Wednesday 2 January 2013

Clif Bar: the food of ultra champions


Every year at the London Marathon expo I am the one that can be found hovering around the Clif Bar stand, gorging on all the free samples.  I try to be discreet about my return visits but I am sure that the guys on the stand know fine well just how greedy that I am….

I remember the first time I tasted a Clif Bar, oatmeal and raisin was the flavour.  On a quest to become an ultra-runner, it was the first solid food that I tried to eat as I ran.  It was so successful that I bought one especially for my first ever 100k in a Scotland vest.  I remember eating ½ of it just before 30 miles, saving the other half for when I reached 50 miles.  It was a strategy that worked well as I won my first ever Scottish Championship title and started a love affair with 100ks that would one day earn me a Great Britain vest.

Since my first experience of eating Clif Bars, I have had the delightful opportunity to sample all the flavours, from crunchy peanut butter to white chocolate macadamia, and beyond….. 

Ian and I have also had the honour of being members of the Clif Bar pace team at Brighton Marathon 2011, which in turn led to Ian and I being invited to America as pacers for the New York Marathon in 2011 and 2012.  The Clif Bar Team Leaders that invited us have since become very good friends that we love sharing time and stories with.

As I have continued my life as an ultra-runner I have tried many different types of food and drinks, a never ending quest to find the perfect fuel for body during the challenges that I set it.
I have tried so many foods, some good and some absolute disasters that have had me in tears of distress.  But all along the way the trusty Clif Bar has remained my friend.  Conveniently packaged it is so easy just to pop one in my pocket when I go out for a run.

Clif Bar have a range beyond just the “bars”: Shot Bloks; Electrolyte drinks; gels, to name but a few.  I recently have discovered their chocolate gel, the only gel that I can eat without *insert rude word her".....  Truth be told, they actually taste delicious, something that I would never have thought possible about a gel!  Perfect instant energy for some of my recent speedy 5k parkruns - I do not eat breakfast before a short distance event, therefore need a quick boost to ensure that I don’t “blow up” at 4k…..

In 2013 I have the amazing honour of being sponsored by Clif Bar.  This opportunity will make such a difference to me as an ultra-athlete on a budget as it means that I no longer have to restrict my Clif Bars during training or racing.  The idea of eating 100 Clif Bars during the Ridgeway Challenge is infinitely more appealing than eating another fish, chips and mushy pea dinner!

The only thing that I do need to be careful about is that all of the huskies like them too, useful when we are running ultras together, but means that there may be less for me...;-)

You can find out more about Clif Bar here....http://www.clifbar.co.uk/