Ultra Trail Australia

With races starting early in the morning, it can be challenging to consume food prior without sacrificing sleep and having enough time for food to digest before the race starts. After carb-loading in the days leading up to the event, completing this with a carb-rich dinner the night before, Kate managed to get down a couple of slices of toast to further top up her glycogen stores. Kate managed her energy levels well by consistently consuming carbohydrates throughout the race. Her fueling strategy was simple, using PF 90 Gels as her primary source of carbs and supplementing this with PF Carb and Electrolyte Drink Mix.

Despite feeling as though she could have drank more throughout the race, the manageable conditions helped Kate avoid any dehydration-related symptoms. Her fluid intake was on the lower end of the recommended range for a race of this distance and could be increased in the future, particularly during warmer temperatures. It would also be helpful for Kate to carry some Electrolyte Capsules to supplement the plain water she picks up at aid stations, and avoid over-diluting the average sodium concentration of her drinks. Without knowing her exact sweat sodium concentration, increasing the ‘saltiness’ of her drinks can sometimes help increase the thirst response which may have helped Kate drink a little more. Getting Sweat Tested would be the next step for Kate to optimise and have confidence in her hydration strategy.

Despite only averaging ~1.7mg/kg of caffeine during the race itself, Kate consumed 400mg of caffeine (~6.8mg/kg) on the morning of the race through caffeine pills. It’s almost certain that this would have been in her system during the race and helped her reap the ergogenic benefits of the stimulant, lowering her levels of perceived exertion and keeping fatigue at bay. Front-loading caffeine so that it peaks before the race is a strategy that works for some athletes depending on their personal tolerance and the race duration. Kate should continue to monitor this in both training and races to ensure she is getting the most out of the stimulant, as she did experience a dip in energy towards the latter part of the race. It might be beneficial to spread out her caffeine intake, or add a top-up later in the race to keep her blood caffeine levels high throughout the race.