Peter Defty and Andrea Moore dive into one of the most overlooked yet critical aspects of ultra-endurance racing—sleep management. For athletes pushing their bodies and minds to the edge (and sometimes over the edge!), sleep isn’t just about recovery; it’s a finely tuned strategy and tool that can make or break performance.

Andrea shares her real-world approach to balancing rest with the relentless demands of multi-day ultra events. She emphasizes the importance of listening to the body while setting firm boundaries on rest periods. For her, most “sleep breaks” don’t stretch beyond 90 minutes—and in many cases, they’re just short 20–45 minute resets. These quick naps aren’t about luxury, but efficiency, enabling her body to recover enough to keep going.

Support crews also play a vital role. Andrea describes how her crew not only manages logistics but also uses small rituals, like applying Tiger Balm to her feet during naps, to maximize rest and recovery in limited windows of time. These small touches highlight how sleep strategy extends beyond just closing your eyes—it’s about creating conditions for quality rest, however short.

Peter points out that this type of deliberate approach is essential for fat-adapted athletes, where recovery is often about energy balance, mindset, and precision. Whether it’s six hours total at a multi-day event or short “dirt naps” between aid stations, the common thread is: sleep is treated as a performance tool, not an afterthought.

📌 Conclusion

This clip underscores how athletes testing themselves at the very ragged edges of ultra-endurance treat sleep as a core strategy, not just downtime. By blending short, high-quality rest periods with solid longer blocks of sleep Andrea’s demonstrate that sleep management is every bit as important as nutrition,hydration,  pacing, or training.

🎬 See the Entire Podcast with Andrea and Peter Here