Simone Maier
Kathmandu Coast to Coast
West Coast1st, F40-44Simone's headline numbers
Simone's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Simone start optimally fueled
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I was on fire for the first half and then I just tanked, my heart rate and everything. I definitely had times where I felt a bit tired or sore, but when you’re racing, it doesn’t really matter how you feel because sometimes you have these patches when you feel really good."
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.
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.
T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"With the issues in the boat, I should’ve prepared myself better. During the race I thought it was good enough, but it probably wasn’t."
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.
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
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.
How Simone hit her numbers
Here's everything that Simone ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“The big question now that a lot of people want to know is if I’ll come back next year because no one’s ever won six times. I knew I was in good shape with the training and everything, but it ended up being better than I expected. There’s still room for improvement and I feel like I’m so close.”
“Simone renewed her now five-time title of World Multisport Longest Day Champion, winning by an impressive 20 minutes! Clearly, she did a lot of things right. Going forward, she could optimise her strategy even more by taking some extra carbs (and having additional backups) to reach her fueling goals. Then, taking in a consistently higher sodium concentration from the start, as the positive impact of a stronger electrolyte prevented her from cramping like she has in the past. Preloading with a stronger sodium drink, and finding carb-rich foods that don’t cause uncomfortable bloating would also be helpful additions to her pre-race plan.”
PF&HSimone'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.