Andrew Heyes receives heat acclimation support from Leeds Beckett prior to 50km World Championships

Dr Andy Heyes, a postdoctoral research fellow at Leeds Beckett University, competed in the Men’s race and received support from Dr Daniel Snape, an applied exercise physiologist at the Carnegie School of Sport. Andy completed 5-weeks of heat acclimation, designed to complement his work and training commitments. This included home-based passive heat exposures in water bath set to 40 and supervised sessions in the state-of-the-art environmental chamber at Leeds Beckett to assess changes in heat adaptation.

The overall approach proved successful at improving Andy’s ability to thermoregulate in the heat, reducing his risk of suffering from exertional heat illness during the race. This builds upon our previous work supporting several elite triathletes and track athletes for racing in hot conditions at major competitions.

Speaking about the support received, Andy said “I cannot thank Leeds Beckett, the Talent Hub, and Dan enough. This has been the most meticulous I have been able to prepare for a competition in challenging conditions. We have learnt a huge amount and I have really enjoyed getting to see the applied side of what Leeds Beckett has to offer”

Speaking about the race Andy said “I am obviously disappointed with the result personally but do not have regrets with the wish to go and race for a medal at the World Champs. I committed but unfortunately it did not pay off. The experience, both positive and negative, has been worthwhile and after a period of reflection on training, preparation, and the race itself I hope to take what I have learnt forward into the next goal. To win a team medal at the Worlds was also special.”