Robbie Britton
IAU 24H World Championships
Chinese TaipeiTop 20, M35-39Robbie's headline numbers
Robbie's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy levels dipped during the second and third quarter, mainly due to the dehydration from stomach issues. In the third quarter I took less fuel too, but managed to increase my carb and fluid intake during the latter stages."
Robbie had a tough battle with gastrointestinal issues which began the day before the event and persisted throughout the race, which he and other members of the team unfortunately put down to some poor quality hotel food. As an experienced athlete, Robbie maintained a consistently high carbohydrate intake in an attempt to keep his energy levels up, despite the toilet visits. His crew did a great job of providing Robbie with Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, Gels, Chews and sweets to hit above the recommended carb level. He even reached an average of ~100g/h over the final six hours as he pushed hard to help the British team claim the bronze medal.
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.
Robbie1044mg/L
Robbie has been Sweat Tested to dial in his 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 Robbie's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it's hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"My hydration strategy would have been fine if not for the stomach issues. In the final quarter we added in some PH 1500 as this seemed to help with absorption, but my gut was at risk throughout the race."
Due to the GI issues caused by the pre-race hotel food, Robbie made many trips to the portaloo over the course of the event, which he felt greatly dehydrated him. In an attempt to thwart this and keep on top of his fluid losses, Robbie drank an *average* of ~400ml per hour, but at times was having as little as ~283ml/h when his stomach was really struggling, whilst towards the end he was drinking just over 500ml/h. This was a similar fluid intake to his previous 24-hour run, but this time in warmer and more humid conditions. He may have benefited from more fluid, including plain water and hypotonic drinks, but considering Robbie’s bathroom troubles he did well to avoid any serious hydration-related issues. This could, in part, be a result of Robbie’s proactive sodium consumption at a concentration similar to that of his sweat to help his body retain water.
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
As we’d expect to see in an event of this duration, Robbie pushed above the stimulant’s general intake guidelines. However, these guidelines are primarily designed for shorter events, and we have seen a trend of ultra-endurance athletes surpassing the recommendations without issue. Robbie timed his caffeine doses well throughout, primarily using it in the second half of the race when he was at his “lowest points mentally” in order to give himself a physical and psychological boost.
How Robbie hit his numbers
Here's everything that Robbie ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I’m proud that I gave it everything I had on the day and was part of a bronze medal-winning team. But I’m unsatisfied with my own personal total mileage given the build-up and expectations. My legs being fine a week later is a sign they got off lightly this time.”
“This race put Robbie’s well refined fuel and hydration strategy to the test, but given the gut issues he faced over the 24 hours, he did well to consistently consume enough carbohydrate, sodium and fluid to keep moving and help his team achieve a hard fought podium position. This is an excellent example of an athlete understanding what he needed, and adapting superbly on-the-fly, when lots of athletes would’ve stopped or called it a day. Kudos to Robbie’s crew, Sarah-Jayne, for helping him through a challenging 24 hours. For anyone who’s ever crewed an ultramarathon they’ll know it can be difficult to motivate an athlete when things start to go wrong, so well done to the whole team.”
PF&HRobbie'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.