1st
Robyn Cassidy's scorecard
Helvellyn Sky Ultra
Saturday 15th July, 2023
Within recommended ranges
Just outside recommended ranges
Significantly outside recommended ranges
62g
Carb per hour
269mg
Sodium per hour
375ml
Fluid per hour
717mg/L
Relative sodium concentration
0mg
Total caffeine
How Robyn hit those numbers
How Robyn's hydration and fueling went...
- In preparation for her ‘A’ race of the year, the epic six-day Dragon’s Back ultra, Robyn Cassidy took part in the Lake District’s Helvellyn Sky Ultra
- After mixed successes with her fuel and hydration strategy in 2023, this race allowed Robyn to test her latest strategy at a course which replicates a similar experience to day one of the Dragon’s Back
- Despite storms (and therefore a shortened, flatter route of 42km / 26 miles), Robyn executed a solid performance to finish 1st! She implemented the majority of her plan but experienced some dips and difficulties towards the back end of the race that she’ll be looking to iron out at the Dragon’s Back…
Hydration
- For the first time before a race, Robyn followed a preloading protocol by drinking 500ml (16oz) of PH 1500, both the night before and morning of the race, and as a result she reported feeling “really hydrated at the start”
- Robyn’s hydration strategy during the race was predominantly made up of two 500ml (16oz) bottles of PF 60 Drink Mix. She refilled one bottle with plain water at ~16km (10 miles) and the other with the on course electrolyte mix (312mg sodium) at ~30km (18.5 miles)
- Robyn had intended to fill up her bottles at the three available water stops and mix in PH 1000 to drink a total of 3L (96oz). However, on the day Robyn didn’t drink as much as she had planned, her drinking “slowed down from halfway” because she “didn’t want to drink any large volumes due to a sloshing feeling” in her stomach
- Instead she drank a total of ~1.8L (63oz) which averaged out as ~375ml (13oz) per hour, but was greater towards the start of the race and tapered off. Although we don’t know Robyn’s exact sweat losses over the race, from her subjective feedback and post-race headache and dark pee colour, it was likely she was under doing her fluid intake
- On top of this, Robyn’s fluid intake early on in the race was solely made up of energy drink mix. This initial carb quantity is more than she had taken on previously and taking in this much carb-rich liquid early on can cause it to rush to the gut and overwhelm the intestines’ capacity to absorb, which can lead to the discomfort and bloating she reported
- Robyn may wish for one of her bottles to be solely hydration focused, for example containing PH 1000, in an attempt to avoid these issues and allow her to drink more fluid over the race
- Robyn consumed a relative sodium concentration of ~717mg per litre (32oz) from PF 60 Drink Mix and the on course electrolyte drink. On the surface, this seemed like an adequate sodium intake alongside the low volume of fluid she drank, but going forward collecting sweat rate data and getting a sweat test will help Robyn dial in her hydration strategy further
Fueling
Quick Carb Calculator Recommendation
30g
carb 30 mins before
60-90g
carb per hour during
- Robyn followed a textbook pre-race fueling plan by consuming a carb-rich breakfast in the morning to top up her glycogen stores, alongside a cup of coffee to get caffeine in her bloodstream in attempt to benefit from its ergogenic effects later in the day
- She may want to practise implementing a final carb dose within the last 30 minutes before the race, for example having a PF 30 Gel or PF 30 Chew, to spike her blood glucose as she begins the run and stave off using her glycogen stores until later on
- During the race, Robyn’s carbohydrate intake predominantly came from PF 60 Drink Mix and a range of gels (aiming for 1-2 per hour). She also supplemented this with a pack of PF 30 Chews and half an energy bar she picked up on course, which is a good way to get extra fuel on board and avoid flavour fatigue
- This meant Robyn averaged ~62g/h over the 4 hours and 48 minutes. This is a solid intake for Robyn who has previously taken in much lower levels of carbohydrate and has been training her gut by gradually building up her intake in training sessions
- Robyn started with an effective timing strategy by fueling 30 minutes into the race, instead of waiting until 60 minutes in as she had previously. She had planned to fuel every 30 minutes but lost track of this towards the second half of the race
- In line with losing track of her fueling, Robyn mentioned that although her GI comfort and energy levels started high (10/10), around the halfway point she had some GI stress (6/10) and from 30km her energy levels dipped to 4 or 5 out of 10
- As Robyn started out with her two 500ml (16oz) bottles of PF 60 Drink Mix and her proactive gel strategy, her carb intake was likely higher in the first two hours and lower for the latter part of the race. Therefore, she was likely taking on more than she had previously used (40-50g/h) at a high race intensity which could have further led to her gut discomfort
- Robyn should continue to train her gut to increase her tolerance for 60g/h+ because greater carb quantities are crucial for endurance performance, especially over multi-day ultras like Robyn’s next race
- Caffeine has a half life of ~4-5 hours, therefore Robyn may have also benefited from periodically replenishing the levels of caffeine in her blood in an attempt to retain the benefits
Conclusions
- Overall, Robyn had a great result at the reduced distance Helvellyn Sky Ultra and was “happy with the outcome and result”, but knows there were areas that “could have been better” so rated her race satisfaction a 6 out of 10
- Robyn fueled and hydrated well ahead of the race and started excellently. Going forward with her multi-day ultra later in 2023 in mind, the focus for Robyn will be to continue to train her gut to tolerate higher carb quantities and being more proactive with her hydration strategy
Key info
Robyn Cassidy
Female
Result
Position
1st
Overall Time
4:48:27
Event information
Sport
Running
Discipline
Ultra
Event
Helvellyn Sky Ultra
Location
Cumbria, England
Date
15th July, 2023
Total Distance
42.0km / 26.1mi
Total Elevation
1,950m / 6,398ft
Race conditions
Weather Conditions
Mild
Precipitation
Rain
Min Temp
13°C / 55°F
Max Temp
17°C / 63°F
Avg Temp
14°C / 57°F
Humidity
85%
Athlete feedback
Race Satisfaction
6/10
Hydration rating
6/10
Felt I had a good plan and started well but got a sloshing feeling in my stomach halfway through
Energy levels
7/10
Started at a 9 but dropped throughout and then were quite low (4/5) from the 30km mark
Toilet stops
No
GI comfort
8/10
I felt great (10) until about half way then I struggled to eat and drink as much as I would have liked
Cramping
No cramping
Robyn's full stats
Carbohydrate (g) | Sodium (mg) | Fluid (ml) | Caffeine (mg) | Relative sodium concentration (mg/L) | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Overall | |||||
Total intake | 296 | 1,291 | 1,800 | 0 | 717 |
Per hour | 62 | 269 | 375 | 0 |
Data Confidence
1
2
3
4
5
There is an adequate level of accuracy in the data collected and the numbers reported. The athlete manages to recall what they ate and drank including most specifics (brands flavours quantities plausible estimations of volumes). However there are estimations made within the data which affect the overall confidence level in the data reported.