Sophie Wright
The Gralloch
Galloway3rd, FPROSophie's headline numbers
Sophie's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy levels were great throughout the race and I had no stomach issues. "
Sophie executed one of her highest-ever carb intakes at The Gralloch, not only exceeding the traditional 90g/h ‘ceiling’, but aligning with more recent data indicating that well-trained athletes can oxidize up to 120–150g/h when using multiple transportable carbohydrates. Her on-bike carb intake included both liquid (Carb Only Drink Mix) and solid (gels and chews) fuel formats to keep her energy levels steady across nearly four hours of racing and support a podium performance.
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.
Sophie778mg/L
Sophie has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan
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 Sophie's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as her higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Sophie start optimally hydrated
"I think I needed more water as I was quite thirsty throughout, but it was a lot hotter than expected."
Sophie consumed two litres of fluid during the race, each litre dosed with 1000mg of sodium. Given her sweat sodium concentration and sweat rate, it’s likely her intake would’ve been sufficient to replace enough of her losses to avoid the debilitating effects of dehydration. She *did* report feeling thirsty throughout, particularly as temperatures approached ~26°C, suggesting she may have slightly underestimated her fluid needs. While she still avoided significant performance decline, there's room to improve her strategy in hotter or longer events to optimise hydration, including by preloading with PH 1500 instead of the lower strength drink mix she had pre-race.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Sophie consumed just one PF 30 Caffeine Gel, which falls below the 3-6 mg/kg range often cited in literature for ergogenic effects. However, this dose aligns with lower-end recommendations that still deliver improved perception of effort and delayed fatigue. The timing, both pre- and mid-race, factored in peak blood caffeine levels being ~30–60 mins post-ingestion, and helped sustain her alertness and reaction time at crucial points in the dynamic race environment.
How Sophie hit her numbers
Here's everything that Sophie ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I’d rate this highly because I was only two places away from winning! ”
“Sophie delivered a high-carb, well-salted performance to reach the podium on a tough Scottish course. A stronger hydration plan for warmer conditions could push her even closer to the top step, but her consistently high fueling provides an excellent foundation for her future races.”
PF&HSophie's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
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.