Fuelling your Peak Divide adventure
Two-stepping: Shuffler or Shifter?
Remember the iPod Shuffle? No screen. No notifications.
You'd pick your 32 songs, and wait. You didn't have access to everything.
You had enough.
Peak Divide is akin to the Shuffle with its invitation to step away from the things we've become so accustomed to having at our fingertips.
Just you, your shoes, your fuel, the route, the people around you, and whatever the day decides to throw at you.
A tad nostalgic. A tad simpler. A tad more disconnected.
And perhaps that's exactly why it feels so good.
So when it comes to fuelling your Peak Divide adventure, we think there are two types of steppers.
The Shuffler and The Shifter.
Not because one is better than the other - because there are different ways to experience the same adventure.
The Shuffler
Take it all in.
The Shuffler isn't interested in racing Peak Divide. They're there for the adventure - the views, the trails, the atmosphere, the people.
They're stopping for the view. Chatting at the aid station. Having the coffee. Taking the photo. They might run for an hour, stop for ten minutes, and completely forget what time it is.
And that's the point. The Shuffler is there to experience the whole thing.
Their fuelling approach can be just as simple.
Drink. Eat. Repeat.
An OTE Hydro Tab in the flask
A gel when they fancy something quick
A banana, a flapjack, a sandwich - whatever real food makes sense for them
There doesn't need to be a spreadsheet. There doesn't need to be a perfectly calculated nutrition strategy. Just keep putting some fuel back in as you go.
For a long running adventure, 30–60g of carbohydrate per hour is a useful starting point for many people, alongside regular fluids and electrolytes.
Simple fuel for a simple idea: keep yourself moving, keep yourself enjoying it.
The Shifter
Same adventure. Different gear.
The Shifter is moving faster. They're pushing the climbs, carrying more speed, and spending less time stopped.
They've probably done this kind of thing before. They understand their body. They know what works.
And they know that when you're running harder for longer, fuelling becomes part of the performance.
This is where things get more deliberate.
OTE gives you convenient carbohydrate when you need it, Energy Chews, Super Gels, Super Carbs
Real food gives you something different - texture, variety, something savoury, something that actually feels like food after hours on the move.
So the Shifter's day might build around something like:
OTE → real food → OTE → real food → OTE
As experience and gut training develop, they might work towards 60–90g+ of carbohydrate per hour for harder, longer efforts.
Not because they're trying to turn Peak Divide into a race. Because they're choosing to move through the adventure differently.
Two Steps. One Adventure.
That's the beauty of Peak Divide. You don't have to choose a side.
You might Shuffle one year and Shift the next. You might Shuffle the first half and Shift the second. Or you might spend the whole day somewhere in between.
Just like the old iPod Shuffle, there's something liberating about having less. Less information. Less noise. Less technology. Less pressure to optimise every second.
And when you've stripped everything else back, perhaps fuelling can be simple too.
Know what you like. Know what works. Take enough with you. Keep eating. Keep drinking. And get on with the adventure.
Carb loading; Pasta make you go faster
Friday. AKA ‘the day before’
This day before belongs to the Shuffler mindset: eat well throughout the day snacking on plenty of plain carbs to load your glycogen stores. Think beige: bagels, white rice, rice pudding, sweets and wash it down with plenty of hydration. Spend the day taking your time, get off your feet, prepare your kit and get an early night. Tomorrow is a big adventure!
Two approaches. One route. Choose your rhythm before you press play.
Because whether you're there to Shuffle or Shift, the aim is the same:
Goodness In = Greatness Out