To maximize his recovery and performance, he prioritized eating as healthy as possible and eliminated any foods that could bother his gut. He also began to practice fueling and hydrating during his long runs. This helped him figure out the best plan of action for staying energized throughout the three days, while avoiding the risk of bonking.

After hundreds of miles on the roads and countless hours visualizing the event, Robbie knew he was ready to rage against the machine.

The oppressive weather beat Robbie down mentally and physically. Like pouring water out of a leaky bucket, the Texas heat began to drain his energy at a faster rate than anticipated. To make matters worse, the heat was making eating solid foods nearly impossible. Robbie began to question whether his gut was able to continue and worried he’d have to quit completely. Consoled by his wife and crew, he made the switch to primarily liquid calories and strategized ways to keep his body temperature down.

“Coming out of the second night, I was quite depleted and not sure how I was going to continue. I’ll be honest, the thought of quitting bubbled up more than a few times during this effort."

Heading into Day 2, Robbie was refreshed from the cool breeze of the night and a 90-minute NuCalm session. Although abbreviated in length, each session he spent asleep was crucial for flushing out the lactic acid build up in his body. It also rejuvenated his mind allowing him to persevere through the stress he was facing. His crew helped him work through the rising temperatures by using ice filled buffs, cold fluids, and dunking his hands into ice water as often as possible.

With the Tesla running out of energy at 242 miles, Robbie now had a clearly defined destination. Throughout the day his paces varied as he was accompanied by Hellah Sidibe, William Goodge, Nick Bare, and others. Balenger began to find his groove as he mowed down mile after mile and found the right formula for nutrition and replenishing electrolytes. After finishing the second day, he had covered 137 miles with only 2 hours of sleep.

“The longevity of the effort was daunting. Running for 3+ days meant that I didn't see the light at the end of the tunnel until the last 20 miles. But even the last 20 miles felt long.”

Starting Day 3, it was hard to envision the end. As if the challenge of 242 miles wasn’t enough, the intense heat and humidity set him back considerably. He still had 105 miles to go and the 72 hour time cap became impossible. Rather than surrendering in defeat, Robbie stayed focused on what he was still capable of and pressed forward.