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Fueling Strategies for the Coast to Coast

Written by Paul Cadman | Feb 21, 2024 2:13:10 AM

In 2020 I had the pleasure of racing the Kathmandu Coast to Coast here in New Zealand. It’s an iconic multi sport race in a simply stunning part of the world, oh and it’s tough but an absolute blast!

Along with my racing buddy Emma Boyle we bagged first overall team across the line in a time of 12 hours 27 minutes. It was epic and I loved every part of the race.

For those that are interested I’ve laid out a view of the fuel and fluid I took on board during the race. Remember what works for me might not work for you but feel free to try a few of the products I used.

My key focus was getting to the last 70km ride with plenty left in the tank by ensuring I had experimented, tested and built an effective fuelling and hydration strategy. So here you have it, in no particular order a break down of what I put into my body over twelve and a half hours of racing:

  • Seven servings of SIS Beta Fuel
  • Two sachets of baby food
  • One can of Red Bull
  • Four Em’s Power Bites
  • Six serves of Clif Bloks - caffeinated
  • Two Clif Gel Shots - caffeinated
  • One Clif Nut Filled bar
  • Half a protein bar
  • Two Pure energy gels
  • 750mls flat coke
  • Two Roam energy nut butter gels
  • Four servings of exogenous ketones
  • Twelve serves of Osmo Active Hydration
  • Twelve and a half litres of water

In the lead up to the race I used the supplement MitoQ to help support my recovery, energy production and general health. After much experimenting over the prior 12 months I settled on the below dosage protocols.

From 7 days prior to race - 60mg’s daily

Base phase of training - 20mg’s daily

Heavy training load weeks during build phase - 40mg’s daily