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Tom Smitheringale & Simone Allen
Nutrition
The Challenge
Written by Simone Allen
I love a challenge. I’ve had athletes want to cycle from Kalgoorlie to Perth in under 24 hours (did it in 19 hours) and compete in 7 day 280km Adventure races in Chile carrying all their food and supplies (race successfully completed), and after Tom’s last adventure on the ice, providing >30,000 kJ daily in food packs that weighed less than each1.2kg, I’m ready for anything.
Working as a Sports Dietitian I see a great variety of athletes from those doing their first local triathlon to those competing at a World Championship level and every case has their own individual challenges and Tom likes to push the boundaries. I always aim to provide advice that works in the real world, fine-tuning nutrition plans in training so that on the day it all works, but again, Tom’s adventures are completely different.
Tom is 200cm tall, ~110kg and will be spending 3 months trekking and kayaking on a 2000km journey through Egypt.
Food choices are crucial. Hydration is another hurdle. Both are essential to fuelling Tom in the hot, arid conditions of the Nubian and Western Deserts with a main focus on preventing dehydration, replacing salts lost through sweat and managing body temperature.
While exercising in mild conditions; athletes usually focus on replacing fluids and possibly fuel and salts, lost through sweat, with water and sports drink. When exercising in the heat, it is vital to ensure fluid, carbohydrate and electrolyte requirements are met as there is a much higher risk of dehydration, hyponatraemia, heat stress and heat cramps. The side effects of these conditions include nausea and vomiting, dizziness, confusion, respiratory distress or even coma.
It is essential for Tom to utilize sports specific foods such as sports drink, electrolyte tablets and glycerol for not just fuel for energy but to optimize fluid uptake to cope with the extreme conditions.
Simone Allen
Sports Dietitian
www.nutritionworks.com.au
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