Mel Varvel
Hyrox World Championships
Nice6th, F50-54Mel's headline numbers
Mel's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt a bit lethargic beforehand (I was nervous and it was hot...we also had to wait until 12:20pm to start which is quite late for me) but I was fine once I started."
As Hyrox is a relatively short event and very different from the endurance races you usually see in our database, the main focus for Mel was a strong carb loading protocol ahead of time to make sure she had full energy stores. She consumed ~379g of carbs the day before (6.1g per kilogram of body weight) which falls slightly below the recommended range of 8-12g/kg, and topped off her carb stores the morning of the event. As a member of the PF&H Team Mel knew that a gel 15 minutes before the start would elevate her blood glucose and spare her stored energy for later in the event. For the ~70 minutes she spent crushing it at the World Champs, she didn’t need to take in any additional carb but certainly made sure to top up afterwards to help promote her recovery.
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.
Mel1475mg/L
Mel 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.
Given Mel's losses are Very High (1,475mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy becomes especially crucial when it's hot and/or humid.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I probably could have done with a few gulps of water to ease my dry mouth, but I was fairly confident that being a little dehydrated wouldn’t affect my performance, especially as I hydrated well in the build up."
Although this event was much shorter than the IRONMAN's® Mel is used to competing in, she did experience some symptoms of thirst which could have been alleviated by taking a few sips of plain water throughout. It’s unlikely Mel would have experienced enough dehydration to significantly impact her performance, so hydration was less of a priority for her during the event.
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
Mel is used to consuming a large amount of caffeine day-to-day, so her three espressos for breakfast on the big day and additional caffeine gel ~20 minutes out were exactly what she needed to utilise the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant for the fast-paced event.
How Mel hit her numbers
Here's everything that Mel ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“My training could have been better, nothing to do with fueling and hydration. It went as well as it could, I think!”
“Mel had a strong performance in her doubles pair at Hyrox worlds and was chuffed with her result. Her fuel and hydration strategy worked well for a race of this duration, emphasising the importance of starting optimally hydrated and well fueled. Next time, she could consider having a few sips of water throughout to reduce the symptoms of thirst she experienced.”
PF&HMel'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.