Lotti Brinks
Gorge Waterfalls 100km
Cascade Locks, Oregon1st, FPROLotti's headline numbers
Lotti's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Lotti start optimally fueled
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I think I nailed nutrition on this one!"
Having placed 6th at CCC by UTMB seven months earlier, Lotti arrived at Gorge Waterfall 100km ready to take on her first race of the season following a wrist injury. She implemented a smart racing strategy alongside her highest carb intake to date, averaging ~90g/h across the 9-hour effort. This was a ~16g/h increase from the ~74g/h she consumed across 12 hours of racing in Chamonix. Breaking down her intake, she demonstrated impressive gut tolerance by sustaining ~97g/h for the first 5 hours of the race, ~104g/h for the middle section, before dropping down to ~57g/h over the final two hours. Looking ahead to her A-race of the Western States Endurance Run, where it will be a longer and hotter challenge, she should look to maintain a more consistent intake to the finish to protect against any dips in energy.
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.
Lotti1290mg/L
Lotti 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.
Given Lotti's losses are High (1,290mg/L), nailing her hydration strategy remains important, even when it's Mild.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"This was spot on."
Racing in the mild conditions of Oregon in April, Lotti's fluid needs were low-to-moderate and drinking close to ~400ml/h across the race was likely sufficient given her correspondingly lower sweat rate. She consumed a very similar volume to what worked well for her in the equally mild conditions at CCC in 2025. Lotti’s soft flasks alternated between PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and plain water paired with Electrolyte Capsules to replace sodium in line with her high sweat sodium concentration. There was a slight reduction in her sodium intake for an hour in the middle of the race and for the final two hours, although this didn’t lead to a detrimental deficit in these conditions. In the hotter conditions at Western States, she should look to carry additional Electrolyte Capsules to maintain her relative sodium concentration throughout each section of the race.
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
Lotti has high day-to-day and in-race habitual caffeine use, and Gorge Waterfall was no exception. Along with her pre-race PF 30 Caffeine Gel, Lotti spread another 13 caffeine gels across the race to bring her total to ~1,375mg. Whilst this sits over three times the general recommended dose, those guidelines are primarily based on shorter efforts, and across a 9-hour race, the goal shifts to maintaining effective circulating caffeine concentrations throughout. Though this would not be the recommendation for everyone, Lotti is used to high doses and experienced no negative side effects here.
How Lotti hit her numbers
Here's everything that Lotti ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“There is something so special about this race, the trail, the people and the Columbia River Gorge that keeps calling me back and I’m so glad I followed that call last weekend.”
Lotti“Lotti claimed the win with a new course record at Gorge Waterfall 100km with a well-executed strategy built on learning from her past races, and delivered her highest average carb intake yet. This sets her up very well for the rest of her season, where longer and hotter conditions will test her strategy further.”
PF&HLotti'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 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).