Hi Frank, I'll tell you, IMHO you aren't missing anything at all. As a matter of fact, you are probably smarter than a lot of us. Most sport drinks are more similar than their manufacturers/distributors would care for us to believe. There is a lot to be said for using the sports drink supplied by the race organizer. Many people claim it "doesn't work for them" or they prefer something else. I think it is wise to be experienced in training with the sports drink you may have to use in the race if you miss your special needs bag or your drink mix powder falls out of your pocket, fanny pack, bag, whatever. As Dan has pointed out on this website and forum you do have to "train" your digestive system for race day. Acclimating to the fluid replacement drink used by the race organization seems like a wise part of that preparation, even if it is only your "Plan B" in case you loose your prefered brand somehow. Personally, I do use Gatorade, as well as G-Push, Cytomax, Enervit G and whatever other sports drink is handy. I have my preferences (G-Push G1 & 2 and Cytomax), but I maintain a high degree of flexibility in what I can use in case I find myself in a situation somewhat different than the one I anticipated. It is all about being versatile, adaptable and prepared. It sounds to me like you have that down! Good luck.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I just use Gatorade because all the races that I participate are sponsored by Gatorade.... So doesn´t make sense to try something else...

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Luiz Eng

One word, OSMOLALITY. Gatoraid has simple sugers in a 7% concentration which has a high osmolality. If you try to drink Gatoraid and eat a gel at the same time (more simple suger in high concentration), the osmolality of the fluid in our stomach goes through the roof. Unless you dilute generously wih plain water you will stop absorbing and may even pull some fluid INTO your gut which is the worse thing that can happen. This can lead to severe stomach cramps, dehydration, and a DNF. Believe me I know from personal experience (except for the DNF, I dragged my near dead corpse over the line and went straight into the med tent). A better drink for long course tri's are drinks made with maltodextran which is pure carbohydrate made of Glucose Polymers (5-10 glucose in a chain making a single molecule). This carbo has a very low osmolality for the number of calories, has a very low glycemic index, and avoids spikes in insulin levels which can result in decreased serum glucose levels and "bonking". Far superior to drinks made wih simple sugers. Plus you can super concentrate the stuff with 1200cal in a single large water bottle and it all dissolves. One on your bike to start and one bottle in your special needs bag and your calories are taken care of. Stay light and just grab water at the aid stations. Maltodextran has very little flavor (mildly sweet) so is easy to drink when concentrated (just make sure to chase it with some water). Gateraid is only good for sprint and oly distance when the simple sugers are better. Gatoraid (and most other sports drinks) is not great for Ironman. Also, the fastest absorption comes from cals in liquid form, there is nothing for your stomach to break down. Don't mess with bars and those sticky gels (nothing worse when you are breathing hard), go simple and all liquid. Just remember to take salt tabs to avoid hyponatremia. DON'T learn the hard way like I did.

This is the best, most concise insight into sports drinks I have read in a long, long time. Excellent. This (the one in front of this)post is an example of how good this forum can be. Excellent. Such a pleasure to learn something here.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I use gatorade for my training and racing (sprint and oly). I like the taste, it is easy to find, and it is cheap compared to the other options. As slick pointed out, you should use water when you take a gel and not gatorade. I read (can't remember where but I think it was on this site) that you don't really need gel if you are only drinking gatorade or other fluid replacement because it has the sugar and electrolytes that you need.
I do use endurox for recovery but gatorade and h20 the rest of the time.

A

I have read all of this before, probably on this forum. I don't know what the real merits are, but you certainly make it sound like it is worth a try.

What product meets these specs and where do you buy it?

Famished in Florida,

I disagree. I've researched this fairly extensively, plus I'm a physician and have a decent background for assesing the facts. Plus, intuitively it makes sense. If the osmolality of your blood is X and the contents of your stomach are 2X effecient absorbtion of lost FLUIDS isn't likely. I'd be interested to read the research you are referring to because I certainly haven't seen it, but one the other hand I haven't read everything on the subject and knowledge is always evolving. I have built up a decent amount of personal experience and have had bad results wih Gatoraid and other like drinks and very good results with maltodextran. Plus, consider that maltodextran is more than a "sports drink". It can comprise the entire nutritional requirement for the Ironman. You can't do that with gatoraid because of the Osmolality. You would have to drink a few gallons of it to get all the calories you need, not possible. Until I see convincing evidence to the contrary (and maybe it's there), I stand by my original post.

I use Carbo-Pro made by Sportquest. Incidently on their web site they claim that Tim Deboom and Peter Reid use it. This means nothing though because they might be paid to use it or the may in fact not really use it. Anyway, there are a bunch of other products out here that use maltodextran as a main ingredient. Some add simple sugers or protein or both. I like to keep it simple so I use Carbo-Pro which is pure maltodextran. I don't work for any of these companies, I base my opinions only on personal research I've done, which, as the above post suggests, may be flawed, but I believe it. Most of it can be found on the web with a little digging.

Is there any particular reason you use Sportsquest brand?

I've heard maltodextran can be bought super cheap thru meat curing/sausage maker suppliers.

Pure maltodextran is pure maltodextran, right?

There are about 100cals per 24oz bottle of Gatoraid. I challenge you to try and get all the nutrition you need in the Ironman by drinking Gatoraid alone. That's the benefit of maltodextran, you can mix it in high concentration yet it still has a relatively low osmolality and is drinkable without torching your stomach. Just try and drink a 25% solution of simple suger when exercising, you will cramp up very fast. I mix Carbo-Pro 25% or more on all my long rides and have had no problems. That's 1200cals in ONE bottle!!!!!!! NOT POSSIBLE with a simple suger solution!!!!

Since we are on the subject... I have had success with diluted forms of fruit nector. In particular - peach and banana. The main reason I went down the "natural road" is because I am allergic to citric acid and (specially) absorbic acid.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. And, it became a necessity to find an alternative to off the shelve (or mail order) sport drinks. I also fell back on a bit of old school hydrating method.

Back when Ultra-Endurance sports were more of a novelty, I (and a few friends) use to eat watermelon and cantelopes (sometimes strawberry and banana). Little were we aware that what we were doing had some advantages for endurance sports. It wasn't until products like Pro-Enhancer and other glycerol based products hit the market. As it's been noted, more complex carbos (such as maltodextrin) provide advantages that can only be truly realized for long distance sporting events. I get simular results from melons (...without getting technical (I'll slick do that)- it has to do with glycemic index and caloric density - glycemic load)

I also found that Super Ultra-Endurance sports (for lack of a better term) such as multi-day activities require more protein and fats to help maintain energy levels. Long before Eco-challenge, a bunch of my friends and myself would take 4 day trips that include climbing, kayaking and rappelling down canyons, deserts and mountains. The goal every year was to see how much faster we could do it. This was done without support, without good maps, without high tech (light) equipment but mostly without a lot of common sense. We use to thrive off of water, fruits, nuts and cheese. We also thrived off each other's dependency to succeed. There wasn't a finish line per se. But, there are a whole lot great stories - like the time we finished in the dark, at least that what we claimed was the finish-zzZZ.

I think the point I am making is, there are a lot of natural products that provide many of the advantages that the pre-packaged products. And, I not advocating that todays advances aren't good. However, I for one found that old experiences provide the bases for my ability to find something that works for my situation. It's amazing how the net results is similar (...as Tom pointed out).

Gatorade is a good product... but for longer distances, I prefer to eat watermelon, cantelopes and the world famous, never fail - peanut butter and fruit spread (no sugar added). That may not be high tech, but it works for me and significantly less expensive... And, that's coming from someone who could have bought a nice H2 with all the money he has spent on Triathlon gear/travel in the past 18+ yrs.

The difference (IMHO) between products is not that significant. However, it the concentrations and the timing of the consumption that detemines the effectiveness. And, that is totally dependent on the environment and the individual. What worked for me last time may not work for me the next time... but, it's generally very close. I use simple sugars and complex carbos to help the process... for me, acids only inhibit that process (uh, ... let me rephrase that... it makes me sick).

FWIW Joe Moya

I think that would work but I've never tried it. Probably something the sport drink companies don't want you to know about.

Anybody out there drink only "dilute Gatorade" with no other fuel source and survive an Ironman? If you have, I'd love to hear about it.

On Purpose?

But, I do get the point(s)... two issues to the carbo consumption equation... intensity and distance. Both have different needs/requirements.

Joe Moya

BTW, Rhetorical question.

I tried using GU2o last summer because it was maltodextrin (just like GU gel packs). I gave up and went back to gatorade. Why? well, I've got a sweet tooth, and I like the taste of gatorade, so i drink more. If you don't like the sugar taste of gatorade, try the maltodextrin drinks, they'll probably be great for you. Just like buying a bike that fits, you should use a drink that you'll actually drink. proper hydration has got to be 10x more important than the type of sugar you are ingesting (assuming your stomach can handle it, mine's made of cast iron so nothing bothers me).

assuming you monitor carefully and consumed maltodextrin gel packs (GU, not clif shot which uses brown rice syrup) with the correct amount of plain water to achieve 7-8% solution, how could your intestines possibly tell the difference? yet slick says not to use the gel's?

not that I've ever done an IM.

Slick, you don't really drink that 1200 calorie mixture straight do you? I assumed that you would squirt the mixture into a front mount drink bottle full of water. Hard to believe I could take that mixture straight.

not to mention that gatorade is pennies to the dollar compared to the other drinks! if you train a lot and try to consume carbs during and after according to the current wisdom. that's a lot of greenbacks your drinking. that's race entry money, or aero-wheels, or new running shoes, or goggles, or...

H3ll yeah!!! Gatorade Fierce Grape is the flavor of IMFLA. I started on it after I signed up for the race. Fell in love with it.(Raised on Cool-Ade I guess) Lots of long rides on it with no probs. T

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1*

Art, the mixture is meant to be your fuel, not rehydration. You only have to drink one bottle for 56 miles then pick up your second bottle. This will give you 2400cals. If you ride for 5:30 it's more than 400cals an hour. For hydration drink only water, about a bottle an hour (give or take depending on conditions). Every 15 mins or so take a swig from your carbo bottle. It works great and is so simple that it's very hard to screw up. Just don't lose your bottle. One problem I used to have was getting confused on the course about how much Gatorade, Gu, Powerbars...etc I had consumed. In the middle of a looooong race it's easy to lose track. My current strategy simple and effective, I don't get too many or too few calories. I'm not saying it will work for everybody though. If you found something that works well stick with it.

centuries, half irons, olympic distance, 5ks-marathons, 50 mile combat marches, 110+ degrees around jet engines all done with good old gatorade. lots of latin never stopped it from working before.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

The problem isn't maltodextrin or any carbo... the problem is the acidic agents they add... specially the asorbic or benzoic acid (preservatives) they use.

Thus, I've been using diluted fruit nectors for my simple sugars (i.e., Gatorade equivalent) and Watermelon and Cantalope (for a maltodextrin equivalent). As I mentioned in my earlier post, it's a balance between glycemic index and caloric density (i.e., glycemic load factor) that determines what I value as a liquid (or near liquid) diet.

It works fine (also saves a few bucks)... just, a real pain to prepare.

FWIW Joe Moya