Sam Skinner
Lakeland 100
Cumbria5thSam'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 felt strong through the back half of the race and didn’t suffer from any GI issues. The warm stew and coffee at mile 59 really hit the spot when I was flagging, and overall my energy levels were great. "
Sam executed a strong fueling strategy, averaging ~91g of carbohydrate per hour for the 22 hours he was on course, appropriately meeting the current guidelines for an ultra of this intensity and duration. Having experienced some stomach issues during his previous race, Sam refined his approach this time out, relying heavily on PF 90 Gels and PF 30 Chews early on before turning to more real food as the race progressed. Just after the halfway point, Sam felt a noticeable dip in energy and responded by picking up a bowl of beef stew and coffee from an aid station. This gave him a warm, more satisfying meal to break up the flavour fatigue that can build over long hours of fueling primarily from sports nutrition products.
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 moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I was grabbing a bottle at every aid station and topping up with Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix. Hydration felt great overall, but I did need to pee quite a bit during the race. "
Given the 6pm start time, Sam drank 500ml (~16oz) of PH 1500 in an attempt to start well hydrated. However, the effectiveness of this preload may have been diluted by his relatively high intake of plain water and other low-electrolyte fluids earlier in the day (~2–2.5L). His frequent need to urinate during the race could be explained by this lower sodium intake leading into the event. Sam consumed an average of ~369ml fluid per hour, picking up a fresh 500ml water bottle at aid stations every ~7 miles to enable him to add his own PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to the fluid. He took in a relative sodium concentration of ~945mg/L to effectively replace his known sodium losses. Alongside this, Sam topped up his sodium intake with Electrolyte Capsules throughout, which he also felt helped him maintain his hydration levels.
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 strategy was a significant improvement from a previous race where he’d gone slightly overboard. This time his intake totalled ~11mg/kg across the race; though higher than the standard guidelines for exercise (3-6mg/kg), it’s more appropriate for an overnight ultra in order to fight the body’s natural sleep-wake cycle. Importantly, he timed his caffeine consumption based on perceived energy levels and in an attempt to combat his circadian rhythm. Dosing during the early morning hours helped keep fatigue at bay without causing an energy crash. We'd be keen to hear whether Sam experienced any lingering side effects (like restlessness or poor sleep) post-race, but in terms of timing and impact on performance, his approach this time was spot on.
How Sam hit his numbers
Here's everything that Sam ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I smashed my sub-24 hour target and felt strong to the finish. I’m really happy with how I managed energy, hydration, and pacing. It’s the best I’ve felt in a long race.”
“Sam delivered a great performance at the Lakeland 100, securing an impressive 5th place finish. He made key improvements from past experiences - especially in strategising his sodium and caffeine intake. His ability to respond intuitively to his body's needs mid-race (with real food and timely caffeine) played a critical role in maintaining high energy and avoiding common ultra pitfalls. With a bit more refinement to his pre-race hydration, Sam’s approach is one to be modeled by other ultra-distance athletes looking to optimise performance over 100+ mile efforts. ”
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.