UTMB®

Lauren began UTMB with an assertive fueling strategy, seemingly front-loading carbohydrates in the opening hours. This early high of ~120g/h was likely more so because of her strong feelings of hunger for the first few hours, but was a sensible approach as it likely helped to buffer against the inevitable depletion that comes later during ultramarathons. This early consistency meant she never had any major dips in energy, even through the night and would have helped to keep her slightly warmer throughout the colder sections due to the thermic effect of food digestion. Lauren used the crewed aid stations to take on some additional carbs with some ‘real foods’ and mouthfuls of PF 300 Flow Gel whilst stationary which she then did not have to carry. This helped to top up her intake throughout and ensure she never dropped below ~50g/h across over 24 hours of racing.

Between Les Contamines and Courmayeur (one of the longest unsupported stretches - 7 hours 13 mins) her carb intake dipped into the 50-60g/h range. Due to the challenging nature of both the course and weather conditions, it’s likely this dip in carb intake contributed to her lower perceived energy at this point. By Champex-Lac however, she managed to rebound with a stronger section of fueling, pushing back above ~100g/h, and using caffeine to help aid her perceived energy levels. This helped lift her and carry momentum through the final third. What’s notable is that even in her “worst” sections, Lauren never under-fueled.

Hydration was one of the biggest wins during Lauren’s race. Over ~25 hours, she averaged ~382ml/h of fluid, which given the cold, wet conditions, there were likely sections where she was hardly sweating at all, so this lower intake supported her individual losses well. Additionally, despite the weather, she still managed to stay proactive with drinking, something she admits doesn’t always come naturally.

With a sweat sodium concentration of ~1,044mg/L, Lauren matched her intake almost perfectly to her known losses, averaging ~1,155mg/L across the race. After refining her intake and choice of products over the last 12 months, she has found predominantly using Electrolyte Capsules to replace her sodium losses works better and helps her avoid ‘flavour fatigue’ from the energy drinks she consumes during long races. She reported peeing several times throughout the race, something we’d expect across a 25-hour period, and confirming she was staying on top of her hydration.

Caffeine was woven deliberately into Lauren’s plan, taking one PF 30 Caffeine Gel roughly every three hours and supplementing with some cola at aid stations to boost this further. Rather than spiking early or late, this steady dosing kept alertness consistent through the night and into the second day.

Despite ultra endurance races being critically under-researched, it's likely that due to half-life of caffeine and the extended duration of these types of races, that more frequent top-ups can help maintain an optimal concentration of caffeine in the blood, so athletes can continue to reap the ergogenic benefits. Even during her mid-race mental dip, she maintained caffeine dosing, which likely prevented that lull from becoming a deeper spiral.