Chris Douglas' scorecard
ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship
Monday 5th September, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
- 76gCarb per hour
- 74mgSodium per hour
- 307mlFluid per hour
- 241mg/LRelative sodium concentration
- 0mgTotal caffeine
How Chris hit those numbers
Before event (>30mins)
500ml x PH 1500
2.5 x Chocolate Croissant
Pre-event (<30mins)
1 x PF 30 Gel
Event - During
3 x PH Electrolyte Capsule
7 x PF 90 Gel
3L x Plain water
4.5 x Potato
2 x Orange slice
175ml x Drink Pouch (Orange)
- Host of the Löw Tide Böyz podcast, Chris, competed at the pinnacle of Swimrun races with his co-host Chipper Nicodemus as they made their debut at the ÖTILLÖ World Championship race in Sweden
- As a long-time swimrun enthusiast, Chris knew all about the challenges of fueling and hydrating for a swimrun, and this 10+ hour race certainly tested his knowledge and experience
Hydration
- Chris preloaded his blood sodium levels with a 500ml (16oz) bottle of PH 1500 the night before the race, and sipped on plain water the morning before the start. To improve this strategy even more, we’d recommend sipping on another bottle of PH 1500 the morning of the race to prevent diluting his electrolyte concentration with plain water
- During the race, he carried a Soft Flask which he planned to regularly fill with water from the on course aid stations, and he used Electrolyte Capsules to stay properly hydrated
- Due to the fairly mild temperatures (~12℃/54℉), Chris didn’t perceive his sweat rate to be that high, and adapted his hydration strategy accordingly, drinking ~307ml (~10oz) per hour
- At his last race in Lake James Chris relied upon the aid stations to get his electrolytes. He soon discovered that it was a carb-based drink with minimal sodium content, and so went the entire race without taking any, hence why he planned to carry his own electrolytes this time to prevent a recurrence
- Unfortunately, the packaging of Chris’s electrolytes was pierced accidentally and dissolved before he had the chance to take them, which meant he only had three across the entire race. This dramatically reduced his pre-planned sodium intake to just ~765mg, meaning the relative sodium concentration of his fluid was ~241mg/L (mg/32oz). Chris tried some of the on-course electrolyte drink but couldn’t stand the taste and so avoided this for the remainder of the race
- We know that Chris loses 1,719mg of sodium per litre (32oz) of sweat, as measured by the PF&H Sweat Test. However, his total losses were likely mitigated by the mild temperatures, which will have in turn dramatically reduced his total sweat loss
- He did mention some minor leg cramps towards the end of the race, which was probably in-part due to excessive muscle breakdown, but could also be attributed to his low sodium intake
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30gcarb 30 mins before
60-90gcarb per hour during
- Chris prepared his body for this event by topping up his glycogen stores on the morning of the race by eating two-and-a-half chocolate croissants - a firm favourite breakfast of his. He then further primed his body with a PF 30 Energy Gel ~20 minutes before the start to help circulate some glucose in his blood, and potentially spare some of the stored glycogen for later in the race
- He planned to use PF 90 Energy Gels to get the majority of his carbohydrates, whilst grabbing other foods from the occasional on-course aid stations
- Chris maintained a regular carb intake by drip-feeding with regular sips of the “Jumbo Gels” and picking up some boiled potatoes and orange slices as and when his body craved them - it can be a positive move as using real foods will have given his taste buds a break from energy products and preventing the dreaded taste-fatigue that can occur during ultra events
- In total Chris took seven PF 90s, around four and a half boiled potatoes and two orange slices, bringing his total carb intake to ~790g, averaging a solid ~76g per hour. This is a ~31% increase from his ~58g/h average at Lake James, showing how his gut training to increase his tolerance to carb has been paying off
- Chris said it “started to get really tough after eight hours, but by that point the end was in sight and I dug in”, but didn’t feel any real lows in energy which suggests he was fueling solidly
Conclusions
- Overall, Chris was “stoked” with his performance at the home of swimrun, and couldn’t wait to get stuck into some more training so he could qualify for the 2023 Championship race
- His fueling plan was good and ensured he had adequate energy throughout the race, but his sodium intake could perhaps be increased to more closely match his sweat sodium concentration and help prevent the onset of muscle cramps later in the race
Key info
Chris Douglas
Male
Sweat sodium concentration1,719mg/L
Sweat sodium classificationVery High
* determined by our Sweat Test
Result
Position79th
Overall Time10:20:46
Event information
SportOther
DisciplineSwimrun
EventÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Championship
LocationSandhamn, Sweden
Date5th September, 2022
Swim Distance9.0km / 5.6mi
Run Distance61.0km / 37.9mi
Total Distance70.0km / 43.5mi
Event conditions
Weather ConditionsMild
PrecipitationNo Rain
Min Temp9°C / 48°F
Max Temp15°C / 59°F
Avg Temp12°C / 54°F
Humidity60%
Athlete feedback
Hydration rating7/10I should have taken some more salt tablets but I broke the pack so they dissolved
Energy levels8/10I felt really strong throughout, until the last couple of hours when it got REAL
Toilet stopsYes
GI comfort8/10
CrampingMild cramps that I could push through
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
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.