Melinda Marchal
Snowdon Ultra 50 Miles
Snowdonia1stMelinda's headline numbers
Melinda's strategy
Fueling
A carb rich meal (low in fat & fibre) ~1-4 hours before would help Melinda start optimally fueled
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I felt fine for the majority of the race aside from a brief spell in the final quarter. I had to give myself a talking to so I didn’t convince myself to slow down; it was such a mental battle and I think it made me think my stomach was feeling bad. "
Melinda’s carbohydrate intake was impressive and very close to the 75g/h recommended by the Fuel & Hydration Planner for a race of this length and intensity. Her strategy was to rotate between a PF 30 Gel, a chew, another gel, then an energy bar whilst sipping on PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to avoid the dreaded ‘flavour fatigue’, which can strike during events of this duration. Thankfully, as she has rigorously trained her gut to absorb this quantity of carb during long sessions without issue, she rated her GI comfort a solid 9 (out of 10) for the first 10 hours or so. This rating did fall to a six out of ten towards the end as the race “became mentally really tough”.
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.
T - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I think my hydration strategy was appropriate considering the conditions and duration of the race. "
During the race, Melinda ran with a backpack that held her energy supplies, and this was equipped with two 500ml Soft Flasks, which she filled up regularly at checkpoints along the route. After working closely with the PF&H Sports Science team, her strategy was to always carry one soft flask with plain water and one with PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, to keep her palate fresh. Melinda is yet to have a Sweat Test to measure her sweat sodium concentration, but given her regular intake of sodium and the mild temperatures (averaging 15℃/59℉), along with her not cramping, it suggests she replaced a good amount of her sweat losses and therefore, it didn’t negatively impact her performance.
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
If used strategically, caffeine can provide a real performance boost, especially during ultras. Melinda did just that, even though her intake was above the scientific recommendations. We see a lot of athletes who do events of this duration take a higher dose than suggested, as they're working for long enough that caffeine is fully metabolised, meaning top ups are required.
How Melinda hit her numbers
Here's everything that Melinda ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Crossing the line with joint-race winner, Josie, seemed only fair as we'd battled hard and came back together within the final kilometre, I felt this was very in the spirit of trail running. ”
“In all, Melinda executed a good fuel and hydration strategy which allowed her to demonstrate her formidable form across this tough race. Her mental attitude also prevailed in the latter stages of the race, and she only reeled in the joint winner with ~1km to go before they decided to take the victory together. ”
PF&HMelinda'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.