Nutritional Considerations: IM World Championships (Nice, France)

On September 22nd, 2024 the best female professional and age group triathletes from around the world will race 140.6 miles in Nice, France. For the second year, the Ironman World Championship will be split between Nice, France and Kailua-Kona, Hawaii for the men's and women's races. Last year the men raced in Nice, France and this year the women will take the stage in Europe. 

The course consists of a 2.4 mile swim in the salty blue Mediterranean sea, a one-loop 112 mile stunning and spectacular bike course with over 7,800 feet of elevation gain and a four-loop 26.2 mile run on the iconic Promenade des Anglais. 

Although a beautiful race venue, the course brings with it some challenging situations. With a good understanding of the following nutritional considerations, you can improve your chances of delivering a great performance on race day - while enjoying this incredible experience. 

Carb loading
Authentic French Cuisine places great emphasis on using fresh, high quality ingredients to create great flavors. However, much of French food is rich in butter, dairy, meat and oil. Although the food is delicious, consuming large quantities of fat and protein in the days leading up to the race may reduce gastric motility and emptying, contributing to feelings of fullness and nausea, along with increasing the risk for Gi issues during activity. More so, foods rich in protein and fat are more calorie dense, which makes it difficult to effectively carb-load and fill the muscles and liver with glycogen in the days leading up to the race. On the flip side, if you are concerned about eating unfamiliar foods or you have specific dietary needs (ex. vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free) and feel limited with your food options, you may find yourself not eating enough and going into the race feeling depleted and low in energy. 
TIP: Have a plan for carb-loading. Know exactly what foods you will eat (and where) and how much to consume at least 8g/kg/bw of carbohydrates in the 48 hours before the event. By prioritizing a higher-carb consumption in the earlier hours of the day and reducing carb volume in the evening, you can minimize the risk of feeling lethargic, uncomfortably full, gassy, nauseous and bloated on race day morning. With grocery stores and markets at almost every corner, you should have no trouble finding a variety of familiar food options to prepare in your Airbnb/hotel room. 

Sea water 
The salty sea provides great buoyancy for swimming but there's a risk for swallowing air or sea water. The first condition is called aerophagia. Swallowing too much air can cause stomach distress, reflux, burping, belching and GI issues. Examples include not fully exhaling underwater before taking the next breath, mouth-only breathing, rapid breathing and swallowing big gulps of air. As a result gas is trapped in the stomach, which can lead to gas and stomach aches. 
TIP: Keep a steady and rhythmic breathing pattern. Make sure to forcefully exhale when your face is in the water. Try to work with the rhythm of the ocean by changing your cadence of your stroke to keep yourself moving forward (and not slapping waves/chop). Chewing gum, drinking carbonated beverages, and consuming too much caffeine can also increase the risk for stomach pain, reflux and belching. 

Sport nutrition timing 
Whereas general nutrition guidelines advise consuming carbohydrates, fluid and sodium in 10-15 minute intervals to optimize digestion and absorption and to help delay fatigue, a bike course with significant elevation changes, technical long descends, step and gradual uphills and potentially wind in certain sections presents challenges for fueling and hydrating on specific intervals. First off, with a significant amount of climbing in the first 1-2 hours of the bike, your energy requirements may be slightly higher but your gastrointestinal tract (blood flow) may be compromised if you are working too hard to get up the climb. Because proper fueling on the bike can reduce the risk of bonking and becoming progressively dehydrated as the race progresses, keeping your fueling strategy simple to execute is key. The more steps in your fueling/hydration strategy, the more you risk GI issues from consuming concentrated nutrition products. 
TIP: Look for opportunities on the course to coast/ease up on effort in order to take in nutrition when breathing/heart rate is controlled. Start with enough nutrition on your bike to get you through 3 hours of riding (with the help of aid stations for water as needed). Your sport nutrition is your most important currency in racing and it's not worth sacrificing bottles to save weight on the bike. Be mindful that you won't always be able to drink on a schedule - you need to work with the terrain of the course. Therefore, try to take smaller sips more frequently over 10-15 minutes (or a few big gulps every 15 minutes) when your breathing is controlled. Do not go more than 20 minutes without fueling/hydrating. In the 10-15 minutes before a long descend, it's advised to take in a little more nutrition (~50-80 calories) to reduce the risk of dropping blood sugar while coasting (plus digestion will be easier while descending vs. climbing). Be mindful that it takes ~15 minutes to digest nutrition so don't take in more than 25-30g carbs within 15 minutes. Lastly, your nutrition strategy can only work if you are well hydrated. It doesn't matter how many bars, gels or chews you consume, if you are behind on your fluids, your muscles will tire faster and your risk for nause and GI issues increases. Dehydration slows gastric emptying and gut motility. Although gels, bars, chews are convenient and easy to consume, they often lack adequate sodium and they obviously lack adequate fluid.

More is not better
The bike course is demanding and it will require a lot of muscular work, endurance, strength and stamina. There may be times during the bike, but especially during the run, when you may think that you need more nutrition to give you more energy. Although this is true to a point, your gut can only tolerate so many carbohydrates (and fluids) per hour. And if you plan to consume more than 60g carbs per hour, it needs to be a combination of glucose/maltodextrin + fructose and your gut needs to be trained to be able to absorb higher levels. Overfueling and overhydrating present much worse side effects than being a little underfueled and dehydrated. 
TIP: Understand your individual carb, sodium and fluid needs per hour and don't let your sore/tired/fatigued muscles fool you into thinking that taking a few more gels each hour or several cups of sport drink (on top of what you plan to consume) will give you more energy. Think small amounts consumed frequently throughout the run and recognize that your muscles will be tired and sore - it's an Ironman! 

Haute Route Alps - 1 day out

 

We woke up around 7am and had breakfast in the hotel shortly after.

We weren't sure what the check-in process would be like for the Haute Route so we both felt a little anxious in the morning hours. We were instructed to bring our suitcase (plus bike box) to drop off so we brought all of our stuff inside our suitcase as we weren't sure if they would be inspecting our gear as there were some mandatory items on the packing list (ex. gloves, arm warmers, jacket, etc.). With the check-in opening at 10am, we left our place around 9am so that we had plenty of time to walk the 2 kilometers to the athlete village - with our suitcases. After arriving, we stood in line outside the village for around 20 minutes until the gate opened at 10am. It was finally happening. It was time to check in for the Haute Route Alps! 

The check-in process had a lot of steps but it was very organized and everyone was very nice. 

Step 1: Drop off suitcase, bike box and bike in a designated area. 



Step 2: Pick up race packet and if using Haute Route Accomodations (which we did), pick up travel bag. 





Step 3: Get our rental bikes from France Bike Rental. 


Step 4: Drop off suitcase (and bike box) with tag to be picked up after the last stage at our final accomodation. 




Step 5: Take pictures and buy some swag (and pretend we aren't nervous :) 

Step 6: Walk bike and travel bag (with stuff inside) back to hotel (and get pastries along the way). 



After much contemplation and discussion, we decided to rent road bikes for the Haute Route and travel with our mountain bikes for Xterra Czech. This was a last minute decision to change from our original plan of renting mountain bikes and traveling with our road bikes but we were really concerned about traveling with our road bikes from Vienna to Nice and then from Geneva to Vienna. We invested a lot into this event and waited several years for this event to happen and we didn't want to take any chances that our bikes would not arrive for the event. Although it was a little concerning to rent bikes for a 7-day event taking us over 500 miles, we were really pleased with our Pinarello Prince bikes that we rented, as well as the top notch service from Jeremy with France Bike Rentals. Karel brought my crank (155) to put on my rental bike, as well as my saddle and pedals. Karel also brought his own pedals. Jeremy let Karel go to work on my rental bike. Karel was prepared with a new chain and tools. I was so happy to see that we had matching white bikes and I could not have been more excited to ride my Pinarello for 7-days. Karel had this same bike back when we were dating so it was a bit nostalgic to be riding the same bike for this event 

After we had some food back in our hotel (we picked up some items from the grocery the night prior), Karel did a quick bike fit for me (me clipped in holding the kitchenette sink) before we headed out for a spin. We were really tired - a combo of the travel, walking around a lot in Nice and still feeling some lingering soreness from Xterra Czech just a week prior) but it felt great to be on the bike and to get the blood flowing. 

There was an organized Haute Route shake-out ride in the late afternoon which we thought about doing but we decided to ride on our own as we knew there would be several stops for pictures and a few adjustments on our bike fits. We had the GPS route from the shake-out ride and we mostly followed it for a scenic (and hilly) 18 mile loop. 

I quickly fell in love with my rental bike and it was amazing how quickly I forgot that this was not my bike. It was a great feeling knowing that I get to ride this bike over 7-days. There were a few parts on the bike that could have made the bike a bit better (according to Karel's standards ;) but overall, it was a fantastic bike to ride. While my bike fit was perfectly dialed in, I wasn't comfortable when I was in the hoods as I had to stretch my fingers to grab the brakes. Not a problem - we biked by the Haute Route village and Jeremy adjusted the brakes and also changed the front tire (Karel noticed it was a bit worn and he wanted to make sure I didn't risk any flats). Karel made a few adjustments to his fit and we were both feelig a bit less nervous for Sunday - the official start of the Haute Route. It was a bit interesting biking through the city streets of Nice, but it was good to shake out the legs. 

Physically we both felt pretty yucky during the ride but the scenery was incredibly. We were tired and just feeling off but the ride did help us out a bit. The ride took around 90 minutes (1700 feet of elevation gain) and we climbed for half of it and descended the other half. It was really cool to see the Tour de France signage as we were riding. 

After the ride, we searched for dinner and came across a wrap/burger restaurant and Karel got a chicken wrap and I got a veggie burger. We both got fries with our meal.

After we ate, it was nearing 6:45pm and we walked down the street to a building for the Haute Route Athlete Briefing/Welcoming. This is when it all got a bit real. Sitting amongst cyclists from all over the world, hearing all different languages, we started to feel the nerves again. We watched an inspirational video to get us excited about this tremendous physical feat that we were about to embark on and got a briefing on stage 1 of the event. 

After the briefing there was a pasta dinner but seeing that it was already 8pm and we were ready to sleep. We got all of our things ready for the morning - rear light (mandatory), nutrition in bottles, kit (with bib number pinned on back), computer charged, luggage packed and post-event bag packed. We went to sleep around 9:30pm in anticipation for the early alarm at 4:45am for the start of the first stage of the Haute Route Alps. 

Lessons Learned
We didn't need to bring all of our gear and clothing to the check-in. We also brought way too many clothes with us for the event. We only needed about 2 outfits (and sleeping wear) as we didn't do much between stages except eat, rest and sleep. We brought 5-6 cycling jerseys (and a few bibs) which was good since we didn't have laundry access throughout the event (The Haute Route offered laundry for 2 items after stage 3 but we didn't use it). Instead of weighing down our suitcases with clothing that we didn't wear, I should have brought along more snacks for after each stage (instead of searching for groceries) and brought along more sport nutrition powder to refill bottles throughout each stage (instead of just relying on on-course nutrition). I think Karel would have benefited from having his Normatec boots to use after each stage. We brought a foam roller which was nice to have - even though it was often painful to foam roll the quads before each stage. The shake out ride was needed to move blood so that's something we always do before an event. Although our first two hotels had AC (stage 1 and 2), we didn't have AC for our entire Europe trip. I highly recommend this travel fan - it came in so handy, not just to cool us off but for the light sound during sleep. Under different circumstances, we would have ridden our own road bikes but we don't regret using France Bike Rentals. We purchased Package #3 and Jeremy was amazing. He would even clean our bikes after the stage and he was there after every stage if we needed anything. Our bikes came with a spare kit and CO2 and fully charged. Although our bikes would have been fine throughout the entire event, I had Jeremy charge my bike after stage 6. Karel had his charged after stage 5. I'm glad we went to the athlete briefing/wecoming ceremony as it was good to understand the briefing (which was always uploaded to our app) and to get to know some of the faces we would be seeing throughout the event. 

From Vienna to Nice

A blog post I wrote before the Haute Route.....

International travel can be very unpredictable and stressful so I've been mindful to give ourselves plenty of time whenever traveling to somewhere new. With a 7:25am flight in Vienna Austria on Friday 19th, we decided it would be best to spend the night at the airport hotel on Thursday 18th. The airport is only around 60 miles from where Karel lives in Znojmo (he lived just a few kilometers from the Austrian border) but it takes a little over 90 minutes to travel there. I wanted to get to the airport at least two hours before our boarding time of 6:45am so the hotel sounded like a much better option. Plus, we would be able to sleep in an AC room (for the first time in 15 days, since arriving to Europe) and we were craving a good night of sleep since we haven't slept restfully since arriving. 

After arriving to the airport, we parked our car in the P4 parking garage. I booked our parking online so that we would save a bit of money by doing it in advance. We received a QR code to get into the parking garage and that went very smoothly. I did the same thing when we flew to St. George in May in Charlotte, NC and we were able to park in the hourly parking lot across from the terminal for about the same price as long-term parking. We then walked a few minutes across the street to the NH Vienna Airport hotel, we checked into our room. It was so nice to feel the AC. 

At 6pm we had dinner in the hotel buffet (which was way overpriced but we were so hungry). It's been really nice in Czech because the Czech crown (currency) is in our favor as the US dollar goes a long way. Especially in Karel's town of Znojmo, it's very affordable for us to eat/sleep/travel. 

After we ate, we watched the Collins Cup documentary online and then went to sleep around 9:30pm. The night wasn't too restful as I was nervous about the airport experience the next day but it still felt good to sleep in AC. The alarm went off at 4:10am and we walked across the street to the terminal at 4:30am. Austrian Airlines is strict with luggage weight and the size/weight of carry-on's so we made sure to meet all regulations. We carried on as much as we could of our Haute Route gear in the case of lost luggage. 

The check-in process was very smooth. There was no counter to report to but instead, we checked in ourselves, printed our boarding passes and our luggage tags, fixed our luggage tags on our suitcases and then dropped off our bags at the counter. I purchased a "fast track" security ticket with our parking pass for 10 euros each as I was worried about going through security and while it did expedite the process, we would have been fine without one. After going through security, we had around 1:45 until we boarded our flight. 

Karel and I did some work on Training Peaks for our athletes from 5am until 6:30am and then around 6:45pm, we boarded a bus that took us to our plane. We then boarded our Austrian Airlines flight and around 7:30am we were off to Nice, France. I slept most of the flight and Karel read a Czech cycling magazine that he brought with him. 

With this being our first time to France and first time to Nice, it was beautiful to see the sea and all the mountains. I couldn't help but think that we would be biking over many of those mountain passes. 

We arrived shortly after 9am and I felt the stress lift off me after we received our luggage. I was a little nervous about taking the tram to the city to get to our hotel but I used the Rome2rio app to understand the tram and I also found another blog to understand how to buy tickets, etc. We bought our tram tickets for 1.50 euros each and when we were about to board, we weren't pushy enough and the doors closed on us so we had to wait another 10 minutes. The tram took about 30 minutes to get to our destination (which was Garibaldi square) and then we had a 0.4 mile walk (plus a little extra until we found the right way to go) to our hotel. 

The Haute Route booked all of our accomodations as part of our package so we added on an extra night to our Nice hotel - Aparthotel Adagio Nice Centre. Although we arrived around 11am (well before our check in at 3pm), our room was ready and they let us check in early. 

The room had AC (yippee) and a small kitchenette which was nice to have. After unloading our stuff, we were hungry for a meal so I found a brunch restaurant called Les Clay. We sat outside and I enjoyed pancakes and eggs and Karel had a bagel bread sandwich. 

After we ate, I was so exhausted that I napped for about an hour. I wanted to sleep all day but Karel wanted to go to the sea and I couldn't resist the opportunity to swim in the Mediterranean for the first time. 

We walked to the Port of Nice and checked out the beautiful yachts before heading to the rocky beach. The water was incredible blue and refreshing and super salty. It was amazing to just float on our backs in the water. We enjoyed swimming in the ocean and laying in the warm sun. 

Around 3pm we left the beach and had lunch at a restaurant (not sure of the name) as Karel was really wanting some fish. There wasn't much on the menu for me so I enjoyed pizza and salad (I can always opt for Pizza ;) Karel learned how to "eat" his fish from the waiter and he really enjoyed his meal. Mine was also delicious and I finished it all but two pieces (Karel finished those slices for me). 

We then walked around the city, I got us lost again as we tried to find the LIDL grocery store and we arrived back to our room around 7pm for a light snack (yogurt, fruit and muesli). 

We slept amazingly well and woke up a little after 7am on Saturday morning. Only one more sleep until we start the toughest amateur cycling event, the Haute Route Alps!