Food and Fluid Intake During Extreme Heat: Experiences From The Badwater Ultramarathon

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to document food and fluid intake of athletes during an ultramarathon held in extreme heat. Our study was conducted at The Badwater Ultramarathon, a nonstop 217-km run across Death Valley, California, USA, in 2012. This study recruited 4 male athletes. The parameters measured were energy intake, fluid intake, energy expenditure, and body mass. The variables were further compared to the athlete’s ability to successfully complete a 217-km ultramarathon in extreme heat. This investigation recruited 4 male athletes, average age of 43 (± SD) (± 7.35), range, 39 to 54 years. All 4 subjects completed the race with a mean finish time of 36:20:23 (± SD) (± 3:08:38), range, 34:05:25–40:51:46 hours and a mean running speed of 6.03 km/h (± SD) (± 0.05), range, 5.3–6.4 km/h. Our study found (mean and ± SD): energy intake 8036.5 kcal (± 3453.1); fluid intake 33.8 L (± 12.5); energy expenditure 23,920 kcal (± 1749.3); and body mass 79.33 kg (± 6.43). This study also determined body mass decreased 2.52% (± 1.99) over the duration of the event. The maximum ambient air temperature was 46.6°C during the first day and 36.6°C the second day, with a low of 10.1°C during the evening. Our data reveal that our subjects were able to complete this event despite an energy intake deficit of 15 883.5 kcal (33.6% of energy expenditure) and a decrease in body mass of >2% during the race, which is in contrast to current recommendations, but in agreement with recent scientific literature. We conclude that the nutritional intake was adequate as our subjects completed the race and that success in longer duration events requires the ability to find a balance between maintaining the ideal hydration status and providing an adequate amount of fuel for each individual athlete.