Clare Breaks 5km World Record | BICARRB for Masters Athletes
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Clare Elms already has multiple World and British age-group records to her name, but last weekend at the Top Flight Battersea 5K, she raised the bar once again. Clare took over 20 seconds off her own V60 5km World Record, powering around the course in 17:45 (17:48 gun time), her fastest 5km in seven years. That performance delivered an incredible 104% age grading, and makes Clare the oldest ever woman to break 18 minutes for 5km.
It’s a remarkable achievement, and one that highlights that performance doesn’t have to decline with age. For masters athletes, the narrative is often about managing decline. But Clare’s performance is a powerful reminder that, with the right training, consistency, and nutrition, athletes can continue to perform at an exceptionally high level well into their 60s and beyond.
The role of buffering in masters performance
One of the key physiological challenges that becomes more pronounced with age is the body’s ability to buffer acidity during high-intensity efforts. As race pace increases, particularly in events up to 10km, hydrogen ions accumulate in the muscles, contributing to that familiar burning sensation and loss of power.
For masters athletes, this can become a limiting factor earlier in races:
- Reduced buffering capacity
- Slower recovery between surges
- Greater fatigue in the closing stages
This is where bicarbonate supplementation becomes a powerful tool.
Why BICARRB?
BICARRB is designed to help athletes during exactly these high-intensity efforts. By increasing the body’s buffering capacity, BICARRB helps athletes to:
- Sustain faster paces for longer
- Better tolerate surges and changes in rhythm
- Maintain form and efficiency deep into races
- Finish strongly, even when fatigue builds
Rather than fading in the final stages, BICARRB can help you stay strong when you're at most of risk of fading.
Inspired by Clare?
Running 17:45 at 62 years old shows that endurance, speed, and racing instinct don’t disappear. With the right approach, they can continue to thrive.
At FLYCARB, we believe that tools like BICARRB help unlock that potential, supporting athletes to train harder, race smarter, and extend their peak performance years.