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Maurten Hydrogel, a journey of discovery! – Endurance Adventures
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After a hiatus of a couple of years, recently I made a return to organised running at the Dirt Half Challenge based out of Leighton Buzzard; a highly regarded local event which is largely along the Great Union canal with a little sojourn in the woods at Great Brickhill before returning to the canal towpath and heading back into Leighton Buzzard. It's a cracking little event with a nice relaxed atmosphere - in my opinion, a pretty safe return to organised running.

However, the event isn't the main focus for this update! As a little bit of an aside, I'm a big fan of the IMTalk podcast, having spent many happy hours listening to John and Bevan chat about 'all things Ironman' in their native New Zealand tones. If you're half interested in triathlon then given it a try!

Anyways, listening to one of the podcasts before the Dirt Half, they were promoting a nutrition brand called Maurten. which I'd heard nothing about and didn't recognise the name! Turns out I've must have been living my head up my proverbial as their actual quite a big deal, back some of the biggest names in triathlon and marathon running (Frodeno, Kipchoge and Sir Mo) and are the official on-course nutrition partner for Ironman.

The final point, is the most important; as the on-course nutrition partner for Ironman. Come next May, when I'm aiming to be on-course at IM Mallorca, it's pretty nailed on that I'll be stuffing plenty of Maurten products down my throat in an effort to get some energy into my under prepared body!

Now, without going into detail, I have at times, suffered with GI problems when running and the last thing I want after months of training is to spend all afternoon in a portaloo when I should be plodding around the paths of Alcudia. Therefore, I figured it was a good idea to give this Maurten stuff a go.

Xmiles

Firstly, sourcing Maurten isn't the easiest thing in the UK. It's stocked at a Wiggle, but you have to purchase a 12 pack, which in this instance was going to work. I wanted a couple of each gel and a drink powder; so after a quick search on the interweb, I stumbled across XMiles, which in retrospect was a bloody good bit of fortune.

Xmiles is an independently owned 'Endurance Sports Store', founded by a former GB ultra runner called Anthony Clarke. They've not only got a cracking shop they also have an excellent blog and a really slick podcast: Endurance Fuelled. Although the podcast hasn't been updated for a few months, there is some create content in their. Have a listen! Two podcasts recommended in one update!

The ordered process was slick as it's 2021 and e-commerce should be pretty slick now! A couple of days later a parcel dropped on my porch mat. In the box was the much anticipated (and ordered) Maurten but also some Blue Fuel gummies (not ordered), which I can only assume where a freebie. Either way, they were pretty good too!

Maurten

Maurten have used some clever science to add more carbohydrates into their products than others whilst being made from natural products and being gentle on your stomach. I'm not going to reproduce it here, if your interested in the science then visit the Maurten site and have a read. The interesting element for me was the gentle on your stomach bit, furthermore they claim to not have the artificial / mega sweet taste that plagues other energy gels. In the past, I've found other brands unsustainable over long events because they make me feel sick so the promise of a neutral taste was appealling. It has to be said, I was initially sceptical that the neutral taste would be true!

The journey of discovery

In a rather anticlimactic finish to this update, having tried the mix powder drink before the event and a couple of gels during the event, I can report that it's bloody good stuff! The powder dissolves well and doesn't really taste of anything. The gels are a bit awkward to consume whilst running, but the second one went down easier than the first - the consistency is more jelly than liquid and is a significantly more pleasant experience than normal gels.

The taste however is only part of the story, I didn't have any stomach problems and felt that I had plenty of energy from the half marathon distance. Importantly, I didn't any kind of acidic reaction like I do with other gels and no other stomach problems.  All in all, a resounding success! Get yourselves over to Xmiles and order some for your next event!