Chris' headline numbers
Chris' strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Chris (‘Minty’) was joined by colleague Ant Gritton for a pre-race dinner where they enjoyed topping off their carbohydrate stores with pizza and chatting about pacing strategies before a strategically early bedtime. Minty had a final PF 30 Caffeine Gel 15 minutes before the race start to boost his blood glucose availability. This can be seen in his Supersapiens glucose trace, and would have had the effect of sparing his stored glycogen for slightly later on. During the marathon, Minty sipped on a PF 90 Gel throughout the first 24km (15 miles) to keep his available energy as high as possible. He also boosted this with two PF 30 Caffeine Gels, placed at 11km (6.8 miles) and 31km (19.3 miles), plus a small amount of carb from a sachet of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) to surpass his fueling recommendations.
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.
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 Chris’s losses are Very High (1,433mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it’s Cold.
Learn moreAfter preloading both the night before and morning of the race, Minty started the marathon with a 500ml Soft Flask containing two packets ofPH 1500 which saw him through to 30km (18.6 miles). After this, he relied on picking up water from aid stations, paired with a total of four Electrolyte Capsules to stay on top of his sodium intake. While Minty’s electrolyte replacement strategy was potentially too aggressive on this occasion, with a relative sodium concentration significantly higher than his sweat sodium losses, Chris was pleased to report no subjective discomfort or hydration-related issues.
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.
With a total caffeine intake of ~300mg, Minty fell well within the general 3-6 mg/kg recommended guidelines for performance benefits, and this would have aided his focus and perceived exertion on the course.
How Chris hit his numbers
Here's everything that Chris ate and drank on the day...
Chris' weapons of choice
Final thoughts
PF&HChris' full stats
Data Confidence?
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).