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Chris Myers

Chris Myers

Gorge Waterfalls 50km

14th April, 2024USACascade Locks, Oregon1st, M25-29

Chris' headline numbers

~101g
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~649ml
Fluid per hour
Recommended 250-750ml/h
~800mg
Sodium per litre
Recommended 600-1000mg/L
0mg
Total caffeine

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.
Carb-rich meal

T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)

Didn't pre-fuel

Chris would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before

Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~101g
Chris's Energy Rating7/10

"My energy seemed to come in little waves but I felt energised the whole time. I don’t usually race at the front but I worked hard throughout to stay there which might have affected my energy levels. Fortunately this was a training run so I could take it easy when I needed to."

Our thoughts

Chris’ intake over this 50km race demonstrates his ability to tolerate high volumes of carbohydrate without experiencing any GI issues. Consuming over 90g/h helped Chris fuel his course record-breaking performance for this ‘training race’ and he even noted that he could’ve consumed more gels if he'd needed to later on in the race. As is common for many athletes, Chris doesn’t like to eat too much the morning of a race, but having some carbohydrates is important to top up glycogen levels (the body's carb stores). Although Chris consumed a bit of carb for breakfast, he could benefit from adding a PF 30 Chew in the last ~15-20 minutes to spike his blood glucose levels as the race starts, sparing stored glycogen for use later on during the race.

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.

Chris839mg/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 moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.

Learn more
Pre-loaded electrolytes

T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink

Fluid per hour
Recommended 250-750ml/h
~649ml
Sodium per litre
Recommended 600-1000mg/L
~800mg
Chris's Hydration Rating6/10

"I did what I needed and felt pretty good until the end when I needed to supplement my Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix with some water."

Our thoughts

Despite high humidity levels, the temperatures were mild so overall fluid requirements were manageable for Chris throughout this race. Since he'd been collecting sweat rate data and even weighed himself pre- and post-race (detailing a ~2.8% change in body weight; sweat rate of ~1.2L/h), Chris was able to manage his fluid requirements appropriately and avoid too great a level of dehydration. The level of dehydration an athlete can tolerate is somewhat individualised, but the science suggests that a 2-4% change in body weight can negatively impact performance so it may be beneficial for Chris to consider increasing his fluid intake slightly.
He also used some simple cooling strategies throughout to keep his body temperature in check.
Since Chris started to feel as though his bottles weren’t providing enough hydration toward the end, he could try having some hydration-focused bottles incorporated throughout his intake (such as plain water with Electrolyte Capsules or PH 1000 (Tablets)) to replace his sweat losses without overloading his gut with carb-rich mixes.

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.

Didn't pre-load caffeine

Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels

Total caffeine
0mg
Our thoughts

Chris doesn’t usually drink much caffeine day-to-day, and although he has a red bull now and then before some of his longer runs, he doesn't think he is very responsive to caffeine. We would encourage Chris to test using some caffeine, such as PF 30 Caffeine Gels in his strategy to see how he responds and if he feels its ergogenic effects including it positively affecting his rate of perceived exertion. However, we know that caffeine isn't for everyone.

How Chris hit his numbers

Here's everything that Chris ate and drank on the day...

Before race (>30 mins)
During

Final thoughts

Chris' Satisfaction Rating9/10

It was only a training race so my main goals were to test myself mentally and physically and practise my fuel and hydration strategy ahead of Western States. I stuck to my plan nearly perfectly and feel I got exactly what I came for.

Chris

Chris used a solid strategy to support a great result and incredible course record at the Gorge. Ahead of Western States, Chris could refine his pre-race fuel and hydration plan by adding more carbohydrates and a higher-strength electrolyte. These adjustments would help to make sure he is starting with his fuel stores topped up and with increased blood plasma volume to aid his performance in longer and hotter conditions.

PF&H

Chris' full stats

Overall
390g total carb101g per hour
2,500ml total fluid649ml per hour
2,000mg total sodium519mg per hour
800mgSodium per litre
0mg total caffeine0.0mg per kg

Data Confidence

We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.

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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).

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