Kathmandu Coast to Coast

In this Coast to Coast challenge, Simone tackled alternating bouts of running and biking, plus a 70km kayak leg. As this adventure required large amounts of energy, her fuel sources mainly came from Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, PF 30 Gels and chews, plus additional energy bars and drinks (and even some sweet potato mash!). Her average carb intake was planned to be slightly higher, but on the kayak, the wind tipped the boat enough to dislodge her chews taped to the edge of the boat, and although she carried additional emergency gels and bars, she didn’t end up taking them in the craziness of the race. This more than likely contributed to her ‘tanking' energy levels towards the end, so being as diligent as possible at keeping her intake high enough will help sustain her in future races.

Overall, Simone did pretty well to stay on top of her fluid consumption, though she wished she had taken in more while on the boat. She carried plenty but had almost half leftover at the end, noting the wind as a significant factor in this under-drinking. From a sodium concentration standpoint, she started with a much weaker strength, relying on PH 500, before switching to PH 1500 during the run. She credits this for preventing any cramps, having had this issue on the run section of previous attempts, noting the tricky part of the course running back and forth to cross streams and run up a river bed.

Considering the duration of this event, going above the standard caffeine recommendation of 3-6 mg per kg body weight is usually expected, and unlikely to cause any negative side effects. Simone is a big coffee drinker, so having flasks of coffee throughout the race, plus caffeinated energy drinks, worked well to keep her topped up on the move. She didn’t notice any adverse effects of taking nearly double the recommended dose, highlighting the individual nature of caffeine intake, and it’s unlikely we’d recommend any significant changes to this part of her strategy.