BY STEVE BORN
In mid-afternoon on Thursday, October 10, 2002, after a lot of planning and training, I started pedaling my bike from Twentynine Palms, CA—the finish line of the Furnace Creek 508—toward the starting line in Valencia, Santa Clarita, CA. Once there, I planned to get a small amount of sleep (couldn’t sleep much, the clock was still running!), then start with the other riders competing in the “regular” Furnace Creek 508, and head back to Twentynine Palms. Armed with an awesome support crew and a newly developed fuel called Perpetuem, I was attempting to be the first person to complete a back-toback crossing of this incredibly difficult racecourse—a Double Furnace Creek 508, or Furnace Creek 1016, if you will.
While the course was indeed arduous, to put it mildly—riding a bike nearly nonstop for 1,016 miles and having to negotiate 70,000 feet of climbing is almost impossible to fully describe—I felt confident in all things: my support crew, my equipment, my training, my record attempt strategy, and my fueling/supplementation program. Although I didn’t know it at the time, this was to be the final test for Perpetuem before it became an official Hammer Nutrition fuel. I had been using it in my training—back then Perpetuem wasn’t produced in large quantities; I was relying on handmade batches of the product—and was ready to put it to this ultimate test.
Although I experienced some fatigue during the record attempt (which is to be expected when you're on the bike that long!), I never had any energy issues—or stomach issues—from my fuel. With Perpetuem as my primary fuel, augmented by Sustained Energy and Hammer Gel® (no HEED® back then), my energy levels were consistently rock solid. I felt terrific!
Except for a three-hour sleep break at the starting line, and a couple of brief catnaps during the actual race, I was on my bike, focused on setting this record. Mile after mile of pavement rolled underneath my bike tires, hour after hour. Lots and lots of Perpetuem was consumed. Finally, 82 hours after I started in Twentynine Palms—75.5 hours of which was spent riding—in the early morning hours on Monday, October 14, 2002, history's first and only Double Furnace Creek 508 was successfully completed.
After lots of hugs with my support crew (did I mention they were awesome?) as well as some photos and congratulations from the small gathering of people at the finish line, it was time for sleep! First, though, was a call to Hammer Nutrition company owner, Brian Frank. I didn’t care that it was an ungodly hour to call anyone; I had to talk to him! Waking him from a deep sleep, I shared with Brian that I was successful in setting this new record. I also enthusiastically told him, "DUDE! Perpetuem worked amazingly well; I must have used it for three-quarters of the time I was out there! We MUST get this product into the hands of other endurance athletes!" (Turns out, I was pretty accurate. I used Perpetuem for around 55-58 of the hours I was on the bike.)
In early 2003, Perpetuem became an official Hammer Nutrition product, and endurance fueling has never been the same. Since that successful record set nearly 18 years ago (a record that still stands), thousands of athletes competing in endurance contests of every kind imaginable have relied on Perpetuem to thoroughly and successfully fuel their bodies. Even in ultra-extreme competitions/events/expeditions, such as Race Across America, English Channel crossings, double, triple, even deca triathlons, summiting Mt. Everest, and more, Perpetuem has proven to be the supreme ultra-fuel, delivering all of the following:
- Consistent, long-lasting energy
- Maximum fat utilization
- Reduced muscle fatigue
Phrases like “state of the art” and “quantum leap” are used so frequently in sports nutrition formulations that their meaning is often diminished. That's not the case with Perpetuem. Unlike any other fuel—with the exception of Sustained Energy, Hammer Nutrition's original ultra-fuel—Perpetuem has proven time and time again to be THE true state-of-the-art, all-in-one calorie source needed for anything lasting several hours to several days.
Whether you use Perpetuem as your sole fuel from beginning to end or as your primary fuel along with other Hammer Nutrition fuels for some variety in the menu, it doesn't matter how long your workouts or races are; you will have ALL your caloric needs met thoroughly and completely. Take it from someone who put Perpetuem to a pretty severe test: no other fuel has successfully met the extreme challenges that Perpetuem has. I can honestly say without hesitation that Perpetuem will work for you!
