Robyn Cassidy
Madeira Island Ultra Trail 115km
Madeira7th, F35-39Robyn's headline numbers
Robyn's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Robyn would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
"My stomach felt good at the start of the race and through the night but from about halfway onwards I got some nausea and found that I couldn’t stomach solids. I stuck to gels because they were easier but still really slow to get down. I think this contributed to my lack of energy."
Robyn had chatted to our PF&H Sport Science Team ahead of Madeira Island Ultra Trail and had a solid strategy to follow. Robyn chose to use a mixture of carb sources for this event which is a great way to avoid flavour fatigue. Unfortunately, she struggled with some nausea and GI issues which made it challenging for her to keep her carb intake up and stick to her 60g/h goal. She has trained her gut suitably to tolerate higher intakes of carb and has previously managed this at the Dragon’s Back Race, (~57g vs ~48g/h at MIUT). Alongside the extreme elevation and duration of MIUT the race started at midnight. With races starting during the night, it is challenging for athletes to consume food in the hours they usually wouldn't, which may have contributed to the difficulties Robyn experienced. This is hard to counteract, but it would be beneficial for her to do some further gut training of her intake ahead of long sessions and even including some longer sessions in the early hours to trial strategies for these sorts of challenges.
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.
Robyn573mg/L
Robyn has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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 Robyn's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Robyn start optimally hydrated
"I made sure to sip fluids throughout the race to try and stay as hydrated as I could, but I think I didn’t really drink enough and it made me feel quite nauseous. I did find that the PH 1000 was easier to get down than water in the second half of the race so I relied a bit more heavily on this to try and keep my fluid and sodium intake up."
Despite feeling as though she didn’t consume enough water, the relatively cool conditions were manageable for Robyn, especially throughout the first half/early hours of the race, and therefore it is likely she drank enough fluid to limit the effects of dehydration. She made sure to refill her flasks with PH 1000 consistently throughout the race, helping her to replace sodium in line with her sweat losses and supplemented this with cola and plain water at the checkpoints to avoid any significant fluid deficit. To help optimise her hydration strategy, Robyn could preload ahead of the race using PH 1500 to ensure she is starting optimally hydrated.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
As a result of starting at midnight, and consequently lacking sleep, Robyn could have benefited from spreading her caffeine intake more consistently across the race in an attempt to stay alert and fight her circadian rhythm. She sat slightly above the scientific caffeine recommendations at ~6.62mg/kg, but would still reap the maximal ergogenic benefits of the stimulant throughout such an enduring race. This seemed to serve her well and may have counteracted some of the low-energy issues she experienced due to underfuelling.
How Robyn hit her numbers
Here's everything that Robyn ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“Looking back now, I can see why I felt so rubbish. I had a good fuel and hydration plan in place ahead of the race, but I didn’t execute it well and ended up being under-fuelled for the second half of the race. There are definitely a lot of lessons to take away from the MIUT which is positive.”
Robyn“Despite struggling with her carb intake, Robyn managed her energy levels well to get her to the finish line in 7th, still grinning from ear-to-ear! A really solid race in some challenging conditions, with lots of positives to take away.”
PF&HRobyn'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.