Big Alta 50km

Erin started with her ‘lucky’ race-day banana and oatmeal to fuel up before hitting the start line, where her nerves kept her from taking a final pre-race gel like we’d normally suggest. However, the butterflies eventually subsided and she managed to nail her fueling strategy, hitting well over 100g of carb per hour despite very little gut training in the weeks leading up to the race. Her intake largely hinged upon PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix with a few PF 30 Gels, PF 90 Gels and PF 30 Caffeine Gels interspersed throughout. This approach kept flavour fatigue to a minimum with the mild, neutral flavour of PF products and helped streamline Erin’s carb intake so she knew she was fueling adequately to support her performance. Her perceived energy levels were phenomenal for most of the race, supporting the research illustrating the correlation between high carb intake, subsequent greater energy availability and impressive performances.

Erin’s biggest takeaway from this race came through logistical lessons, where she should have relied more on handhelds and pre-prepared bottles for a fast race like Big Alta. Although the weather conditions were favourable and relatively mild on the day, Erin reported feeling thirsty at points on the course. Going forward, it’d be helpful to collect some sweat rate data to identify if her fluid intake of ~900ml/h was replacing enough of her fluid losses to sustain her performance throughout such a demanding race. From a sodium perspective, her relative intake was spot on for her known losses. Although, this isn’t a surprise, as Erin knows the importance of relative sodium concentration, running a Sweat Test Center herself in Reno! She mixed up the PF Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix in both regular and extra concentrated strengths, and paired this with some plain water for taste variety to almost perfectly match her losses. If she finds her sweat rate is significantly higher than the amount of fluid she can realistically consume and carry during a race, it may be helpful to increase this sodium concentration slightly to encourage her body to hold onto the fluid she is able to consume. Additionally, incorporating the preloading protocol in the 12 hours leading up to the race will help her start as hydrated as possible.

After a morning coffee to elevate the circulating levels of caffeine in her bloodstream, Erin had a second dose of caffeine via one PF 30 Caffeine Gel during the race. However, this amount still puts her below the recommended range for athletic performance, which is 3-6 mg of caffeine per kg of body weight. Since pre-race nerves suppressed her appetite at the start line, Erin could consider swapping another one of her PF 30 Gels for a caffeinated gel to make sure she gets the most out of caffeine’s ergogenic effects and reaps the fatigue-masking benefits it has to offer.