Lavaredo 50k by UTMB

Dave understands the science behind carb-loading for events of this duration and intensity, and managed to consume ~9 g/kg of his body weight the day before using carb drink mixes and PF 30 Chews. Whilst the vast majority of athletes would benefit from a final dose of carb shortly before exercise, Dave has done vigorous testing in training and knows he’s better off diving straight into his strategy after breakfast to avoid a blood glucose crash. Aiming for ~60g/h during the race using a few different textures and flavours saw him through the seven and a half hours with no major energy lows or GI distress, despite some pretty serious muscle pain from the excessive hills! ‘The science’ would suggest Dave aims for a slightly higher carb intake (~75g/h), so perhaps introducing something else to eat every couple of hours, would help bump him up to within these scientifically backed recommendations.

Dave has completed several sweat rate tests in the past, and is not a particularly heavy sweater. Because of this, he aimed for a fairly modest ~500ml of fluid per hour during this race and hit this almost perfectly through plain water, peach iced tea and sparkling water. However, Dave would benefit from including some sodium in his hydration plan, as it has been shown to increase nutrient absorption in the gut, maintain cognitive function and assist with muscle contractions during exercise. Further, his sweat electrolyte losses are not insignificant at ~1,003 milligrams per litre, so adjusting his hydration plan to target a relative sodium concentration that matches his losses will be worthwhile at future endurance events.

Dave’s caffeine intake fell within the scientific guidelines for a race of this length and duration, and his drip-feed approach meant the stimulant was consistently in his system. He also commented that his focus was high throughout, likely in part due to the caffeine, and this was vital during technical descents where the risk of tripping was high. Perhaps adding another PF 30 Caffeine Gel to move toward the higher end of the recommended range would increase the perceptual benefits to a maximal extent, given Dave’s high habitual caffeine intake.