Dravid Hirani
Amsterdam Marathon
AmsterdamCompleted, M18-24Dravid's headline numbers
Dravid'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 kicked super hard towards the end and gave it absolutely everything in the final 5km."
Taking on advice from the Sports Science team, Dravid started his race morning with a carb-rich breakfast, and a final top up with a PF 30 Gel within 30 minutes of race start to save his stored glycogen for later in the race. In the interest of maintaining gut comfort after struggling to hit 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour in previous marathons, Dravid opted for a more conservative fueling strategy for his Amsterdam Marathon. A combination of a precise fuel plan centred around a PF 30 Gel every 5km and a well paced race meant Dravid maintained solid energy levels until the finish. Incorporating some gut training, specifically when running at his target marathon pace and/or during long runs, will help Dravid reach higher carbohydrate intakes with more comfort.
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.
Drinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Dravid start optimally hydrated
"I didn’t pee during the race. I needed to, but only as I didn’t go beforehand."
It's often under-appreciated how much sweat we lose when running (even in mild conditions) a sub-4 hour marathon. Preloading with a strong electrolyte (like PH 1500) the night before and morning of a big race can help get to the start line optimally hydrated, and avoid leaving any performance on the table before the gun has even been fired. At larger marathons like Amsterdam, aid stations can be busy with thousands of athletes battling for the same cups of water, especially in the early miles. To combat this, we'd suggest Dravid experiments with carrying a Soft Flask from the start to relieve the pressure to pick up cups for the first few aid stations, allowing the crowds to disperse slightly, all while still hitting his fluid target. Dravid also relied on an hourly electrolyte intake, but as he didn't drink his planned volume of water, the eventual relative sodium concentration he consumed was much higher than he was aiming for. This can often lead to increased sensations of thirst, dry-mouth, and cravings for plain water. Anchoring his electrolyte intake to his fluid intake (e.g. 1 x PH Electrolyte Capsule per 250ml of water) will help him avoid "over-salting" in the future. We cover all the other common marathon mistakes (and how to avoid them!) in this blog
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Deciding to leave caffeine out on this occasion was a smart move. As a non-habitual coffee drinker, race day wouldn’t be the time to experiment with the stimulant. If Dravid did want to benefit from the proven performance benefits of caffeine in future races, he can gradually introduce it to his training to increase his tolerance until he can dose enough to reach the recommended 3-6mg/kg range.
How Dravid hit his numbers
Here's everything that Dravid ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I had an absolute blast. I felt super strong during the end of the race. The only issue was how crowded the race was, so aid stations were absolute chaos.”
“Dravid executed his fuel plan well to support his energy levels until the finish line with reasonable stomach comfort, allowing him to push harder in the last 5km. To build this strategy to better support his performance for his next race, completing some more gut training, and adjusting his fluid intake to replace a greater proportion of his fluid losses would be Dravid’s next steps.”
PF&HDravid'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.