24 Ore Di Torino

Robbie planned to consume ~90g carb per hour during the event, and with the assistance of his crewing team, he was able to adapt his plan mid-race and eventually averaged ~97g per hour for the 24 hours. This is yet another example of an elite athlete who’s able to consume more than 90g of carb per hour after training his gut for a number of years. Robbie experienced a small dip in pace between hours 12-18 (between 10pm and 4am), but after analysing his fuel intake we concluded this was likely due to a psychological drop as it can be challenging to run through the night due to the darkness. Thankfully for Robbie, he managed to pick the pace back up and finished with a staggering 4 minute 3 second last kilometer!

Overall, Robbie drank an average of ~377ml fluid per hour, with a relative sodium concentration of ~923 milligrams per litre (32oz), which are similar to his losses, predominantly through PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix. Robbie peed a couple of times in the first few hours of the race, so he dialled his fluid intake back to account for the colder conditions during this period, before increasing his intake as the conditions got more humid (~90%). During the warmer parts of the day, Robbie also poured water over his head to keep cool. Robbie weighed himself before and after the race to estimate his total fluid losses, and as he only dropped ~0.5kg (17oz) across the entire race, it’s likely that he was hydrating appropriately. We know from the scientific research 100% of fluid losses don’t need replacing ,and aiming for a weight loss of <2% is important in limiting the potential for performance decreases occurring.

During events lasting as long as 24 hours, it’s extremely common to see athletes exceed the general recommendations. Whilst Robbie’s overall intake was slightly above this the four-to-five hour half-life of caffeine likely meant the amount circulating in his blood at any given time, was appropriate for an event of this duration. In future races, Robbie could look to increase his overall caffeine intake and concentrate a higher intake during hours 12-18 as this is where his pace dipped. Consuming a higher dose of caffeine has been shown to lower perceived effort and increase alertness, potentially helping to combat his psychological drop off during this time.