Maverick Jurassic Coast X-Trail (54k)

Adam from our Athlete Support team is a seasoned ultra runner, and he’s refined his fueling plan through experience. He started with PF Carb Only Drink Mix that he carried in his soft flask, then moved onto PF 30 Gels, PF 90 Gels, and PF 30 Caffeine Gels, which he mostly picked up at aid stations on-course, to cover his carb intake. Getting such a high carb intake for nearly 6 hours is impressive work, and is testament to the gut training Adam has done to be able to tolerate this. Energy dips towards the end of a ~6 hour race are expected due to both physical and mental fatigue, in Adam’s case it is likely not down to his fueling strategy as this was spot on.

Despite his 6/10 hydration rating, Adam’s fluid intake was strong, and he sat within the 500ml to 1 litre per hour recommended ideal based on what we would model his sweat rate given the race conditions and intensity. He managed to consume 5L of fluid, mostly from refilling his Soft Flask with water at aid stations. As he tired, his adherence to his hydration plan faltered slightly. Having an alert on his watch which reminds him every 20-30 minutes to drink could be a strategy for future races, to help him stay on track despite the physical fatigue.

Adam has had a Sweat Test to dial in the sodium lever of his strategy. Knowing that he is a salty sweater, he has to be proactive with his sodium replacement to make sure he retains the fluid he is taking on and replaces enough of his losses, though this is where his strategy fell just below the recommended range. Adam opted to supplement plain water with Electrolyte Capsules - taking 16 across his 50km race. Taking an extra Electrolyte Capsules for each Soft Flask of plain water (three per flask) would bring the relative concentration of his drinks closer to the concentration he loses in his sweat.