Hayden's headline numbers
Hayden'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.
Hayden relied solely on PF 300 Flow Gel and PF 30 Caffeine Gels for his carbohydrate needs. Based on predicted times between aid stations, Hayden’s crew pre-measured the Flow Gel into Flow Flasks for him to pick up through each aid station, so he could simply take the flasks without having to stop. This meant he could make time on the rest of the field, who typically stopped to ‘restock’ their fuel and hydration. Hayden’s average carb intake was slightly lower than his previous races, likely due to the hotter race conditions and faster times between some aid stations, meaning he didn’t consume all of the pre-planned fuel. This being said, he still averaged ~95g per hour across the 14 hours and 24 minutes of racing, which is impressive considering temperatures hit ~36℃ (97℉) at points.
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.
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 Hayden’s losses are on the moderate side, getting his hydration strategy right is still crucial when it’s hot and/or humid as his higher sweat rate in these conditions can result in significant net losses over the duration of a race.
Learn moreWhilst some athletes prefer to get the majority of their race nutrition needs from one bottle, Hayden uses what we call a ‘decoupled’ strategy by relying on gels for his carb requirements, and only plain water supplemented with Electrolyte Capsules for his sodium and fluid needs. This approach means he is able to drink more fluid in hotter conditions, without overloading his gut with more carb. He increased his fluid intake from ~300ml per hour in the cooler parts of the day, up to ~1L/h during the hottest sections to match the higher sweat rates he experienced. He took on an extra ~2L throughout the race from aid stations on top of his pre-race plan due to the conditions and faster pace. Hayden also used cooling strategies, including wearing an ice bandana on his neck, to help keep his core body temperature in check and lower his sweat rate.
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.
Hayden used four PF 30 Caffeine Gels overall, taking one every three hours to drip-feed caffeine into his system. This will have helped him start focused for the first long climb up the escarpment and then boost his perceived energy levels while climbing in the second half of the race.
How Hayden hit his numbers
Here's everything that Hayden ate and drank on the day...
Hayden's weapons of choice
Final thoughts
Hayden
PF&HHayden's full stats
Data Confidence?
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).