Danni Shrosbree
Unbound Gravel 200 miler
Kansas4th, FPRODanni's headline numbers
Danni's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Danni would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"It was a long race so it had its moments, but at mile 137 I hit a really low point. This was where we had the mud section, so I wasn’t eating through that bit as I was regularly having to stop to clean my bike out."
Danni prepared for her longest gravel ride ever by making sure to maximise her energy stores, increasing the carbohydrate content of her diet and limiting fibre and fatty foods for a couple of days ahead of the race. During the race, Danni’s ~3.6L of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix provided most of her carbs. Danni experienced a couple of energy dips, mainly around the section of thick mud where she had to get off her bike and run/walk with it. During this time she wasn’t able to eat but was still working hard, so subsequently her energy levels took a dive. Thankfully Danni’s experience and composure meant she endeavoured to catch up, and ended up averaging ~78g of carbohydrates per hour across the 12-hour race.
Hydration
Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.
Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.
Danni716mg/L
Danni has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Danni's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I didn’t pee during and felt my hydration strategy was alright overall. However, during the small walk/run period, I got really hot and had used a bottle of fluids to clean my bike so this was where I suffered the most. I felt I was then playing catch-up a little, but I did manage to stop at a water station and pick up two more bottles which helped massively."
As temperatures have played a major role in previous editions of the race, Danni knew that starting optimally hydrated was going to be essential. She therefore preloaded her sodium levels using PH 1500 the morning before the race, increasing the volume of her blood plasma to reduce the strain on her cardiovascular system. Danni prefers to consume most of her nutrition in liquid form, so her fluid supply formed an integral part of her fuel and hydration strategy. Like most riders at Unbound, Danni carried a pack at all times which had a ~1.5L bladder, and she drew most of her fluid from this. Her support crew also gave her two top-ups of this bladder at aid stations on course. In all, Danni averaged ~880ml of fluid per hour across the 12 hour race and the [relative sodium concentration]() of those fluids was similar to her sweat losses.
Caffeine
Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
To maintain her caffeine levels throughout the day, Danni took a PF 30 Caffeine Gel three, five and eight hours into the race. As caffeine has a half-life of ~4-5 hours, this will have maintained peak levels of caffeine in her bloodstream throughout the race.
How Danni hit her numbers
Here's everything that Danni ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I’m really happy with what I did on the day. I didn’t know what to expect at all but would’ve maybe taken in more if I knew the mud section/run/walk was ahead.”
Danni“Danni’s debut at the *”world's toughest gravel race”* was superb, and she said the only thing that could have gone better was if she’d been victorious in the 3rd place sprint, where she was pipped by Sarah Sturm. Compared to the last case study we crunched for Danni at the Tour of Britain, her carb intake nearly doubled, and her fluid intake tripled. This shows the progress she's making with training her gut to absorb both more carb and more fluid, and it’s now helping facilitate her stronger performances.”
PF&HDanni's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.