Wings for Life: By RedBull

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.

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.

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.