3rd

Sam Hill's scorecard

Cape Wrath Ultra (Day 6)

Friday 26th May, 2023

Within recommended ranges

Just outside recommended ranges

Significantly outside recommended ranges

71g

Carb per hour

194mg

Sodium per hour

371ml

Fluid per hour

523mg/L

Relative sodium concentration

0mg

Total caffeine

How Sam hit those numbers

How Sam's hydration and fueling went...

Professional photographer and running coach Sam took on the eight day, 400km (249 mile) Cape Wrath Ultra in the highlands of scotland where he finished an impressive third place
After a strong start to the week, including day two which you can read about here, Sam realised on the longest day, number six, that his body wasn’t particularly enjoying ‘real foods’ so he adapted his strategy on the fly to rely more on sports nutrition products
Course restraints meant there were less opportunities for natural water refills than previous stages, which contributed to him finding this the toughest day of them all

Hydration

Because the multi-day format of this race meant Sam had lost a lot of fluid via sweat in the days prior, it was crucial that he proactively rehydrated between stages using PH 1500 (tablets) to make sure he wasn’t starting day six in a deficit
As one of the 145 people setting off on what would be the longest day of Sam’s race, he knew that keeping on top of his hydration would be crucial
Sam was slightly frustrated to discover that there were fewer natural water sources available on this route than he’d found in previous days, which meant he averaged less fluid per hour than he would have liked at ~371ml (13oz)
In reality, this only reduced his hourly fluid intake by ~5% compared to day two. However, the slightly hotter conditions and lots of exposed flat sections on the course likely resulted in a slightly higher sweat rate and therefore a greater fluid loss to replace
Within the fluid he did drink, Sam maintained an relative sodium concentration of ~523mg/L (mg/32oz) which is lower than on day two, but still resulted in no cramping or other electrolyte related issues for Sam, suggesting he may be a ‘low salt sweater’
In future events, it would be a good move for Sam to study the course and think about carrying additional empty soft flasks with him to capitalize on water refill points if they are few and far between

Fueling

Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation

30g

carb 30 mins before

60-90g

carb per hour during

Before setting off for day six, Sam had his pre-race breakfast which included hash browns, a banana and cereal. All of these carbohydrate-rich foods will have helped bolster his energy stores which he would rely upon for the rest of the day
Having already completed five days, covering 241km (150 miles), it’s unsurprising that Sam found his body was tolerating some foods better than others. In this instance he found that while running he much preferred things like PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Chews due to their simple digestible format
Luckily, Sam had finished the previous stages slightly quicker than he had expected, and so he had some leftover sports nutrition products which he could add into his day six strategy
This eventually meant that he would eat several gels and chews across his eight hours of running, resulting in an intake of ~71g of carb per hour. This was similar to the ~74g/h he averaged on day two, again, very close to the Fuel & Hydration Planner’s recommendation for an event of this length and intensity
Interestingly, Sam chose not to have any caffeine during stages two or six. Sam has figured out that he doesn't get on well with taking caffeine during exercise, so choses to abstain entirely. This is because he feels the performance benefits of caffeine do not outweigh the negative side-effects he experiences

Conclusions

Despite being the longest day, which included lots of flat sections (not Sam’s strength), he was satisfied with his overall strategy and felt happy with his third place finish, a position which he maintained until the end of the eight-day race
On this day in particular, Sam did well to listen to his body and adapt his plan accordingly, to incorporate more sports fuels
While he was slightly confined by a lack of natural refill locations, Sam negated the negative effects of dehydration and inappropriate electrolyte replacement with his hydration strategy. To optimise this for future events, Sam could get a Sweat Test and know exactly what the composition of his sweat is

Key info

Sam Hill

Male

Result

Position

3rd

Overall Time

8:05:00

Event information

Sport

Running

Discipline

Ultra

Event

Cape Wrath Ultra (Day 6)

Location

Highlands, Scotland

Date

26th May, 2023

Website

Show me

Total Distance

66.0km / 41.0mi

Total Elevation

1,500m / 4,921ft

Race conditions

Weather Conditions

Mild

Precipitation

No Rain

Min Temp

10°C / 50°F

Max Temp

16°C / 61°F

Avg Temp

13°C / 55°F

Humidity

70%

Athlete feedback

Race Satisfaction

10/10

Hydration rating

7/10

I only pee'd once on course

Energy levels

8/10

Toilet stops

Yes

GI comfort

8/10

Cramping

No cramping

Sam's Thoughts

This is the first long race where I've come close to perfecting what I eat...

Sam's full stats

	Carbohydrate (g)	Sodium (mg)	Fluid (ml)	Caffeine (mg)	Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)
Overall
Total intake	574	1,570	3,000	0	Relative sodium concentration (mg/L)	523
Per hour	71	194	371	0		523

Data Confidence

1

2

3

4

5

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.

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