A Real-World Look at the Full 4HourFuel System

Since we have expanded our line of 4HourFuel in the past few months, I thought I’d write a blog about how I actually use all of our products. And rather than hypothetically do it, I have two races back-to-back coming up where I’ll be putting pretty much the entire lineup to work.  How perfect is that!? 

First up is the WA Seventy48, where I’ll spend 10–11 hours nonstop pedaling a pedal/row boat called the Boogie Barge across Puget Sound. Yes, it is as crazy and awesome as it sounds. This year we will have a total of 4 bikers and two rowers going at all times until we reach the end- Port Townshend which is 70 miles from Tacoma Washington via the Puget Sound. Last year we had an epic finish with a full sprint finish at the very end. Who knows what this year will bring, but we are exited and ready! If you have not listened to Jason’s 2 part podcast, definitely give it a listen. It’s very worth it. Click HERE for the 1st episode.

Then, the very next weekend, I’ll line up for Rainier Raid, a fast yet very challenging 30-hour adventure race where efficiency, strong legs, navigation, smart decisions, team work and fueling become absolutely everything. 

Two very different races. Two different vibes and pacing strategies.
But honestly, the same overall fueling philosophy:

Start and end strong. Stay ahead of the calories. Keep the energy steady. And make sure the fuel tastes and sounds good hour after hour. 

For Seventy48, the goal is sustained steady output with enough surges and intervals to keep morale high and everyone engaged. Last year taught us that this race is just as much about energy and vibes as it is fitness. Music matters, humor matters, team chemistry matters and having something delicious to look forward to matters. 

This year I’ll be the DJ again.  Jason will be the coach, hype man, and official 4HF dealer.  He’ll manage both our output (pace) and input (4HF). 

Because we’re planning to start harder than last year, we’ll kick things off with 4HourFuel Redline Ultra. We’ll likely spend the first hour to ninety minutes pushing pretty hard while everyone is fresh, motivated, and excited. That higher-carb mix will give us quick-burning fuel right from the start before we transition into our steadier all-day effort.

After that initial push, we’ll settle into our sustainable race pace and switch primarily into the original 4HF mix for the majority of the race. Between the crew, we’re planning on drinking roughly 9–10 hours worth of 4HF throughout the night. 

And then there are the smoothies.

Somewhere along the way, we started making emotional endurance food.  And honestly, the Endurance Superfood Smoothies may be my favorite product we’ve ever created. 

They’re calorie dense in all the best ways: fast acting, performance giving, easy to consume, extremely delicious and somehow deeply comforting in the middle of long efforts. They’re the kind of thing that can completely change the mood of a team several hours into a race. I never leave home without one. Seriously- they are that well loved and versatile. 

So yes, smoothies will absolutely be onboard and passed around throughout the night, because as we all know, happy people (of all ages!)  move faster.

And finally with in an hour of finishing the race, I'll slam a Rapid Recovery Smoothie before passing out for a few hours.

After Seventy48, recovery becomes the next challenge because one week later I’ll already be standing on another start line -the Rainier Raid 30 HR Adventure Race. The goal for this week will be to keep the stress low and to keep everything moving and feeling good. Light runs, easy cycles and paddles will be the protocol with lots of water, good food and play time with the boys in between.  Fuel wise, I’ll by drinking my Daily.. daily and heading out on lots of fun kid missions with Endurance Superfood Smoothies in the pack. 

If I’m feeling good, maybe I’ll sprinkle in a few harder workouts where Redline Ultra comes back into play. But honestly, I may just stick with active recovery and let the body absorb the work. 

Then comes Rainier Raid.

This race is expected to be around 30 hours long, and because I’m racing with a fast team, I know the intensity will stay relatively high throughout most of the event. That means staying on top of my calories and keeping them highly digestible and fast absorbing. Enter Red Line Ultra.  

I’ll constantly have a bottle mixed — either original 4HF or Redline Ultra depending on the intensity of the moment. Just like Seventy48, I’ll start with Redline Ultra because adventure races of this length always seem to begin a little too hot. Everyone is excited, everyone is fresh, and the pace usually escalates quickly.

After about 2-3 hours of burning hard, I’ll transition into original 4HF for the remainder of the race. And because I now love ALL of the flavors, I’ll be bringing all of them: Horchata, Lemonade, Berry and Banana Chocolate. 

I’m also planning on carrying three Endurance Superfood Smoothies during the race, all of which will almost certainly be shared around with teammates at some point.  Because once you open them, it’s so hard to put it away half full and of course because calories taste way better when they are shared. 

What I love about having these two events back-to-back is that they really showcase how I use the full 4HF lineup in real life. 

Not theoretically. But during actual big endurance efforts where performance, recovery, and keeping spirits high genuinely matter.

And then of course, after I finish, I'll down a Rapid Recovery before taking a long and very well deserved nap!

Follow along at @4HOURFUEL and @BendRacing to see how it all goes!  

For a quick "shopping list" for each event see below:

WA Seventy-48/ 10-12 hour Endurance Bike:

2-3 servings : 4HourFuel Redline Ultra for a high-carb start for the opening hard push.

3 servings: 4HF for the main steady all night fuel.

1 Mocha Endurance Superfood Smoothie for my calorie-dense “emotional endurance food” and morale boost

1 Rapid Recovery, to be used immediately post-race recovery before collapsing into bed for a nap.

Rainier Raid Fuel Breakdown / 30 Hour Adventure Race 

2-3 servings: Redline Ultra High-intensity fuel for the spicy opening hours.

6 servings or 6 Single Serves of 4HF - Primary fuel source for the majority of the 30-hour race

3x Endurance Superfood Smoothies - shared team calories, morale, and easy calorie intake

1x Rapid Recovery- for finish-line recovery and reset.