Charlie Hamilton
Ultra Trail Australia
New South Wales1st, M25-29Charlie's headline numbers
Charlie's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Charlie would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"My energy levels were high throughout the race, and I was able to eat consistently to hit my goal intake without feeling too full."
Charlie stuck to a consistent carb intake of nearly 100g/h, keeping his body's energy stores topped up, and as a result he managed to keep his perceived energy levels high. He stuck to using PF 30 Gels and PF 300 Flow Gel to hit his numbers and fortunately had no GI issues. Although Charlie had some carbs for breakfast ahead of the race, he may benefit from consuming either a small dose of fast-acting carbs in the last 15-20 mins before the race start to optimise his blood glucose levels for the race start and preserve his stored glycogen for later on in the event.
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.
Charlie1331mg/L
Charlie 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.
Given Charlie's losses are High (1,331mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it's Mild.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I cramped quite badly at 45 km after a hard stair climb, but an Electrolyte Capsule and some water helped mitigate this, and I was able to run to the finish. Unfortunately, I didn't drink in the last two hours of the race, so I felt like I was chasing my tail on the final climb which added to the cramping and really slowed me down. I also felt tight in my stomach after drinking too much water on the downhill sections so I need to work on this."
Unfortunately, Charlie suffered with some muscle cramps towards the end of the race, likely a combination of neuromuscular fatigue and dehydration. However, Charlie managed his sodium intake suitably for the majority of the race by supplementing the plain water he had in his Soft Flasks with Electrolyte Capsules. To ensure he starts his races *optimally* hydrated and potentially reduce the risk of cramping in future events, Charlie could swap out the PH 1000 (Tablets) for the higher concentration PH 1500 with his breakfast. Additionally, simulating his hydration strategy in some of his longer training sessions will train his gut to tolerate more fluid so that he is more comfortable doing this in 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
Charlie’s caffeine intake was higher than the scientific recommendations for a race of this duration. He does, however, have a fairly high tolerance to caffeine, and experienced no adverse effects to using the stimulant in this quantity. To ensure some caffeine is circulating in his blood throughout the race, Charlie may want to shift one of his PF 30 Caffeine Gels to the last 15-20 mins before the race starts. It’s important he continues to practise this in his training, though, to avoid any associated GI distress.
How Charlie hit his numbers
Here's everything that Charlie ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I felt really strong all day and was able to run ~27 mins faster than I did last year. The only issue was the cramps which slowed me down towards the end. Otherwise, the day went really well and I felt strong and was able to consistently get in my carbs without any hassle. I just need to work on drinking more fluid which would help mitigate the cramps.”
“Charlie stuck to a solid fueling hydration plan, but adding a pre-race carb hit could help optimise this further. Preloading with a slightly higher concentration of sodium, and trialling a higher fluid intake in training sessions at/around race intensity will hopefully help him iron out the cramping he experienced towards the end of the race too. ”
PF&HCharlie'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.