Tara Grosvenor
Madeira Island Ultra Trail 115km
MadeiraDNFTara's headline numbers
Tara'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 really struggled with eating due to stomach cramps and didn’t feel hungry much during the race which resulted in me feeling really drained. I think I could also have done with some salty food options instead of just sweet."
After numerous chats with our Sports Science Team, Tara had a well-thought-out fuel plan ahead of MIUT 115km. The race started during the night, at a time when most of us don’t eat and our bodies certainly aren’t used to consuming anything. Unfortunately, it is likely this contributed to the GI issues she experienced from the get-go. Despite Tara having to DNF at 83km, she had a significant time on her feet which included ~4 hours without any fuel where unsurprisingly she felt her energy levels diminish. This wouldn’t have helped her levels of fatigue and may have contributed to how cold and exhausted she felt and subsequently the DNF. Tara will benefit from refining her fuel strategy with night-time runs, during which she can train her gut at times when her body isn’t used to consuming food and to avoid this sort of issue, ensuring she can consistently fuel during her races.
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.
Tara716mg/L
Tara 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 Tara's losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.
Learn moreDrinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Tara start optimally hydrated
"I knew I needed to keep drinking throughout but I just couldn’t. I definitely, definitely didn't drink enough."
Tara consumed ~half the amount of fluid per hour she had initially planned. In previous races, she has been on top of her hydration and able to tolerate drinking regularly whilst running. As a result of the uncomfortable GI issues she experienced, consuming fluid would have only exacerbated these feelings. Tara did well to try and manage this by trickling in some fluid at aid stations in the form of tea and cola, but as the temperatures warmed up, she did not consume enough to avoid a great level 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.
Consuming caffeine in the hours before the start may have increased perceived energy levels
Tara doesn’t tend to have much caffeine on a daily basis and likes to save the ergogenic benefits for racing and some of her tougher training sessions. She strategically chose to start taking PF 30 Caffeine Gels from 5am, when she knew she would be tired and in need of a boost. Due to Tara’s struggles to fuel during the race, she also opted to drink cola at most aid stations, increasing her carbs but subsequently increasing her caffeine intake slightly beyond her initial plan. Fortunately, Tara didn’t experience any negative side effects with this extra caffeine and considering the extreme duration of the event, utilised it well to manage her energy levels.
How Tara hit her numbers
Here's everything that Tara ate and drank on the day...
Final thoughts
“I think without the pain in my foot and stomach issues, I might have continued on for longer, but it was really tough and I felt like I had mentally checked out. There were so many learning points to take away from this race though, so I’m really pleased to have experienced it.”
“Tara navigated her GI and injury discomfort as best she could, and made the smart decision to DNF when she knew it would no longer be a productive race for her with other races planned in the season ahead. Hopefully, with some changes to her fuel and hydration strategy, she will feel stronger in her future races.”
PF&HTara'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 good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).