James Hatton
Maverick SDW Ultra
Goodwood5thJames' headline numbers
James' strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"The course featured less elevation and fewer technical elements than some trail ultras I’ve taken on recently, so I opted for a simple fueling strategy. The relatively short duration meant I also wasn’t worried by the risk of flavour fatigue. I felt my strategy worked pretty well and allowed me to meet my fueling needs."
James based his fueling strategy off his self-predicted finish time for the race of around 4 hours. He consumed ~⅓ of a PF 90 Gel every 30 minutes from start to finish. To help stay on track with his fueling plan, James also used a smartwatch alert to remind him when to eat. After potentially overdoing his fueling intake in previous races, James dialled things back and opted for a slightly lower carb intake, which seemed to be more sustainable for him.
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.
James1024mg/L
James 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 James'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
"I don’t think I drank enough fluid during the middle section of the race when I was moving slower due to some hip soreness. Other than this, I felt my hydration was pretty good. "
During the race, James’ fluid intake was a little lower than we would have expected in these conditions given the sweat rate data he’s collected suggests he loses ~600ml per hour in similar temperatures. Whilst this intake helped limit his dehydration to ~1.5% of his bodyweight, in preparation for longer and warmer races that James plans to take on in future, he may look to replace a larger proportion of his sweat losses. Completing some gut training will help him tolerate this higher fluid intake.
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
James’ caffeine intake was within the optimal quantity for performance throughout the race. He achieved this using caffeinated sweets to refresh his pallet and change up the food texture of the PF 90 Gels that formed the foundation of his strategy.
How James hit his numbers
Here's everything that James ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Although it wasn't quite the sub four-hour performance I went into the race aiming for, I was pleased just to complete the race after some soreness in my hip. My nutrition plan was simple but effective for this length and duration. Moving forwards, my goals are to work on tolerating greater fluid volumes at a higher running intensity and overall muscle conditioning. ”
“This race was a success for James as it broke the cycle of experiencing sickness during ultras, and he achieved this by slightly reducing both his intensity and fuel intake. Going forwards, progressively increasing both these metrics will help James achieve his goal of a sub-four hour 50km ultra.”
PF&HJames' 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).