Chuckanut 50k

After tweaking his strategy over the last year, Chris now has a dialed in fueling plan that he uses in every race. This includes aiming for over 90g/h to support his elite performance with a mix of PF 90 Gels and Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix. Historically, guidelines suggested 90g/h as the upper limit for carb intake, based on the idea that carb absorption rates are capped around this point due to saturation of intestinal transporters. However, newer research suggests that with gut training - which Chris regularly practices - athletes can tolerate and utilise 100-120g/h effectively. This level of carbs would have been particularly valuable in this technical and demanding race, where energy fluctuations could impact coordination and foot placement on the unstable, muddy terrain. Research has shown that low glycogen availability could impair motor unit recruitment and muscle coordination, which could be detrimental in a race requiring focus and accuracy over slippery, uneven ground. Although Chris fell over in the mud several times, he still reported feeling strong, so his high-carb intake likely helped sustain his neuromuscular control, an often-overlooked benefit of sufficient fueling.

With a sweat sodium concentration only slightly below the average that we see across our database, Chris’ hydration strategy is fairly simple. He uses Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix to replace his sweat losses, whilst banking some additional carb to support his energy levels. Despite Chris’ notably high sweat rate, in cool conditions like on race day, it’s likely his fluid losses weren’t too severe, meaning he could afford to be less aggressive in his strategy compared with his race at Western States last year with scorching temperatures. Interestingly, while high humidity can affect the body's ability to cool itself due to a reduction in evaporative heat loss, it doesn't necessarily increase total sweat volume in cool weather, further supporting his intake being sufficient for the day. He rated his hydration highly, so it’s likely his strategy prevented any drop in performance and helped him avoid underhydration as well as overhydration, which could have diluted sodium levels and increased the risk of hyponatremia.

One of the most interesting parts of Chris’ nutrition plan was the complete absence of caffeine, a rarity among elite endurance athletes. Caffeine is widely known to enhance alertness, increase reaction time, and reduce perceived effort levels with a dose of 3-6 mg/kg. However, individual responses to caffeine vary significantly, with genetics and day-to-day use playing a key role in whether an athlete benefits or experiences side effects like GI distress or anxiety. Chris raced hard for over three and a half hours, and completed two thirds of the race entirely on his own, something which could affect focus in others. Some evidence suggests that high carb availability alone can provide similar cognitive and neuromuscular benefits as caffeine, as glucose intake directly influences central nervous system function and dopaminergic pathways. In Chris’ case, his high-carb fueling strategy may have helped him in these areas, demonstrating that while caffeine is a useful tool, it’s not an essential one, especially for athletes who train well without it.