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Erin Moyer

Big Alta 50k

22nd March, 2025
USA
Marinwood
3rd, F25-29
Running, Ultra - 50km
13°C
, Mild
4hrs 13mins
more race details

Erin's headline numbers

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?
?
~114
g
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~908
ml
Fluid per hour
Recommended 500-1,000ml/h
~822
mg
Sodium per litre
Recommended 600-1000mg/L
~1.8
mg
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg

Erin's strategy

Fueling

Carbohydrate is the main fuel you burn when racing. Failing to fuel properly is a leading cause of underperformance in longer races.

Carb-rich meal
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T - 1-4hrs: Ate a carb rich meal (Low in fat & fibre)
Didn't pre-fuel
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Erin would benefit from taking in a final dose of carb <30 minutes before
Carb per hour
Recommended 90g/h+
~114
g
Erin's Energy Rating
9
/10
"The race felt effortless until around mile 17. My legs started to lock up around mile 25-27, but rebounded relatively quickly for a strong finish."
Our thoughts

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.

Hydration

Taking on board an appropriate amount of fluid and sodium is essential to maintaining blood volume and supporting the cardiovascular effort needed to perform on race day.

Whilst the absolute amount of sodium and fluid consumed per hour is important, it’s critical to consider these in relation to each other. This is known as 'relative sodium concentration' and it’s expressed in milligrams per litre (mg/L). How much sodium you’re taking in per litre of fluid is more important than the absolute amount taken in per hour.

Erin798mg/L
Erin has been Sweat Tested to dial in her hydration plan

Sweat sodium concentration (mg/L) is largely genetically determined and remains relatively stable. Knowing how salty your sweat is enables you to replace a good proportion of your sweat losses, which can range from 200-2,000mg/L.

Whilst Erin’s losses are on the low side, getting her hydration strategy right is still important if she wants to perform at her best.

Learn more
Didn't pre-load electrolytes
?
Drinking a strong electrolyte drink before the race could have helped Erin start optimally hydrated
Fluid per hour
Recommended 500-1,000ml/h
~908
ml
Sodium per litre
Recommended 600-1000mg/L
~822
mg
Erin's Hydration Rating
7
/10
"My hydration strategy may have been over-the-top compared to my competitors, whose single handhelds and luxury pre-filled bottle service left me playing catch-up after all the aid stations. I regret the time I wasted fiddling with bottles, caps, pack straps, and falling in front of everyone at the aid station while doing so!"
Our thoughts

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.

Caffeine

Beyond the Three Levers of Performance (carb, sodium and fluid), caffeine is one of only a few substances that is proven to improve performance for most endurance athletes as it can help stave off mental and physical fatigue.

Pre-caffeinated
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T - 0-4hrs: Had a final hit of caffeine
Caffeine per kg
Recommended 3-6mg/kg
~1.8
mg
Our thoughts

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.

How Erin hit her numbers

Here's everything that Erin ate and drank on the day...

Erin's weapons of choice

Final thoughts

Erin's Satisfaction Rating
9
/10
At this stage in my life, I am extremely satisfied with a podium finish. I learned a lot about crewing, recognized weaknesses in my training, and got to reap the benefits of a well-executed fueling and hydration strategy.
Erin
Overall, Erin put on an impressive performance at Big Alta and demonstrated the value of dialing in her fuel and hydration plan. Her consistent fuel intake provided ample carb availability to rebound even after a brief dip in power and energy. With no cramping to speak of, her sodium losses were clearly well-accounted for. We’re excited to watch Erin continue to fine-tune her training, racing and hydration plan throughout the season!
PF&H

Erin's full stats

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?
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Overall
481g total carb
114g per hour
3,830ml total fluid
908ml per hour
3,150mg total sodium
747mg per hour
822mg
Sodium per litre
100mg total caffeine
1.8mg per kg

Data Confidence
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We rate each of our case studies from 1-5 based on the level of accuracy, and our confidence in the data.
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2
3
4
5

There is good confidence in the accuracy of the data reported. An athlete feels that the numbers closely reflect what they consumed despite a couple of estimations which may carry some degree of error. The majority of what was consumed is recorded to a high level of specificity (most volumes are known through the use of bottles brands quantities flavours). The numbers are very plausible and align with previous data recordings (if an athlete has collected data previously).

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