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Cramp is one of the most frustrating things that can happen on race day. Understanding the real cause — and having a plan — makes all the difference.

TeamCPNZ Coaches Resource  ·  June 2026

WHY ATHLETES CRAMP

Cramp is almost a rite of passage in endurance sport — Coast to Coast, triathlons, long trail runs. It derails races, breaks momentum, and leaves athletes wondering what they did wrong. The good news is that cramp is largely predictable, largely preventable, and very manageable once you understand what’s actually driving it.

It’s Neuromuscular

The most important thing to understand about exercise-induced cramp is that it is primarily a neuromuscular event — not simply a hydration or electrolyte failure, despite what most sports drink marketing suggests.

Here’s what’s actually happening: when an athlete goes harder or longer than they’ve trained for, more muscle fibres are recruited for a sustained period. Eventually the neuromuscular junction — where the nerve signal meets the muscle — becomes fatigued. When that happens, it starts firing extra impulses, causing the muscle to spasm involuntarily. That’s cramp.

KEY PRINCIPLE

Elite athletes at major events rarely cramp — not because they have better electrolytes, but because they are trained to operate at that intensity. Cramp is the body’s signal that it’s been asked to do something it hasn’t been prepared for.

This is why cramp almost never happens in training but shows up on race day. The combination of a taper (feeling fresher than normal), race-day adrenaline, and crowd energy means athletes go out harder than their training has prepared them for — even though it doesn’t feel that way at the time.

Race Day Is the Perfect Storm

Several things converge at once on race day to create ideal cramping conditions:

  • The taper effect: A well-executed taper leaves athletes feeling significantly fresher than their normal training state. Perceived effort at a given pace is lower than usual — which makes it easy to go out too fast without realising it.
  • More muscle fibres activated for longer: Going harder means recruiting more fibres. Do that long enough and the neuromuscular junction fatigues. The further into a race, the lower the threshold for cramping.
  • Specific race formats: Events like Coast to Coast start with a hard run off the beach, followed by a long bike with repeated efforts, followed by a run. Each discipline compounds the fatigue of the last. Cramp on the mountain run isn’t just about the run — it’s about everything that came before it.
  • Adrenaline and elevated heart rate: Heart rate is elevated even on the start line which illustrates the extra adrenaline and the activated sympathetic nervous system.  The loud start line vibes and energy from other athletes means a higher effort can be sustained at least initially – but this comes at a cost later in the race.

Prevention: Train for the Intensity, Manage the Pacing

The most effective cramp prevention strategy is also the most obvious: train at the intensity you intend to race at. Beyond fitness preparation, pacing discipline in the early stages is the single biggest lever:

  • Prepare for the intensity: Most of us do a good job of simulating the terrain and going long but make sure that you add the intensity that you plan to go. 
  • Simulate Race Day – The best simulation session is a practice race in your lead up so you can practice your pacing strategy in a race environment. 
  • Cramping prior to your key event: If you do cramp in a training session or a practice race this is great feedback to adjust your pacing or training.  It also means that the affected muscle groups will heal and get stronger so will be in better shape at your key race.
  • Use a power meter on the bike: Power doesn’t lie and isn’t affected by adrenaline. Know the target number and sit with it regardless of how good the legs feel. Going over it, even briefly on climbs or chasing a wheel, burns matches needed later.
  • Use heart rate in the first hour: In the opening stages of any long event, heart rate monitoring keeps intensity honest. Once 60–90 minutes in, adrenaline dissipates and natural rhythm takes over — at which point perceived effort becomes more reliable.
  • Treat the first section as an investment: Athletes who cramp in the final third almost always went too hard in the first third. A conservative start is not lost time — it’s a deposit on a strong finish.

WORTH NOTING

On race day it is entirely normal to feel like you can go faster than your training paces. You probably can — temporarily. The question is whether you can sustain it. Trust the number, not the feeling.

What About Salt and Hydration?

The relationship between electrolytes, hydration, and cramp is more nuanced than most athletes assume. Dehydration and low sodium can contribute — particularly in heat or for heavy sweaters — but they are rarely the sole cause, and addressing them alone won’t reliably prevent cramp if intensity isn’t managed.

  • Salt matters more for some athletes than others: Sweat composition varies significantly between individuals. Athletes who are heavier sweaters or lose more sodium in sweat are more susceptible to electrolyte-related cramping and benefit more from targeted sodium replacement.
  • Many gels have very little sodium: Many modern gels contain minimal salt. Check the sodium content of race nutrition and supplement with salt tabs or an electrolyte drink if total intake looks low.
  • Work out your sodium target in training: Establish an approximate target for milligrams of sodium per hour based on personal sweat rate and conditions, and practise hitting it in long training sessions before the event.
  • Environment affects the equation: Hot, humid conditions increase sweat rate and sodium losses dramatically. What works in a cool New Zealand winter race may not be sufficient for a summer or overseas event.

Managing Cramp When It Happens

Even with the best preparation, cramp can still occur. How an athlete responds often determines whether it ends the race or just slows things down briefly.

IN-RACE CRAMP MANAGEMENT

•      Keep moving — stopping and stretching is one of the worst responses. The muscle needs blood flow, not static tension. Walking or easy movement is far more effective.

•      Cramp comes in waves — it peaks, then dissipates. An athlete who keeps moving will often find it eases within a few minutes. Don’t panic, don’t stop.

•      Shift the load — if a specific muscle is cramping, reduce its demand temporarily by adjusting gait, cadence, or position. Bring other muscle groups into play.

•      Avoid dismounting to stretch on the bike — getting off and then trying to remount usually triggers the cramp again. Manage it while staying in motion if possible.

•      Nutrition can help — fast-acting carbohydrates provide a rapid energy top-up that reduces neuromuscular fatigue. If gels are still available late in the race, take them.

•      Cramp Stop products (tart/vinegar-based) deliver a sharp sensory stimulus that resets the misfiring nerve signal. There’s a plausible mechanism and many athletes find them effective. Worth carrying in a race vest or jersey pocket.

Strength Training: The Underrated Prevention Tool

Strength training is one of the most effective and most overlooked cramp prevention strategies. Athletes who do regular, progressive resistance work are measurably less prone to cramping for several reasons:

  • Higher fatigue threshold: Stronger muscles can sustain effort for longer before the neuromuscular junction begins to fatigue. The cramping threshold effectively rises with improved strength.
  • Better economy and form under fatigue: A strong core and supporting muscles allow an athlete to hold proper form deeper into an event. Collapsing posture and compensatory movement patterns late in a race dramatically increase cramping risk — particularly in the hip flexors, adductors, and hamstrings.
  • Specific movement strength: For trail and mountain events, exercises that train large step-up movements, lateral stability, and eccentric load of descending are particularly valuable. Technical terrain requires specific strength preparation, not just aerobic fitness.

For Our Athletes

Cramp is a topic that often comes up the week before a major event, when structural changes are no longer possible. At this point go in with a clear plan rather than cramp anxiety:

  • Respect the taper — stick to your plan: Feeling great at the start line is the taper working. It is not an invitation to bank time in the first hour. Stick to the plan.
  • Trust the device, not the legs: Power meter and heart rate are objective. Perceived effort on race day is compromised by adrenaline. Use the number especially in the first 90 minutes.
  • Have a nutrition plan with sodium in it: Know the sodium target per hour and have a product to hit it — especially in warm conditions.
  • Carry Cramp Stop: Does it work?  potentially but the placebo effect is a real thing so if it feels like it works, it probably will.  It gives athletes something to do when cramp hits rather than just suffering through it. 
  • Keep moving if it happens: Cramp is not the end. It peaks and passes. Keep moving, shift the load, take on fast carbs, and give it a few minutes before assuming the race is over.
  • Focus on the process: If cramp does occur use this as a reminder to check in on the things you can control, how’s your posture, are you following your hydration and nutrition plan, how is your technique.  Focus on the things that you can control and allow that to take your mind away from your cramping muscles
  • Review your strength sessions: If cramping is a recurring issue, review your strength training with the specific areas that are cramping on race day.

 

QUICK REFERENCE — CRAMP MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS

Primary cause Neuromuscular fatigue — going harder than trained
Race day risk Taper + adrenaline = easy to go out too hard
Best prevention Pacing yourself – use a Power, Pace or Heart Rate — trust the number, not the feeling
Electrolytes Contributing factor but not the main cause — manage sodium per hour
If it hits Keep moving — don’t stop and stretch
Cramp Stop Tart/vinegar formula — sensory reset of the nervous system
Nutrition Execute your nutrition plan.
Long-term fix Strength training — raises the fatigue threshold
Simulation Do a practice race close to help simulate race day intensity and excitement

Once a month the TeamCPNZ coaches sit down together, sharing experiences, discussing the latest research, and talking through what’s actually making a difference for the athletes they work with every day. Real conversations. No fluff.

The Coaches Resource Series turns the best of those conversations into something you can use. Collective knowledge, distilled into practical takeaways — because better-informed athletes get better results.

This month: sleep. The most powerful recovery tool you already have. Read on.

THE SLEEP OPPORTUNITY : WHY EIGHT HOURS CHANGES EVERYTHING

Sleep is the most underrated performance lever in endurance sport. Here’s what the research says  and how to actually apply it to help your performance

TeamCPNZ Coaches Resource  ·  May 2026

Training load, nutrition, and race-day strategy take up most of the coaching conversation. But sleep is the recovery pillar that quietly determines whether all of that work actually sticks. Athletes who shortchange sleep aren’t just tired – they’re limiting adaptation, increasing injury risk, and undermining every other investment they’ve made in their training.

Reframe: The Sleep Opportunity

Most athletes think about sleep as something that either happens or doesn’t. A more useful frame is the sleep opportunity – the deliberate act of giving your body the conditions it needs to do its work.

The research is clear: virtually everyone needs a minimum of eight hours, and athletes in active training likely need more. The common belief that six or seven hours is “enough” is a coping story, not a performance strategy. You can function on less – but you won’t adapt, recover, or perform at your ceiling.

KEY PRINCIPLE

The goal isn’t to “sleep better” – it’s to give yourself eight hours lying down, lights out, eyes closed. Let the body do the rest. Removing the pressure to sleep perfectly is often what makes sleep improve.

Work backwards from the wake-up time. Getting up at 5am means lights out by 9pm. Getting up at 6am means in bed by 10pm. Non-negotiable.

The One Habit That Makes Everything Worse

Checking the clock during the night is one of the most counterproductive things an athlete can do – and almost everyone does it. Two things happen the moment you look at your phone at 2am:

  • Blue light exposure: The screen suppresses melatonin and signals the brain to wake up, even briefly.
  • Stress calculation: The brain immediately starts doing maths — “only four hours left” — and the anxiety that follows makes returning to sleep harder.

The fix: turn the phone face down, or keep it out of the room entirely. Waking overnight is normal. Lying still with eyes closed is still recovery – it doesn’t need to be labelled a problem.

Build a Sleep Routine That Works

Consistency is the most powerful sleep tool available – and it costs nothing. The body thrives on predictability. When sleep and wake times vary day to day, the circadian rhythm never fully settles, and sleep quality suffers regardless of duration.

  • Same bedtime, every night: Regularity trains the brain to start winding down at a predictable time. Even on weekends, keeping variation under an hour makes a real difference.
  • No exercise within 2–3 hours of bed: Exercise raises core temperature and cortisol – both need time to settle before quality sleep can begin.
  • Avoid alcohol: Alcohol may help with falling asleep but fragments sleep architecture significantly – particularly REM. Using it as a wind-down tool trades short-term relaxation for poor recovery.
  • Book over screen: Reading a physical book slows the mind, involves no blue light, and doesn’t carry the stimulation of social media or email.
  • Warm shower before bed: The drop in core temperature after a warm shower mimics the natural temperature fall that triggers sleep onset.
  • Cool, dark room: The ideal sleep environment is 18–20°C and as dark as possible. Blackout curtains are worth the investment. Small light sources – chargers, standby lights, curtain gaps – can disrupt sleep depth more than most people realise.

WORTH NOTING

As winter arrives, many people crank the heating – which pushes room temperature above the optimal sleep zone. A cooler room isn’t just comfortable preference; it’s physiologically important for reaching and sustaining deep sleep stages.

Supplements & Practical Aids

Lifestyle habits are the foundation – but for athletes who’ve got the basics right and want to go further, the following are worth knowing about:

  • Magnesium Glycinate: The most sleep-relevant form of magnesium. There are dozens of variants – Glycinate specifically supports relaxation and sleep quality. Pure Sport Nutrition carries a reliable option.
  • Tart Cherry & 5-HTP: A useful combination for supporting natural melatonin production and sleep depth. Available as a combined supplement alongside magnesium.
  • Herbal sleep teas: Chamomile-style bedtime teas have a gentle relaxation effect and work well as part of a consistent wind-down routine.
  • Weighted blankets: A 2–7kg blanket activates the parasympathetic nervous system through deep pressure – calming anxiety and supporting sleep onset. Try different weights; some people sleep under one all night, others use it only to relax under initially and then to remove.
  • Grounding mats: Some athletes report significant benefit. Evidence is still developing, but downside risk is low and it pairs well with a weighted blanket for athletes with elevated baseline anxiety.
  • Calm app (or similar): Guided body-scan meditations are effective for athletes whose brains stay switched on at bedtime. The goal isn’t to finish the meditation – it’s to redirect attention away from the day. Most people don’t make it to the end. That’s the point.

The Busy Brain Problem

One of the most common sleep barriers isn’t physical – it’s mental. A full life, training load, and late-night screen habits mean many people arrive at bedtime with a head full of unfinished business. Two strategies that consistently work:

  • Pre-bed brain dump: Keep a notepad by the bed. Spend five minutes before sleep writing down anything that needs doing tomorrow. Once it’s on paper, the brain no longer needs to hold it. Even an unfinished list is enough to let go – it’ll be there in the morning.
  • Audit the evening routine: Many athletes underestimate how long their pre-bed routine actually takes. Track what’s happening in the two hours before bed for a week – the patterns become obvious, and they’re usually fixable with small adjustments.

Coaching Shift Workers

Paramedics, nurses, doctors, and others on rotating shifts face a genuinely different challenge — one where standard sleep advice only partially applies. The key is building the training program around their recovery reality, not a fixed weekly template.

WORKING WITH SHIFT WORKERS

•      The first day after a night shift is typically a write-off for quality training – plan around it rather than fighting it

•      The second day after a night shift is often the hardest – fatigue peaks here even after a full day’s sleep

•      By day three, most athletes are ready for normal training again

•      Ask athletes to track and annotate their own patterns  – individuals vary significantly and they often know themselves better than any formula predicts

•      Prioritise daylight exposure on tough days – the most effective circadian reset available

•      On a depleted day: drop the Intensity first, then the duration. and if you are no good after 5mins just turn around and head home and put a line through the session (don’t try to catch it up).  Pushing through on empty raises injury risk

•      If stress and sleep disruption are severe, encourage a GP conversation – short-term support to reset is a legitimate option, not a last resort

 

In Short..

Many athletes understand that sleep matters in theory but haven’t made it a real priority. Wearables have added complexity  –  some athletes are now anxious about their sleep data on top of everything else, which compounds the problem. The message is simple and actionable:

  • Stop trying to sleep –  start creating the opportunity: Eight hours in bed, dark, quiet, cool. That’s what’s controllable. The body does the rest.
  • Don’t judge the night by the data: Sleep trackers measure proxies, not perfect truth. If you feel rested, you’re rested. Don’t let a device tell you otherwise.
  • If you don’t have a great sleep: Get up get into the day, stick to the routine and give yourself another opportunity tonight. Sleep will come – your body will make sure of it.
  • One change at a time: Overhauling a sleep routine overnight rarely works. Pick one habit – consistent bedtime, phone out of the room, cooler temperature –  lock it in before adding the next.
  • Sleep is training: The hours in bed are as important as the hours on the bike or trail. Without adequate sleep, the adaptation from training doesn’t fully happen – the work is literally wasted.

 

 

QUICK REFERENCE — SLEEP ESSENTIALS

Clock-watching Phone face down or out of the room — time anxiety kills sleep
Consistency Same sleep & wake time daily — highest single-impact habit
Temperature 18–20°C, blackout curtains — essential for deep sleep
Screens Off 30–60 min before bed — read a book instead
Notepad Write it down — the brain stops holding what’s on paper
Alcohol Disrupts REM significantly — avoid as a sleep aid
Magnesium Glycinate form — best option for sleep support
Weighted blanket 2–7kg — calms nervous system at bedtime

 

 

 

TEAMCPNZ QUICK CONNECT EP 63 – May Metres Special – ‘STAY INFORMED AND STAY CONNECTED’

Welcome to our recap of our May Metres challenge. It has been an awesome month with over 60 people signing up and getting involved with the goal of seeing how many vertical metres you could climb over the month.

Today we chat to the top three finishers, Shiraz Mullholand, Craig Moore and Mat Gordon to hear their stories, how they made it work and what they learnt. We also share a number of special mentions from an epic month of climbing.

Well done to everyone who got involved and thanks for being part of our Team.

Welcome back to another episode of CP Community Connect.

In this episode we catch up with long-time TeamCPNZ athlete James Kay. Over the past almost 10 years with the team, James has taken on a huge range of adventures and events, from multisport and mountain biking through to running and triathlon.

Earlier this year in Taupō, James delivered yet another personal best performance, qualifying for the 70.3 Triathlon World Championships in Nice, a massive achievement and the next step towards his biggest goal yet.

In today’s episode we chat training, racing, consistency, balancing life and sport, and everything in between as James prepares for the biggest challenge of his endurance journey so far.

CPNZ MEDIA

Richard Greer – @ric.greer

http://www.teamcp.co.nz

@teamcpnz

https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

Welcome back to the TEAMCPNZ Community Connect Podcast!

In this episode we catch up with TeamCPNZ athlete David Manning following his recent 50km ultra marathon on the West Coast Wilderness Trail. We chat about his race experience, the build up to the event, lessons from the day and even dive into his surprisingly simple pre-race meal the night before!

We also switch gears and talk family adventure, with David recently completing the Kepler Track alongside his family. We chat about how the kids handled the adventure, what they carried, and David shares some great tips for getting the whole crew outdoors, making memories and actually enjoying the journey together.

A great mix of endurance, adventure and real-life family outdoors chat.

CPNZ MEDIA

Richard Greer – @ric.greer

http://www.teamcp.co.nz

@teamcpnz

https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

In this episode we bring you a few finishline interviews from the very first RUN AKAROA.

Welcome to the Bonus Run Akaroa Finish Line Chats for 2026

These are always my favourite podcasts to put together, recorded live at the finish line where the legs are sore, emotions are high and the stories are real.

A massive congratulations to everyone who took part in the debut Run Akaroa event. Whether you were racing for the podium, chasing a personal goal or simply enjoying the day with friends and family, it was awesome to see the Akaroa community come alive.

From sprint finishes and champagne celebrations to runners in jeans (yes… really ), this first edition delivered plenty of memorable moments. Huge credit to Kerry Uren and the team for bringing this long-time vision to life, alongside the incredible support from Akaroa Salmon and the local community.

So kick back, start recovering those legs and enjoy hearing the stories from across an epic inaugural event

CPNZ MEDIA

Richard Greer – @ric.greer

http://www.teamcp.co.nz

@teamcpnz

https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

http://www.runakaroa.com

Join us on today’s podcast where we introduce May Metres month and check in on progress over the first four hours. Who has early metres on the board and who are the ones to watch? We then catch up with Jeff Ormrod, who recently completed the Christchurch Marathon and in doing so, set another PB – The 4th In 4 Years At The Event. We talk through how his training went, his key learnings, and how he executed race day

Welcome back to the TEAMCPNZ Community Connect Podcast!

This episode is a special one , recorded live on tour from the stunning Ohau Lodge during Backroad ’26, where the energy, stories, and connections are as real as it gets.

We’re joined by TEAMCPNZ athlete Hannah Gee, who gives us a behind-the-scenes look at her Backroad ’26 experience – the highs, the challenges, and what makes this adventure so unique.

We also dive into her recent crack at Ironman 70.3, unpacking the lessons learned, what went right, and what she’s taking forward.

And perhaps most inspiring of all, Hannah shares how she balances her training with life on the front line as a paramedic — offering a real and relatable insight into commitment, resilience, and making it all work.

Let’s get into it.

CPNZ MEDIA

Richard Greer – @ric.greer

http://www.teamcp.co.nz

@teamcpnz

https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

Kathmandu Coast to Coast Podcast is Back – Season 8 powered by TeamCPNZ!

We’re fired up to kick off Season 8 of the TeamCPNZ Kathmandu Coast to Coast Podcast, and what a way to start the 2027 season.

In Episode 1, we bring you stories, insights, and inspiration from across the field…We catch up with 2026 Longest Day Men’s Champion, Hamish Elliot, as he shares his journey to the Coast to Coast start line and the key learnings from an epic day out on course.

We also chat with TeamCPNZ athlete Calan Jones, who took on the 2 Day event this year. Calan reflects on her two-day adventure from the wild West Coast to the East Coast, offering real insights into what it takes to prepare for and tackle this iconic challenge.

And joining us for a race perspective, Race Director Glen Currie gives us a recap of the 2026 event, along with valuable tips for first-timers heading into 2027.

From elite performance to first-timer advice, this episode has something for everyone, whether you’re dreaming of the start line or already training.

We’re so excited to be back and to bring you another season of stories, learning, and community as we build towards the 2027 Kathmandu Coast to Coast.

TEAMCPNZ MEDIA HOSTS

Angus Petrie – @thecollabcreative

Richard Greer – @ric.greer

http://www.coasttocoast.co.nz

http://www.kathmandu.co.nz

http://www.teamcp.co.nz

@teamcpnz

https://www.facebook.com/teamcpnz

[email protected]
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