Western States® 100-Mile Endurance Run

Jeff consumed almost 1.5kg of carbohydrates on his way to the fastest ever debut Western States® Endurance Run (WSER). He averaged just over the ~90g/h recommendations for an endurance event of this intensity and duration, and he even exceeded it in the first few hours of the race. This high carb intake was partially in support of the extremely quick pace the front group was pushing for the first half of the race. He leaned heavily on PF 90 Gels, along with PF 30 Caffeine Gels for the bulk of his energy, supplementing with Carb Only Drink Mix in his flasks. Interestingly, one of our other athletes dropped the concentration of carbs in their flasks as conditions warmed up, going from ~30g per 500ml to ~15g per 500ml to account for the much-needed higher fluid intakes without overconsuming carbohydrates, mitigating potential GI distress. Jeff’s front-loaded strategy helped him to maintain stable energy through the demanding first half, but his fuel intake declined significantly in the final 20 miles. This is not uncommon in ultra-distance events, where gastrointestinal and sensory fatigue make it harder to keep consuming energy sources. Jeff could have reduced the level of carb intake early on, or spent more time gut training to tolerate this level of carb ingestion for the lengths of time required.

Jeff was pleased with his hydration strategy and likely must have a relatively low sweat rate, or can tolerate a significant amount of dehydration since his fluid intake was markedly lower than many of his peers. Although his fluid intake may seem a little low for a race of this intensity and environmental conditions, WSER has a relatively high number of crewed and non-crewed aid stations, and so there are ample opportunities for cooling from ice bandannas and water dousing, both of which can help reduce sweating (and therefore fluid requirements). There’s even evidence of Jeff entering a paddling pool filled with ice, which no doubt cooled him down and reduced his sweating needs. He began diluting PH 1500 (Tablets) in most bottles hat averaged ~1250mg/L for the first few hours, but pivoted early to take additional plain water, reducing the concentration to get closer to ~750mg/L when the intial strength mix began tasting overly salty. This was an intuitive adjustment that likely prevented over-salting and fluid aversion. His overall relative sodium concentration of ~914mg/L was well suited to maintaining fluid-electrolyte balance without risking GI upset or under-replacing sodium. This flexibility highlights the importance of individualising your hydration strategy by adjusting your fluid intake in relation to your perceived thirst and environmental conditions while keeping electrolyte replacement proportional to sweat sodium losses. Planning for those needs in advance allowed him to adjust on the fly as someone who is well-attuned to his individual needs.

Jeff’s caffeine intake placed him comfortably above the scientifically supported range of 3–6mg/kg for performance enhancement. He utilised a combination of PF 30 Caffeine Gels, energy drinks, and cola, which delivered staggered boosts of caffeine through the race. The middle and late sections were well supported, but Jeff noted a desire to be more deliberate and consistent with his caffeine use. Since caffeine can support alertness and perceived effort, having more caffeine in his system could have provided a useful lift in the later stages. With his known tolerance from past events, Jeff is well-positioned to increase his intake in future races when he feels like it will help.