Fuelling · Mikey L’s department
73 kg. Normally drinks 2 litres on a 15–20 km run, which tells you everything about his sweat. Salt and fluid will end his race before his legs do, so this page is mostly about stopping that.
Every hour, for about 19 hours
About 1 g per kg per hour. 70–90 g is the window. Under 60 and he bonks around Constantia.
600–900 ml depending on heat. More on the exposed coastal bits, less at night.
Heavy sweater, so 800–1,000 mg. If his cap has white salt crust on it, push to the top end.
About 3–4 mg/kg, all of it from Hout Bay onwards. The chocolate-coffee gels do the work.
General endurance guidelines for his bodyweight, not medical advice. Nothing new on race day. If it hasn’t been in his stomach on a long run, it doesn’t go in on Saturday.
The Näak stuff he already uses, plus what I’d add. Gel numbers are confirmed. Waffle and bar numbers are estimates until someone reads the packet out loud to me.
What to hand him at each crew station to get him to the next one. The simple version: one flask of mix every hour, one gel or solid every hour, one salt cap every 40 minutes. Real food at the table is a bonus on top.
No caffeine in the morning. He doesn’t need it on Platteklip and he’ll need it a lot more at 9pm in Newlands Forest. The chocolate-coffee gels start at Hout Bay, then Coke at Alphen and Newlands.
Totals for the 24-hour plan plus 30% spare, because things get dropped, stolen by other crews, or eaten by Mikey H.
He’s bonking. Give him a gel immediately, plus Coke if you’ve got it. Don’t ask him if he wants it. Ten minutes later he’ll be a person again.
Too much fluid without salt, or he’s overheating. Pause the drinking, give him salt, ginger, sips of Coke, and walk him out of the station. Don’t force food.
He’s behind on fluid and salt. One extra flask and two salt caps over the next hour.
Usually salt plus tired muscles. Salt cap, pickle juice if you’ve got some, and walk the next climb.
Possibly too much water and not enough salt. That’s a medic conversation, not a crew one. Find race medical.
Classic symptom. Ignore it and keep following the plan.