I am preparing for my first marathon and trying to do some research on proper fueling for the race. One article I came across says that maltodextrin is more likely to cause GI problems because it stays in your stomache longer. Every type of prodduct I currently have has maltodextrin. Is it harder to process? I know I need to do some trial and error but looking for advice. What do most people use for nutrition in a marathon? Hoping to break 3:30.
I have been using pure maltodextrin all season with no GI issues yet. It’s been working quite well actually.
M~
I’m not sure where you heard that maltodextrin *stays in your stomach longer, *but that’s not accurate. When you have ~15 spare mins, I’d strongy suggest watching this video as it does a very good job of clearing up the misconceptions regarding carbohydrate intake.
With regards to your question, find out what’s on course, use it & get used to it. There’s no need to carry additional nutrition for a marathon w/ aid stations every mile.
I am preparing for my first marathon and trying to do some research on proper fueling for the race. One article I came across says that maltodextrin is more likely to cause GI problems because it stays in your stomache longer. Every type of prodduct I currently have has maltodextrin. Is it harder to process? I know I need to do some trial and error but looking for advice. What do most people use for nutrition in a marathon? Hoping to break 3:30.
More likely than what? There is a reason why every product you have has malto in it and it’s not because it has a high incidence of GI issues.
Which doesn’t mean that no one has problem with it. 
Maltodexterin “can” cause GI issues but everyone is different. Personally I prefer a mix of sugars
Maybe I interpreted the article incorrectly. I will post it here and maybe it will help.
http://brucetholmes.com/Triathlon/TriRaceNutrition.html
I appreciate all the help so far and I will give the PBN products a try.
Thanks
n=1. We’re all different, our tummies empty at different rates (I have some athletes that use 1 scoop and some athletes that use 3 scoops of our public blends), so GI distrss is a funchtion of you, the event you’re targeting, the energy source you provide for yourself, and the way you provide that energy source. All work in combination to give you the energy at the time(s) you need it. As for “pure” maltodextrin, that’s a misnomer. There are literally dozens of maltodextrins; all with different DE equivalents, all with different specific densities. So to say that maltodextrin is this or that, is somewhat like saying shoes are this or that. Does that make sense? (Shoes come in so many different styles and sizes that to generalize about them is almost absurd. So it is with maltodextrin, or for that matter, sugars (be they simple, complex, or strachy)). Now, on to your question. What to do about a marathon. For a 3:30 effort, you need (depending on your age, build, efficiency, and weather stressors) somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 calories an hour to make that happen (at least for the first 2 1/2 hours, if you have a depleting strategy). Assuming that’s on target, then you need 3-4 gel packets each hour (every other water stop?) to meet that goal. Or a drink that provides those calories. Now comes the issue of osmolality, which can derail the most detailed nutrition plan. Are you a sweater, a leaker? Then you need more water and a denser source of calories is in order (if your tummy can take it). If not, then a drink product or gel packets might be the ticket.
You’ve asked a detailed question in a simple way. If your coach is not capturing each of these parameters and discussing them, or your drink supplier is not addressing each of these issues based on your needs, maybe you should look around. We have been custom blending energy and endurance drink mixes for athletes (professional, amateur, and casual) for more than 10 years, and believe me, it’s more complex than asking what brand to buy. n=1 Nutrition.
n=1. We’re all different, our tummies empty at different rates (I have some athletes that use 1 scoop and some athletes that use 3 scoops of our public blends), so GI distrss is a funchtion of you, the event you’re targeting, the energy source you provide for yourself, and the way you provide that energy source. All work in combination to give you the energy at the time(s) you need it. As for “pure” maltodextrin, that’s a misnomer. There are literally dozens of maltodextrins; all with different DE equivalents, all with different specific densities. So to say that maltodextrin is this or that, is somewhat like saying shoes are this or that. Does that make sense? (Shoes come in so many different styles and sizes that to generalize about them is almost absurd. So it is with maltodextrin, or for that matter, sugars (be they simple, complex, or strachy)). Now, on to your question. What to do about a marathon. For a 3:30 effort, you need (depending on your age, build, efficiency, and weather stressors) somewhere in the neighborhood of 300-400 calories an hour to make that happen (at least for the first 2 1/2 hours, if you have a depleting strategy).** Assuming that’s on target, then you need 3-4 gel packets each hour (every other water stop?) to meet that goal.** Or a drink that provides those calories. Now comes the issue of osmolality, which can derail the most detailed nutrition plan. Are you a sweater, a leaker? Then you need more water and a denser source of calories is in order (if your tummy can take it). If not, then a drink product or gel packets might be the ticket.
You’ve asked a detailed question in a simple way. If your coach is not capturing each of these parameters and discussing them, or your drink supplier is not addressing each of these issues based on your needs, maybe you should look around. We have been custom blending energy and endurance drink mixes for athletes (professional, amateur, and casual) for more than 10 years, and believe me, it’s more complex than asking what brand to buy. n=1 Nutrition.
I’m pretty sure that this is on the very high end of caloric intake for a marathon. For an ironman where you’re going at an overall lower intensity and need to keep the fuel supplies high at the cost of speed, it makes more sense, but for a standalone marathon, 1 gel packet every 45-60 mins is pretty typical.
12 gels for a 3:30 marathon seems way overboard for a standalone marathon.
I also keep my malto pretty simple - regardless of formulation, malto is still malto. It still provides a similar energy content at similar bulk and weight. Get it dissolved, and those formulations don’t make a difference at all. Give it a try - it’s great stuff, cheap as all heck, and has a proven track record with pro athletes and triathletes before companies found out that they could make a good amount of money by selling products that are 90-98% maltodextrin, but at 10x the markup due to their ‘special electrolyte’ or ‘sugar blend’ mix.
Looks like Brucetholmes.com’s article needs some clarification on a topic that is OFTEN misrepresented. Though maltodextrin is a complex carbohydrate it does not offer slow sustained release of energy. Maltodextrin is one of the fastest sugars absorbed. It is second to glucose on the glycemic index scale. It is due to maltodextrin’s weak bonds that allow it to break down very quickly and be used effectively as a fuel. Maltodextrin also has one of the lowest osmolarity values which allow it to be absorbed at stronger concentrations. For best results mixing maltodextrin with other fast absorbing sugars allows one to use multiple absorption channels concurrently which is even easier and more effective than using any single sugar source.
hope this helps,
Robert Kunz MS
Founder-First Endurance
Good info Robert. Thanks for the input!