• Ry Webb, an ultra-runner and coach, recently completed the Lavarado 120km trail run through the Dolomite mountains in Italy. Starting at 11pm and running throughout the night, he finished just after 2pm the following day with a time of 15 hours 21 minutes
• This challenging event consisted of 5,800m elevation, reaching altitudes of 2,600m. The extreme output required for this event resulted in Ry feeling like he was “chasing hydration” towards the end when the sun came out in full force
• Despite not being totally happy with how his fueling and hydration went on the day, Ry secured a brilliant 35th place out of a total 1,136 participants

Hydration

• With the race starting extremely late in the evening (11:00pm), Ry had the additional challenge of eating and drinking appropriately throughout the day to ensure he was setting off feeling alert and well-fueled. One thing Ry could consider before future races is preloading with a strong electrolyte drink (e.g. PH 1500) to ensure he is starting the race optimally hydrated with maximal blood plasma volume
• During the event itself, he mainly relied on a 500ml/16oz bottle containing one serving of PF 30 Drink Mix mixed with PH 1500, which he re-made at each aid station for the first half of the race. This made a more concentrated drink, containing a total of ~1,000mg of sodium, which equates to a relative sodium concentration of ~2,000mg/L
• Ry’s Sweat Test revealed that he was a salty sweater, with a sweat sodium concentration of 1,228mg/L, so this strong sodium drink is aligned with our recommendations for him, when considering he would effectively dilute his intake with plain water too
• After throwing up at the start of hour 6 (something we’ve written about in Ry’s previous case study - Lakes in a Day) and with the temperature having risen, Ry struggled to keep up with his planned intake, even having to stop to fill his bottle from a stream at one point when he became “super thirsty”
• Ry did his best to adjust ‘on the fly’ by picking up ~1.6L/60oz of plain water and ~1.35L/45oz of Coca Cola across the rest of the event to stop him feeling sick. With a total fluid intake of ~8.85L/299oz, this averaged out to be ~577ml/17oz per hour, a decent intake considering the race conditions
• In the final hours, all Ry’s stomach could tolerate was ~500ml/16oz of PF 30 Drink Mix and ~500ml/16oz of Coca Cola, meaning his electrolyte intake fell away quite drastically in the tail end of the race
• This meant that he consumed an overall relative sodium concentration of ~1,155mg/L. This is appropriate for his losses.
• For future races of this duration, we would encourage Ry to carry some Electrolyte Capsules for towards the end of the race to help him keep on top of his sweat sodium losses when it becomes difficult to rely on pre-mixed bottles

Fueling

Conclusions

• Despite being unhappy with how his strategy played out on the day, Ry still managed to hit the recommended carb intake, crossing the finish line in 35th place
• Going forward, Ry may want to consider dialling back his volume of carbohydrate at the front end of the race so that his gut doesn’t become overwhelmed in the earlier hours
• A potential consequence of Ry’s stomach upset was a dramatic decrease in electrolyte intake throughout the race
• On the whole, this was a great opportunity for Ry to learn how he can optimise his hydration strategy for events of this length in the future, potentially utilising some Electrolyte Capsules (which are easier to carry while racing) alongside water picked up at aid stations for some additional sodium in latter stages of the race