Grampian Peaks Trail 50K

Peter executed a strong fueling plan, hitting ~89g/h, almost spot on the 90g/h guidance for a race of this duration and intensity. This would have helped his body burn lots of carbs from the fuel he took in through products, instead of just relying on the energy stored in his muscle glycogen (stored carbohydrate). Pre-race stomach issues from something Peter ate whilst travelling meant his gut tolerance deteriorated across the race. Given the worsening symptoms, Peter fueled more conservatively during the back half, a good sign for future races if ~89g/h is ‘conservative’ for him! His mixture of PF 30 Chews, PF 30 Caffeine, PF 30 Gels, PF 90 Gels, along with PF Carb Only Drink Mix allowed him to blend his carb intake across semi-solid and liquid sources. Unfortunately, he lost some PF 90’s due to airport restrictions, but luckily, he was able to acquire replacements from a fellow competitor and PF&H athlete, Dan Jones.

We know from Peter’s Sweat Test that his measured sweat sodium concentration is 778 milligrams per litre of sweat, so his intake of ~1,000mg of sodium per litre of fluid with PH 1000 (Tablets) (delivering 1,000mg/L) represents a good - albeit a slight over - replacement of his individual electrolyte losses. He originally planned to consume some additional plain water at aid stations, which would have reduced this relative concentration of sodium across all his drinks, but was unable to do so in the race due to GI complications. This level of electrolyte replacement would have helped maintain his plasma volume and eliminated the risk of diluting his sodium levels, which can lead to hyponatremia or cramping. Importantly, he experienced no cramping and finished feeling well, despite his self-reported lower-than-ideal level of fluid intake.

Peter consumed enough caffeine to place him just in the optimal range of caffeine to benefit performance (3-6 mg/kg). His intake was distributed across the back half of the race to ease into his running and chase the ergogenic benefits of caffeine later in the race, when his energy levels were fading.