1st 500 Runners to Receive 2023 Limited Edition Race Singlet. Sweat Rate Tests - Why we do it - Sign Up to Cairns50
We’ve gone ULTRA TROPICAL for the second edition of the Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra race singlet for 2023.
We hope you like them!
Jump in early and grab your singlet; we will sell out of them as we only arrange for the first 500 entries to have a complimentary one in their race pack.
We’ve noticed that there has been some confusion about the weighing of athletes at the Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra 2022, and we want to put the record straight and stop the dangerous rumours, as the safety of the runners is paramount to the running of our events.
Part of our permits for hosting endurance events like the CPTU120 and CPTU80 is to ensure the athlete's safety when on our course. Sports Nutritionist and x-elite athlete, who was ranked 8th in the world on the Ultra Trail World Tour, Race Director became a master at hydration and nutrition for herself but also as a running coach, personal trainer since 2009 and ultra-trail coach for her clients starting up Ultra Trail Australia in 2013, after her 2nd place at Ultra Trail Mount Fuji 160km. Shona has a depth of experience that has helped runners reach their goals for a decade with amazing results and not finishing worse than the top 10 at Ultra-Trail events including the UTMB 10th 160km 3x 3rd’s UTA100, 2x6th Tarawera 100, Northbourne 100Mi 1st , UTMF 2nd, 6th, Mont Blanc Marathon 9th, 1st x 3 B100 and more.
Over the past decade, Shona has worked with elite athletes and recreational runners of all shapes and sizes and understands that everyone is different; however, each athlete on a course, if it is an ultramarathon that they are competing, needs to be aware of their hydration plan and how to follow it when stressed when racing en event like the CPTU.
As a safety measure for the CPTU, we have a Sweat Test Rate for Runners to pick up two conditions Hyponatremia and Dehydration.
What is a Sweat Rate Test?
Is when you weigh yourself before and after your session, calculate the difference percentage, and look for signs of dehydration.
Estimating your sweat rate can be a useful exercise when you’re trying to figure out how much and what you need to drink (in terms of fluids and electrolytes) during training and events. This means you won’t carry more than you require, and you reduce the chance of running out of fluid between aid stations.
Sweat rate varies considerably from person to person, and it can also vary quite a lot for any given individual: Things like how hard you’re working; the ambient temperature and humidity; your clothing choices; genetics and heat acclimation status all play a role in determining how fast and how much your body perspires.
What are we looking for at the Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra Sweat Rate Test?
You don’t put on weight - HUGE Warning Sign! You have your electrolytes all wrong and are at risk of Hyponatremia which means your sodium levels are dangerously low and can lead to death.
You lose around 2%-3% of your body weight.
We want to see weight loss.
If you lose more than this, like in 2022, our Paramedic will chat with you about how you feel and check for signs of dehydration.
Smelly Pee
Dark Yellow in Colour
Brown Pee - Go Straight to the hospital
Red Pee - You’ve eaten beetroot!
Exercise-induced hematuria - blood in it should clear after a few days. This is fine you can finish your race, it will be a bit painful though.
We chat about your nutrition and what could have upset your system and created the inflammation.
Headaches
Dry Mouth and Spittle.
Dizziness
Over the past five years of testing at the Brisbane Trail Ultra and last year at Cairns Port Douglas Trail Ultra, we’ve experienced sweat rates from about 0.5 litres per hour to just over 2.5L/hr. Shona has been testing her Ultra Training Australia clients since 2013 and has seen similar results with the odd bloke sweating 10L on during a sweat rate test!
We inform our medics each year that if a runner loses more than 3%, if the athlete looks good and this is normal for them, they are good to go. In the past five events, they never held up a runner at a checkpoint if they looked good and had lost more than 3% of their body weight.
We always have a Paramedic at the CP where we have the weigh-in. The Paramedic will weigh you in and perform a health check.
It’s vital that you learn about your body and what your body needs to stay safe and cramp-free whilst out training or racing.
The most common amount of fluid to plan for is 1-1.5L/hr is a ‘normal’/moderate sweat rate (for a healthy adult) during prolonged exercise of reasonable intensity.
Your race director only drinks 500ml per hour!
While we’ve seen very high sweat rates (upwards of 3L/hr) in a handful of athletes, those working incredibly hard in oppressively hot and humid conditions which is relevant to the CPTU, so take the time to get to know your body.
Why is it essential to perform a sweat rate test?
We have a sweat test in the CPTU120 and CPTU80 to catch runners after 42km and see if they are in good health before they take on the next section of their race. We are in one of the most challenging climates in Australia with one of the highest ITRA Rankings. Therefore, we are proactive with our safety measures for our athletes while they are on our course. We do this to ensure the runner is conscious of their hydration and nutrition for the duration of their event.
What will happen on Race Day?
We weigh each runner in the CPTU120 and CPTU80 in at the start line and write the weight on the race bib. You are then weighed in at Checkpoint 3 Kamerunga, and in 2023 we will weigh the CPTU120 and CPTU80 runners at CP5, the Bottom of The Bump Track.
The medic will weigh each athlete at CP2 and CP5 and check their motor skills, as the runner will have to remove their pack and put their group back on again; they also will have a quick chat with the medic and let them know how they are feeling.
The medic will look for around 2%-3% (2-3kgs if you weigh 100kgs or 1-1.5kg if you weigh 50kgs) body weight loss. If the runner has lost more than this and they can explain that this is normal for them, or they’ve had a massive dump since the start and feel great, then that is fine, and the runner will be cleared to run on.
This will all happen while your support crew or our checkpoint volunteers can refill your water bottles and grab your drop bag.
Suppose the runner has lost more than 3% and isn’t looking good, is unable to have a conversation with the medic and is showing the above signs of dehydration. In that case, they will be asked to rehydrate at the Checkpoint, which will always be with the electrolytes we provided or your electrolytes, under the medical supervision of the Paramedic on duty. We’ve never held a runner at the checkpoint in the past five events.
If the runner has put on weight, we will follow the advice of the medical command on the day. We know our Hammer Nutrition Emdurolytes is a safe electrolyte and will ensure that you have the correct electrolyte balance on the day; we’ve been using these for a decade. We have these caps available at each checkpoint.
Hammer Endurolytes can save your race; Race Director carries these when racing to hand them out to runners who are cramping as she passes them, no matter where she is in the world, it appeases the trail-running gods, and you’ll have a fantastic race! Post Race, the runner usually thanks her and tells her they would have DNF’d if it wasn’t for those “magic pills”, as she calls them. We have a 12% discount Code for you
BTU
We’d like to do a shout-out for the Cairns50 Event hosted on the 1st and 2nd of April 2023. Entries are still open, jump on their website and grab an entry. The race is hosted by local legends Smurf and Smurfette who are also coaches and were instrumental in supporting the CPTU in 2022.
We will look forward to announcing the Training Camp days that Smurf and Smurfette are hosting.
Stay Tuned
Shona and the CPTU Team