Dan's headline numbers
Dan's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Dan absolutely crushed his fueling! It was great to hear he had no GI distress, even at a high average intake, which bodes well for Western States Endurance Run (WSER) 2024. In that race, the relative intensity will have to drop a little due to the increased distance, which means he can afford to lower his hourly carb intake for an even easier setup for his gut. With WSER in mind, Dan and the PF&H team will sit down and strategically design his plan based on this intake from Bryce Canyon and subjective feedback to ensure he's ready for the challenging course, temperature, humidity and terrain.
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.
Whilst Dan’s losses are on the low side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it’s hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreDan used this race as a ‘trial run’ in the build up for WSER, and had no problems with his hydration strategy. Most of the elite athletes run with handhelds and Soft Flasks rather than hydration packs and he was no exception, using three Soft Flasks of the PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix. To reduce weight, Dan added the Drink Mix powder to his flasks before the start and rolled them up into his race belt. At the aid station, he added water to the Drink Mix flask and gave it a good shake. This strategy gave him access to his favourite energy drink whenever he needed it. After emptying a Soft Flask, he simply rolled it up tight and stored it in his belt.
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.
Dan’s morning coffee ahead of the race was likely still providing some circulating caffeine by the time he ran, which would have bumped his numbers just above ~3mg/kg and ‘into the green’ according to the scientific literature for an event of this duration and intensity. Naturally, the longer format of WSER means he’ll have to consider his timing of the stimulant to strategically manipulate the ergogenic benefits associated with it and ensure they are consumed at sections where the course profile may require an energy boost. It’ll also be worth considering using a larger total amount instead of being on the lower end of the recommended range.
How Dan hit his numbers
Here's everything that Dan ate and drank on the day...
Dan's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Dan
PF&HDan's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.