It’s no secret that we’re big fans of CLIF Bar energy bars. For years they have been our fuel of choice for ultra marathons and trail runs. But when we were trekking for two months through New Zealand, we found them hard to come by and had to resort to other, lesser energy bars. Nothing was the same.

So when we were planning for the big trip around Australia, a roadtrip punctuated by some pretty mammoth trail running events (including Buffalo Stampede 70km, UTA 100 and Larapinta Trail Run), we knew we had to ask the question:

Would CLIF Bar fuel our adventure?

The answer, to our surprise and delight, was YES.

They sent us four boxes of CLIF Bar energy bars in our favourite flavours, with the promise of more if we ran out. (We did, and they were true to their word!)

Now, the Old Girl spends 5 minutes getting to know CLIF:

OG: Tell me, what makes these energy bars such good adventure fuel?

CLIF: That’s simple – they are packed with 11 vitamins and minerals, 40g of carbohydrates and up to 11g of protein to give sustained energy. But none of that science would mean a thing if they didn’t also taste great.

OG: True, true, we’ve never been able to stomach gels, so CLIF Bars are the perfect fuel for our ultra events. But all that goodness can’t be natural, can it?

CLIF: Actually, CLIF Bars are made from 70% organic ingredients and free from all those nasties like artificial sweeteners, flavours, preservatives and high fructose corn syrup.

OG: Awesome! Tell us, are other adventurers fuelled by CLIF?

CLIF: Yes! And some of them you might know, like your heroes in the trail running world – Aussie local Lucy Bartholomew and American ultra-marathon god Scott Jurek are sponsored by CLIF Bar – not to mention 1,500 other pro and amateur athletes.

 

OG: It sounds silly but it’s kind of nice to know that we are fuelled with the same goodness as our heroes. Will it make us win races? 

CLIF: Probably not, but it’s bound to help, right?

OG: One final question, who is CLIF?

CLIF: Actually, the brains behind CLIF Bars is not a guy called Clif – it’s a guy called Gary Erickson. During a 281km bike ride in California, Gary was exhausted and, with kilometres to go, couldn’t stomach another sticky energy bar (you know his pain!).

As luck would have it, he was a baker by trade, so spent the next few months in his mum’s kitchen tweaking, testing and perfecting a recipe for a nutritious and delicious energy bar. The CLIF Bar was launched in 1992.

Oh and the name? It’s a tribute to Gary’s father, Clifford, who inspired his love of the great outdoors.

Looking for more adventure inspiration? Follow CLIF Bar on Instragram @CLIFBarAUS #CLIFBarAUS