CCC by UTMB

Caleb’s fueling strategy for his third attempt at the CCC was simple and straightforward, allowing him to focus his mental energy on racing. He started the race with his pack loaded with PF Gels, picking up more from the three crewed aid stations. This is a trend we’ve observed within an elite subgroup of ultramarathon running, where athletes predominantly rely on gels or other sports nutrition for the majority of the race, instead of the previous belief that incorporating more ‘real foods’ was a requirement. Caleb’s consistently high intake of gels won’t suit everybody, but he trains his gut almost daily to prepare for these events, and considering he avoided any stomach discomfort throughout this race, it clearly paid off. Frequent gut training is invaluable to sustaining >100g/h for more than 11 hours, which Caleb has achieved for the second time this season.

Caleb has previously struggled with nausea and other dehydration-related symptoms but since taking a more calculated approach to his sodium and fluid intake, he’s been able to shake these off. Unfortunately, the warm temperatures early on in the race caught Caleb off guard and he was likely under drinking for the first 4-5 hours relative to his moderate-to-high sweat rate. In the second half of the race, he increased his fluid intake from ~350ml/h to ~560ml/h between 50km and the finish. Next time, starting with an ice bandana to keep his core temperature down and an extra soft flask for drinking will help alleviate these symptoms of excessive dehydration.

Caleb has a history of high caffeine sensitivity, so he only began adding it to his race nutrition strategy towards the end of the 2023 season. With plenty of trial and error, he’s been able to increase his tolerance to the stimulant, and now draws upon it for a significant ergogenic boost throughout his races. CCC was no exception, and he hit a perfect dose for him to reap the maximum benefits without causing any negative side effects.