Brad's headline numbers
Brad's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt pretty solid and was able to finish strong, so I think I got my fueling right."
Ambassador Team Manager, Brad, took on his first single-day ultramarathon after crushing his previous multi-day ultra at the Jurassic Coast in the UK earlier in 2024. If running ~136k (~85 miles) *during daylight* wasn’t tough enough, this *overnight* ultra challenged both his stamina and technical running ability. Brad relied on years of gut training to fuel with a high carbohydrate intake, as he’s found this boosts both his performance *and* recovery between runs. Keeping his strategy simple by relying on sports nutrition products for the majority of the race and only grabbing a handful of sweets for variety late on, meant Brad could keep track of his intake and get maximum ‘bang-for-buck’ out of the fuel he carried. It’s safe to say Brad had things pretty dialled, as he reported no GI issues and continued to fuel until the final kilometer.
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.
Brad1003mg/L
Brad has been Sweat Tested to dial in his hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Brad's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I drank more water than I planned to, but it was really hot and humid so I just kept the fluids going in."
Over-concentrating his Soft Flasks with PH 1000 at points during the race enabled Brad to dilute this with plain water at the aid stations to stay proactive with his electrolyte intake. With a moderate-high sweat rate, Brad kept his fluid intake high as the temperatures were hotter than expected, and did a good job with this as his subjective feedback suggests he avoided any significant dehydration-related symptoms. However, his higher-than-expected water intake subsequently dropped his relative sodium concentration below the recommendations for his losses, so in future he may want to carry some Electrolyte Capsules to account for extra water picked up in a hot races.
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
Brad favours energy drinks over a trip to the coffee machine, but still has a high perceived tolerance for caffeine. He chose to peak his blood caffeine levels pre-race with a can of energy drink, consuming an additional one during the run, as well as some PF 30 Caffeine Gels. Relative to his bodyweight, this tipped him slightly above the scientifically recommended intake for a race of this length and intensity. Since he didn’t experience any negative side effects, his caffeine intake was suitable and helped him in the battle against his natural circadian rhythm through the night.
How Brad hit his numbers
Here's everything that Brad ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“It felt good to dive into the ultramarathon scene a bit deeper, although I’m not sure I’d recommend doing your first one primarily at night. It was definitely an epic experience, and I’m really glad I had a pacer with me or it could have been really tough.”
Brad“As a former professional triathlete, Brad managed to successfully transfer his multisport skills to ultramarathon running and took the win at his first ‘proper’ ultra. Despite a couple of brief encounters with the ground through technical terrain in the dark, which caused some minor leg cramps, Brad’s race was supported well by a solid fuel and hydration strategy. The only adjustment we’d recommend would be to add Electrolyte Capsules when drinking more plain water than expected to more closely align with his sweat losses.”
PF&HBrad'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.