Black Canyon 100k

Anthony consumed just under 600g of carbohydrate across the 7 hour 24 minute race (including his pre-race PF 30 Gel taken within the final 10 minutes), averaging ~80g/h. This sits slightly below the recommended ~90g/h target for someone of his calibre racing a 100km ultra; however, it represents a solid fueling effort despite some significant adversity in the early miles.

His primary carb source was PF 300 Flow Gels, dosed according to the predicted duration between crewed aid stations, supplemented by a PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the opening section. Despite reporting poor energy during that period, Anthony's carb intake was on track for ~95-100g per hour, suggesting the low point was driven more by the almost immediate stomach upset and niggling knee pain rather than by a fueling deficit. He did skip two planned caffeine gels in the middle sections and finished with ~55g of gel remaining in his final flow flask, meaning his intake tapered somewhat through the second half of the race. Anthony also had several toilet stops from around mile 24 onwards, though he noted this was likely not stomach discomfort from his nutrition itself, which is a positive sign for his gut tolerance at this intake level. Once the toilet stops settled after Deep Canyon Ranch, his energy levels began to shift and things started to go positive again. Looking ahead, aiming for a more consistent intake through the later stages would help keep carbohydrate stores well topped up for the closing miles, and could see him break his own record again for the fastest second half of the race!

Anthony's pre-race hydration was limited to water only, with no electrolytes to preload. Incorporating PH 1500 in 500ml water both the night before and morning of the race would help ensure he starts with a greater plasma volume and more room to buffer his sweat losses across the race.

For the mild conditions at Black Canyon (~11-22°C / 52-72℉, 45% humidity), Anthony’s fluid intake was probably sensible to begin with, but as temperatures rose towards the end and his run pace increased, his intake fell way behind his sweat rate. His fluid came from a couple of soft flasks containing PH 1000 sachets and plain water picked up at aid stations and crew points throughout the race. He also took four Electrolyte Capsules in the second half as he switched to more plain water. His total sodium intake of ~2,000mg gave a relative sodium concentration of ~357mg/L, which is on the lower side compared to the average sweat sodium loss ~991mg/L. Post-race urine analysis at drug testing returned a USG of 1.034 (<1.025 generally indicates a good hydration status), also confirming a significant degree of dehydration. This suggests that despite not knowing his exact sweat sodium concentration from a Sweat Test, both his fluid and electrolyte intake were likely inadequate to replace the amount he was losing through sweat. The concentration of his drinks could benefit from being higher from the outset rather than reactively adding capsules in the second half, and he should aim to drink slightly more throughout the race.

Anthony consumed just 100mg of caffeine via a single PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the opening section. He had planned two additional caffeine gels later in the race but decided to avoid them given his ongoing stomach issues. This dose was well below the 3-6mg/kg range typically recommended for endurance performance. Given that Anthony's toughest mental and physical patch came in the middle stages of the race, strategically timed caffeine doses at those points may have provided a meaningful boost to both perceived effort and alertness. Executing the planned caffeine strategy more consistently in future races may be a straightforward way to support performance during those difficult moments.