Q2 2026 was Lecka's best quarter ever — 128% growth year-on-year, 68% quarter-on-quarter. In this episode, I'm walking through exactly what drove it: scaling from 2 to 9 Supersports locations in Vietnam, a huge order tied to our Iron Man Vietnam partnership, and a breakout moment for the Ultra Gel in the US.

I also get into something that's been clicking for me lately — realizing the US, Asia, and Europe aren't playing the same role in this business anymore. The US is where we go to learn. Asia is where we're actually growing fastest. Europe is the long game.

Plus a quick update on the carb hydration powder that's still in the works, and where my head's at heading into Q3.

If you've been following Lecka for a while, this one's a good snapshot of where things stand. Grab your coffee (or your croissant) and give it a listen.

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I just got back from two days at TrailCon in Tahoe, right before Western States — our first year having an actual booth there. I thought I'd sit down the next morning and tell you everything while it's still fresh.

The biggest surprise? Our energy bars sold out, and not to the crowd I expected. The Ultra Gel sold out too, which felt like real validation. I also picked up on something bigger happening in the industry — younger runners asking harder questions about what's actually in their fuel, and a real shift toward real food options.

I'll also get into where we're falling short on telling our farm-to-fuel story, what people asked us for that we don't currently make, and why I think word of mouth is doing more for this brand than any ad campaign could.

If you've ever wondered what it's actually like running a small nutrition brand's first conference booth, this one's for you.

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Lecka just turned six. May 21st, 2020 was when it all officially started — a company registered in Ho Chi Minh City, some energy bars made in a kitchen, and a small trail running community in Vietnam. Markus almost forgot the anniversary. His team reminded him.

In this episode, he skips the big reflective speech and gets into what he's actually been building: Lecka Coach, a free race nutrition planner at plan.getlecka.com. You enter your race details — distance, finish time, expected weather, body weight, caffeine preferences, fueling style — and get a personalized plan telling you exactly which gels and bars to take and when. There's a quick version that takes 30 seconds, and a pro version that pulls live race day weather and goes deep on fueling strategy.

There's also a gut training section — a week-by-week program to get your gut ready to absorb race-day carb loads — and a science tab that shows exactly how the recommendations are calculated. No black box.

Markus also talks about what's happening at Lecka right now: new Ultra Gel packaging in production and the first official order heading to China.

If you've ever wondered how much to eat during a race, this one's for you. Follow Lecka Bites for a new episode every week.