A question I get asked a lot is: What do you actually use to fuel yourself during these big endurance efforts?

Not theoretically.
Not what I recommend in perfect conditions.
But what I personally pack for race days, where the days are really long, the intensity gets high, and recovery afterwards really matters.

And honestly, the next two weekends feel like the perfect opportunity to answer that question because I have two big back-to-back races coming up where fueling will play a massive role in how I perform, recover, and feel throughout it all.

First up is the WA360 Seventy48, where I’ll spend 10–11 hours nonstop pedaling a pedal/row boat called the Boogie Barge across Puget Sound. Yes, it is every bit as ridiculous and awesome as it sounds.

This year we’ll have four bikers and two rowers working nonstop until we reach Port Townsend, 70 miles from Tacoma via the Puget Sound. Last year ended with a full sprint finish that felt unhinged in the best possible way. I have no idea what this year will bring, but we are excited, prepared, and very ready for another adventure.

(And if you haven’t listened to Jason’s two-part podcast about the race yet, definitely give it a listen.) Click HERE to listen. Or/ and read my race report HERE.

Then, just one week later, I’ll be standing on another start line for Rainier Raid — a fast, technical, brutally fun 30-hour adventure race where efficiency, teamwork, navigation, strong legs, smart decisions, and fueling become everything.

Two completely different races, two different energy systems and two very different vibes.

But honestly? The fueling philosophy stays pretty much the same:

Start strong.
Finish strong.
Stay ahead of the calories.
Keep the energy steady.
And make sure the fuel still tastes good hour after hour after hour.

Fueling Seventy48: Steady Energy + Good Vibes

For Seventy48, the goal is sustainable 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 team energy as it is fitness. Music, humor, team chemistry, and having something delicious to look forward to all matter.

This year I’ll once again be the DJ and Jason will be the coach, hype man, and official 4HF dealer. He’ll be managing both our output (pace) and input (fuel). The rest of the us will be the muscle while Blake and Josh, the brains and mechanics behind the boat will be the ones jumping to the rescue and telling us what to do if anything breaks.

Because we’re planning to start harder than last year, we’ll open with 4HourFuel Redline Ultra. The first hour to ninety minutes will likely be our hardest sustained effort of the night / morning (the race starts at 7 PM) while everyone is fresh and excited, so the higher-carb mix makes perfect sense there.

After that initial push, we’ll settle into a steadier all-day effort and transition primarily into 4HF for the rest of the race. We’re planning on drinking roughly 9–10 hours each worth of 4HF throughout the night.

And then… the smoothies. Somewhere along the way, we started making what I now call emotional endurance food. And honestly, the Endurance Superfood Smoothies might be my favorite thing we’ve ever created.

They’re calorie dense in all the best ways: fast absorbing, easy to consume, performance driven, genuinely delicious, and deeply comforting during long efforts. They can completely change the mood of a team several hours into a race. I truly never leave home without one. They’ve become part performance fuel, part emotional support smoothie, part mom survival strategy.

So yes, smoothies will absolutely be onboard and passed around throughout the night.

Because happy people, of all ages, move faster.

Recovering Between Two Big Weekends

After Seventy48, recovery immediately becomes the next challenge because just one week later I’ll already be heading into Rainier Raid.

The goal for that week isn’t fitness gains. It’s keeping stress low, helping the body absorb the work, and arriving at the next start line feeling healthy instead of depleted. For me, that means light runs, easy bikes, easy paddles, lots of water, good food, and lots of play time with the boys in between.

Fuel-wise, I’ll be drinking my Daily… daily. And there will absolutely be plenty of kid adventures with Endurance Superfood Smoothies tucked into the pack. If I’m feeling really good, maybe I’ll sprinkle in one or two harder workouts where Redline Ultra comes back into play. But realistically, I’ll probably stick with active recovery and trust the process.

As endurance athletes, especially endurance moms, I think sometimes the hardest thing is allowing recovery to actually happen.

Fueling Rainier Raid: Fast, Light, and Constant

Then comes Rainier Raid.

This race is expected to be around 30 hours long, and because I’m racing with a very fast team, I know the intensity will stay relatively high for most of the race.

That means my I’ll again start with Red Line Ultra, but will plan to use it for a longer period of time than I do for the start of the Boogie Barge. Because adventure races of this length always seem to start hot. Everyone is excited, feeling fresh and so the pace escalates. So for 90 minutes to 2 hours, I’ll be sipping on it to keep my engine running hot. Everyone will be excited, feeling

Once we enter the 3-4 hour mark of the race, I’ll transition to 4 Hour Fuel for the remainder of the race, and because I genuinely love all the flavors, I’ll bring the full lineup: Horchata, Lemonade, Berry, and Banana Chocolate.

I’m also planning on carrying three Endurance Superfood Smoothies throughout the race, all of which will almost certainly end up shared with teammates at some point. Because once one gets opened, it’s almost impossible not to pass it around. And because somehow calories just taste better when they’re shared, I’ll bust it out at a low moment, probably around 2 AM in the middle of a long climb that seems to never end.

And then, once I’m across the finish line, I’ll be slamming back another Rapid Recovery Smoothie because recovery starts the minute you stop your race and for me the faster I can feel better, the better I can show up the next day for my family and everyone in my orbit.

Why This Matters

What I love about having these two races back-to-back is that they really showcase how I use the full 4HourFuel lineup in real endurance efforts where where performance, recovery, family life, teamwork, mood, and long-term energy all genuinely matter.

Because for me, fueling isn’t just about racing anymore. It’s about supporting this whole beautiful, exhausting, adventurous life.

I can’t wait for both of these weekends and to see how my body and mind hold up.

Follow along at @4HOURFUEL and @BendRacing to see how it all unfolds. I’ll surely write a race report as well, and hopefully Jason will do another podcast or video about the Boogie Barge as well!

Want a break down of my fuel? See below!

WA360 Seventy48 Fuel Breakdown/ 12 hour Endurance Ride

Product	Amount	Purpose
4HourFuel Redline Ultra	1 serving	High-carb start for the opening hard push
4HourFuel 4HF	1 bag or 3 single serves	Main steady-state fuel for the day
Mocha Endurance Superfood Smoothie	1 smoothie	Calorie-dense “emotional endurance food” and morale boost
Rapid Recovery	1 serving	Immediate post-race recovery before collapsing into bed

Rainier Raid Fuel Breakdown/ 30 Hour Adventure Race

Product	Amount	Purpose
4HourFuel Redline Ultra	1–2 servings	High-intensity fuel for the spicy opening hours
4HourFuel 4HF	2 bags or 6 single serves	Primary fuel source for the majority of the 30-hour race
Endurance Superfood Smoothies	3 smoothies	Shared team calories, morale, and easy calorie intake
Rapid Recovery	1 serving	Finish-line recovery and reset