Eric LiPuma
Mesquite Canyon 50km
Waddell2nd, MPROEric's headline numbers
Eric'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 felt fairly good throughout the race, except for on the long technical descents and ascents later in the race. This was my first trail run since October last year so the drop in energy was more related to a lack of conditioning than my fueling."
Eric fueled his first race of 2025 with a combination of PF Carb Only Drink Mix, PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and PF 30 Gels to achieve an average carb intake of ~97g/h. This is a deviation from his favourite strategy of using predominantly PF 90 Gels, but demonstrates how many options there are to hit your fuel targets within the PF&H carbohydrate range. Research also shows that exogenous carbohydrate oxidation rates (in other words, how much of the carbohydrate from sports nutrition products is burned for energy) are similar between gels, chews or drinks, meaning that Eric will experience a benefit to performance because of the carbohydrate vs. the specific fuel format. His rate of intake aligns with the recommendations, as well as his last race at CCC by UTMB in 2024, showing that despite his lack of racing in the last 6 months he is still able to tolerate a high volume of carb.
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.
Eric1044mg/L
Eric has been Sweat Tested to dial in his hydration plan
Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.
Whilst Eric's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"Overall, my hydration was okay. I ran out of water because I skipped an aid station thinking there was another to use slightly further along the trail, but this turned out not to be the case. That was my only mistake and probably just a bit of race rust."
This was the first time that the majority of Eric’s fluid came through PF Carb Only Drink Mix and PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, meaning that some of his carb was intertwined with his fluid intake. Decoupling his fuel from his hydration might be a better option for longer, hotter races, enabling more flexibility to account for his sweat losses, but over the shorter distances combining some fluid and fuel can be a sensible approach. Eric also had some plain water, and while he considered his overall fluid intake to be adequate for this race, he acknowledged that skipping an aid station may have been a mistake. To ensure that the relative sodium concentration of his intake was closely aligned with his sweat sodium losses, Eric used Electrolyte Capsules alongside PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, successfully hitting within his target range.
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
Eric decided not to use caffeine during this race given the shorter distance and because he has previously had some issues using caffeine in races. That being said, he acknowledges that during longer races he would certainly benefit from the ergogenic effects of this stimulant. Swapping two of his PF 30 Gels for PF 30 Caffeine Gels would be an easy and practical adjustment for similar races in the future. This strategy would deliver ~3mg/kg which is in line with the recommendations for caffeine intake during races.
How Eric hit his numbers
Here's everything that Eric ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“This was a great early season tune-up before Canyons 100km in April. I once again practiced using a mix of the drink mixes, gels and electrolyte capsules which is a strategy I'll consider using going forward. I also learned a valuable lesson about studying exactly where the aid stations will be on course!”
“As with almost all races, there were a few poignant lessons which can help inform future races. It was great to see Eric back competing and executing a solid race and fuel and hydration strategy overall which should set him up well for his 2025 season.”
PF&HEric'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 some confidence in the quantities and brands of products consumed but the data may lack specifics (e.g. volumes specific flavours). A high number of estimations have been made and the room for error is moderate-high. There may also be the possibility that some intake has been grossly over- or under-estimated.