Ollie Jones
Utopia Gravel Fest
Ollie's headline numbers
Ollie'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.
Ollie had a great performance which was no doubt supported by his consistent fueling. He used two PF 300 Flow Gels to hit his numbers and supplemented this with two PF 30 Caffeine Gels to keep his energy levels up and increase his alertness. Fortunately for Ollie, he has trained his gut to comfortably tolerate high volumes of carb without experiencing any GI distress. For his future races, we would encourage Ollie to also pre-fuel with an extra dose of carb, such as a PF 30 Chew or PF 30 Gel, to help top-up glucose and maximise energy availability for later on in the 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.
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 Ollie’s losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreOllie was unaware of his sweat sodium concentration at the time of the race, but after chatting to our Sport Science Team he had decided to aim close to the average losses we’ve seen over our years of Sweat Testing (949mg/L). A Sweat Test has since confirmed that this replaced his losses well, as his sodium falls just below the average. He didn’t suffer any obvious negative consequences as a result of dehydration during the race (or obvious signs of too great a level of dehydration), indicating he sat within a tolerable range. Going forward, it would be a good idea for Ollie to carry some Electrolyte Capsules with him in future races to supplement any plain water he takes on board, ensuring he stays in line with his known 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.
Ollie’s caffeine intake was slightly below the scientifically recommended dosage. Since he is a regular coffee drinker who tolerates caffeine well, we would advise Ollie to increase his intake slightly by supplementing his plan with one or two more PF 30 Caffeine Gels to maximise its ergogenic benefits and keep his energy levels high during future races.
How Ollie hit his numbers
Here's everything that Ollie ate and drank on the day...
Ollie's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Ollie
PF&HOllie's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).