Nick Williams
South Devon Ultra
Nick's headline numbers
Nick's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Nick told us he struggles to eat a lot before races, so to minimise stomach issues, he opted for a lighter breakfast. As the general recommendation for pre-race fueling is 1-4g of carbohydrate per kilogram of bodyweight in the 1-4 hours before, he may benefit from trying a carb-based energy drink, like the PF Carb Only Drink Mix, to get carbs on board as many athletes with nervous stomachs find it easier to consume fluids than solid foods on racing morning. This could help him better top up his glycogen stores while still avoiding gastrointestinal (GI) discomfort. A practical approach would be to gradually increase his carbohydrate intake before some race simulation sessions in training to train his gut. In contrast to his friend David Beard, who used energy bars to fuel his race, Nick primarily sourced his carbs from energy gels and a small proportion from the PH 1000 (Drink Mix). Moving forward, he could look to increase his carb intake and push towards the higher end of the recommendations for a race of this duration and intensity.
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.
Subjectively, Nick feels he has a moderate sweat rate and given the mild race conditions (8℃ / 46°F), his sweat rate wouldn’t have been especially high, therefore drinking just over 500ml/h was likely a sensible intake to replace a good proportion of his fluid losses. Maintaining good hydration during an endurance event is crucial for aiding thermoregulation and optimising gut absorption, both of which play a key role in minimising GI issues. Once Nick undergoes a Sweat Test to determine his sweat sodium concentration, he can fine-tune his sodium and fluid replacement more precisely for future races.
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.
For a five-hour race, ‘topping up’ his caffeine intake during the run was a smart strategy because the stimulatory effects begin to diminish after approximately four hours. However, individual tolerance, sensitivity, and experience can lead to variations in how long the effects last. Given that Nick weighs ~70kg, his recommended caffeine intake falls between 210-630mg. During the race, he consumed a solid dose of ~283mg (4.04mg/kg), which, combined with his pre-race coffee, would have helped to enhance his alertness and delay the onset of mental, and possibly even physical fatigue.
How Nick hit his numbers
Here's everything that Nick ate and drank on the day...
Nick's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Nick's full stats
Data Confidence?
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).