How I Fueled 440 Miles, 48,000 Feet of Climbing & 8 Consecutive Race Days The Absa Cape Epic is not the race where you wing-it with haphazard fueling plan. Eight stages across the Western Cape of South Africa (440 miles, 48,077 feet of climbing, and nearly 40 hours of racing) required a fueling strategy that was tested and practical. As a sport dietitian and endurance athlete, I take the application of sport nutrition seriously. What I put in my body before, during, and after every stage is not guesswork. It is research, practice, and intentional across months of training. This post breaks down every product we used at Cape Epic, the science supporting each choice, and the practical reasoning behind our strategy. Most of our products were sourced through The Feed, which made the logistics of packing for a 2.5 week trip to South Africa very manageable. The ability to search by carbohydrate content, sodium level, product type, and price is something I rely on for events like this. A...
Aging doesn't have to mean slowing down — but it does mean paying closer attention to your gut. Gastrointestinal (GI) distress is one of the most common performance limiters in endurance sport, and masters athletes (40+) often notice their digestion isn't as forgiving as it once was. I recently wrote an article for Never Second. In the article, I discuss the following topics: DOES AGE AFFECT CARB ABSORPTION? WHAT CAUSES GI DISTRESS? GUT TRAINING FOR MASTERS ATHLETES GUT CHALLENGES WITH EXERCISING IN THE HEAT To read the full article, check it out HERE.