I have used it and can confirm it is delicious on pancakes AND waffles. As far as in training, I find the consistency too thin/runny making a mess and way too sweet to eat straight.

Used honey in the past in a gel flask, but you need to get the right temperature to get the correct consistency.

My preference is Gu and Shot Blocks for fake food. Real food for real food.

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

I mix the honey with almost boiling hot water to thin it. It works wonderfully well. Also the the Gu Refillable flask work extremely well for this.

I've havent tried Untapped brand packets, but I have tried Endurance Tap (similar product) once and found the same...thin and very sweet. The thinness took me by surprise (syruprise?) and made a mess. Might have been better if i was prepared for it. For reference, I typically use gu gels in salted caramel or vanilla bean (when using a gel product).

I have tried some untapped stroopwaffles and really enjoyed them though.

I love maple - it is really sweet though so if you're not a big maple fan it may not be for you. As others have mentioned it is also quite thin. I actually choked on it during my IM - thankfully right by the aid station had to have a volunteer pound me on the back and clear my airway. After that I was very careful not to inhale while using it. All said my stomach likes it and even though it is sweet and runny and choking hazard I'll probably still use it. My stomach just hates gu and anything with maltodextrin. On the bike I use real food - feed zone portables have really worked well along with Skratch or Tailwind to drink.

“real” maple syrup is very thin... dang near consistency of water.

what most of us are used to, the thick heavy stuff, isn’t pure syrup.

took me by quite the surprise when i discovered good higher quality syrups (for pancakes and waffles, mind you... NOT for training!)

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

You can make it thicker by boiling it down more. But the market pays premium for really clear anemic stuff. When I was a kid we used to boil it down further and did it outside. I think a few bugs and some bark helped. Darker, thicker and better.

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They constantly try to escape from the darkness outside and within
Dreaming of systems so perfect that no one will need to be good T.S. Eliot

Instead of untapped I pick up a reusable gel flask and filled it with Maple syrup from Costco. Both cost less than a box of these and provided more servings actually.

I tried it on a few longer rides for me and it works fine with no stomach issues. But it is rather sweet and especially when you're parched. Make sure you have water to wash it down immediately.

Exactly what I did, bought the kirkland brand jug from costco and put it in a running flask. I think I dissolved a little bit of base salts in water and added it to it. I much prefer it to gels. I never liked the thick consistency of gels.

For racing, I'll have a flask of it on the bike, and EFS in my bottles.

Thank you everyone for the responses. I appreciate your feedback.

Where I live, Eastern Ontario, maple syrup is a food group. Probably 'drink' a couple of gallons of it a year.

I buy real maple syrup by the quart and mix 100 calories of it with 200 calories of maltodextrin in a bike bottle. Tastes amazing. The coolest thing about maple syrup is that it rinses right off if you get it on you or your bike instead of getting all sticky. It's also a bit slower of a sugar than the others, so you won't get as much of a sugar spike and crash. Plus it has some vitamins and minerals.

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Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
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I like Untapped a lot. I've been using one pack (plus other products) on most of my long runs for a few years now. Yes, it's thin, and yes, it's sweet, but neither is a problem for me. I wouldn't carry more than two, b/c the maple flavor would get old. I like to have a different flavor with each gel/chew, so I don't get bored.

It's usually the first gel I eat on a long run or in a long race - it's thinner in the cool part of the day, and it sits easily in the stomach, like a cross between a gel and a sports drink.

I like the thinness. Especially in a race, I don't want to fight the gel pack to make it release its contents. With the maple syrup, it all comes out. No worries about leftover dribs and drabs oozing onto everything as you wait to pass a trash can. I did a marathon with a 25-degree start recently, and it was the only gel that I didn't have to fight to empty the packet.

It's thinner than the brands you mention. I don't notice a performance difference, except that this maple syrup goes down more easily than others because of the thin texture.

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<The Dew Abides>

I love untapped maple. I only used it once because I didnt see thesugars and calories before taking it. It has about double of both in what I am comfortable with.

But, I tested it on my longest bike ride to date. Took it with 15 miles left. When I got done, I was so wired that I ran 6 miles cause I had never felt so good in my life.

I havent had that much sugar in 7 years or so and it was amazing. I will definitely have a couple on me during the run of my 1st full IM.

My Untapped packets say 100 calories per packet, 26g carbs. That seems in line with other brands. I guess maple syrup is all sugar vs. some brands with (allegedly) complex carbs, but I haven't noticed any particular blood sugar spike or subsequent dip with maple, and I'm fairly sensitive to that.

It's got a bit of potassium and not much sodium at all, so I wouldn't rely on it as the only fuel in an IM unless you're taking salt tablets or drinking something salty.

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<The Dew Abides>