This year's men's and women's Ironman World Championships might be split between Nice (10 September) and Hawaii (14 October), but both genders will remain linked by the top athletes heading to altitude in the build-up. Current men's champ Gustav Iden often heads to Sierra Nevada, though mixed things up in Morocco this January, while 2022 women's victor Chelsea Sodaro headed to the luxury resort of St Moritz earlier in 2023 in search of peak performance. But how much of a boost are the likes of Iden and Sodaro seeking when hitting the heights? And what exactly is happening beneath the physiological bonnet that's so goddam alluring to endurance athletes? Breathe easy and find out...
INCREASE IN PERFORMANCE
Stints at altitude are an ever-increasing strategy for professional triathletes and the occasional top-end age-grouper for one very good reason: studies show a period sucking in rarefied air can realise a 2% lift. How? We'll dig a little deeper shortly but, broadly speaking, by exposing yourself to an environment that's low in oxygen, your body will generate more red blood cells in an effort to grab and use what oxygen's available.
And that availability is key because while oxygen percentage remains at around 21% no matter what height you're at, the 'effective' oxygen percentage changes. That's because the higher you ascend, the less compressed the air, the thinner it is and the harder it is to breathe. It's why a triathlete swimming off the coast of Tenerife will be sucking in 21% of oxygen but will be struggling somewhat after ascending 2,300m up Mount Teide as that 'effective' oxygen percentage is below 16%. This pain comes with some gain, though, as when you're back racing at sea level, you're an oxygen-saturated monster and primed for peak performance. Which begs the question, how high should you go?
This story is from the October 2023 edition of 220 Triathlon.
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This story is from the October 2023 edition of 220 Triathlon.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
How to Carb Load - Packing your working cells with carbohydrates in the build-up to your big race is a proven strategy to race stronger and faster...
Whichever distance triathlon you're racing, the intensity and duration of your activity will see your body tap into its stores of carbohydrates (in the form of glycogen) to power your effort. While it's possible to top up your tank on the go, it's better to start your event with your stores full to the brim.
The Olympic Champion - On 31 July, Great Britain's Alex Yee put together arguably the greatest one-day performance we have ever seen at an Olympic Games to win gold. And we were there at the finish line to speak to tri's new poster boy...
The opening line of the race report read how 20 years on from New Zealand’s first and only Olympic triathlon gold medal, Hayden Wilde had put in a careerbest performance to regain the title for his nation. Then Alex Yee comes around the corner.Yee’s charge, seemingly from nowhere on the final lap of the 10km run in Paris, didn’t just help him become the most decorated Olympic male triathlete of all time, and didn’t just cap a rivalry that has been building for six years, it left seasoned watchers of swim, bike, run in awe. It will go down as one of the greatest triathlon races; Yee, still just 26, as one of the greatest triathletes. His medals from Paris added to the two from Tokyo, leaving his haul at two gold, a silver and a bronze, and counting.
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