Big Alta 50km

Due to a fall and ankle tweak early on in the race, Kelly’s energy levels were quickly tested. She carried a few PF 30 Gels and PF 30 Chews, along with a couple of other fuel sources, but overall averaged out to lower than the recommended carb intake for a race of this duration and intensity. In the sessions leading up to the race, she’d been training her gut to tolerate a higher amount and had worked up to ~60g per hour, though fell short of this target on race day. In practice runs, she noticed some nausea after hour four and although she didn’t specifically ‘bonk’ during the race, she did experience the same nausea later on, and ultimately decided to call it at 43km. It was also warmer than anticipated, which may have negatively impacted her GI function.

Kelly’s sodium intake started strong with a flask of Carb & Electrolyte Drink Mix and then she mostly refilled her bottles with plain water. She isn’t a super salty sweater, but her sweat rate was higher than anticipated due to the heat and race intensity. Next time, carrying additional electrolytes, for example in the form of PH 1000 to mix into her bottles, throughout the race would allow for a more consistent and warm weather-friendly strategy to account for her total losses. Additionally, preloading with a stronger electrolyte (like PH 1500) would be helpful to make sure she’s starting optimally hydrated and not running into dehydration issues early on, especially considering she was sweating a lot from the very start.

Kelly had a minimal amount of caffeine the morning of the race, but she tends to intentionally stay away from high caffeine amounts (as it makes her heart race), which is why she opted not to use it as part of her race strategy. Even though caffeinated products are commonly used in sport for their ergogenic benefits, it’s important for each athlete to work out if it’s right for them.