Don Reichelt
6 Days in the Dome 24 Hour
Milwaukee3rd, M35-39Don's headline numbers
Don's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I had a major low point from the hip injury, emotionally rather than energetically. Despite this, I had a ton of energy left in the tank and was able to run really well in the last hour."
Considering the duration and high energy demands of the race, Don’s fueling strategy needed to be simple yet effective to maintain performance without requiring too much mental focus. Fortunately, he had a tried and tested strategy that was exactly this. Despite the hip injury causing him some discomfort at times, his high intake of PF 30 Gels and PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix kept him well-fueled from start to finish. Don also interspersed a few real food items to avoid flavour fatigue over such a long duration and managed to maintain perfect stomach comfort whilst doing so.
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.
T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I felt spot on the whole way, and having done a half and full marathon at the track earlier in February, I knew what to expect. I peed 5-6 times throughout the race which was normal for me, so I knew I was well-hydrated."
Don stayed on top of his hydration by aiming to consume around 500ml of fluid every hour, which contained our PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, as well as bone broth and cola. Given the mild conditions, this intake would have helped maintain his blood plasma volume and prevent race-impacting levels of dehydration over the course of the event. To further dial in his hydration strategy, he could have a Sweat Test to understand his sweat sodium concentration and see if the high concentration of sodium he used, which subjectively worked well for him, was an accurate match for his personal losses.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Don’s caffeine intake was slightly higher than the scientific recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity, and was also more than he’s used in previous races. Despite this, with ultra-endurance races like this one, it is usually advantageous to supplement caffeine throughout to combat the natural circadian rhythm and continue racing through the night. Don’s use of PF 30 Caffeine Gels and caffeinated gum would have helped him reap the maximal ergogenic benefits whilst supporting his energy levels and fighting fatigue.
How Don hit his numbers
Here's everything that Don ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This was the best race I’ve ever done, and I managed to stick to my nutrition plan really well. Even when I didn't want to take another gel, I just stuck to the strategy.”
Don“Don is no stranger to ultra-distance efforts, proven by him meeting the minimum qualifying distance of 140 miles to make the US team in this race. Ahead of future races, we would encourage Don to look into having a Sweat Test to further dial in his hydration strategy and ensure he replaces his sweat losses as closely as possible.”
PF&HDon's full stats
Data Confidence
We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
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.