UoG partners with England Athletics to prepare elite ultra-distance runners for 100km Anglo-Celtic Plate

University of Gloucestershire sports and performance science experts have joined forces with England Athletics to prepare elite ultra-distance runners for international competition. 

Members of the England team competing at the upcoming Anglo-Celtic Plate 100km event on 3 May 2025 were provided with bespoke physiological testing within the University’s specialist sports facilities featuring a sports physiology laboratory offering advanced diagnostic technology. 

Tailored to their individual target race pace, England team members Shaun Dixon and Dan Summers completed a series of assessments, including a lactate threshold test and a running economy test, under the guidance of the University’s sports performance team that provided critical information to inform their race strategy. 

The tests also enabled the sports performance team to gain access to key information around fuelling and hydration, which are crucial for endurance activities such as 100-km running to ensure athletes maintain energy levels and avoid ’hitting the wall’. 

The data from the tests will enable the England team – headed up by England 100k team manager, Robbie Britton – to plan Shaun and Dan’s race pace strategy, carbohydrate and fluid intake, and support any final training decisions ahead of the race against teams from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland at Mallory Park in Leicestershire. 

The University’s Simon de Waal, Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Sciences, and Ashish Balagopalan, Senior Technical Demonstrator for Sport and Exercise Sciences, worked together to collect blood lactate samples, oxygen uptake, perceived exertion, and substrate utilisation during the testing.  

The collaborative teamwork between Simon and Ashish is an extension of the classroom and outreach environment at the University whereby academics and technician demonstrators work in tandem to ensure the highest degree of accuracy in teaching and research. 

Simon de Waal, from the University’s School of Education and Science, said: “We’re always extremely proud working with partners at England Athletics and other national organisations to host elite athletes like Shaun and Dan in preparation for major competitions. 

“It provides renewed confidence to our students about the development of their skills and knowledge when they know that the same specialist facilities that they can access for learning and teaching activities are being used to assess elite athletes. 

“Working with Shaun and Dan was a real pleasure and provided our team with valuable insights into the levels of athletic performance achieved by ultra-distance runners competing at their level.

“Our facilities allow for highly accurate diagnostics to be run on any athlete’s physiological capacity, prior to conducting a training programme for them.

“We wish Shaun and Dan every success at the British Championships and for the rest of the season and look forward to continuing our relationship with Robbie and his team at England Athletics.” 

Robbie Britton, England 100k team manager, said: “We’re really happy that University of Gloucestershire is supporting the England Athletics 100k team this year, and the insight they provided will help our athletes achieve their best in the Championships and hopefully many more in the future.” 

Dan Summers (pictured above) said: “Simon and his team were great from start to finish.  The opportunity to test running at specific speeds around my predicted 100k pace has been invaluable for planning my fuelling and pace strategy for the race.  

“I would thoroughly recommend these tests to anyone looking to get the most out of themselves in an upcoming race.” 

Shaun Dixon said: “Although I am an experienced runner, I am relatively new to 100km events, so Simon’s insight has already made a huge difference to my preparation. 

“He underlined some key areas in relation to my hydration and nutrition that will hopefully spur me to a great performance next weekend. The facilities at the University are top-notch and Ashish and Simon made the whole experience enjoyable.”

Feature image: left to right, Simon de Waal, Dan Summers, Shaun Dixon and Ashish Balagopalan