Although Dali is not an extreme high-altitude area, compared with lowland environments the reduced oxygen availability can still affect performance.

In this situation athletes may feel a higher heart rate at the same pace; fatigue may appear earlier during prolonged efforts; and recovery may be slower than usual.

Therefore, when racing at the Dali stop you need to make further adjustments based on your experience from flat-course events.

Especially when the weather is cool and it feels comfortable, many athletes tend to neglect hydration and energy intake. Problems in endurance races often don’t appear immediately but accumulate after several hours of sustained output.

On race day you should follow your planned fueling schedule step by step, rather than making last‑minute changes based on how you feel.

The swim leg of a half-Ironman typically lasts about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Because you can’t properly fuel during the swim, the key to this phase is the preparation before you enter the water.

Race-day breakfast should focus on easily digestible carbohydrates—such as bread, rice, bananas and energy drinks—to store energy for the remainder of the race.

But don’t suddenly try new foods before the race, and avoid excessive fats and high‑fiber foods.

Many athletes have no problems in training, but if they overeat at breakfast on race day they can suffer stomach discomfort during the swim.

At the Dali stop the swim is followed immediately by the bike leg, so after T1 you need to quickly re-establish your fueling rhythm and schedule most of your energy intake for the ride.

In IRONMAN 70.3 races, the bike leg is usually the most important window for fueling.Compared with the swim and the run, your body is more stable on the bike, gastrointestinal strain is relatively lower, and there’s more time to consume energy.

The Dali course features a 90‑kilometer bike, which for most athletes can take 2–4 hours and is one of the most energy‑consuming parts of the race.

Therefore, the bulk of race fueling should be done on the bike. Common options include energy drinks, energy gels, bars and bananas.

For example, if your target is about 200 kcal per hour, you can meet that with a combination of energy drink and gels rather than taking a large amount at once.

The most important principle for fueling is that your body can absorb it—this matters more than the theoretical intake.Some athletes, chasing high calorie intake, eat multiple gels in a row or drink large amounts of concentrated drinks, but if the gut can’t tolerate it this will ultimately harm performance.

So the fueling products you use on race day should be ones you’ve already tested during training.

After completing the 90 km bike, the final 21.1 km run is the true test of an athlete’s endurance.

Once you enter the run, fatigue increases, GI blood flow drops, and tolerance for solid food decreases.

Therefore fueling strategy for the run needs to be adjusted. Compared with the bike, large amounts of solid food are not recommended while running; better options are: energy gels; liquid carbohydrates; electrolyte drinks.

Many age-group athletes make a common mistake: under-fueling on the bike and hoping to make it up during the run.In reality, once you start the run your body has already declined in condition, and it’s hard to quickly replace a large amount of energy.

So a more sensible approach is: preload on the bike; maintain steady intake during the run. At the Dali event the run course has multiple aid stations offering water, electrolyte drinks, energy gels, bananas, cola, etc., so athletes can choose according to their habits.

06

Post-race recovery: crossing the line is just the beginning of recovery.

After several hours of endurance exercise the body experiences glycogen depletion, muscle damage, and fluid loss.Therefore immediate post-race nutrition is equally important.

Recovery focuses on three main areas:First, carbohydrates to help restore glycogen; second, protein to promote muscle repair; and finally fluids and electrolytes to restore balance.

In addition, sleep is an important part of recovery.For athletes racing back-to-back or planning to continue training, the 1–3 days of post-race recovery will directly affect the quality of subsequent training.

In a race like IRONMAN 70.3, where total distance exceeds 113 km, it’s a significant physical and mental test — any mistake can be magnified in the later stages, and fueling is one often-overlooked factor.

With your fueling prepared, leave the rest to the race. See you in Dali on September 13!