The Traka 200

Despite not having a huge appetite before the race start, which isn’t surprising given the usual early wake up call associated with many endurance events, Sophie managed to consume a high-carb breakfast to top up her liver glycogen stores. During the seven and a half hours of racing, Sophie consumed over 800 grams of carbohydrates, averaging an impressive ~111g/h, which is at the upper end of current recommendations for endurance athletes during prolonged events. Her strategy involved starting strong with easily digestible carbs like the PF 60 Chew Bars and some Carb Drink Mix which aligns with research showing that early carbohydrate intake can spare muscle glycogen and support sustained performance. Toward the end, she noted signs of flavour fatigue, a recognised phenomenon in ultra-distance events where repetitive sweet flavors can reduce palatability and willingness to eat. Exploring savory alternatives such as sandwiches and salty foods could help diversify flavour profiles and maintain intake in future long duration races.

Sophie’s hydration strategy had been tweaked and modified in the weeks leading up to the Traka with the help of the Sports Science Team, after trial and error at a couple of her previous races. She identified that Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and PH 1000 worked best for her to replace the sodium lost in her sweat. This helped to maintain plasma volume and neuromuscular function during the race, reducing the risk of cramping and hyponatremia. Her sufficient fluid and electrolyte intake will also have supported the absorption of the high quantity of carbs she ingested, since co-ingestion of sodium and glucose enhances fluid uptake via the sodium-glucose co-transport mechanism in the small intestine. With help from her crew, Sophie collected sweat rate data at the race by weighing herself immediately before the start and again at the finish. The results showed a net body mass loss of just 1.1kg (2.4 lbs), which is less than 2% of her total body weight. This is well within the commonly accepted threshold of 2-4% loss in body mass due to dehydration, which has been shown to impair endurance performance. Sophie’s hydration strategy helped her stay ahead of significant fluid losses, supporting both thermoregulation and sustained output across the full 200km. That said, Sophie felt she fell slightly short on water in the latter stages as temperatures rose, particularly for cooling and thermal comfort, which can be important when racing in warmer, dry conditions, similar to those at the Traka. Integrating some fluid for external use, or asking her crew to offer this at the designated feed zones could be a simple improvement next time round.

Sophie’s total caffeine intake placed her within the effective range for performance enhancement. By spreading her intake between a pre-race dose (a cup of coffee and some caffeinated energy drink) and a mid-race Caffeine Gel, she likely benefited from both an early increase in alertness and perceived energy, and a later maintenance of mental focus and central nervous system drive; critical in the final hours of a demanding gravel race. Sophie’s experience suggests this dosing was well-tolerated, and she may consider fine-tuning the timing for even longer races like Unbound just three weeks after the Traka, where split-dosing can help extend the stimulant’s effect over many more hours.