PRS IN THE HEAT
By les voth
Last weekend was supposed to be three days of 100 degree heat, in South Dakota. But it turned out to be just a shade less. It was sweaty, though. Right through to the socks. Heck 99 degrees is pretty hot, too!
In November of 2017 during deer hunting season I was found laying on my back in a ditch full of snow, in the Sheyenne River valley. It was dark, I was done, and could only lift one hand above my chest. Every muscle in my body was screaming, right down to the bone.
A fellow in the passenger seat of a passing pickup picked up on the prostrate human shape on the other side of the ditch, and I was rescued to do ridiculous things for a few more years. It turns out that hydration and electrolytes are important to a human’s function.
That began another fork in my search for performance. Rescued from a comfortable demise on that frozen hunting ground, I called a friend who runs ultramarathons to ask her what happened to me physiologically that day. Her answer wasn’t a surprise.
“You were dehydrated, and totally ran out of electrolytes. To avoid having that happen again, take a level teaspoon of salt in a glass of water in the morning. You’ll be fine.”
So for years if I felt draggy I’d do the salt thing. It picked me up, and even helped my breathing. So when Francis Colon and Chad Heckler talked about drinking water on each stage - need it or not - and taking an electrolyte supplement on every third stage, it made sense to me.
I’d been doing something similar at PRS matches, until last weekend. But this time I feared the worst, cuz me’n heat ain’t a good mix. Fortunately my friend Hugh had collapsed in the heat while loading his truck last Monday. The owner of the yard he was in saw it and came to the rescue. The fix turned out to be a product called “FIRE SALT”.
Rip the top off a container, pour it into 16 ounces of water, and drink it til yer better.
Hugh told me that he had never been revived like that by anything else - ever. So I bought some on the way to Chris Opfer’s 2026 THS Steel Challenge.
For three days, Friday through Sunday, Ken and I dug into the Fire Salt bag at regular intervals and were happy to learn that, as it had helped Hugh after he ran outta gas, it helped us stay ahead of becoming depleted - and got us home. Ken, who’s 64, had a 7½ hour drive to get home, got home without stopping, and felt fine. I only had 5 ½ hours to the house, and got home without dragging my 67 year old . . . donkey.
Keep hydrated. Keep your electric charged. Fire Salt will be my “go-to” for more than going to PRS matches from now on. No sugar, etc. in it either.
