Quebec Mega Trail 50km

With the help of his extensive gut training, Eric once again consumed over 90 grams of carb per hour in the form of two bottles of PF Carb Only Drink Mix, two PF 90 Gels and one PF 30 Caffeine Gel. After successfully hitting this intake during recent 100km races, it is no surprise Eric was able to accomplish this yet again whilst experiencing no GI discomfort across a demanding 52km (~32miles) race with 2300m elevation.

Eric ‘decoupled’ his hydration strategy from his fueling which allowed him to reduce his fluid intake to suit the milder environmental conditions without impacting his carbohydrate consumption. His average of just under 500ml per hour was likely sufficient to replace his lower than usual sweat losses. Unfortunately, Eric’s sodium intake wasn’t as optimal. He only brought eight Electrolyte Capsules with him and managed to drop two of these in the rain. Within the last 10km (6.2miles) of the race, Eric began to experience twinges of cramp, probably a result of taking in less sodium than his losses. In an attempt to avoid these twinges next time, Eric should take two Electrolyte Capsules per 500ml of water to consume a relative sodium concentration (1000mg/L) more similar to his losses, as well as use PH 1500 instead of PH 1000 to preload with a stronger concentration.

Eric fell short of the caffeine recommendations for endurance performance by having only one PF 30 Caffeine Gel during the race. Depending on his personal tolerance, the small dose may have still helped boost his perceived energy levels, but he should definitely look to increase this caffeine intake both before and during the run to maximise the potential ergogenic effects. Considering he noticed an energy lull on one of the big climbs, it may be useful to strategically place a caffeine dose ahead of challenging climbs.