Wulong Mountain Quest

Simone knew that in order to tackle the unique challenges of Wulong Mountain Quest, including kayaking, running, rafting, mountain biking and other adventures, she would need a robust fueling strategy before, during and after each stage. Across the four days of racing, PF 30 Gels were her main source of carb, consuming one in the 10 minutes before each stage and then several during the event. Alongside the gels, she trickled in PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix in some of her bottles to make sure she was always getting something in her system. Simone took advantage of some downtime with two bus rides during the middle of stages one and three by topping up her fuel and hydration to stay on track with her targets. It paid off, as her energy kept improving overall day-to-day, and meant she was able to spare some gels and chews for her teammate on day four! Despite high intensity bouts throughout the race, she kept GI comfort at a 10/10, which is a big testament to her recent efforts with gut training, as she’s struggled with stomach issues in the past. After each stage, she and her teammates consumed a carb-rich meal to restock glycogen stores and prepare for the next day.

Cramping has been a challenge for Simone in the past, and although she noticed one start to come on during rafting, she put this down to the awkward positioning and stuck to her fuel and hydration plan. Thankfully, the cramp dissipated and didn’t impact her overall performance. Her fluid and sodium intake met the recommendations for her losses, which she achieved through PH 1500 (Drink Mix) and PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix, always sipping on something and taking larger drinks when the logistics of this adventure race allowed. Applying the preloading strategy between each stage helped to promote recovery and re-hydration before starting the next bout of racing, attenuating the fluid deficit being accumulated over the four days. Although the weather was humid the whole time, it wasn’t scorching until day four, when it reached 40℃ and was also the longest day! Because of this jump in temperature, Simone didn’t have quite enough hydration on board and felt dehydrated by the final hours. Carrying fluids in multisport races is tough when you don’t have access to refills and conditions change dramatically, but as Simone noted, she wished she would’ve sacrificed the lighter weight for a better hydration status on the hot day.

The benefits of caffeine for endurance performance include masking fatigue and reducing perception of effort, both things that Simone and her teammates needed over the four tough days. While her intake fell above the scientific recommendations, this number was her total over the four days. Looking closer at each stage, she was in the ideal range on stage two and stage four through two PF 30 Caffeine Gels and a bit of cola. She noted the dosage helped boost her energy levels without giving her any negative side effects, as she’s had this problem when overdoing caffeine in the past. For future multi day races, she can employ the same strategy but keep the option of including caffeine on the other days if she feels she needs it.