Chris Knight
Jurassic Coast Ultra Challenge
CorfeCompletedChris' headline numbers
Chris' strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I’d done quite a bit of gut training during sessions, and I made the most of being able to tolerate higher carb numbers during the first half. Flavour fatigue took its toll, especially overnight when my pace drastically slowed down, so I started taking on more real food to make sure I was getting some fuel in."
Chris from our Marketing Team went into his first 100km ultramarathon with well stocked glycogen stores following a 48 hour carb-load where he hit ~9.5g/kg to sit nicely within the 8-12g/kg recommendations. He consumed easily digestible carbohydrates including rice, bagels and sweets, as well as PF 60 Chew Bars and Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to bump up his intake. Chris averaged ~71g carb per hour during his longest ever run. During the first 58km (~10 hours) he used predominantly sports nutrition products - 5 PF 90 Gels, 6 PF 30 Chews and a PF 60 Chew Bar - to hit ~88g/h which would have well supported his energy levels through the daytime phase of the race. For the second half of the race (~10 hours 45 mins), Chris’ focus shifted to real foods as flavour fatigue started to creep in. He took on a variety of carb-rich snacks such as sweets, fig rolls and flapjacks to ensure that he was still getting in enough carbs to fuel through the night, averaging ~59g/h.
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.
Chris696mg/L
Chris 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 Chris's losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I’ve suffered with cramps towards the end of endurance events in the past. This is likely due to lack of training specificity, but I wanted to be sure that sodium depletion didn’t cause any issues. I overdid my sodium and probably drank a bit too much, especially into the evening, but I’m pleased to say I didn’t cramp!"
Even though Chris has a low sweat sodium concentration, appropriate sodium replacement during endurance exercise is crucial to support water absorption and retention as well as glucose absorption, especially for a race of this duration. Well versed on our recommendations, Chris preloaded with PH 1500 the night before and morning of the race to start optimally hydrated. During the race, he then relied on equal proportions of PH 1500 (Drink Mix) and plain water to create a concentration close to his losses. Chris also consumed sodium through the foods he was eating such as chips and noodles. This meant his overall relative sodium concentration slightly exceeded his losses but that is preferential compared to underdoing it during an event like this where his sweat rate would have been high through the warmer parts of the day.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Chris followed a common endurance caffeine strategy of delaying his caffeine intake until later in the race when his body’s circadian rhythm began to promote sleep. At this point he had a mug of coffee, followed by a second three hours later, Chris opted for coffee over a PF 30 Caffeine Gel for the mental boost of a warm drink during the cooler night. This created an overall dose of 2.4mg caffeine per kg bodyweight which is slightly below the recommended 3-6mg/kg for optimal ergogenic effects. In future, Chris could have one PF 30 Caffeine Gel alongside his coffees to give him that added hit through the early hours of the morning.
How Chris hit his numbers
Here's everything that Chris ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“That was simultaneously the best and worst thing I have ever done. I’d definitely do more training to prepare myself for the next one, and I think the big area I can improve on is to take a bit more caffeine to help give me a mental boost later on. I definitely struggled from ~85km onwards and a caffeine gel would’ve helped I think.”
“Chris absolutely nailed his first 100km, which he ran in support of such an incredible cause. His fuel and hydration strategy supported him through this challenge as did many members of the team who crewed and cheered him on. We’re so proud of you Chris!”
PF&HChris' 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.