Martyna's headline numbers
Martyna's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I started strong, but the lack of fuel in the final section of the race and the weather conditions led to a noticeable drop in energy. "
Martyna started her fueling with one PF 60 Chew Bar before the gun and then relied on seven PF 30 Gels during the race, averaging slightly under the recommended carb intake for this duration and intensity. With no support allowed on the course, she carried all of her fuel from the start, balancing simplicity with enough carbs to maintain energy. Her pre-race meal also provided a significant amount of carbs and was well tolerated, with no gastrointestinal issues reported. However, despite starting well-fueled, Martyna ran out of carbs late in the race due to running slightly longer than planned, as well as the water-only aid stations. The low carbohydrate availability led to a significant drop in energy. For future unsupported events, Martyna plans to find solutions to carry additional fuel while running, perhaps through additional PF 60 Chew Bars as she enjoys the taste of our chews, or a soft flask of carb-rich drink mix to ensure adequate fueling through to the finish.
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.
Martyna901mg/L
Martyna 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 Martyna's losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"It was cool, so I didn’t feel thirsty, but due to the race format (no bottles/drop bags or crew), I couldn’t consume as much fluid as I would have liked. I didn’t want to interrupt my rhythm or carry extra weight, so my hydration was below what I’d consider ideal."
Martyna was conscious of the need to stay hydrated, but the unique format of the Wings for Life World Run doesn’t allow support or personal bottles at aid stations, which made it challenging to meet her fluid and sodium intake targets. She drank ~100ml of water at each aid station, spaced every 5km, resulting in a total intake of ~1.1L (~292ml/h). Fortunately, she preloaded with PH 1500 ahead of the race to start as optimally hydrated. Although she didn’t want to carry any bottles or add weight for the race, it would be sensible to carry **something**, even if it’s just a small soft flask of electrolytes. While the cool conditions (~13ºC) meant she didn’t feel particularly thirsty, especially early on, a higher fluid and sodium intake would’ve been beneficial to match her sweat losses and avoid dehydration. For future unsupported efforts, Martyna should consider strategies to carry more fluid on the move and incorporate Electrolyte Capsules to top up sodium intake, encouraging an improved fluid balance which could improve her ability to fuel with even more carbs. Staying on top of her hydration status in hotter races where sweat rates are even higher, will contribute to better carb tolerance in warmer races where sweat losses accumulate faster, as we know dehydration can reduce blood flow to the gut for digestion, leading to intolerance and GI discomfort.
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
Martyna chose not to use caffeine during this race, but given her drop in energy levels as time progressed, it could be worth testing in future events. Caffeine has been shown to reduce perceived effort and support endurance, so trialling low-to-moderate doses in training through PF 30 Caffeine Gels may help determine whether it offers her a performance benefit.
How Martyna hit her numbers
Here's everything that Martyna ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I’m happy with the result given the circumstances, but the effort felt harder than expected.”
“Martyna demonstrated resilience in maintaining her steady effort over the final stretch of the race, despite the challenging conditions and limited access to fuel and fluids. Her ability to average ~72g/h of carbs in an unsupported format highlights a well-planned fueling strategy, though she acknowledged the need for an increased fluid intake in future events. Martyna may benefit from refining strategies to increase on-course fluid and carbohydrate availability in similarly demanding and resource-limited races.”
PF&HMartyna'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).