• Jumping straight back in the deep end, ultra-runner Anna-Marie Watson, pushed through hot conditions at Mozart 100 in Austria, in what was her first race abroad since COVID-19 started
• Having not raced an event this long since 2019, the PF&H ambassador and performance coach battled the blisteringly hot conditions which reached 31℃/88°F at some points during the day
• Despite it being, in Anna-Marie’s words, a “sufferfest” with many athletes dropping out due to the heat and staggering 5,000m of elevation, Anna-Marie hydrated and fueled sufficiently throughout to finish the 100 km race in a time of 15 hours 28 minutes

Hydration

• Anna-Marie should consider preloading ~90 minutes before the start by drinking PH 1500 instead of just plain water to make sure she starts optimally hydrated
• Throughout the race, Anna-Marie’s hydration strategy primarily involved using two 500ml/16oz soft flasks, one with PH 1500 and the other filled with plain water, which she refilled at all aid stations except the first and last (11 aid stations in total). To get more fluid in, she also drank ~100ml/3oz of water when she stopped to refill at stations 4 to 9
• In total she drank ~10L/338oz fluid, which averages as ~648ml/22oz per hour. This was unsurprisingly higher than what we saw her drink during the much shorter and cooler race in Devon (~421ml/14oz per hour) back in February
• Although we don’t have data on Anna-Marie’s sweat rate, drinking over ~600ml/h (20oz/h) is on the surface a decent volume over a race of this long duration. Anna-Marie agreed, saying “my hydration went well” and she mentioned that she peed three times during the race, which would indicate she didn’t under hydrate
• In terms of sodium, she consumed an average of ~463mg/h, predominantly from her flasks of PH 1500. In relation to the fluid and additional plain water she took on board, the relative sodium concentration of her intake was ~714mg/L. This is a lower relative sodium concentration than what we saw her consume in Devon, and from our Sweat Test we know she is a ‘salty’ sweater (losing ~1,187mg/L). Therefore Anna-Marie may have benefitted by taking on slightly more to replace a greater proportion of her sodium losses in the heat, for example by using some Electrolyte Capsules for an easy, convenient way of getting a little extra sodium in
• But, Anna-Marie positively reported no hydration-related issues, including no cramps, and mixed plain water into her strategy as she felt she needed. Ultimately, this allowed her to perform and push on in the heat, unlike many other competitors who DNF’d

Fueling

Conclusions

• Despite this ultra event being a lot more physically demanding and longer in duration than her Devon marathon, Anna-Marie again followed a simple and effective hydration plan to “hang on in there” despite feeling as if she wouldn’t be able to finish in the tough conditions at some points
• In future events in hot conditions, Anna-Marie may benefit from preloading and taking on board slightly more sodium to keep on top of her losses. Trialing some gut training may also help her body tolerate a greater carb intake over longer races and push towards the 60g/h mark without gastrointestinal issues
• With Anna-Marie having TDS coming up in late August, we look forward to seeing how she prepares for this event and adjusts her hydration and fueling to the demanding race