May 03, 2022

The Science of Long Range Fuel

THE RATIONALE BEHIND LONG RANGE FUEL

Long Range Fuel was first developed to sustain physical and cognitive performance round the clock during self-supported ultra-endurance events, such as ocean rowing, ultramarathon running, ultra-distance cycling and mountaineering. Long Range Fuel has been used to great effect in these events time and time again – not only has it fueled successful summits of Everest, Long Range Fuel has been used during World Records in ocean rowing, ultramarathon running and kayaking. It has also been used extensively by several units in the UK military.

Long Range Fuel comes into its own during ultra-endurance events because it counters nutrition challenges that participants commonly face. These include the following:

  • Ultra-endurance participants burn calories at very high rates while also having to carry all their nutrition. Since fat contains about 9 calories per gram whereas protein and carbohydrate contain 4 calories per gram, high-fat products are very practical in these types of events. This is one of the reasons we based Long Range Fuel on nuts, which are rich in fat and calories.
  • Digestion is compromised by exercise, and this is especially true of ultra-endurance activities. Most people experience gastrointestinal complaints during ultra-endurance events, emphasising the need for easy-to-digest foods and drinks. Our experience is that of the different high-fat products, nut butters are relatively easy to digest, perhaps in part because they have been “predigested” during the grinding process. This is also why all our nut butters are smooth.
  • Ultra-endurance events are extraordinarily stressful. Nutrition products that can help people cope with stress can therefore be helpful, including Ashwagandha and L-theanine. Calm and Calm & RebuildLong Range Fuel therefore contain KSM-66 Ashwagandha®, and Energise and Energise & Rebuild Long Range Fuel contain L-theanine.
  • In some events, ultra-endurance participants must be active through the night. Unlike most things in life, in some ultra-endurance events, performance is inversely proportional to sleep duration. For instance, in an ultramarathon, faster competitors tended to get less sleep than others during the race. Nutrition products that support wakefulness can therefore be helpful. This is why we add caffeine to Energise and Energise & Rebuild Long Range Fuel.
  • Endurance exercise tends to break down muscle tissue. Whey protein isolate and L-leucine in Calm & Rebuild, Energise & Rebuild, and Rebuild Long Range Fuel help guard muscle tissue against this degradation and also make these products helpful for recover between consecutive days of activity.
  • Ultra-endurance participants’ taste preferences tend to change over the course of an ultra-endurance event. At the start of events, people often prefer sweeter items. However, as time goes by, sweet items become less appealing, so it’s best to have foods and drinks that range from sweet to savoury. This is why Long Range Fuel comes in a range of flavours, some of which are sweeter than others.
  • Ultra-endurance participants can’t refrigerate their nutrition. This necessitates foods and drinks that will remain stable in a range of conditions. Without refrigeration, Long Range Fuel has a shelf life of over a year when stored appropriately, and once opened it can still be used several weeks later.
  • Ultra-endurance participants need items that are packaged appropriately. Durable, lightweight, resealable packaging is best in these contexts. This is why Long Range Fuel is available in sturdy, lightweight, resealable pouches.

But Long Range Fuel isn’t just for ultra-endurance athletes - after all, it’s a delicious nut butter!

So if you’re not prone to charging across oceans or over mountains, you’ll probably still love Long Range Fuel, and its nutrition is also terrific at supporting cardiometabolic health in everyday contexts.