The Mid South Gravel Race

John successfully carb-loaded and continuously topped up his energy stores before and during the race to support his fastest Mid South performance yet with ~101g of carb per hour. This intake was slightly less than his ~110g/h at the same race the year before, but still a big step up from ~76g/h in 2022. Similar to his prior races, John used a variety of carb types including solids, gels and liquids. This, combined with his extensive gut training over the last couple of years will have helped contribute to his rating of 10 (out of 10) for gastrointestinal discomfort. John was hoping for a strong performance in this race and due to his consistent fueling, he was able to finish on the podium even in the stacked field.

With a total of 3000 0ml of fluid across nearly five hours of high intensity racing, John felt his fluid intake was spot on. He consumed slightly less sodium than we would recommend given his relatively high sweat sodium losses and past experiences with cramping. This, along with the continuous neuromuscular output during the race may have contributed to the cramping he experienced in the last few metres of the sprint.

Compared with some of John’s previous efforts, he consumed a lower intake of caffeine in this race which is more in line with our current recommendations and the scientific guidelines for a race of this duration. It is likely this helped to keep mental fatigue at bay and boost John’s perceived energy levels throughout the race to facilitate his performance.