• John had what he described as a “very interesting race” at Steamboat Gravel 2021… He was very unlucky on the day as he suffered a crash, a mechanical issue, chaotic aid stations AND he lost a bottle!

Hydration

• John preloaded sensibly with a bottle of PH 1500 around an hour before the race in order to make sure he was starting the race optimally hydrated
• John’s sodium intake was 887mg/hr, from the primary source of PH 1000 powders and tablets in his water bottle. Crucially, he didn’t experience any cramping and was happy to continually add PH 1000 each time he filled up his bottle at an aid station
• John’s fluid intake was also greatly impacted by him losing that second 1L/32oz bottle which contained PF 30 Energy Drink Mix about 35 miles in, particularly as he hadn’t drunk any of it
• John was able to refill his other bottle 4.5 times, therefore still consuming ~915ml/hr (~31oz/hr). This is a good volume and it’s interesting to note that John tactically decided to stop and refill at each station on course, despite the busy and often chaotic nature of the aid stations
• Taking into consideration both sodium and fluid intake per hour, the relative sodium concentration of John’s intake was ~994mg/L. He may want to look at increasing his sodium intake in order to bump this number up in future races, particularly as he has a relatively high sweat sodium concentration (John loses 1,310mg per litre of sweat) and he’s often racing for long durations in hot conditions

Fueling

Conclusions

• Overall, John’s pre-race hydration and fueling was good, helping him start the race well hydrated. One recommendation for John could be to consume a gel or energy bar 15 minutes before the start to top off his energy stores
• For future races, we have recommended that John increases his carb intake to push towards 90g/hr to optimise both his performance and recovery