Eef Van Dongen
Sierre-Zinal GTS
ValaisTop 20, F30-34Eef's headline numbers
Eef's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy levels were good at the start, but close to collapsing at the finish. I have to say that I did not give myself a lot of specific preparation for this race after changing from the sprint orienteering focus so I think the issues were related to not enough long runs in my training. Also didn’t have any bad GI issues, but I think the drinks made me burp quite a lot."
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.
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
"Unfortunately, the water in the bottles which I had in my vest got warm quite quickly so I drank more from the cold water aid stations than I usually would. I did have some cramping in my quads towards the finish, but I think it was more related to the effort of running down a hill after 3 hours than directly from dehydration. High temperatures definitely did play a role. I did make it to the finish in the hot weather and had a headache after the race. I’m not used to this warm weather! I did try to drink as much as I could, until I even at some point could feel a bit of sloshing in my stomach."
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.
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
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.
How Eef hit her numbers
Here's everything that Eef ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I had hoped to perform better, but given that I only had 3.5 weeks to change from sprint orienteering focus to running trails for >3hrs and >2000m for the first time, I am satisfied with a 20th place in the strong start of this famous train race.”
“Considering the lack of specific trail running training and proximity to her previous races, Eef did a great job of finishing in the top 20 in a stacked field of athletes. With some adjustments to her fuel and hydration strategy to increase both the carb and sodium she consumes in these longer events, she will hopefully manage her energy levels better and reap the rewards in her performances.”
PF&HEef'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.