• Andy had another great race outcome at the Maverick Jurassic Coast Ultra taking the win by a minute and a half. This event came just a week after his 2nd place finish at the Atlantic Coast Ultra
• Once again Andy hit impressive carb, fluid and sodium numbers. Unfortunately he experienced some cramping in his calves and hip adductors which he feels cost him between 15 and 20 minutes and for this reason he rated his race satisfaction a 7 out of 10

Hydration

• The day started mild but got hotter as the race went on. On average, Andy consumed ~642ml/hr (~23oz/hr) however he reported running low on fluids in the last hour and half and felt he didn’t drink enough during this time, feeling especially dehydrated in the final 45 minutes
• This lack of fluid towards the end of the race coincided with Andy suffering from some gut issues and feeling sick in the last 45 minutes. Dehydration exacerbates GI issues as it impedes blood flow past the gut which is needed to aid carbohydrate absorption. It may be that Andy’s high carb intake is effective only when hydration levels are kept on top of
• Where Andy’s strategy differed most dramatically between this race and the week prior was his sodium consumption. Previously he consumed only four additional electrolyte capsules whereas in this race he consumed a total of nine. This difference was because Andy began to experience some cramping in his calves and hip adductors in this race which he then tried to stave off with PH electrolyte capsules. Anecdotally, this can be an effective way of keeping cramping at bay, at least short term
• However, the consumption of electrolyte capsules alongside minimal water as Andy did may exacerbate feelings of thirst as a result of increasing the relative sodium concentration of his intake. Here it was ~1,667mg/L, where previously it was 1,102mg/L. Andy’s sweat sodium concentration is a moderate 859mg/L so whilst a relative sodium concentration slightly higher than this may be warranted if Andy is sweating heavily, in this race it was almost double which given the issues he experienced (thirst, sickness) may have been too much
• Andy has a history of cramping badly. Pinpointing the specific cause of cramp is difficult and at times the cause can be multifactorial. In this instance, whilst it may have been exacerbated by dehydration towards the end of the race, we suspect it is most likely a consequence of, or at least compounded by, some muscle fatigue from the race the weekend before
• Overall, Andy rated his hydration strategy a 7 out of 10, commenting that he sweated a lot and felt dehydrated towards the end

Fueling

Conclusions

• Andy had a successful race at the Maverick Jurassic Coast 54km Ultra taking the win despite suffering from some sickness, dehydration and cramping towards the end of the run. The cause of this seems to be a lack of fluid in the latter part of the race and perhaps some residual fatigue from the week before predisposing Andy to suffering some cramps
• Andy may have benefitted from increasing his fluid intake. In this instance, he was aware of this need, but there wasn’t the opportunity to pick up more when he required it