Hayden's headline numbers
Hayden's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Hayden start optimally fueled
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"Everything was fine, I haven’t really got any complaints about my nutrition. I felt pretty strong throughout too so not much I’d change."
The PF&H team helped crew Hayden throughout the race to support him in hitting his fueling and hydration numbers, particularly over the second half of the course. At the aid stations, the crew stood ~15m apart so Hayden could run straight through without slowing, collecting his gels and bottles on-the-move. As a result, he gained ~15 seconds on his rivals exiting the aid station which he saw as “free time” banked. Hayden stuck to his planned fueling strategy, consuming ~500ml of PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink mix and two PF30 Gels every hour. His average intake came in just above his plan (~107g/h) as he hit the finish line at 3.5 hours, having already taken all of his ‘fourth hour’ fuel.
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.
Hayden901mg/L
Hayden 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 Hayden's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I needed to pee just before the race which was unusual for me, but other than that my hydration was spot on. I drank my planned intake and having the cold drinks from my crew felt really nice."
Hayden’s pre-loading protocol was made up of dilute PH 15000, although well intended we would recommend he adjust this to achieve the recommended concentration for optimal pre-hydration. In the future, putting one PH 1500 into ~500ml water both the night before and morning of the race will accomplish the right ratio of sodium to fluid. Since we know Hayden loses 901mg/L of sodium in his sweat, his replacement of this during the race was likely replacing a large proportion of his losses. Additionally, Hayden weighed himself before and after the race, revealing he lost ~1.2 kg (2.6 lbs). Considering the recent scientific guidelines suggest avoiding losses greater than 2% body weight through dehydration is necessary to to prevent performance decline, Hayden was spot on with his strategy. He lost just under 2% of his body weight and didn’t experience any dehydration related issues. During Hayden’s next race at Western States 100, it is inevitable he will experience a large range of temperatures, so adjusting his fluid intake to match these changes across the day will be essential.
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
Hayden took a PF 30 Caffeine Gel at the mid-way point to deliver a caffeine boost and help him stay focused. In the future, he might look to increase his caffeine intake whilst remaining within the 3-6 milligrams per kilogram of body weight recommended by the literature. As his next race is significantly longer (100 miles), Hayden will likely need to spread out his caffeine intake to avoid exceeding the recommended dose, whilst still reaping the associated ergogenic benefits.
How Hayden hit his numbers
Here's everything that Hayden ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“The fact I was able to climb so well on the last hill is really pleasing. Having PF&H on the ground with me for the race helped me stay on top of my fueling and hydration too and gave me confidence that I was getting what I needed.”
Hayden“After a period of time racing in Australia, Hayden returned to the US to get some specific training ahead of his main target, Western States. This was a successful return for Hayden being able to take the win on such a tough course. He credits much of this to his fueling and hydration being dialled in, along with some of the PF&H team crewing him to help keep on plan. One thing to consider during his next race is consuming some additional electrolyte capsulesas the temperature rises and his fluid intake increases to stay on top of his relative sodium concentration. This will help him crush all three levers.”
PF&HHayden'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 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).