GPT 100

Chris averaged ~94g of carbohydrate per hour across the race, which is in line with what the science recommends for events of this length and intensity. However, as someone who traditionally fuels very well during his races, this was actually Chris’s joint-lowest carb intake for a 100-miler since working with PF&H.

His plan was built around PF 90 Gels and PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, and that was where most of his carb intake came from. After ~100km, he started to suffer from flavour fatigue. Given he was was moving more slowly and the temperature had dropped as night fell, Chris adjusted his intake to account for his lower relative intensity by drinking more of his carbs (using both carb-based soft drinks and some caffeinated ones) and by eating fruit and sweets when he wanted a break from sports nutrition (although he still ate a gel roughly every 10km).

During the night, our bodies begin to slow down certain processes to enable us to sleep, and this includes blood flow to the gut which helps us digest food - it’s why you may take a while to fall asleep after eating a big meal, as digestion is keeping you awake. During races overnight, specific night training can help the body overcome the natural slowing down of the GI system, and help you to continue to absorb nutrition and thus maintain performance. It may also be worth Chris planning some more real food options during these longer duration 100-milers (compared to his 14 hour Western States®!) as some amount of flavour fatigue is to be expected.

Across the race, Chris took in sodium at a ratio very similar to his known sweat concentration (872mg of sodium per litre of fluid, compared to the 839mg he loses per litre of sweat). Ahead of the race start, he preloaded with a litre of PH 1500 to boost blood plasma volume and limit cardiovascular strain ahead of such a tough and prolonged effort. During the race, he continued to supplement with sodium through a mixture of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and sixteen Electrolyte Capsules. Given his high known sweat rate, Chris’s fluid intake was lower than we’ve seen him drink before at races like Western States 2025. This was almost certainly due to the average race day temperature being ~12°C instead of 25°C, so it’s likely this was sufficient to avoid any debilitating symptoms related to dehydration.
Chris mentioned suffering from what felt like the onset of cramp in the first half of the race, but after consuming some sodium it subsided. Since this was probably the hotter portion of the race, and he was likely working fairly hard and sweating lots, his intake may have been insufficient at this point for his losses, but he proactively overcame this. For his next race, he might look to change his fluid and sodium intake so that it’s adjusted based on expected conditions and race intensity.