Spotlight: High Carbs, High Speeds, High Times…and a Drip Too Far

Become a Discourse member

Enjoy the pod? Support us with a small monthly donation on Patreon and unlock access to our exclusive Discourse community—deep dives, hot takes, and smarter sport talk await!

In this week’s Spotlight, we dive into the science behind an eye-watering nutrition number: 200 grams of carbohydrate per hour. That’s what elite Ironman Cameron Wurf reportedly consumed during a record-breaking bike leg in Texas. But does the body actually use it all—or is there a ceiling to sugar oxidation? Ross and Gareth break down a recent study comparing 120g and 90g per hour in trained cyclists, revealing how much of that fuel actually gets burned, and whether it has the purported effects on fuel use during exercise. Before we hit the carb overload, we’ve got a mix of big stories from across the sporting world:

🎾 IV drips and bans in tennis – Australian pro Max Purcell has been hit with an 18-month doping ban for intravenous vitamin infusions. We unpack the rules, his case and discover some other athletes who have fallen foul of the IV rule

🏏 Cannabis and cricket – South Africa’s Kagiso Rabada served a one month suspension for a ‘recreational drug’. We revisit the criteria WADA uses to ban substances and ask: should cannabis really be on the list?

🏃‍♂️ The teen sprint takeover – A 17-year-old ran a wind-assisted 9.92s, with two ninth-graders just behind him, breaking 10.2s. They join Gout Gout as teen phenoms with bright futures

🔬 Publish, perish—or post? – We reflect on a growing reality in science: if researchers aren't visible and able to communicate beyond journals, they risk irrelevance. Is it now “share or disappear”?

Show notes

• The long detailed piece by Ben Rothenberg on the Max Purcell doping ban
• Ryan Lochte got done for the same offence, no investigation needed - he served himself up on an Instagram post!
• A Newsweek article, published after Sha'Carri Richardson's cannabis ban, on how the drug came to be on the WADA list
• Interesting piece on Gout Gout's coach, Di Sheppard
• Article on Cam Wurf's Ironman fuelling strategy that kicked off today's main topic
• WADA's scientists defend cannabis' presence on the banned list
• Recent review showing no performance enhancing effects of cannabis
• The Podlogar article comparing 90 to 120 g/h that we discuss

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.