Wykeham's Sports Science report

The Challenge

How one runs is a fascinating culmination of biomechanical, physiological, and psychological elements.

Each possessthe ability to greatly influence the success of an athlete; arguably, the best of which have

the optimal blend of all three. Whilst education, research, and problem solving are all valuable in their

own right, nothing can really prepare you for scientifically attacking an event like the Bob Graham

round. Wykeham turns to me, “I want to race it”. Where oh where do I start?

Testing

I need information. I have a good idea of the information that will be useful. There are various

physiological processes that determine successful endurance performance. Typically, they are

presented as thresholds that relate to exercise intensity. To start with, I need to know where

Wykeham’s thresholds are located. We start by calculating resting metabolic rate, take some

measurements of the body, and then proceed to run a series of popular tests. The tests assess

primarily two attributes 1) the maximal intensity which exercise can be sustained for extended periods

and 2) the maximal capacity of the aerobic system. This information is then used establish training

zones. We are going to be doing a lot of training.

This details above is from a STEP test and are not Wykeham's absolute values in regards to VO2 max.

This information is important given that in peak weeks, around 80 miles would be accumulated and

the elevation, well it was a lot. We need to have an idea that the intensity matches the desired

outcome for that phase of training and pay close attention to any signs of over-training. My main

concern was injury. Just loading high volume weeks on end would, no doubt, result in setbacks. For

this reason, I encouraged Wykeham to complete strength training. The evidence is such that there is

no good reason for an endurance athlete to neglect becoming stronger. Not only do you reduce the

potential for common injuries, but you are also able to vary the style of training and maintain training

motivation. 12-weeks of steady training trumps 4-weeks of quality interspersed with 8-weeks of injury

periods. A great deal of supplementary metrics could also be calculated. This included energy

expenditure, predicted times to completion, velocity during incline, and performance decay. Possibly

the most valuable information was on the subject of the copious levels of energy needed to complete

such an occasion. Nutrition would undoubtably be the make or break for this event. We settled on a

nutrition that intended to get ~120g per hour of carbohydrates inside Wykeham. “Why so much?” you

say. I thought I should consume 30-60g per hour. Indeed, a common marker is between 30 and 60g

per hour. Contemporary research has since assessed the dose-response relationship from 0-120g per

hour as well as evaluating the combination of different carbohydrates (i.e., glucose and fructose

ratios). Higher doses are now preferred, and athlete anecdotes are rather convincing – ask Wykeham.

A comprehensive study can be found here: Smith JW, Zachwieja JJ, Horswill CA, et al. Evidence of a

carbohydrate dose and prolonged exercise performance relationship. Med Sci Sports

Exerc. 2010;42:84. doi: 10.1249/01.MSS.0000385615.40977.c3.

Taking this magnitude of carbs is difficult for one hour let alone the desired 20 hours. To take on this

amount an individual must train. Yes, train the gut to consume. We employed strategies that ranged

from 60g per hour to 120g per hour and found that tolerance was at around 90-100g per hour. Having

previously vomited at the upper realms of consumption, it was vital to avoid this situation at all costs

during the round. Given the benefit of energy is not considered to be available until it has been

digested, it would technically result in missing two feeds. The one that has just come up plus the time

it takes to digest the one taken soon after. During our strategy, that’s at least 40 minutes of exercise

where the possibility of substate depletion is raised. Nevertheless, we nailed it on the day and the

results speak for themselves. Some recommendations that are now accepted include those listed

below.

Figure 2 – Nutritional recommendations and considerations for endurance athletes.

Something I found myself talking a lot about was the impact our subjective experience and how it can

influence performance. There are many studies that use perceptions relating to exertion, thermal

feelings, and readiness. Now I am no psychologist, although I do like colouring in. It did form part of

my education and, perhaps now more than ever, I realise how just important it can be. Some days,

when the stars align, we just feel good. Other days, the motor just will not run. It is these feelings, as

athletes, we should become in tune with. We can learn to understand what is happening inside us. I

think developing this understanding – with training – is so important in events of this nature because

the duration is huge and there is no amount of biomechanical and physiological information that can

compare to one’s ability to look within themselves and make a subjective assessment. During a

training session, a nice exercise is to make intermittent assessments of how hard you are exercising.

This could be on a scale of 1-10. The more times you consciously assess how you feel and maybe

compare it to your heart rate, the better your personal evaluation of exercise intensity will be. This is

advantageous because after, let’s say, 10-hours of running your heart rate will inevitably drift up for

the same exercise intensity. Unless you have access to performance decay data, you cannot make an

accurate assessment of exercise intensity. The knock-on effect is that if you are exercising at an

intensity that is just too high, you’ll need a period of recovery; thus, slowing you down. Alternatively,

you may be doing yourself a disservice and letting off the gas too much. However, if you understand

the feelings associated with intensity through experience, you can make performance adjustments

when necessary. It is possibly one of the most valuable tools you can have – note we use RPE during

testing for this very reason (see Fig 1).

Summary

The principal challenges involved in ultra-distance events is how you would choose to prepare. Volume

is no doubt a key. Without it, how could someone even contemplate tackling a marathon let alone

almost three – back-to-back. The literature on ultra-events is not as mature as its kin; therefore, you

must consider how appropriate results from a 10-km study is to ultra-events. Recommended training

volume is vague, and elevation is non-existent. Some balance must be struck between common

practice and intuition.

Get someone who truly understands the event. Not just the route or physiology, but the elevation,

the terrain, the planning, the weather, the support, the nutrition, the hydration, the psychology… you

get it. Find someone who understands it from a whole host of different perspectives. Below (Fig 3 and

Fig 4) were some of the steps I took to understand what was involved. We also had lengthy weekly

meetings to discuss training – and other things. Often, I would run the analysis, pick some points of

interest, and then try and see if they marry up with Wykham’s recollection of events.

You can try and prescribe everything but if you do, you are overlooking the opportunity to exercise

feel. It is invaluable. I feel tired, I feel good, I feel sore, I hurt etc. When preparing for such a big event,

there is no perfect formula. Some of it is done on feel.

There will be problems, your ability to solve them will dictate your success. My knee hurts, we are

down on schedule, I was sick, I did not eat enough, I am in a low spell. How are you going to manage

it? Typically, an athlete will encounter four or five of problems during long events. Solve them, and

you’ll do okay.

As events get longer the number of different elements to consider substantially increases. You can be

the most gifted athlete in the world but if you go the wrong way, you’re disadvantaged. The logistics

and planning of the event were outstanding by everyone involved and is, without question, why

Wykeham was able to make a success of his attempt. 

For anyone planning these events I would always start by taking the low hanging fruit:

1) Don’t walk where you can run i.e., the start, the end.

2) Don’t stop where you can walk, or at least make them short i.e., change overs.

3) Nutrition, nutrition, nutrition!

4) Most importantly, get a good team of people that you can trust to do the job you have set out

to do, your way.

Remember - it’s your round!

Kris (L), Wykeham (R) celebrating after a successful Bob Graham Round