Robert Norman’s 24 Hour Guinness World Record Attempt – The Supplies

By Robert Norman

Greetings again readers! I’m Robert Norman, SUP paddler from Florida and today we will be delving into my training and supplies for the Guinness World Record attempt on Feb 10th-Feb 11th at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota. The current number to beat to be put into the men’s record is 99.4Mi or 160KM. My current training is suggesting a number closer to 120 miles or 193KM.

Looking beyond the physical preparation and specific equipment for the endeavor, now I want to look at my consumable supplies. There is a huge importance in staying properly nourished and hydrated every hour of the event. Having a mishap occur can potentially ruin the entire event, which is not an option.

The long distance cyclist model

I’ve taken a fairly simplistic approach to this and basing it largely on long distance cyclist intake. In my last article I mentioned ultra marathoners and modeling my training plan around theirs, but in contrast with nutrition I have more free range. Runners constantly receive impact while running which has an adverse affect on how they hold food. Cyclists are closer in regards to SUP where they receive no impact and can hold food more efficiently.

Hydration supplies

My primary hydration is coming from Gatorade for the first 12 hours. I need something with calories, sodium, and electrolytes and Gatorade has worked for me. The 20 ounce blend works well enough where there is enough carbs, but the mix isn’t too thick so it’s still hydrating. Past the 12 hour mark I’ll switch to Tailwind with caffeine. The other option here was to take caffeine powder and mix it into the gatorade. But, I decided to have a product similar to gatorade that had the caffeine pre-mixed with good reviews. Many people dislike the sugary taste of Gatorade, and I really enjoy it without getting tired of it.

Nutrition supplies

Next, my main source of nutrition is coming from Cliff Bars. Another easy to buy store brand product. Easy on my stomach, filling, and I enjoy the taste. The demand the pacing is putting on my body, it’s instantly starting to metabolize and use everything I put in. As long as the fiber levels are low, it’s like throwing coal into a fire.

Calory intake

Combining the hydration and nutrition I’m averaging around 500 calories per hour. Which is a 12,000 calories intake in the entire event roughly matching the calories I burn.
In case of hydration emergencies, drinking straight water is the key. In a caloric deficit (usually noticeable if hands start shaking) I have (plant based) protein shakes for fast calories. The final emergency would be the onset of sleepiness which I’m hoping to combat with a steady supply of low dose caffeine(50-70mg hourly), but I also have 2 espresso (400mg caffeine) to shoot me awake in any twilight hours.

You can read about the equipment I will be using here and about the training I have been putting here.