Ultra Trail Australia

Charlie stuck to a consistent carb intake of nearly 100g/h, keeping his body's energy stores topped up, and as a result he managed to keep his perceived energy levels high. He stuck to using PF 30 Gels and PF 300 Flow Gel to hit his numbers and fortunately had no GI issues. Although Charlie had some carbs for breakfast ahead of the race, he may benefit from consuming either a small dose of fast-acting carbs in the last 15-20 mins before the race start to optimise his blood glucose levels for the race start and preserve his stored glycogen for later on in the event.

Unfortunately, Charlie suffered with some muscle cramps towards the end of the race, likely a combination of neuromuscular fatigue and dehydration. However, Charlie managed his sodium intake suitably for the majority of the race by supplementing the plain water he had in his Soft Flasks with Electrolyte Capsules. To ensure he starts his races optimally hydrated and potentially reduce the risk of cramping in future events, Charlie could swap out the PH 1000 (Tablets) for the higher concentration PH 1500 with his breakfast. Additionally, simulating his hydration strategy in some of his longer training sessions will train his gut to tolerate more fluid so that he is more comfortable doing this in races.

Charlie’s caffeine intake was higher than the scientific recommendations for a race of this duration. He does, however, have a fairly high tolerance to caffeine, and experienced no adverse effects to using the stimulant in this quantity. To ensure some caffeine is circulating in his blood throughout the race, Charlie may want to shift one of his PF 30 Caffeine Gels to the last 15-20 mins before the race starts. It’s important he continues to practise this in his training, though, to avoid any associated GI distress.