
John Borstelmann
Steamboat Gravel
John's headline numbers
John's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
We recommend to all of our athletes to consider having a gel, banana or similar small dose of carbs just before a race. John chose not to do this in this instance, and could look to implement this into his strategy moving forward to ensure that his glycogen stores are fully topped up. The majority of his carb intake came from a selection of energy gels and chews, as well as a substantial quantity of cola, but still totalled well below the scientific recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity. Unfortunately, John did drop his bottle containing PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix which certainly would have impacted his fueling strategy. We’d recommend John try to increase his intake towards the 90g/h recommendations by carrying some additional gels in case he loses part of his fuel strategy again!.
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.
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.
Given John’s losses are High (1,310mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it’s hot and/or humid.
Learn moreConsidering John’s above average sweat sodium concentration, his electrolyte intake was a bit low. However, his high fluid intake helped mitigate any dehydration-related symptoms and thankfully he didn’t experience any cramping. He used PH 1000 tablets and sachets during the race to hit the average sodium concentration we see in athletes, and he did well to continually add PH 1000 each time he re-filled his bottles at the aid stations. John’s hydration strategy was slightly impacted by the loss of his bottle which contained PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix about 35 miles in, as he hadn’t consumed any of it. Despite this, he was still able to refill his other bottle ~4.5 times to hit an impressive volume of fluid per hour. For future races, John could swap some of his PH 1000 for PH 1500 - or take some Electrolyte Capsules with him - as this will help him match his losses more closely and ensure he stays appropriately hydrated.
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.
John was well within the scientific recommendations for caffeine intake, using caffeinated energy gels and cola to provide an extra boost and sustain his energy levels right until the end of the race.
How John hit his numbers
Here's everything that John ate and drank on the day...
John's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
John's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.