the body temperature.

To help keep the body temperature somewhat stable and to prevent overheating, the body must dissipate heat through sweating, increased blood flow to the skin and increased respiration.

For the body to do what it needs to do to help you maintain a stable core temperature, you have a responsibility to keep your body hydrated. And hydration doesn't mean taking in copious amounts of salt or drinking large quantities of plain water.

A well-formulated sport drink provides a practical (and easy way) to obtain fluids, electrolytes and carbohydrates, in the right formulation to optimize digestion and absorption. Because you will always need to consume water when you exercise for prolonged periods in the heat, a sport drink (with salt and carbs) is the most practical source to meet your fluid, sodium and carbohydrate needs.