I'm not normally compelled to write a blog or contribute to a forum, but I thought that I should share my experience of this year's Epic on the Banting or LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) diet. I was repeatedly told before the event that it is not recommended to ride this gruelling event without carbs, that I would surely run out of energy and suffer. Even the race nutritionist from Woolies echoed these sentiments. I have been eating no sugar or carbs for the past 18 months and have done some events like the Sani2C and other marathon races throughout last year and the beginning of this year without any energy issues... but almost 7 ultras in a row? That was the question and it seriously stressed me out before this year's Epic. I searched all over the internet to get answers and advice, but not much there and a lot of contradicting information. Yes, no, maybe. Make up your minds, would you? I decided to stick to my nutrition and persevered. My teammate (a carb-muncher) and I trained together and were basically riding at the same level and had similar fitness going into this race, so it would be a good comparison. I'm also no racing snake, so was not aiming for a podium or top 100 finish. I was aiming to finish before the cut-off times each day... full stop. We trained to ride at 75% to 85% of max HR. So this is how it went... We finished in 299th GC (just in the top half out of 621 teams) and 89th in the Masters - we're both in our mid forties. I was amazed at how strong I felt throughout the race (all 8 days). Especially strong at the finishing stages of each day, where many teams were backing off and struggling to finish. I ended up always driving my teammate to the finish as he was finding it harder to fuel himself towards the end of each stage, especially during the latter stages of the event. I also did some pushing up-hills and creating a draft/slipstream during the windy stages. Also, it looked like my recovery was faster as I started pretty fresh each next day, unlike my partner. The water points did not cater for low carb at all, so I carried my own nutrition throughout the race: 1. Almonds and dry berry mix 2. Cabanossi (nice and fatty) 3. Home made fat-bomb gels in a squeezee bottle (macadamia nut butter, coconut oil, cocoa, and a dash of honey)... YUM! 4. Low-carb rehydration (electrolyte) mix - I used a combination of USN Zero Carb Rehydrator and Drip-Drop (medical grade rehydration supplement powder I recently discovered) I also found that I did not eat any more than I would have during my normal daily routine, with moderate training. My typical evening meals were steak, lamb or pork and veggies. Fatty bacon and eggs for breakfast (of course) So, it worked for me. In fact, I have never felt stronger during previous long races / rides and still have no idea why I felt so good during this Epic. I can't attribute my strength to the diet alone as we did put in a lot of training, but I have been riding for in excess of 20 years and have never felt this level of sustained energy and endurance for such a long time. So, the long and short of it is that it is VERY POSSIBLE to do a great Epic on the Banting diet. As long as you have some body fat... you have fuel.
