The Cheviot Goat

Sam executed a simple but militant fueling strategy to take the win at The Cheviot Goat winter ultra race. He went into the event with 12 pre-made Flow Flask 120s packing 120g of carbohydrate from PF 300 Flow Gel in each. He consumed one of these every hour for the 12 hours he was racing with only 50g left in his final flask! This is an incredible example of disciplined fueling and it supported his energy levels to push hard right through to the finish. At the mile 25 bag drop, Sam consumed two rice pudding pots to incorporate some real food and different flavours; he also picked up a litre of cola which delivered additional carbs and a bit of caffeine. Consuming such a high carb intake with no GI issues is a testament to Sam’s gut training and while intakes over 90g/h aren’t suitable for every athlete, it certainly supported Sam’s high intensity effort all the way to victory.

While Sam’s hydration numbers overall were on target and appropriate for the race, there is still room to optimise this part of his strategy further. Sam could preload more effectively ahead of future ultras to aid water retention and increase blood plasma volume, such as by having three Electrolyte Capsules or one tablet of PH 1500 with 500ml of water the night before and morning of the race. Sam’s fluid consumption fell within the recommended intake for the cool conditions but he reported feeling thirsty and running out of water at times. Therefore, he should undergo some sweat rate testing to gain a better understanding of what he needs to replace a greater proportion of his fluid losses and avoid accumulating excessive dehydration. Sam’s use of Electrolyte Capsules resulted in an almost perfect replacement of his individual sodium losses; to maintain this if he increases his fluid intake in future races, he needs to increase the number of capsules he consumes to keep his sodium and fluid balanced, aligning with his sweat sodium concentration.

Sam delayed his first caffeine intake until halfway through the race when he began to use berry flavoured caffeine tablets in his PF 300 Flow Gel to provide him with six 100mg doses and help to prevent flavour fatigue. These caffeine doses will have helped to reduce his perception of fatigue into the latter stages of the race and increase his concentration as it got dark. In future, Sam could consider having a higher first dose of the stimulant so his blood caffeine level would rise into the 3-6mg/kg sweet spot faster so he can reap the benefits from the stimulant for longer.