The Decaman event
Welcome to part 3 of this blog series. You can check out part 2 via the button below!
Decaman in numbers
The images below show you exactly what Danny completed over the 10 days of the Decaman.
He completed 39 hours and 21 minutes of swim, bike and run exercise over the first 3 days.
He completed 80 hours and 48 minutes for the last 7 days and a total of 119 hours and 59 minutes of swimming, biking and running over the 10 days.
Lets put those numbers into perspective. The average person works a 37 and a half hour work week over 5 days. He did more exercise in 3 days than most people work in a week!
The first 3 days of the Decaman.
The last 7 days of the Decaman.
Day 1
Day 1 was one of the least efficient days. To start with, he didn’t use his own road bike. His road bike was still with the mechanic waiting on parts to arrive. He started the day with his own TT bike, upon which he had accumulated very little time on. He then switched to using his friend’s road bike- this was a nightmare scenario in my opinion. It goes against the basic rules of racing. Never use new equipment on race day! Danny was very stiff getting off the bike on day 1 and he is very lucky he didn’t pick up an injury.
In terms of his nutrition, he was working with Evan Lynch. I have mentioned some of the work Evan had done with Danny in the previous blog post. Here is what Evan had to say in regards to his daily nutritional intake during the event-
Danny’s carb intake on a daily basis far exceeded 1200g. For those wondering why this is so key, to explain, were Danny’s glycogen levels to run out, he would bonk, his recovery would be impaired & he would experience increased rates of perceived exertion the following day. Inadequate carb intakes may also have led to an increased risk of Danny cramping, picking up some form of illness or cleaving off plenty of muscle over the 10 days. on day 1 was not ideal. He started the day with a target of 3500kcal from his main meals (breakfast, lunch & dinner). On the bike he was consuming 90g per hour of carbohydrate made up of gels, fluids and solids and he consumed one protein. This came to roughly 2500 kcal on the bike.
Danny’s average fluid intakes during the events were North of 500ml/hr and sodium targets of 500-1000mg per hour were met. It is probably worth noting, that the recommended daily intake of sodium is 1600mg daily, this is a great example of how general health guidelines and sports nutrition specifics do not align together. This was a key topic that Danny & I had to overcome, as he was initially approaching Ironman nutrition through the lens of the food pyramid, making him liable for underfeeding, having electrolyte disturbances or even having micronutrient deficiencies
Nutrition practice had been perfect throughout the training journey yet we ran into issues on day 1. His caloric intake proved to be too much in the first day and he faced some stomach problems. He was unable to stomach gels. He had to resort to fluids and solid meals from that point onwards.
He learnt a lot from day 1 and slowly finetuned his dietary intake. By day 10, he was consuming roughly 2500-3500kcal less than day 1. His bodyweight stayed the same throughout the 10 days although there was a drop in bodyfat- this was evidence that his dietary intake was near perfect.
This highlights the effectiveness of strong multi disciplinary support when training towards a major endurance event. Next time you’re thinking of training towards a big goal, surround yourself with a team of experts.
Day 3
Frankie and I (who swam the full distance with him that morning), helping him get into his bike kit on day 3.
Day 3 got off to a terrible start. He swam in Enagh Lough that morning, where the air and water temperature had dropped significantly compared to the previous 2 days. Coupled with the fatigue and loss of body fat, his body was struggling to stay warm. There were 2 incidents that led us to believe he was in the early stages of hypothermia that morning:
When he was getting changed, we laid a towel on the ground to dry his feet. He proceeded to step onto the towel with his shoes, take his shoes off and then stand barefoot on the wet ground- he did the complete opposite of what he was supposed to do!
When he started the bike, he was taking a long time to respond to basic questions from those around him. He was fully aware of his surroundings and what he was being asked, but his brain was unable to produce an answer.
Thankfully, he came round after an hour on the bike. That could have been a disaster and we are lucky it didn’t get any worse!
He changed to swimming in the pool from that day onwards. His sister, Enya, was there every morning ensuring he was kept warm and had his daily banana. He even had his own personal stylist, Ciaran Lockhart, drying his hair most mornings.
Day 4
Day 4 was the slowest day overall. 13hrs,40 minutes and 27 seconds. The swim and bike were marginally slower but it was the run where he suffered, taking him 6hrs and 16 minutes to complete it. As mentioned previously, this was to be expected. We knew he would have some really bad days but also we knew he would turn a corner eventually. We just didn’t know when. The training prior to the event had been focussed on improving his swim and bike performance. This work was clearly paying off and we knew that as long as he could continue maximising his time with the swim and bike each day, he would be fine.
Day 5
This was a turning point in the Decaman for Danny . From day 4 onwards, he got faster and faster.
On day 5, he was 2hrs and 10 minutes faster than day 4 because of his 4hr 51 minute run.
Danny was experiencing a common ultra endurance phenomenon whereby athletes begin to improve and get faster as the event continues.
I couldn’t find any scientific consensus on why this happens but I would hypothesise that there is both a physical and mental aspect to this phenomenon. Danny’s body was growing familiar with the daily suffering and physiological demand. It was no longer a shock to the body to have to exercise continuously for over 12 hours a day. There is also the theory that you simply get fitter and stronger each day, hence why he got faster.
Mentally, he was becoming comfortable with the aches and pains. His mind and body went into autopilot mode. He was better aware of the energetic demands of each day and how best to pace the effort. His mind was in harmony with his body on how best to utilise his available energy.
His support team was also becoming more efficient each day. They knew exactly when he needed food, clothing, massages etc. The time spent waiting for massages/food was significantly reduced resulting in faster finishing times, leading to more sleep and subsequently an improvement in performance.
Day 6
Day 6 was tough. He was beginning to experience some painful tightness in his glute/hip area. On his 2nd bike stop at downhill that day, he found a perfectly sized rock that he could use as a foam roller! It was random but it worked. He actually ended up carrying the rock with him all day and used it throughout the run.
Danny using the rock to ease his glute/hip tightness.
Day 7 onwards
I had predicted Danny would continue with this good pace up to day 8, after which he would hit a wall and struggle for the final 2 days. I was so wrong! He continued getting faster and stronger right up to day 10.
His incredible team were key to the daily improvements.
Both Enya and Emear were invaluable. They were ready every morning and at every stop throughout the day with fresh food and kit.
The Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum crew were there daily, assisting anyway they could.
Every member of the 10 in 10 group chat- each person played a large part in this project.
His training partners, Steven Mulberry, Odhran McKane, Georgie Harkin and Gareth Strain kept him moving forward in each discipline.
Scarpello had his dinner sorted everyday; he was eating like a king!
I’m not sure what day this was on but Danny had stopped to stretch against a gate. He was in so much pain, he didn’t realise he was leaning against barbed wire!
What a journey! It was a fun journey for myself as a coach and physiologist as trying to understand how best to prepare someone for a Decaman event was a challenge, but one I thoroughly enjoyed. On reflection, there are some things I would do differently (let’s hope there isn’t a next time). Regardless, none of this would have been possible without such an amazing team, who I have mentioned throughout this blog series. I hope you have enjoyed this insight into this Decaman challenge!
Let’s not forget that Danny did all of this in memory of his father, Colm Quigley, and to raise money for Pieta House and Bogside and Brandywell Health Forum. As I write this, his current total £105,725- how mad is that! The link to donate is below.
