Background & Objectives
IRONMAN 70.3 Goa presented an atypical testing environment for GEL100: 34°C ambient temperature, 78% humidity, a 90km bike course with 1,200m elevation gain, and a run leg fully exposed to direct sun from 08:30. These conditions create significantly elevated sweat rates, accelerated glycogen depletion, and increased GI stress risk — exactly the conditions under which a 2:1 glucose-fructose formulation needs to hold up.
Our objectives: document each athlete's fuelling protocol, record GI incidents in real time, and collect finish-line self-reported data on energy, cramping, and tolerance. This is field observation — not a controlled trial. We document it exactly that way.
"We were not running a controlled trial. This is field observation, not RCT data. We document it that way — and we publish the parts that did not go to plan."
Protocol
Athletes were briefed individually the evening before the race. We did not prescribe a single fixed protocol — we worked with each athlete's existing fuelling plan and adapted GEL100 into it based on their anticipated bike split, historical GI sensitivity, and heat acclimatisation. This created variance, which we documented.
The biggest protocol deviation was on the run: 11 athletes reported reduced appetite in the heat and skipped one or both run gels. Of these, 7 reported energy fade in the final 5km — consistent with published literature on heat-induced appetite suppression and late-race glycogen depletion in 70.3 events.
Findings
No GI issues across the full race. 4 reported mild nausea on the run — all 4 had not paired GEL100 with the recommended 250ml water.
Mean self-reported energy at finish line, collected within 10 min. Range 5–9. Athletes who skipped run gels averaged 6.1.
Significant cramping requiring a stop. All three had consumed fewer than 3 of 4 recommended run electrolyte drinks.
2 DNFs — one bike mechanical, one heat illness unrelated to fuelling. Zero nutrition-related DNFs.
What Didn't Work
We document this section in every field report. It is not an afterthought.
Formulation Notes from the Field
Three observations passed to our formulation team after this event:
GEL100 became thinner at 34°C — rated as positive by several athletes. No flavour degradation. Expected behaviour. No action required.
3 cramping incidents raise a question about whether GEL100's 365mg electrolyte profile is sufficient as standalone electrolytes above 32°C. Current assessment: the issue was water intake, not electrolyte dose. Monitoring at future events.
4 athletes independently requested a less sweet option for the run. Known phenomenon in long-course racing. Passed to formulation team as a product development consideration.
Conclusions
GEL100 performed well under high-heat conditions when the protocol was followed correctly. The 87% GI tolerance rate is consistent with published figures for 2:1 glucose-fructose formulations. The 4 GI incidents were attributable to water pairing non-compliance, not formulation issues.
The more significant finding is the run gel adherence drop in heat — a behavioural and briefing problem, not a product one. Pre-race protocol cards have been updated accordingly.
Next field report: Malnad Ultra 2025 — collagen and iron supplementation across a 20-week training block leading into a 60km trail race in the Western Ghats.