“MEBCAN. RITZCAN. UCAN.”
Well if Meb Keflezghi and Dathan Ritzenhein, two of America’s top distance runners, can run using UCAN as fuel then it must work for me, right? While every fuel is not for every person, I have found that UCAN takes the worry about having to think what to put into my tank before and during my run and how my body is going to react to that fuel.
Timing with short-acting sugar supplements can be difficult to manage. Take your doses too far apart and you crash and sometimes can’t recover from the low blood sugar level. Take the doses too close together and you get a sugar build-up in your stomach that typically expels itself in a not-so-wonderful way on a run. But I had relied on sugar as fuel for too long. Then I found Generation UCAN. UCAN is a superstarch that was developed in order to help a young boy deal with a rare metabolic disorder. It was discovered that this superstarch was effective in helping to maintain energy levels and utilize fat for fuel in athletes as well.
So in 2009 I was training for the 2010 Carl Touchstone 50K trail race in Laurel, MS. It was to be my first ultra and I wanted to get it right. Approximately three days before a scheduled 25-mile training run, a rep from UCAN came into my shop and told me about the energy benefits of this patented ingredient derived from hydrothermally treated non-GMO corn. I thought I should give it a shot considering I wasn’t digesting the energy gels that I had used for years previously. The night before the run I put a pack of the powder into 16 ounces of water and set it in the fridge to get cold knowing that cooler liquids have a faster rate of gastric emptying (didn’t want anything sloshing around in my stomach). On my way to the run that Saturday morning I down the cloudy liquid not knowing what I was about to get into. I did bring an energy gel with me “just in case”, but only sipped on water throughout the entire 25 miles. Never had to go to my gel. And ran 25 miles in 3:30. Not bad for just a training run. I was hooked! I knew the product was legal and I knew it had good reactions with my body. And I have been a believer and proponent ever since.
Sports nutrition today is some science, some hype, and some self-experimentation. But here is what 1:24 half-marathoner Jeff Gennusa said about his UCAN experience: “I have been using UCAN Protein Drink Mix for several months and love it. It gives me sustained energy with no crash and absolutely no GI distress. I no longer have to worry about taking a gel or GU anymore. I mix one scoop of UCAN Protein Drink Mix with 12-16 oz of (cold) water and drink it 30-45 minutes before my race.”
This is how Brittlyn Sosh, 3:11 marathoner and third place overall female at The Louisiana Marathon, feels about using UCAN: “For my most recent marathon training, I was introduced to Generation UCAN. In previous training, I used gels before and during long runs and races. I was going through MANY packs of gels during these runs. I thought it was great until I began using UCAN. With UCAN, I make the drink the night before and consume 30 minutes prior. Making it the night before, I find provides a smoother consistency and better flavor, MUCH better than the gels. Just that one drink provides me with sustained energy and endurance and eliminated the feelings of highs and crashes that I experienced with gels. I also do not experience any stomach discomfort with UCAN as I had previously. UCAN with protein focuses on burning fat, rather than sugar and carbs, as well as optimized recovery. UCAN has made a huge difference in my running and something I would highly recommend!”
So consider UCAN when you are looking for a fuel source for your run. Any distance, any time, anywhere…UCAN do it.
Ryan M. Green 