Bee Fast at Wulong Mountain Quest 2025
I recently completed at the “China International Mountain Quest” in Wulong, China. This is a 4-day stage race consisting of running, kayaking, mountain biking, abseiling and mystery local tasks (fire lighting with sticks, zip-lining, chair carries)
This race has been running for over 20years and attracts some of the best international multisport athletes from Oceania, Europe and Asia. A majority of top NZ multisport athletes have been making this pilgrimage each year in chase of hard racing and a good prize purse (put up by the government and local supporters)
This was my first year competing which was exciting as it was a chance to push the training hard over winter and get into somewhat ‘peak’ performance early in the year. Apart from a couple niggles in the months leading up everything fell together to make this race a good one.
My fuelling strategy consisted purely of Bee Fast gels, bars and our new carb/electrolyte drink mix. Since joining Jonty on this journey earlier in the year this was all I had been training on so was confident it would perform well.
Stages consisted of anywhere between 2.5-6hrs of racing each day with each leg lasting no longer than 1.5-2hrs. This meant that each leg, everyday was an all-out effort right from the gun. Due to the weather being more mild and cooler than previous years teams were moving faster and pacing (due to the heat) didn’t play as big of a factor.
My goal each day was to consume around 90-100g of carbohydrates average per hour. This started in the morning 30min before each start with a clover/caffeine gel with 100mg of caffeine. My main source of this fuel came from our new carb/electrolyte drink mix. On the bike I would run one bottle with 80g of carbs and another with just water (to sip or spray over the body), and then an additional gel if required. On the run I would have 40g of carb mix in each bottle and then a third bottle with water. I would then aim to have 2 gels per hour on the run. Kayaking and rafting meant there was no time to stop and eat gels so I would run enough carb drink to keep me at 90g/hr through a bladder system.
My goal each day was to consume around 90-100g of carbohydrates average per hour. This started in the morning 30min before each start with a clover/caffeine gel with 100mg of caffeine. My main source of this fuel came from our new carb/electrolyte drink mix. On the bike I would run one bottle with 80g of carbs and another with just water (to sip or spray over the body), and then an additional gel if required. On the run I would have 40g of carb mix in each bottle and then a third bottle with water. I would then aim to have 2 gels per hour on the run. Kayaking and rafting meant there was no time to stop and eat gels so I would run enough carb drink to keep me at 90g/hr through a bladder system.
The Bee fast product performed extremely well. This was a good test for our carb/electrolyte drink mix. Racing in hot humid conditions means staying hydrated and topped up with electrolytes that the body is losing through major sweat loss. With each scoop of carb mix containing 250mg of sodium I didn’t have to worry about making sure I was keeping on top of my electrolytes in addition to my carbohydrate intake. Being a flavourless drink powder is ideal for long races as flavoured drink can become unpalatable and hinder carb intake over time.
Our team raced under the “Fear Youth” banner and was made up of Calum Sutherland, Lachie Brownlie and Tessa Dekker, all having previously raced this event. We raced well and finished up in 8th place overall. I was stoked with our teams and my own performance, we felt we left it all out there each day which is all you can ask for.
