Sam Skinner
Ultra Trail Snowdonia
Snowdonia9th, M35-39Sam's headline numbers
Sam's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"I think my fueling plan was solid and I’m chuffed with the food intake I managed throughout the race. However, the heat was a battle and stomaching food towards the end was a tad challenging!"
For a race of this duration, it was important for Sam to listen to his cravings and have some variety in his fueling options to keep his energy levels up by avoiding flavour fatigue. With a high carb intake of ~94g/h, it’s clear Sam did exactly that by alternating between real foods and sports nutrition products. Due to the warmer temperatures, he struggled with his intake towards the end of the race and struggled to keep his carb intake consistent, but managed to hit his overall target nonetheless. Ahead of future races, Sam should look to perform some structured gut training in the heat so he is more able to tolerate fueling in these conditions.
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.
Sam819mg/L
Sam has been Sweat Tested to dial in his 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 Sam's losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still important if he wants to perform at his best.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Sam start optimally hydrated
"I was really pleased with my fluid and sodium intake for this race and I think it paid off as I didn’t experience any cramping!"
Sam used his tried and tested hydration strategy during this race, relying on PH 1500 and Electrolyte Capsules for sodium. The race conditions were fairly warm, but Sam managed to consume sufficient fluid to suit a race of this duration and intensity. Although he didn’t experience any cramping, the relative sodium concentration of the fluid he consumed was slightly below our recommendations for someone with his sweat losses. In future, Sam could look to increase his sodium intake a little by incorporating additional Electrolyte Capsules to supplement the plain water he takes on, to help increase his blood plasma volume and maintain an ideal hydration status. This would also help support his carb intake, as sodium plays a role in fuel digestion and absorption in the gut.
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.
T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Sam’s caffeine intake sat within the scientific recommendations to reap the ergogenic benefits associated with the stimulant. He pre-caffeinated in the last 30 minutes before the race with a PF 30 Caffeine Gel knowing this would hit his blood stream as he toed the start line, and subsequently spread the rest of his caffeine intake consistently throughout the race to ensure he stayed alert and focused until the finish.
How Sam hit his numbers
Here's everything that Sam ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“After battling an ankle injury in the build up to the race, I was really happy with my performance and glad to feel stronger as the race went on. ”
“Sam had a really solid fuel and hydration strategy for Ultra-Trail Snowdonia. The unexpected warmer conditions threw him off slightly, but he managed this sufficiently to keep his intake up. Going forwards, Sam should look to incorporate more gut training in warmer conditions so he can sustain a high fuel intake no matter the weather, as well as increase his sodium intake to be more in line with his losses. ”
PF&HSam'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.