At IMWI a couple of weeks ago I saw one of the pros downing a Red Bull during bike at about 80 miles. Does anyone else do this? Whats the benefit? Caffeine?
If they finish well, a sponsorship. 
I’m pretty sure that would be considered cheating. Since “Red Bull give you wings”, one wouldn’t need to actually “run” the last leg of the course. An unfair advantage for certain!
I read an article from Brian Shea of Personal Best Nutrition about him using red bull during Kona last year. Send him an email, I’m sure he could refernce you to the information. Here is his website
I put a can of Red Bull in my run special needs bag at New Zealand. If nothing else, it is a treat to look forward to during a long tough day.
I checked out the Red Bull site. It seems that Reb Bull has a lot of ingredients that an endurance athlete may need; amino acids, vitamins, carbs and caffeine. Ive used it before in short races and during long rides to wake me up. I may try this during an IM next year.
I had to drink an ice cold RB at IMgermany in 2002, because they had no coke or cold water… man it was awesome! BUt only if ICE cold. But once you get onto the caffeine you stay on it for the remainder of the day!
Weeman
I slammed a Red Bull at Special Needs on the bike in Lake Placid. I had never done this in training but I figured the caffiene would be a good pick me up. During the last 30 miles or so on the bike I was getting really sleepy, I was actually yawning and having trouble keeping my eyes open. I think the big sugar hit led to a big sugar crash (I could be wrong). I think next time I’m going to go for either a Diet Coke or a low sugar Red Bull.
Yum, diuretics.
Red Bull sounds like a good idea for people going sub 10hrs or for the last 6 miles of the run. Before then for the mopers or bopers sounds like trouble.
I have been pinning down red bulls at races for a long time, any length of race, more as a nice thing to drink. at this years vine man I had one at each transition and 3 on the run, worked fine!
From my SO’s IMC race report… hope she doesn’t kill me for posting this.
The first 45 miles of the bike did not find me in my happy place. …I was developing one heck of a headache (I rarely get headaches so I was definitely taking note of this one.) …Hit the out and back where the special needs were. I stopped and grabbed my second sandwich even though I hadn’t gotten through my first one and while I was going through the rest of my meager items the guy in front of me pulls out a Red Bull. Now I’ve never had a Red Bull in my life and it’s commonly known that you never, I mean never, try anything new on race day. So imagine my surprise when I heard myself pipe up and tell him he was quite clever for putting Red Bull in his special needs bag. Seriously, that’s what I said, “You’re quite clever…” (Having never tasted it, I don’t even know what I meant by that.) So he tells me he’s got an extra one and I’m welcome to it. I greedily accept it and off I go. I pop it open and it’s like nirvana! After all of the Gatorade and E-Gels I’d been downing I think the clean, crisp taste just thrilled me. I ended up tossing it after a few swallows but I got a nice little rush and bonus…my headache disappeared. The only thing I can think of is that I needed a little caffeine to fix my addiction! So not only am I still making up ground, but I’m feeling great…
Red Bull plan for GFT:
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Pre-race, about 1 hour before swim, with Fig Newtons
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T1 before getting on bike
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Bike Special Needs
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T2 before heading out to run
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RSN after loop 1
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RSN after loop 2 (it’s a 3 loop course)
I love the stuff.
I tried one around mile 9 of the run at Davis. I drank a few gulps and dumped it out. It just struck me as nasty at that point. I went back to water and pepsi.
As told from the mouth’s of these two: Natascha Badmann’s coach Tony Hasler actually has researched Red Bull because it was once banned in Switzerland and in parts of Europe because of rumors of what it contained. He did research on what was actually in it and how it is beneficial for competition. There might be some info on his website www.toni-hasler.ch
Sidenote: Natascha said she uses it during long swim workouts ? and I think during races or at least she poses with one at the end of a race.
Use the RB to wash down your double caffeine tangerine power gel.
cam brown used it one year on the run in im germany and ran into 2nd place…