Fuel and Flow with Jess

3 Days. 152km. What It Really Takes Behind the Scenes

By Jesikah Ings, Run Vault Nutritionist

3 days. 152km. A lot more goes into something like this than people realise.

Friday 10km. Saturday 100km. Sunday 42km.

Before we get into race weekend, a bit of context. Claude is not just an athlete I work with, he is my partner. For most of 2024 and into 2025, he has basically been my nutrition guinea pig while I finished my degree.

We have trialled a lot. What works. What does not. What looks good on paper but completely falls apart mid run. What holds up when you are six hours deep and do not want to eat anything.

Now that I am qualified, what we are doing is not guesswork anymore. It is tested, refined, and repeated. And this weekend was a solid example of that.

The Lead Up

The lead up to something like this is pretty standard in our house now. A lot of training, a lot of eating, and a strict 7:30pm bedtime.

It sounds simple, but it is not easy.

Weekends are for long runs and recovery. Social plans get pushed aside. Everything starts to revolve around performance whether you realise it or not.

Claude is in his third year of running and we have found a rhythm. His everyday nutrition is consistent. Nothing extreme, just enough structure to support what he is doing.

He is a roofer, working long days on his feet in the Queensland heat. His days start with a 3:00am alarm so he can train before work.

Race Week

We kicked off a three day carb load heading into the race. Everything felt under control. Meals were eaten. Boxes were ticked.

Thursday was travel day. We flew into Albury, then drove to Bright. The flight took three attempts to land. Not ideal when you are about to run 152km over three days.

We finally landed and found out every other flight had been cancelled. Very lucky.

By the time we arrived in Bright, we were tired and hungry. First stop was food.

In true Claude fashion, he found the biggest burgers he could. Not exactly textbook carb loading, but at that point calories were calories and it did the job.

That night was about resetting. Proper food, hydration, and settling the body after a chaotic travel day.

The Day Before

Friday looked very different for both of us.

For Claude, it was simple. Stay off his feet and let the work already done take over.

For me, it was full prep mode.

Cooking and organising everything for the weekend. Because when you are racing three days straight, the last thing you want to think about is cooking.

Sweet potato, lasagne, salad, garlic bread. Spaghetti bolognese. Chicken and rice. Snacks for me while crewing.

Everything had a purpose. Easy carbs. Simple protein. Food you will actually eat when you are exhausted.

Friday 10km

Friday night was a shakeout. A chance to move the legs and settle into the weekend.

Fuel was simple. A bagel with honey and juice about an hour before, then a gel just before the start.

Once finished, it was straight home. Hot shower. Dinner. Early bed. Saturday was always going to be the main event.

Saturday 100km

Cold. Dark. Three degrees.

Claude moved through his routine quietly. Bagel. Juice. Pack checks. Less talking, more focus.

From a fuelling perspective, this was the anchor of the entire weekend.

The plan:

• 140 to 150 grams of carbs per hour
• 800 to 850 milligrams of sodium per hour
• 100 milligrams of caffeine every two to two and a half hours

Fuel included Trainade Performance, Maurten gels, plus aid station extras like coke, noodles, and ginger beer.

Structured fuel first. Everything else layered on top.

And it worked. No gut issues. No crashes. Just steady output across a long day.

Crewing was its own challenge. No reception in the mountains. A lot of waiting, hoping, and then switching on when he arrived at checkpoints.

Saturday night was recovery mode. Shower, food, bed. But sleep was minimal with adrenaline still high.

Sunday 42km

Sunday did not feel good early. Low energy. A bit concerning. But in those moments, the job is simple. Stick to the plan.

Bagels in the toaster. Get carbs in. Get moving.

The drive to the start was rough. Winding roads, car sickness, not ideal before a marathon. But once he started running, things shifted.

At the first checkpoint, he came through behind expectations. Quick reset. Coke. Swap flasks. Straight back out.

From there, the mindset changed. He moved from third to second and started chasing.

Watching him come down the finish chute felt like everything at once. Months of work, early mornings, sacrifices, all landing in that moment.

Proud is an understatement.

Proud he got through his first multi stage event. Proud he held it together across three days. The podium was just the bonus.

Take Home Message

You do not just show up to something like this and hope for the best.

You do not wing 152km over three days. And you do not land on a podium by accident.

This is built in the early mornings, in the meals no one sees, in the times things go wrong and you adjust.

Because when it comes to races like this, training will only take you so far.

Your fuelling is what holds it all together.

Jesikah Ings
Resident Nutritionist, Fuel & Hydration, Run Vault