Ultrarunner Caroline Himbert returned to California’s John Muir Trail in 2026 and lowered her own unsupported fastest known time by approximately 12 hours, completing the roughly 220-mile northbound route in 3 days, 16 hours and 36 minutes.

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Ultrarunner Caroline Himbert during her record-breaking 2026 unsupported effort on the John Muir Trail, where she used Deura9® as her sole source of caffeine. (Photo courtesy of Caroline Himbert)

Ultrarunner Caroline Himbert during her record-breaking 2026 unsupported effort on the John Muir Trail, where she used Deura9® as her sole source of caffeine. (Photo courtesy of Caroline Himbert)

Himbert carried everything she needed from the start with no crew or resupply across a route that includes more than 46,000 feet of elevation gain through the High Sierra. Her improvement reflected changes across training, pacing, fueling, hydration and sleep management. Deura9 was one component of that broader performance strategy and her sole source of caffeine during the effort.

“I still remember that I felt awesome,” said Himbert. “I woke up and I felt so refreshed and sharp.”

Sleep deprivation had been one of the most significant challenges in Himbert’s previous record attempt, when she ultimately lost several hours to sleep. For her return, she planned rest more deliberately and incorporated Deura9 around those periods rather than waiting until exhaustion became overwhelming.

“I take it before I go and take the nap so that it kicks in when I wake up around that time,” Himbert said. “So I would actually wake up and be more alert because of the nap, but also because I took caffeine.”

Himbert first encountered Deura9 at the American College of Sports Medicine Annual Meeting, where d9 Designs provided samples. Having previously experienced the peaks and crashes associated with conventional caffeine, she chose Deura9 for the JMT attempt and later requested additional samples from the company.

“Previously I’ve noticed when I take caffeine, you get those hard crashes,” Himbert said. “It’s kind of like when you eat sugar and then all of a sudden it’s gone and you crash, you bonk really hard.”

With Deura9, Himbert described a different experience. She reported no anxiety or jitters at the doses she used and said the effects faded gradually rather than ending abruptly.

“I didn’t have any anxiety or jitters or something,” she said. “I kind of just felt happy and good just moving.”

Deura9 is a patented deuterated form of caffeine engineered to provide caffeine’s rapid stimulatory effects with substantially longer duration. Deura9 lasts 3X+ longer than ordinary caffeine while minimizing unwanted byproducts of caffeine metabolism associated with jitters and crashes.

“Caroline’s performance is impressive because of everything that went into it: her training, preparation, fueling, pacing, and what she learned from the year before,” said Jeff Wren, Co-CEO of d9 Designs. “What’s compelling to us is that Caroline had experienced the product before, chose to make it her only caffeine source for an almost four-day effort, and came away extremely positive about how it performed when maintaining alertness mattered most.”

Himbert has indicated that she plans to incorporate Deura9 into future endurance efforts, including the Moab 240 and Cocodona 250.

Deura9 Coming to Capsule Form

Until now, Deura9 has been available only to a select group of consumers and athletes. That is about to change. Vita Bloom Labs, a physician-founded supplement company, is launching the first standalone Deura9 product, making it directly available to the broader public for the first time. The capsule product is now available for preorder at https://vitabloomlabs.com/products/caffeine-2-0-d9-caffeine.

Vita Bloom Labs is a physician-founded, self-funded supplement company committed to transparent formulas and clinically meaningful doses. The company is launching Deura9 to give consumers access to a differentiated caffeine option designed for sustained energy and focus. Every product is held to one test: Would we give it to a patient, and would we take it ourselves? Learn more at vitabloomlabs.com.

About Deura9

Deura9 (d9-caffeine) is a breakthrough in caffeine science, engineered for longer-lasting energy, improved absorption and smoother effects without the crash. Deura9 is the first new form of caffeine ever developed and provides the same rapid stimulatory effects as ordinary caffeine but lasts 3X+ longer and minimizes unwanted byproducts of caffeine metabolism. Deura9 is a registered trademark of Lennham Pharmaceuticals, Inc. under exclusive license to d9 Designs Inc. and is covered by multiple issued patents.

About d9 Designs

d9 Designs is a consumer products manufacturer focused on commercializing the use of Deura9 (d9-caffeine), a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) food ingredient, in food, beverage and cosmetic applications. Learn more at d9designs.com.

Disclosure

d9 Designs provided complimentary Deura9 samples to Caroline Himbert. She received no payment for this interview and is not a sponsored athlete, ambassador or paid partner of d9 Designs. Her statements reflect her individual experience and are not clinical findings or evidence that others will experience similar results. Himbert’s John Muir Trail performance reflects her own preparation, training, decisions and effort.

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