Sarah Bergeron-Larouche
Mont Ventoux 50k by UTMB
Malaucene2nd, F35-39Sarah's headline numbers
Sarah's strategy
Fueling
T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
T - 15mins: Took in a final dose of carb
"My energy levels felt good for most of the race, except the last 10km where I think I overheated."
In Sarah’s last race at Black Canyon, the conditions were far hotter than she expected. After practicing her strategy in Canada, where it is much cooler, she suffered on the day when aiming for ~70g of carbohydrate per hour with some GI distress. Here at Mont Ventoux however, the conditions were milder and closer to what she was used to, so on the day she was able to consume enough carb to support her energy needs. We would still strongly encourage Sarah to continue training her gut in a variety of conditions - such as different intensities, durations, and environmental settings - wherever possible. This will help her body adapt to higher carbohydrate intakes and better tolerate fueling strategies during races, ultimately supporting her ability to meet the 90g/h recommendations.
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.
Sarah1085mg/L
Sarah has been Sweat Tested to dial in her 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 Sarah's losses are on the moderate side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreT - 60mins: Drank ~500ml of strong electrolyte drink
"I don't think I took on enough fluid, especially in the latter part of the race."
After having a chat with Toby from our Sports Science Team a few days out from the race, Sarah was encouraged to incorporate a preload into her strategy by drinking a strong electrolyte drink to ensure she started the race hydrated. After the race, Sarah made it clear she was keen to preload ahead of all her races in the future as she really felt its benefits. Whilst chatting to the team, Sarah took the opportunity to have a Sweat Test to find out exactly how much sodium she loses in her sweat. Her result of 1085mg of sodium per litre of sweat indicated that she should increase her sodium consumption in future races to be closer in line with her sweat losses, which practically could be done by swapping the PH 500 sachets she uses with PH 1000. To further dial in her hydration strategy, it would be worth conducting some sweat rate testing so she knows exactly how much fluid to drink during her races.
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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Sarah didn't include any caffeine in her race strategy, and may want to trial this in some training sessions ahead of her next race, as doses of ~3-6mg/kg of bodyweight have been found to increase performance by ~2-4%; in this race Sarah’s finish time was just 1.9% slower than the winner, so this could hold some incredible benefits.
How Sarah hit her numbers
Here's everything that Sarah ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I really enjoyed the course and had fun out there! Just wish I had more fluids at the end of the race.”
“Sarah delivered a great performance at the Mont Ventoux 50k by UTMB, earning a well-deserved second place on the podium. By adapting her race strategy, continuing to train her gut to tolerate higher carbohydrate intake, increasing her sodium consumption to better match her personal needs, and experimenting with caffeine use in training, she’s laying the groundwork for even bigger results in the near future - and we’re excited to see what’s next.”
PF&HSarah'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.