Sierre-Zinal GTS

Eef’s training is predominantly focused on supporting her events and races for Orienteering, and as a result, she lacked some specific longer-distance trail running sessions which might have helped her in this race. With the late-morning start of the race, she was able to eat a carb-rich breakfast before topping up her glycogen stores with a final carb hit in the form of a PF 30 Caffeine Gel. Her carb intake during the race was slightly lower than the recommendations for a race of this distance and intensity, so we would encourage her to do some more gut training to ensure that she can tolerate a higher volume of carbs to support her efforts in future races. This will also hopefully maintain her energy levels better and prevent them from diminishing as she experienced in this event.

Eef pre-loaded on the morning of the race with PH 1500 to boost her blood plasma volume and hopefully support her performance. Throughout the race, Eef only drank sodium from the soft flask she started with and when refilling, only had access to plain water. This meant that the relative concentration of sodium in the fluid she took on was a lot lower than our recommendations for her. It would be beneficial for Eef to carry some Electrolyte Capsules in her vest pocket to supplement the plain water she picks up and increase the relative sodium concentration of fluid she drinks. This would also help with the headache and cramping she experienced, and also ensure she is replenishing her sweat losses more effectively, particularly in the hotter conditions. Alternatively, she could bring a couple of packets of PH 1000 to empty into her flasks when she refills them, to further prevent the risk of dehydration.

Eef’s caffeine intake was sensibly in line with the scientific recommendations for a race of this distance and intensity. Her strategic use of PF 30 Caffeine Gels would have helped her reap the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant.