Kelly O'Mara
Big Alta 50km
CaliforniaDNFKelly's headline numbers
Kelly's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Kelly start optimally fueled
Kelly would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"While I didn't eat a ton and it was all before the 4 hour mark, I didn't feel ‘bonky’ or hungry."
Due to a fall and ankle tweak early on in the race, Kelly’s energy levels were quickly tested. She carried a few PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Chews, along with a couple of other fuel sources, but overall averaged out to lower than the recommended carb intake for a race of this duration and intensity. In the sessions leading up to the race, she’d been training her gut to tolerate a higher amount and had worked up to ~60g per hour, though fell short of this target on race day. In practice runs, she noticed some nausea after hour four and although she didn’t specifically ‘bonk’ during the race, she did experience the same nausea later on, and ultimately decided to call it at 43km. It was also warmer than anticipated, which may have negatively impacted her GI function.
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.
Kelly450mg/L
Kelly has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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 Kelly's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Kelly start optimally hydrated
"I definitely felt like I was sweating way more than usual, and I don’t think I took in enough sodium especially for the heat. It ended up being hot and sunny after raining and being cold for the last four months."
Kelly’s sodium intake *started* strong with a flask of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and then she mostly refilled her bottles with plain water. She isn’t a super salty sweater, but her sweat rate was higher than anticipated due to the heat and race intensity. Next time, carrying additional electrolytes, for example in the form of PH 1000 to mix into her bottles, throughout the race would allow for a more consistent and warm weather-friendly strategy to account for her total losses. Additionally, preloading with a stronger electrolyte (like PH 1500) would be helpful to make sure she’s starting optimally hydrated and not running into dehydration issues early on, especially considering she was sweating a lot from the very start.
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
Kelly had a minimal amount of caffeine the morning of the race, but she tends to intentionally stay away from high caffeine amounts (as it makes her heart race), which is why she opted not to use it as part of her race strategy. Even though caffeinated products are commonly used in sport for their ergogenic benefits, it’s important for each athlete to work out if it’s right for them.
How Kelly hit her numbers
Here's everything that Kelly ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I dropped out at ~43km for a few reasons… I was a couple blocks from my house at that point, and I was really struggling with the headache, nausea and dizziness, so just sort of felt like I'd gotten all I could out of it.”
“Even though the race didn’t go the way Kelly had hoped, it was a learning experience for future events and a solid attempt under her belt. Going forward, we’d recommend carrying electrolytes to replenish her bottles when refilling with water, and spending more time training her gut at a higher temperature and intensity, enabling her to implement a proactive fueling strategy. This way, race day won’t be as ‘new’ of a stimulus and she will have practiced her fuel and hydration strategy mentally and physiologically.”
PF&HKelly'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 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.