Port Macquarie is a rolling, honest Ironman course. The bike leg has enough climbing to spike power repeatedly, and every spike is paid for in carbohydrate. Athletes who ride the hills on feel and fuel on feel arrive at the marathon with nothing left to spend.
Treat the bike as a delivery system. Hold the effort you trained for, fuel on a clock rather than on sensation, and the 42.2km becomes a pacing exercise instead of a rescue mission.
What the race demands
Distance
3.8km swim, 180km bike, 42.2km run
Conditions
Rolling coastal New South Wales, mild to warm with a multi-lap run
Main risk
Repeated climbing spikes burning carbohydrate above plan
Second risk
A multi-lap run where small deficits compound each lap
Carbohydrate and sodium targets
- Bike leg: 80 to 120g of carbohydrate per hour from a dual-carb source if your gut is trained for it
- Run leg: 60 to 90g of carbohydrate per hour in small frequent doses
- Sodium: 700 to 1,200mg per hour, higher again for salty and heavy sweaters
- Fluid: guided by your measured sweat rate, tracked hour by hour
HYDRAX CORE delivers 85g of dual-carb fuel and 980mg of sodium per serve, so hitting the numbers above is arithmetic rather than guesswork. HYDRAX PRIMER covers the pre-race window with 29g of carbohydrate and 1,313mg of sodium. Run the free fuelling strategy tool to convert these ranges into your own per-hour numbers.
Rehearse the plan in training, then race it. Order now, ships Australia-wide.
Race week and race day timeline
3 days out
Carb load toward 8 to 12g per kg per day and cut fibre well before race morning.
Race morning, 3 hours out
Rehearsed carbohydrate breakfast at 2g per kg with sodium in your fluid.
25 to 40 minutes pre-swim
One serve of PRIMER for 29g of carbohydrate and 1,313mg of sodium before a 3.8km fuelling blackout.
Bike, 180km
Fuel on the descents and flats where the gut is under less pressure, and hold the hourly total regardless of terrain.
Run, 42.2km
Take carbohydrate every lap segment. Multi-lap courses make it easy to postpone a dose you will never make back.
Frequently asked questions
How should I fuel a hilly Ironman bike leg?
Hold your hourly carbohydrate total but time individual doses for flats and descents rather than mid-climb. Climbing raises intensity and reduces gut tolerance, so the delivery timing matters as much as the total.
How much sodium per hour for a full Ironman?
Most athletes need 700 to 1,200mg per hour across a long day, driven by sweat rate and sweat sodium concentration. HYDRAX CORE provides 980mg of sodium and 85g of dual-carb fuel per serve.
What is the best pre-race meal for an Ironman?
A rehearsed high-carbohydrate low-fibre meal around 3 hours before the start at roughly 2g of carbohydrate per kg, followed by a pre-race serve 25 to 40 minutes before the swim.
How do I avoid gut problems in an Ironman?
Train the gut with race-rate fuelling in long sessions, keep concentration consistent, avoid mixing too many product types, and take smaller doses more often when intensity or heat rises.
Keep reading
- Ironman 70.3 nutrition guide
- Full Ironman nutrition guide
- Carbs per hour for Ironman
- Triathlon time calculator
- Measure your sweat rate
- Shop the HYDRAX kit
Disclaimer: This page is general information for healthy adult athletes and is not medical, dietetic or coaching advice. Individual carbohydrate, fluid and sodium requirements vary with body weight, sweat rate, conditions and health status. Speak with your doctor, sports physician or an accredited sports dietitian before changing your nutrition or supplement routine, rehearse any fuelling plan in training before race day, and always follow the directions and warnings on the product label.