Hydration in Female Drivers in a 1044 km Dog Sled Race in Finnmark

Abstract

Dog sled racing is a strenuous activity and drinking strategies are important to avoid dehydration. It seems that the drinking strategy of our subjects was adequate to supplement the hydration loss; yet, emotional arousals occurring during the race may affect drinking behavior. The attentive assistance of the mushers' handlers is therefore important.

Health challenges in long-distance dog sled racing: A systematic review of literature

“…With respect to the research design described in the different studies, eight were descriptive field studies with repeated measurements [10–17] (two of which were defined as “case” studies based on reports of one or two participants [16,17]) and two were surveys [18,19] (of which, one was designed as a perspective longitudinal study [19]). In most studies, measurements were done during or shortly before/after the race, while three studies included follow-up measurements over 1 week [10,11] and 1 month [19] after completion of the race.…”

“…Acute upper respiratory infections were also somewhat frequent. In most instances, medical conditions were self-treated, otherwise care was administered by race veterinarians, support staff and local village clinicians.Weydahl and Calogiuri [17]5.50Two female mushers (Age: 23–53 years) participating in the Finnmarksløp 1044K Case study with repeated measurementsPsychophysical workloadEnergy intake and hydrationContinuous HR-monitoring and RPE assessmentSampling or urine, analysed for specific gravityBIA, skinfold measurements, body weight and anthropometric assessmentsDrink and food logThe workload was, on average, of moderate intensity, although both participants reached at times very high levels of intensity. The amount of liquids consumed was adequate to supplement hydration losses, but one of the mushers was in a poor hydration state from before entering the race.…”

“…Three studies by Calogiuri and Weydahl have carried out continuous monitoring of the participants heart rate (HR) throughout the race (or part of it) and cross-matched this information with the official race reports in order to estimate the exercise intensity during the different legs [10,11,17]. These studies reveal that, on average, the exercise intensity sustained by the participants in long-distance dog sled races is not particularly high per se : the mean HR measured during the legs ranges between 50% and 65% of the participants maximal HR, although at times very high levels of intensity were achieved (HR above 90% of the maximum) [10,11,17].…”

“…These studies reveal that, on average, the exercise intensity sustained by the participants in long-distance dog sled races is not particularly high per se : the mean HR measured during the legs ranges between 50% and 65% of the participants maximal HR, although at times very high levels of intensity were achieved (HR above 90% of the maximum) [10,11,17]. However, these studies also reveal that the participants engage in few and brief bouts of rest (on average two bouts per day, accounting for an overall rest-time of about 3–4 hours per day) [10,11], which, alongside the long duration of the race and the challenging environmental conditions, makes the overall load quite strenuous.…”

“…The energy expenditure of the mushers especially increased during the last leg of the race, likely due to fatigued dogs and/or a reduction of the dogs pack, which put more strain on the mushers [14]. However, findings on perceived exertion show that the subjective experience of fatigue can vary among the participants, and indicate that such subjective experience of exertion/fatigue might be associated with physiological parameters such as the participants’ hydration status [15,17]. …”