David Beard's scorecard
Classic Quarter Ultra Marathon
Saturday 21st May, 2022
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
- 57gCarb per hour
- 834mgSodium per hour
- 585mlFluid per hour
- 1,426mg/LRelative sodium concentration
- 0.49mg/kgCaffeine per bodyweight
How David hit those numbers
Before race (>30mins)
500ml x PH 1500 (Tablet)
1 x Black coffee
1 x Porridge shake (35g carb)
1 x Porridge pot
Race - During
3L x PH 1000 (Tablets)
2L x Plain water
15 x Energy gel (29g carb)
500ml x Cola
1.5 x Banana
12 x Electrolyte capsule (341mg sodium)
1 x Satsuma
- As part of his build-up towards Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) later this year, David Beard enjoyed a challenging ultra on what was an undulating course in Cornwall, finishing 5th in the men’s veteran 45-50 age group
- Since his previous race at the South Devon Ultra, David has consistently tested his hydration strategy in training which allowed him to make some final tweaks before this race. A big focus for David has been to train his gut to tolerate both the quantity and products he would be consuming
- This resulted in a great execution of his strategy on race day and after the run he said he “wouldn’t have changed a thing” in terms of his hydration strategy, rating it 10 (out of 10)
Hydration
- Ahead of the race, David preloaded effectively with PH 1500 both the night before and the morning of the race which ensured that he was going into the tough race optimally hydrated with maximal blood plasma volume
- During the race, David carried two ~500ml (16oz) bottles which he kept filling up with PH 1000 at aid stations; ~3 litres (94oz) in total. On top of this, in the latter stages of the race David opted to reach for salt capsules (341mg of sodium in each) that he took with plain water from the aid stations as he was “craving a different taste taste in his mouth”. He had a total of twelve salt tablets with ~2L/64oz of plain water
- Therefore, over the whole race David consumed ~5.5L (193oz) that averaged ~585ml/19oz per hour which was slightly more than that in Devon (511ml/ 17oz per hour) where the conditions were cooler (~8℃/46°F). Although we don’t have data on David’s sweat rate, he does describe himself as being a moderate sweater, so an hourly intake of this volume would likely have replaced a decent amount of his losses
- David was more proactive with his sodium replacement this time round, after his Sweat Test with Joe Wenman indicated that he has high sweat sodium losses (1,044mg/L). Using PH 1000 and electrolyte capsules throughout the race meant the relative sodium concentration of his intake was ~1,426mg/L across the whole race, higher than the 232mg/L he reached during the South Devon Ultra. Positively with this higher sodium intake, David avoided experiencing any cramps (a normal occurrence for him previously), but does give some credit to pacing this race better than the last
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30gcarb 30 mins before
30-60gcarb per hour during
- David had an early start to the day, waking up at 4am to catch a bus for a 6:45am race start. His fueling strategy began around 5am when he consumed a porridge shake as well as a regular pot of porridge and a black coffee. This is a substantial breakfast with a high carb content which, along with the coffee, will have helped maximize his glycogen stores and energy levels ahead of the race
- David could consider having a carb dose (~30g carb) in the last 15 minutes to increase his energy availability early on in the race, but this final top up is down to personal preference and we’d recommend trialing this in training before implementing it on race day
- During the run, David consumed an energy gel every 30 minutes, in total taking fifteen gels as well as a satsuma and one and a half bananas. Using this strategy, he hit an average of ~57g carb per hour which is the same level he took at the South Devon Ultra and at the top end of our recommended range for a race of this duration and intensity
- Despite hitting the same carb intake as his last race, David chose to primarily get carbohydrate on board from energy gels compared to predominantly using energy bars previously. This was to try to avoid the stomach ache he experienced in South Devon, which we agreed could have been down to his reliance on bars. Positively David, rated his GI comfort a higher 8 (out of 10) compared to 6 last time round
- David still believes he “needs to look at his nutrition plan going into future races” as relying so heavily on gels for the whole race worked slightly better than before, but was quite “sickly” and so he wants to incorporate more solid foods into the plan
- David had a black coffee before the race and then a toal caffeine dose of ~40mg (~0.49mg/kg) during the run, relying on five cups of Coca Cola that he picked up at aid stations. Considering the duration of the race (between 5-12 hours), we would recommend he tops up his caffeine levels with moderate doses to reach the recommended range of between 3-6mg/kg body weight
Conclusions
- David went into the Classic Quarter Ultra well fueled and hydrated and he implemented an effective strategy throughout to largely avoid the cramping and GI issues he has endured in previous races
- In future races, David may look to mix up his fueling strategy by including some solid foods to avoid the feelings of sickness from relying completely on gels. In order to do this, he will need to trial this strategy out during training before implementing it on race day
- Overall, David rated his race satisfaction as 8 out of 10 and we look forward to seeing how he adapts his plan ready for the Black Mountains 50 Mile Ultra in June and at UTMB in August
Key info
David Beard
Male82kg
Sweat sodium concentration1,044mg/L
Sweat sodium classificationModerate
* determined by our Sweat Test
Result
Position41st
Overall Time9:24:12
Event information
SportRunning
DisciplineUltra
EventClassic Quarter Ultra Marathon
LocationCornwall, England
Date21st May, 2022
Total Distance70.3km / 43.7mi
Total Elevation1,685m / 5,528ft
Race conditions
Weather ConditionsMild
PrecipitationNo Rain
Min Temp15°C / 59°F
Max Temp15°C / 59°F
Avg Temp15°C / 59°F
Humidity69%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction8/10
Hydration rating10/10My hydration strategy went really well, I had practised it in training and I wouldn't have changed a thing
Energy levels7/10The last 20 miles were quite technical so I experienced some general fatigue
Toilet stopsNo
GI comfort8/10Towards the end I had a bit of stomach ache but other than that it was good
CrampingNo cramping
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
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.