Robbie Britton
Växjö 100km
Robbie's headline numbers
Robbie'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.
Robbie had a well thought through fueling strategy ahead of the Växjö 100km and, as usual, made sure to keep it simple but effective. Robbie’s energy levels remained high for the majority of the race but he did suffer a little with this fading slightly in the final 20km. As his carbohydrate intake was over the recommended intake for a race of this duration, it’s likely Robbie’s perceived energy levels weren’t a result of his carb intake but perhaps other contributors such as neuromuscular fatigue.
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.
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 important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreRobbie pre-loaded on the morning of the race with PH 1500 in order to start as well hydrated as he could. As expected with a race of this duration, Robbie knew it was important for him to stick to consistently taking on fluids and match his sodium intake as close to his losses as possible. Without any hydration-related issues, such as cramping or headaches, it’s clear that Robbie got his hydration strategy pretty spot on and we wouldn’t recommend changing this part of his plan!
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.
Robbie only used a small amount of caffeine during this race and consequently sat below the scientific recommendations. Given he experienced some fatigue during the final 20km, Robbie could look to increase his caffeine intake slightly by using another PF 30 Caffeine Gel in the latter stages of the race to reap the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant and limit the likelihood of experiencing low energy levels towards the end of his races.
How Robbie hit his numbers
Here's everything that Robbie ate and drank on the day...
Robbie's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Robbie
PF&HRobbie's full stats
Data Confidence?
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.