2nd
Hayden Hawks' scorecard
Tarawera UM102
Saturday 11th February, 2023
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
94g
Carb per hour
519mg
Sodium per hour
682ml
Fluid per hour
762mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
0mg
Total caffeine
How Hayden hit those numbers
How Hayden's hydration and fueling went...
- This race saw Hayden race over the 100km distance for the second time in just 8 weeks, having battled with COVID-19 in the meantime
- Early on, he realised the temperature and humidity in the dense forest sections were much higher than expected, and his hydration strategy came under strain
- After a battle against his training partner, the eventual victor, which turned into a battle against dehydration, Hayden still managed to go 20 minutes under the previous course record to finish second in 7 hours 42 minutes
Hydration
- Hayden wasn’t anticipating particularly warm temperatures on race day, so the night before he chose to drink ~500ml (16oz) of plain water with his dinner. Then on race morning he preloaded like normal with ~500ml of PH 1500 with his breakfast
- He also drank a caffeinated energy drink around an hour before the race start to give him a final energy boost and increase his alertness
- During the race, his plan was to use his support crew to provide him with 500ml (16oz) of PF Energy Drink Mix each hour throughout the race. Unfortunately, similar to his previous race in Kosci, the course was changed at the last minute due to landslides along the route, and access to his support crew was significantly reduced
- Subsequently, whilst Hayden did manage to consume his planned fluid quantity each hour, as temperatures and humidity rose during the “jungle-like” sections, his sweat rate was higher than anticipated, and he became increasingly thirsty yet unable to access the volume of fluids he desired
- At ~5 hours he decided to stop at an aid station and rapidly consume ~1L (32oz) of plain water in an attempt to rehydrate, and soon after he did feel a resurgence. By this point, his rival and training partner Daniel Jones was several minutes ahead, and Hayden switched his focus to damage limitation, rather than pushing his limits
- On average, Hayden drank ~519ml (17oz) per hour for 7 hours 42 minutes, which is a solid intake whilst running at such speeds for 102km. However, his perception of dehydration was high, and thus his intake was likely insufficient to prevent a decline in performance
- Furthermore, Hayden struggled to rehydrate after the race, with some bad stomach discomfort and difficulty peeing afterwards
- Going forwards, Hayden should look to undertake some more sweat rate testing in race-like conditions to more closely understand his fluid losses, and thus adjust his drink consumption accordingly
- Logistically, carrying extra bottles will also help in these situations, even if it means carrying empty Soft Flasks that he doesn’t use, it would potentially alleviate situations like this
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Hayden took the unusual strategy to pre-race fueling by inviting his son to choose the meal, and he opted for a solid carbohydrate-rich breakfast-dinner of pancakes with fruit
- Ahead of the race, Hayden rose early to eat his double serving of oatmeal, followed by some toast to restock his liver glycogen stores in particular
- We’d usually recommend a final glucose hit to peak his blood glucose ahead of the race start, so perhaps this is something to consider for next time
- Having reliably tried and tested his fueling plan, Hayden aimed to repeat his strategy from the Kosci 100 and take one PF 30 Gel every 30 minutes, and drink 1 x 500ml (16oz) Soft Flask containing PF Energy Drink Mix
- This plan was designed to provide 90g of carb per hour, something he’s trained his gut to tolerate comfortably, and his support crew were able to make it readily available for him. Thankfully, this part of his plan was seamless, and due to taking his 8th hour fuel within just 7 hours 42, he averaged ~94g/h
- Hayden is comfortable his fueling strategy wasn’t to blame for his suboptimal performance, but took great comfort with how easily he hit this high intake despite the other adversity he was facing with his hydration
Conclusions
- Overall, Hayden found it difficult to summarise his thoughts on this race, with large amounts of frustration over not using a backpack which would have allowed him to carry more fluids
- But he countered this with great satisfaction in how his legs and body responded, as he still ran his way to an incredibly fast time and what would have been a course record. He summarised his satisfaction rating it 7/10, leaving him hungry to improve, and thankfully knowing what aspects to target for this desired improvement
Key info
Hayden Hawks
Male
Sweat sodium concentration
901mg/L
Sweat sodium classification
Moderate
* determined by a PH Advanced Sweat Test
Event information
Sport
Running
Discipline
Ultra
Event
Tarawera UM102
Location
Tarawera, New Zealand
Date
11th February, 2023
Website
Run Distance
102.0km / 63.4mi
Total Distance
102.0km / 63.4mi
Total Elevation
2,347m / 7,700ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Hot and Humid
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
17°C / 63°F
Max Temp
26°C / 79°F
Avg Temp
22°C / 72°F
Humidity
72%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
7/10
Hydration rating
5/10
I wish I'd taken another soft flask with me to carry more fluid, I found myself without enough between aid stations a few time
Energy levels
9/10
Toilet stops
Yes
I wasn't expecting to, but my belt was pressing on my bladder all day
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
Mild cramps that I could push through
Hayden's Thoughts
Considering a few adversities, my position reflects my fitness more than my race execution, lots of lessons learned!
Hayden's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 720 | 4,000 | 5,250 | 0 | 762 |
Per hour | 94 | 519 | 682 | 0 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).