Nice Côte d'Azur by UTMB

Thibault came into this race following a disappointing outing at CCC by UTMB, where he DNF’d around a month earlier. After seeking medical support following the race, it became apparent that Thibault had a bacterial infection in his intestine which subsequently created GI issues and led to the DNF. This diagnosis gave Thibault confidence that he could stick with his well-practiced fueling strategy for the race in Nice, where he consumed a flask of PF Carb Only Drink Mix every other hour for the first 8 hours of the race, and one flask per hour for the final 4 hours of the race. Combined with PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Chews, this left him just shy of the recommendations for an event of this duration and intensity. The only time Thibault came into some difficulty was when he consumed some sweet potato at an aid station, but it was great to see him stay calm and work through this minor issue.

This race is traditionally raced in much warmer conditions, but the cooler weather meant that Thibault could reduce the amount of fluid he needed to consume to more manageable levels. Because his sweat sodium concentration is high, he chose to de-couple his sodium and carb intake, meaning that he could better match his relative sodium intake to his sweat loses using a combination of PH 1000 Tablets and Electrolyte Capsules. Taking his time to consume additional fluids through iced tea and sparkling water at crewed check-points meant that his overall fluid intake was right on the money for the conditions.