Product Review: Maurten Endurance Fuel - findingvegancroissants.com

Maurten Endurance Fuel

Recently, I’ve been trying a variety of vegan endurance fuel products for my triathlon training. Using the same gel and liquid calories for a few years was getting giving me some GI issues and palette fatigue so I ventured outside of my comfort zone and happened upon Maurten Endurance Fuel. There’s a lot of buzz surrounding Maurten and their new hydrogel technology. Plus, if it’s good enough for Eliud Kipchoge–the runner who broke the 2-hour marathon threshold–then I figured it was worth a try!

Maurten seems to be all about getting the job done and comes in this sleek packaging, to boot.

The Quick Summary: Maurten Endurance Fuel

Who?

Maurten is a relatively new sports fuel company that has taken the endurance sports community by storm because of their new hydrogel technology.

What?

Maurten offers two gels and two drink mixes.

Is Maurten 100% Vegan?

Yes, according to their website, all of Maurten’s fueling products are vegan. However, Maurten products are not officially certified vegan.

Pros.

100% vegan company
Hydrogel technology is easy on the digestion system
Maurten claims their fuel delivers carbohydrates more efficiently for increased performance

Cons.

Taste leaves something to be desired
More expensive than the average endurance fuel
Need to mix the drink mix with an exact amount of water for the hydrogel technology to work (not really a con, but worth noting)

All of my opinions are authentic and based on my use of these products.

Full Review of Maurten Endurance Fuel: Gel 100 and Drink Mix 160

Maurten Drink Mix 160 and Maurten Gel 100. Product Review: Maurten Enudrance Fuel

They look simple but these Maurten products pack a punch and have helped me bring my “A” game to my triathlon training.

What is Maurten Endurance Fuel?

Maurten is an endurance fuel company that came onto the scene in 2016 and has become the fuel choice for top endurance athletes, from triathlete Jan Frodeno to Eliud Kipchoge to most of the winners of the top marathons in 2019 (New York, Tokyo, Boston, London and more).

What products does Maurten Endurance Fuel offer?

Maurten offers:

Two Gels

Gel 100 CAF 100 – This gel includes 25g of carbohydrates and 100 mg of caffeine at 100 calories a package.
Gel 100 – This gel includes 25g of carbohydrates at 100 calories a package.

Two Drink Powders

Drink Mix 160 – This packet includes 40g of carbohydrates at 160 calories a package.
Drink Mix 320 – This packet includes 80g of carbohydrates at 320 calories a package.

Both the gels and drink mixes are sold in boxes on the Maurten website. If you’d like to try Maurten before committing to a box, you can buy individual packets at The Feed, an online endurance fuel store. (See full review of The Feed HERE).

Is Maurten an All Vegan Company?

Yes, according to their website, all of Maurten’s fueling products are vegan. However, Maurten products are not officially certified vegan.

Unofficial Line

Maurten makes an “unofficial line” of gels and drink powders. These are simply Maurten products in unmarked packaging to allow athletes with contracts with other fueling companies to use Maurten without being in violation of their contracts. I interpret this to mean there’s the demand for such a thing and those at the top of the endurance sports world have found that Maurten works for their performance. Gel 100, Drink Mix 160, and Drink Mix 320 are all available in the unofficial line.

Maurten’s Unofficial line of endurance fuel products for athletes who want to use Maurten and not be in violation of their contracts with other fueling companies. Photo taken from https://www.maurten.com/unofficial

What makes Maurten different from other endurance fuel companies?

Maurten’s patent pending technology claims to have encapsulated carbohydrates in a hydrogel that delivers the fuel more effectively and with less GI stress. According to their website, they consider the traditional gels to be more like a syrup and they’ve created an actual gel. Once you see the consistency of both the gel and a properly mixed Maurten drink mix, I think you’ll see the difference between a ‘syrup’ and a ‘gel’. Their description seems accurate and on point to me.

My Experience with Maurten

I’ve been using Maurten for a several months now and have been completely taken aback by it. In the past and during my recent vegan endurance fuel exploration, I’ve found gels and drink mixes that I like. I liked them for reasons from taste to how easy they are on my stomach to how I feel while training. But, something feels different with Maurten. In addition to the normal caloric energy boost form gels, I got a deeper sense of strength from Maurten. It seemed to allow me to push harder. Of course, I would be happy to entertain the idea of the placebo effect, however when I started using Maurten I hadn’t read much about the hydrogel technology. Once I felt like Maurten was a keeper in my fueling rotation I looked into it more and that is when I learned more about the hydrogel technology and it’s effects.

Maurten Gel 100: The magic you’ve been looking for

Nine miles into a long run was the first time I tried a Gel 100. The texture was a bit shocking. It has been compared to Jello and I somewhat agree with that. Jello is the closest thing I can think of, however I’d say Maurten gels are more like a softer and slimier version of Jello. After eating it, I figured it would be a one or done. Then, for the next several miles I ran like a much younger me and felt like I was able to push like I used to when I was much younger. I didn’t initially connect it to the gel and granted it is hard to definitively say it was the gel, but in subsequent uses I’ve felt stronger and able to push harder than with other fuel. So, I’m sticking with it for now.

Maurten Gel 100. Product Review: Maurten Endurance Fuel.

Maurten Gel 100. These gels pack a powerful punch.

Maurten Drink Powder 160: Mix it right and it is superfuel

The first time I used Drink Mix 160 in a bike workout I felt noticeably stronger. Then I learned I was supposed to mix the packet with an exact amount of water. he first few times I used the drink mix I did not mix it correctly. The 160 requires 16 ounces of water, no more and no less to create the hydrogel. Once I did this, I noticed a significant difference in my stamina and energy both on the bike and in the run.

The taste leaves something to be desired. On the one hand, it doesn’t taste like much of anything, but it’s also not pleasant. If I felt like it was equal to other fuel, I’d probably move on based on the flavor, but given how good I feel it works, the flavor is fine and for this type of fuel, I’d put up with a lot worse. With each use I am becoming more convinced of it’s effectiveness.