IV for hydration?

So what is the actual rule

You can never have an IV?

TLDR: You can have medically necessary IVs (ex. during surgery), but not IVs to aid athletic recuperation/recovery/lifestyle.

Just one small addition…if you end up in a medical tent or ambulance due to severe dehydration and the medical personnel believe it’s in your best interest to get an IV, you can go ahead and get it and then apply for a retro-active TUE. USADA or any other national WADA signatory would have to be massive dickbags to deny the retroactive TUE.

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I’m a nurse, and I have seriously considered doing this myself. I’m just not sure I could start an IV with one hand though.

Having said that, there are some hazards to this. You would really need to have a good idea of your fluid balance before hand. And by fluid balance, I am referring specifically to what fluid to electrolyte ratios you’re at. You can really mess yourself up if, even with an isotonic fluid, if you’re depleted or overloaded in one or more electrolytes. Hyponatremia (low serum sodium) isn’t something that you can just throw salt at and make everything better. Too much too fast can have some genuinely catastrophic outcomes.

So, the short version is, mild dehydration, especially in an athlete, IV rehydration is probably a pretty viable way to rapidly recharge. Significant dehydration, well, that’s why this stuff is typically done in hospitals by F/T doctors and nurses.

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Well shit! Admittedly I never even thought about this as an issue. And I’ve needed IV fluids multiple times after my fulls. I didn’t nail my nutrition until last year. Up to that point it was always vomiting and low blood pressure once I stopped moving. Half’s were fine, but not the full distance.

I never even thought about needing to ask for a retroactive TUE for a medically necessary fluids AT the race med tent. I thought I was up to spreed with all of the rules and never want to be in violation. Definitely my fault and I feel a bit annoyed with myself.

So you admit a willingness to break WADA/USADA rules re: non-medically-necessary IV but won’t get a COVID vax.

OK.

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One works. The other doesn’t. Since you want to throw that shit in this thread.

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let me correct this one works but is illegal. unless you were to go for micro dosing of 100 ml every 12 hours. i have no idea if that would work

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I’ve not read all of her posts so I have no idea if she’s currently racing or signed up for a race. So we have no idea if she’s doing anything illegal WRT WADA.

Let’s not jump the shark (EDIT: I meant jump the gun) here until a poster divulges all information that lets us decide whether they’re doing something wrong. If she’s just training and wants to hydrate better as a nurse then so be it.

Nowhere in her initial comment was there any malice or rule breaking. The comment about the Covid vax was unfair and shouldn’t have been included. Its red herring and seems like sour grapes carried over from a different thread.

This is one of the more surprising threads for me lately. I am somewhat surprised anyone would give two shits about someone else getting an IV.

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Well it is a banned practice both in and out of competition. So not surprised it’s getting talked about as the OP was asking specifically to use it to better recover for a big competition block.

The tangents are always interesting. Case and point, someone introducing COVID vaccines and poster’s preferences into the thread.

It would appear the shits given are due to it being a prohibited method.

Little did I know, I (unintentionally) asked how to deliberately do something explicitly called out as prohibited per WADA.

I’m pretty sure all the subsequent responses, are now following the expected path for asking how to cheat =)

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I did not think you were asking how to cheat. I would not have known it was against WADA rules, but then again I think anything with a needle is banned. I know the line needs to be drawn somewhere so I get this is where it is drawn, but for a bunch of people competing to give more money to Ironman this seems quite silly.

well iam certainly not jumping the gun here
iam just adding the word illegal to the posters sentence
this is no accusation
its just a fact the IVS over 100ml are illegal. no more no less
while bellow 100 mm in a 12 hour periode its legal .

It is not surprising that many do not know of this rule, but after this huge brouhaha I would have thought it more in the mainstream. I suppose these things have their life cycles and then just get forgotten…

this was huge news at the time, and certainly a guy of his stature should have known, but apparently he was clueless…

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Adding the word “illegal” is only WRT training for racing. It is not illegal to do WRT the laws of society.

So VJ has not stated if she was racing or not. Therefore you insisting that the word “illegal” be added to her statement is jumping the gun because she didn’t say she wanted to do it for a race or even IF she is racing. If she’s not then she’s free to do as she pleases. If she is, then yes she is in violation of WADA regulations.

I’m proposing we don’t make assumptions like this based on incomplete information. I’d rather us ask the posted for more info. My .02

Pros should absolutely know this, but none of us are pros. Hell I’d bet most of us aren’t even KQers so it’s not surprising most were unaware.

Pretty sure the poster asked if it would be of benefit before a race to ensure starting fully hydrated, therefore racing.

Well she has had several threads in the past few months asking for advice on the upcoming IMAZ race, and the Santa Barbara race she just did last week, and other assorted “my race” threads. So I think anyone that reads here with any regularity knows that Jen does in fact race, has raced, and is planning on racing…Nothing further, carry on…

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