Kate Battersby's scorecard
Maverick Exmoor 50km
Saturday 6th May, 2023
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
98g
Carb per hour
466mg
Sodium per hour
524ml
Fluid per hour
889mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
400mg
Total caffeine
How Kate hit those numbers
500ml x PH 1500 (Tablet)
65g x Museli
1 x Coconut Yoghurt
1 x Serving of Berries
1 x PF 30 Chews
3.5L x PH 1000 (Tablets)
500ml x PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix
10 x PF 30 Gel
4 x PF 30 Caffeine Gel
2 x PF 30 Chews
3 x PF 90 Gel
500ml x Plain water
0.25 x Banana
3 x Orange slice
How Kate's hydration and fueling went...
- Kate is a Cornwall-based runner who took part in her first ever ultramarathon at the 2023 Maverick Adidas Terrex X Series Exmoor, finishing the challenging 58km (36-mile) course as 12th placed female in 8:35:05
- Kate used PF&H products for the couple of years prior to signing up to this race, but having never run this far before, she got in touch with the Sports Science team to help her avoid ‘winging it’ as she felt she’d done in previous events
- Kate was able to both complete and actually enjoy her first ultramarathon, which she attributed to her fueling and hydration strategy giving her plenty of energy and helping her avoid the dreaded cramps she had frequently experienced at races in the past
Hydration
- In the build up to the event, the PF&H Sports Science team made sure Kate understood the importance of starting the race optimally hydrated, as is surprisingly often not the case for some runners
- To ensure she did this, Kate drank a strong electrolyte drink (PH 1500) both the night before and morning of the event, following a textbook ‘preloading’ protocol
- During the event, Kate relied on PF 60 Energy Drink Mix in her hydration vest’s two 500ml (16oz) soft flasks, and once empty she topped them up several times with PH 1000 at Maverick’s well stocked ‘outposts’ (aid stations)
- With one additional flask of plain water to change the flavour profile of her drinks, Kate achieved an hourly fluid intake of ~524ml (16oz), with a relative sodium concentration of ~889mg/L (mg/32oz)
- Kate was extremely happy with this hydration strategy on the day, rating it a strong 9 (out of 10)
- Although she didn’t need to pee during the race itself, Kate went straight after the finish with no issues, suggesting she had replenished an adequate volume of fluid for her individual sweat losses and avoided the negative performance effects of dehydration
- Ahead of her next ultramarathon (she has well and truly caught the bug) Kate is planning on getting a Sweat Test to ensure she is confident nailing her electrolyte replacement based on her own individual sodium losses
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Similarly to how she made sure she started well hydrated, Kate also ensured she arrived at the startline with full energy stores by carb loading in the days leading up to the event
- This culminated with a whole pizza for dinner the night before, a large bowl of granola for breakfast and a final PF 30 Chew ~15 minutes before the race start to spare the stored energy in her muscles and liver for use later in the race
- During the preparation for Maverick Exmoor, Kate was surprised to hear just how much the science actually recommends ultramarathoners eat during their races to sustain energy levels throughout
- Kate took this new-found information on board and devised a strategy which would aim for the higher end of general guidelines, planning to consume ~90g of carb per hour in the form of PF 30 Gels, PF 60 Energy Drink Mix and PF 30 Chews
- In the end, Kate actually averaged an impressive ~98g of carb per hour while making her way to the finish in just over eight and a half hours. This was due to the additional PF 30 Gels and Chews she had access to via the outposts at the event
- In her own words, Kate “just kept eating”! This, alongside her pacing on the day, meant she felt she was in a position to ‘sprint finish’ while rating her perceived energy levels as a 9 (out of 10)
- Importantly, as someone who has never taken this much fuel on board before, Kate was also able to rate her gastrointestinal comfort as a perfect 10 (out of 10) for this race
Conclusions
- Kate was incredibly pleased with how her fuel and hydration strategy could play a part in crushing her first ultramarathon. She “couldn’t have asked for a better race”, enjoying both the tough muddy sections as well as the camaraderie found among other runners and volunteers at the event
- Having had such a great experience at this race, Kate immediately signed up to run another ultramarathon just three months after this one where she’s hoping to nail her strategy once again
Key info
Kate Battersby
Female
Result
Overall Time
8:35:05
Event information
Sport
Running
Discipline
Ultra
Event
Maverick Exmoor 50km
Location
Devon, England
Date
6th May, 2023
Website
Total Distance
58.0km / 36.0mi
Total Elevation
2,892m / 9,488ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
No Rain
Min Temp
13°C / 55°F
Max Temp
17°C / 63°F
Avg Temp
15°C / 59°F
Humidity
85%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
10/10
Hydration rating
9/10
Energy levels
9/10
Toilet stops
No
GI comfort
10/10
Cramping
No cramping
Kate's Thoughts
I couldn't have asked for a better race for my first ultra!
Kate's full stats
| Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | |||||
| Total intake | 838 | 4,001 | 4,500 | 400 | 889 |
| Per hour | 98 | 466 | 524 | 47 | |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.