Ok I think I’m convinced on this new product called Gleukos. Anyone tried it before? Success stories? I’m looking for an energy drink that does’nt leave me feeling bloated and dehydrated on the run (which just about happens in every triathlon I do, still can’t figure it out) Does anyone know where to find it? I’ve been to my local Ralph’s, Albertson’s, Rite-Aid, Stater Bros., etc. should I try the bike shops?
A 5 second search later
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It has a very mild taste. A little light on the sodium content. I’m not sure that I buy into the marketing spin of how/why it’s better then all other sports drinks, but I have used it and it’s effective.
The company is headquartered here in Portland (used to be three blocks from my office), and it’s readily available in most running and cycling shops here. I believe you can order from their website as well.
scott
Waste of money.
if you look at the calorie and salt content you might as well stick with water and salt tablets. I switched to water and Succeed S-caps a few months ago after trying various sports drinks and all my stomach issues went away.
Hello everyone, my name is Mark Jensen. I’m the founder of Gleukos Sport Fuel. I’d love to answer any questions you may have.
A little background for you: Gleukos is the result of an MBA thesis project I started back in 2000. I ran collegiatly for BYU and then competitively for a bit and was always disappointed with my drink options. I guess you could say high school was the beginning of my “sport drinking” frustration. I ran for Jenks High School in Ok. During our two a day weeks we’d approach 100 miles per week. To me, sucrose or the stuff I put on my Cheerios and sodium - the reason my grandpa had high blood pressure - just didn’t seem like it was high-end technology. I also didn’t get how red dye 40 helped my performance…
So back to my MBA… After BYU I moved up to Portland, got a job with Nike and started work on my MBA. My thesis was to create and market a better sport beverage. I knew a few guys from my running days - Frank Gagliano, Jack Daniels, Ed Eyestone, the Oregon Project Runners, The Nike Farm Team, etc… So I asked them what they would use, what they wanted… With their feedback we created a beverage that was all-natural and was assimilated into your blood stream almost instantly - no digestion needed. We use glucose, which is a pharmaceutical grade carbohydrate and your body’s only source of fuel. We learned while doing our research that about 40% of the worlds population is allergic to fructose which is the reason most people get that nasty bloated/stomach funk feeling - sucrose isn’t much better. We went with slightly lower amount of sodium because most Americans get too much sodium in their diet. Our athletes, myself included, get the bulk of their sodium from food sources. I then put in about 3 times the amount of potassium than a typical sports drink. Most of us are defficient here…
Well, sorry to go on… You can get all this info on our website - gleukos.com. Now in the tri world we have helped Jasper Blake put together a campaign to help promote The Multiple Sclerosis Society and his road to Kona this Oct.- jasperblake.com.
Gleukos is available nationwide in Wild Oats and is starting to show up in Whole Foods stores. If you don’t see Gleukos at your local grocery stores just ask for it. Your local bike shop can also order it through Quality Bike Parts. You an also order it online through us or through Eastbay.com.
We’re not a multi-billion dollar corporation – we do answer the phone (most of the time) and respond to emails so let em fly… But I would say that if you are generally a negative person who just wants to bash others – please just give me a call – 503.241.4909 ext 801.
Thanks and enjoy your next swim, ride and run…
Mark
Mark,
Welcome to the forum. Glad to see you posting here.
No need for apologizing for going on. You have a great product with some eye-catching packaging. I am sure that it will do well.
one of the few drink I can actually physially feel an increase in energy… similar to a cup of coffee feeling for me. Not a long term energy supply though…
I have to say that I’m very intrigued by Gleukos. The science seems to make a lot of sense to me. Question: Have you tested how athletes will respond if forced to drink Gleukos in combination with Gatorade or other sports drinks? I’m thinking about a race in which I might carry a supply of Gleukos in my bottle but also rely on the drinks provided at aid stations on course. Even in an Olympic distance race, I’ll take in some sports drink supplied by the race. Given the simplicity of the ingredients, I imagine it blends okay on the go, but I was wondering if you had done any field testing.
Sorry, this is off-topic, but Jenks!! I remember seeing you guys at Rimrock every year for the Kansas Invitational (I grew up in KC). You guys had some solid runners, not to mention a fancy bus. We used to stare longingly at your team greyhound as we drove off in our yellow school bus.
OK, sorry. That’s enough for memory lane.
Oh hi Steve, thanks for the welcome… Nice suits…
You may very well need to supplement your sodium. It is, intentionally, low on sodium. I know several athletes that use it, and most have been in touch with Mark about the sodium issue. He does expect that most athletes will add or supplement sodium in some way. I think with many athletes not liking the taste of salty drinks, and using capsules instead, it is easier to let people “do their own electrolytes.” You can easily get as much salt from Gleukos as from Gatorade if you just add probably 1/4 tsp of kosher salt. But if you want LESS sodium, this is a good option, because you certainly can’t take the sodium out of other drinks.
Gleukos, what’s it like?
It’s, like, 12 points in Scabble with the bonus 50 for using all 7 tiles 
Sorry, couldn’t resist. Thanks for posting this though as I’ve seen it but haven’t had opportunity to try it and I am curious about it. Nice to see the founder chime in with a response. I’m heading over to WholeFoods after work to see if they have it stocked.
We’ve done a lot of studies but we haven’t done a mixed sport drink study like you’re suggesting.
I can say that because Gleukos is 30% less sweat than typical sports drinks but still has 6% carb - it goes down a lot easier.
We have also done studies which show that athlete prefer a lighter, less sweat drink during exercise.
I also know that Jasper does this. In his Ironman’s he can’t physically take all of the Gleukos he would like to use on the bike and run - it’s just too heavy. So he starts out with Gleukos - uses what’s on the course when he has to - then uses the remaining amount of Gleukos to wash out the aftertaste and get him ready for the run…)
You should try it… See how it works for you…
I also know that Jasper does this. In his Ironman’s he can’t physically take all of the Gleukos he would like to use on the bike and run - it’s just too heavy. So he starts out with Gleukos - uses what’s on the course when he has to - then uses the remaining amount of Gleukos to wash out the aftertaste and get him ready for the run…)
Interestingly, this seems like a field-replication of Jeukendrups study on mixed-sugar intake, which he showed was much more effective that using a single sugar for exercise. Maybe this is the best approach for a number of reasons, with perhaps the most beneficial thing being something that was unintended side-effect.
Jordan,
It’s interesting to see a company going counter to the sodium obsession out there in the sports drink and nutritional supplement business. Nearly everything you pick up now has extra sodium in it. People need sodium when training/racing in hot weather, to be sure, but I keep wondering where the overboard point is with all this. Your thoughts?
Personally, I need a lot. But I like the idea that Gleukos has said (I think) “let’s do the carb part right, and focus on that, and let people manage their electrolytes as they need.” Certainly, in a lot of cases, you only need the carbs, not the electrolytes. It’s nice to have the choice. Considering the cost of sodium (a HUGE box of sea salt or kosher salt is very cheap), I don’t have any issue “making my own” with Gleukos, which I use on occassion; although, mostly I’ve used Gleukos sans salt, during workouts when it is not so hot.
I think the name may be doing it a disservice. It makes it sound as if it is just repackaged Glucose.
I HATE Gatorade, Powerade, etc… Like the idea of a NATURAL drink. Liked the tase of Cliff but had stomach issues. Gleukos has peaked my interest! Couple questions though…
Newbie Question: The sodium issue makes sense. I can experiment and determine how much, if any, sodium I need for the duration of my training/race.
I’m confused about the comments about electrolytes. I thought gatorade and most sport drinks were electrolyte replacement drinks? So Gleukos doesn’t replace ANY electrolytes? If so, what do you recommend to do this?
I’ve had trouble in the past on with taking in too much water and enough electrolytes.
Educate me… !
Gleukos has peaked my interest! Couple questions though…
Newbie Question: The sodium issue makes sense. I can experiment and determine how much, if any, sodium I need for the duration of my training/race.
I’m confused about the comments about electrolytes. I thought gatorade and most sport drinks were electrolyte replacement drinks? So Gleukos doesn’t replace ANY electrolytes? If so, what do you recommend to do this?
I have no idea, Sean, you might want to address this to Gleukosguy.