Simen Holvik
24 Ore Di Torino
Simen's headline numbers
Simen's strategy
Fueling
Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.
Simen consumed just over 1700g of carbohydrates across the 24-hour race from a mixture of solid PF 30 Chews, semi-solid PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Caffeine Gels and liquid PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink carb forms. This was just a few grams below his original target of ~75g/h, but even whilst battling nineteen hours of relentless rain, he still perceived his energy levels to be consistently high.
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.
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.
Given Simen’s losses are High (1,310mg/L), nailing his hydration strategy remains important, even when it’s Cold.
Learn moreSimen knows he loses a large amount of sodium in his sweat, and appropriately prioritises this in his hydration strategy. Since members of the PF&H Sports Science team were able to be part of his crew this race, the team utilised real-time urine osmolarity readings alongside his previous Sweat Test results to dial his fluid intake up and down effectively. His pre- and post-race body mass measurements suggest this approach accomplished adequate fluid replacement for him to avoid any performance-limiting effects of dehydration.
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.
Simen nailed the timing of his caffeine by saving the stimulant until he knew he’d need it most, which was when the sun began to set and he had to fight his natural circadian rhythm. From there, he spread out his PF 30 Caffeine Gels evenly until the end of the race and reaped the benefits of the ergogenic aid, including heightened focus and reduced perception of effort.
How Simen hit his numbers
Here's everything that Simen ate and drank on the day...
Simen's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Simen
PF&HSimen's full stats
Data Confidence?
There is a high level of confidence in the accuracy in the data. The numbers presented are believed to be a very close reflection of reality. There may still be one or two estimations made in the data (an inescapable part of field data) but there is reason to believe that these are accurate and that possible error has been kept to a minimum. It is data that has been collected and recalled as accurately as is possible given the uncontrolled settings/circumstances.