The Pistol Ultra Report

It has been a week since I ventured down to Alcoa Tennessee for The Pistol Ultra races which were run on March 9th and 10th.  I went down to have a Vespa / OFM table at Check-In and during the day on Saturday as well as to help be a guide for vision and hearing impaired runner Jeremy Sexton who was running the 100K.  I was looking forward to the trip as this was one of the races on my radar to run as while I love trails my feet and body have not done as well lately and especially if I want to run a 100 miler this is one to do as it is all on paved greenway trails and while harder on the body are for sure easier to navigate when the sun goes down.  Not sure what I will run next year as, and will discuss this more later, the race has a number of distances over the two days (Saturday and Sunday) from 1/2 Marathon to 100 miles and if you are really looking for a challenge you can do multiple races.

The Event
This all started for me when Gordon Turner, along with Brian Gajus, took over not only the Tsali Ultra Trail races which were run in Almond North Carolina on Sat January 14th of this year but they also took over The Pistol Ultra races in Alcoa Tennessee which has been going on since 2013.  I know Gordon from his great work in timing races in my part of the world with GTRaces - if you need a timing company I highly recommend them - and know Brian from his work on The Yamacraw Trail races which I have run 3 times as well as the No Business 100 which I have not run but have paced once at. 

After talking to Gordon and Brian about Vespa/OFM we came on as a race sponsor and I looked forward to sharing with those who were interested about Fat Adaption and Vespa and how they can greatly help with not only endurance races but even more importantly overall health.  Gordon then mentioned there was a Vision and Hearing Impaired runner, Jeremy Sexton, that needed guides for the 100 miler on the 10 mile loops - Jeremy later changed to the 100K.  While I have to admit having never done this before - being a guide - I was a little apprehensive as was a lot of responsibility never-the-less I offered to help and became part of Jeremey’s first 100k.  Another benefit was I would also be able to check out the course for next year.

One of the unique things about the Pistol, compared to many ultras, is the variety of races offered over the two days - and there used to be more with a relay as well.  For this year you had a choice of a 50K/100K/100 mile that started Saturday morning then a 50 miler that started at 8PM Saturday night.  Then on Sunday morning you could do a 1/2 marathon or full marathon.  One other aside there was an option to do what is called the Double Barrel where you can run the 50K/50Mile, 100K/50 Mile or 100Mile/50Mile.  So you can see there is something for everyone and that is why there is such a diverse crowd as compared to some ultra events - and the course adds to this as well.

The good part about the course - and I am sure some trail runners will say it’s not good:) - is that it is run on a 10mile/10.4mile loop, depends on if you are running the imperial or metric distances, and is paved. This makes logistics easy as you have easy access to multiple aid stations and at the turn around/finish line you can get warm if needed, and it was, as well change clothes and refuel easily.  Now I get it for some this can also be bad as it does provide an easy drop-out place you come across numerous times but I think the benefits out weight this aspect.  An advantage of the course being paved is that you do need to watch out for roots, rocks and such but you did have to be aware of uneven pavement, thus it removes the issues some like me get in running trails in the dark.  Another advantage is you can easily use numerous pacers as they can just jump in for a lap as we did with Jeremy.  The course while not flat with a few rises along the way is far from hilly with less than 200ft of elevation change per lap

The Race
This year there were 400+ participants in all the races and some great times were put down.  In the 50K Hector Falcon from West Virginia ran 3:22:39 to win the men’s race and Audrey Carter was the first women and second OA running a great time of 3:52:19.  In the 100K, which was started just after the 50K the Overall winner was Francesca Muccini in 10:16:25 and the first man was also second OA was Zach Bihlman who ran 11:19:46.  As for the 100 miler The Overall winner and first man was Chris Stamen in a course and Tennessee State record of 14:01:32 with the first woman, and 3rd OA, being Whitney Richman in 18:37:09.  The 50 Mile, which started at 8PM, winner and first man was Owen Thornton in 6:15:53 with the first woman, also 3rd OA, was Shelby Singleton in 8:36:53.  The Marathon and 1/2 marathon started Sunday morning with Jakeli winning in 3:22:17.5 and the first woman being Lucy Fischer in 4:16:56.  The Half Marathon was won by Peter Osickey in 1:24:23 with the women’s winner being Abbey Shepard in 1:50:54.  Also of note in the 100 miler Maurice LaFond at 70 competed the course in 31:47:01 and Steve Troxel completed the Double Barrel (100miler & 50 Miler) by running the 100 miler in 19:55 then doing the 50 miler in 11:59.

Start of 50K

Start of 100K/100Mile

Start of 50 Mile

Pacing the 100K
As I had mentioned I was helping to pace/guide Jeremy Sexton who is vision and hearing impaired and was one of 6 people to do so with each of us doing one lap - I ran the 4th lap.  Having never done this before I have to admit I was nervous as did not want to get it wrong.  I was not too worried about pace as the initial desired pace was in the 9:00-10:00 but knew from running close to 60miles before the things get slower later   into the race.  I just knew form taking to others there were areas where the pavement was a little rough so had to call that out as well as there were very few straight parts as while not super windy it is sort of a meandering path.  Started out a little tentative but got the hang of it pretty quickly - what I was not as ready for was having to speak loudly as I thought I was loud enough but found out I was not.  

Jeremy finishing with Kevin McDonnell

Also, kept forgetting when I would make a comment to an oncoming runner Jeremey would mistake it for me saying something to him.  I did find that the best method to use, as we were tethered on his right side, was to let him go and if he strayed left then sort of tug back and when going right sort of play bumper cars to straighten things out.  We did get caught in one really hard downpour that was also very cold and then had wind, which made it even harder to hear and pretty cold.  Then we came to where the path went under abridge that had water that was over ankle deep and while some went around on the rocks I did not think that was safe Jeremy.  As he was going to change his shoes anyway and we only had a little over two miles to go we just plowed through the water.  We got to the turn around and got Jeremy all changed and fed and off he went with his next pacer.  Jeremy did complete the 100K in 13:32:43 and in the process getting 11th OA and 3rd in his 40-49 AG, he is 47.  He was pretty knackered when done but a little birdie told me he was interested in doing it again next year:)

Wrap-Up
It was a great weekend and look forward to going next year to not only share about VESPA and OFM as well as do a race.  Gordon and Brian did a great job putting on such a big race - especially since people likely come into it with expectations from past years - but as far as I can tell they met those expectations.  It will be good to see where the race goes from here but for sure is one to do.  It was also great to talk to people working toward goals that others in the world would see as crazy.  I do enjoy sharing about how OFM and Vespa can help people not only reach their crazy goals, really not that crazy, as well as achieve better metabolic health.  As for me I will see how my right foot does this year as I know I can run the 50K and go to break my PR and get under 4:30 and maybe under 4:00 but deep down I want to do a 100 miles or maybe 100K .  My concern is if I do the 100K and it is hard on my foot I may not do a 100 miler and truthfully while I want to do one can live if I never do on.

I would encourage you to put the The Pistol Ultra on your schedule for next year and join in the fun - see you then.

Is this the Nail in the Fat Adaption Coffin - NOT

Gravel Worlds 2022

It is always interesting when a new paper comes out - especially when it reveals confirmation bias whichmost of the time is the case.  By the way we all have them - confirmation biases that is - the thing is to recognize them so you can check them at the door when making conclusions from papers and studies.

Such is the case with a recent study (https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/2/318) entitled: A Five-Week Periodized Carbohydrate Diet Does Not Improve Maximal Lactate Steady-State Exercise Capacity and Substrate Oxidation in Well-Trained Cyclists compared to a High-Carbohydrate Diet

Of course the tile spurred many of those who are largely carb-centric to claim this was the nail in the preverbal coffin of those who put forward a different paradigm.  Sort of interesting that this one paper leads to so many articles such that the public starts to think there is some ground breaking findings but it is simply a number of authors espousing their biases were indeed correct based on a single study.  A study by the way that I think these purveyors of the death of fat adaptation - Using Fat as Fuel -  incorrectly interpret. Here are some examples:

GCN - admittedly they do little the is actually scientific but is more entertainment based:  
Velo - Nothing new for them as if anyone writes anything that may be used to dispel fat adaption they are all over it:   
Trail Runner Magazine - The author admits at least that this study made him feel good- glad he fell affirmed - about his bias: 

So what is in this study - well for one I will give my take but please read it for yourselves.  I find too often people tend to not look into the studies themselves and thus take for gospel whatever they are told.  

This is a quick take from the abstract/study and my observations:
“There is a growing interest in studies involving carbohydrate (CHO) manipulation and subsequent adaptations to endurance training. This study aimed to analyze whether a periodized carbohydrate feeding strategy based on a daily training session has any advantages compared to a high-carbohydrate diet in well-trained cyclists.”

So right off the bat you see this is not about fat adaption or even low carb but about how manipulating carbs might, or might not “increase” performance.  I can tell you very few of us that think Fat Adaption is a great tool for health and performance say that one will go faster, jump higher, etc on a low carb diet.  Most simply say you do not need a high carb diet to do so.  Then there are some, like we at Vespa/OFM, that do say that to better ones “performance” one needs to use carbs strategically as required for a given effort - thus using the fuel required for a given effort and that with training you can up the effort that canoe covers by fat but there is a limit - just higher than most will say.  Also, keep in mind most that endorse a fat adapted diet also are not simply looking at how one performs today but also about health in general for the future.

Next there is the set up for the study - First the Who:
“Seventeen male cyclists classified as highly trained [22] volunteered to participate in this study. All participants were training 15 to 20 h per week and competing in the U23 national-level cycling categories before the study. Participants undertook the study in early November after a two-week post-season break and were informed about the tests to be performed. All participants signed an informed consent form before participating in the study, which was approved by the local Research Ethics Committee (CEISH 113/2019).”

Now while I find it interesting to know what the more elite athletes do and how they train the vast majority that will read most articles that reference this study and their conclusions do not fit most of those in the study.  So, in this case these are highly trained - not the average rider/athlete.  Then you find they are under 23 so they are fit young guys - who in general have not jacked up their metabolism yet and can get by with any number of errors nutritionally.  Also, they in general do not worry about the future as most of us do, or should, and if you are older have less time to correct errors.  Thus, while many use this article to make some general conclusions just seeing who this study was about does not align with a very, very large part of the population.

The Study Protocol:
“Seventeen trained cyclists (VO2peak = 70.8 ± 6.5 mL·kg−1·min−1) were divided into two groups, a periodized (PCHO) group and a high-carbohydrate (HCHO) group. Both groups performed the same training sessions for five weeks. In the PCHO group, 13 training sessions were performed with low carbohydrate availability. In the HCHO group, all sessions were completed following previous carbohydrate intake to ensure high pre-exercise glycogen levels. In both groups, there was an increase in the maximal lactate steady state (MLSS) (PCHO: 244.1 ± 29.9 W to 253.2 ± 28.4 W; p = 0.008; HCHO: 235.8 ± 21.4 W to 246.9 ± 16.7 W; p = 0.012) but not in the time to exhaustion at MLSS intensity.”

OK, a lot here but what I can tell you carb-periodization is not fat adaption and the fact this was done over only 5 weeks and done as it was will not allow the lower/periodized carb group to get their bodies to use fat as it was designed to do and the most efficiently.  This is where I see a major flaw - not in the study per se as it is what they were looking at - in how many read this study.  The study was to see if the manipulation of carbs would lead to “BETTER” performance not to see if being fat adapted or lower carb or using carbs strategically would work but if a particular way of using carbs would improve performance.

So what were the general conclusion in the paper:
“Both groups increased the percentage of muscle mass (PCHO: p = 0.021; HCHO: p = 0.042) and decreased the percent body fat (PCHO: p = 0.021; HCHO: p = 0.012). We found no differences in carbohydrate or lipid oxidation, heart rate, and post-exercise lactate concentration. Periodizing the CHO intake in well-trained cyclists during a 5-week intervention did not elicit superior results to an energy intake-matched high-carbohydrate diet in any of the measured outcomes.”

The bottom line “Periodization” of carbs did not increase performance but also, as the study said, it did not hinder performance.  This is key and overlooked, by accident or on purpose, by many I saw that commented on this.  If there was no difference then why do high carb as you don’t need to based on this study at least.

Here are some of my take aways from this study and then I will follow up with some general observations:

1. If there was no difference then to look at it the another way the carbs did not add anything
2. The fact High Carb people went down in carbs some amount and still performed says the fat did some work.  Imagine if they really worked at fat adaption
3. These are young fit guys so a change to lower carb - even just periodized - will limit the future issues due to high sugar intake with no detriment in performance
4. The study really says little about fat adaption and only deals with high carb athlete cutting back on carbs in a particular way
5. This study does not deal with the long term effects of high carb and that you can still perform on relatively less carbs with no performance hits but long term benefits

Let me here say that those that wanted to use this to say it is time to “Take the High Carb Way or the Highway” and use this study as a proof of that did not get the study.  But I also want to say that most of those that want to dismiss fat adaption simply, and incorrectly, often look at Keto as the only way to do fat adaption.  However, we at Vespa/OFM, and there are others but not many, see the need for carbs for performance but just not the quantity that is being pushed today.  I often see articles that have to give a nod to fat burning for “less strenuous” activities since it is basic science that fat is the best fuel to burn for lower intensities.  I have even seen some articles that say that Zone 2 can be done on fat and even that many do most activity at Zone 2 but then ignore this and go to how they need to up the carbs used.  Think about this for a moment - putting the elite athlete, who is often younger, aside for a moment - even in most marathons and ultras you will be running or riding at Zone 2 for most of it and thus fat would be your best fuel.  By fat here I am not saying taking in fat exogenously but using your endogenous fat that you have copious quantities of even if you are thin and with a lower body fat percentage.  Thus you can burn fat and conserver cabs till you really need them.  Again, this does not mean you will not need carbs but will need far less and thus getting less GI distress and minimizing to netting bonking.

Check out the OFM blogs for more info and remember to read the studies that you are presented for and try and see they really say.  

  Click on images for more information and if you want more info on OFM check out this post: 

• What is OFM (Optimized Fat Metabolism)