Maurten Gel Review: Are Maurten Products Good For Triathletes, Runners and Cyclists?
I thought I'd tackle a Maurten gel review because Maurten and their hydrogel based energy gels have made a bit of a name for themselves recently.
Maurten sponsors the mighty Jan Frodeno and Eliud Kipchoge, amongst plenty of other incredible athletes.
What sets them aside from traditional gels is that they use a natural hydrogel technology which they claim helps to reduce the chance of gastrointestinal discomfort and efficiently deliver carbohydrates to athletes, thus helping with performance.
They offer two types of gels: Maurten gel 100, which contains 25 grams of carbohydrates per serving, and Maurten gel 100 Caf, which is the same but with an added 100 mg of caffeine.
Maurten's gel has the potential to be extremely helpful for triathletes wanting to race as fast as possible.
But let's face it, Maurten products are expensive and in essence they are just providing carbohydrates like other sport supplements.
So if you're wondering what Maurten products are like, whether you should try them and whether they'll help your racing performance, then read on!
Before I go any further, I should let you know: I was NOT sponsored by Maurten or anyone else to write this review, I bought all the products myself so I can give an unbiased maurten review! Any affiliate link in this article is not related to Maurten in any way.
Watch this if you would prefer a video review!
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The Science Behind Maurten Hydrogels
Maurten sells a range of products. I am going to focus on the gels, because those are the most popular, but they also sell drink mixes and energy bars, which I will touch upon later.
What makes Maurten gel special is the new hydrogel technology that is unique to Maurten (at the time of writing). They wrap the salt and carbs in a special hydrogel which is resistant to the ph levels of the stomach.
This protects the carbs as they travel through the stomach, which reduces the risk of gi issues when absorbing that amount of carbohydrates during longer runs (a common issue with energy gels!)
The hydrogel dissolves as soon as it interacts with the intestinal fluids, releasing the carbs into your system to give you much needed energy.
So the main aim of Maurten gels is to provide extra carbs for athletes, so for example during a long run, without causing stomach issues.
It could also be used during a triathlon or even on the bike.
Taste, Packaging, Performance & Price: The Big 4!
In order to review whether or not Maurten gels are a great product for endurance athletes, I am going to assess their taste, how easy they are to use, their effect on exercise performance, and their price tag.
This should give us a good insight into Maurten gels and their uses. As an added bonus, I'll give a quick rundown of their other products as well.
Taste and Texture
So in terms of palatability, I personally think all of Maurten's products are brilliant. And that's important over a long distance event if you're going to use them repeatedly.
If you've never had one of the gels then you might be a little bit surprised. Normally when you have a gel you get that gloopy stickiness and then you're left with a claggy mouth, but these don't don't do that.
The gels do not have a strong taste - instead they taste very neutral. There's a little bit of sweetness to them, but it is quite subtle and there's no actual flavouring.
Again, over a long distance event that is good news because it reduces the risk of taste fatigue.
However I think sometimes that might be a bit of a negative if you are actually craving some sweetness or a bit of 'zest' and these definitely don't have that.
And for example I know some athletes who aren't the best at drinking anyway and actually having something sweet or tasty will encourage them to.
So that comes down to preference!
The caffeinated gels have a little bit of bitterness to it but it's very tolerable and much less than other caffeinated carb products I've tried.
Packaging: How To Use Maurten Products?
Maurten gels come in small sachets, each of which contains 25g carbs. They are very easy to use because they are lightweight, so can easily be stored in a running belt. If you’re after a running belt for running or triathlon, this is one that I recommend.
When taking them on the go, all you have to do is open it up and slurp it down! You don't need to follow it with water (though you obviously can if you don't like the taste!).
Therefore, I would say that they come in very easy to use packaging, which is definitely a plus for a long-distance runner or those using them during a triathlon like an Ironman triathlon.
Maurten’s gloopy hydrogel
Performance Effect: How Effective Are They?
So what sets Maurten gels aside from other sports products and are they worth the hype?
From a technical perspective, Maurten products provide carbohydrates such as maltodextrin, or glucose, and fructose at an energy ratio of 1:0.8 rather than the traditional 2:1 ratio that most other carb gels or drinks use.
The only other carb products that I know of that uses this ratio is science in sports beta fuel range (now including Styrkr too)
Both Maurten and SIS use this formula because research has shown that it allows you to absorb and then use more carbohydrates when racing.
I think that the formula Maurten uses is superior to most other carbohydrate supplements out there and is better for triathletes looking to race as well as possible.
The other thing to add is that Maurten minimises the amount of ingredients in their products and sticks to all natural ingredients. I genuinely think this is excellent. They don't add artificial sweeteners or other binding agents.
Some recent studies have suggested that their products do, as promised, reduce gi distress. I cover this evidence thoroughly in this video on Maurten's hydrogel formula.
Pricing: Are They Worth The Cost?
The prohibitive factor for most people when it comes to buying the Maurten energy gel is the cost. At $43 or £33 for 12 servings, they are quite expensive!
It is fair to say that they cost more because they use a ratio of carbohydrates which seems to be optimal for racing. They also use their hydrogel technology and natural ingredients which potentially reduces the frequency of gastrointestinal upset and help athletes better absorb carbohydrates.
They are also Informed Sport Registered which bumps up the price, but this is extremely important for a lot of triathletes. It’s not uncommon for age groupers to be drug tested - so this helps to reduce issues associated with that.
For elite athletes with the money to spare, the technology behind them may also make them worth the extra cost it.
However, if you don't have that kind of cash to spend, there are many other fantastic sports drink and gel brands on the market at a lower price tag.
I would also say that if you have found something that works for you, stick with it! Usually it's better to continue using a brand that you're comfortable with, know you can tolerate and let's you hit your carb goal numbers comfortably.
Conclusion: Are Maurten Gels Worth It For Triathletes And Runners?
There's no one size fits all answer to this, as is so often the case. The Maurten gel 100 certainly makes a lot of promises to its users - particularly that of eliminating the stomach issues associated with many energy gels.
As mentioned, there is some evidence that it works, but it is not yet 100% conclusive. If you struggle with digestive issues after taking energy gels, you could definitely try Maurten gels to see if they work for you. If they do (and scientifically speaking, they should) it could be a huge relief and make a big difference to you on race day.
However, they are expensive, so if stomach issues aren't an issue for you, or not a big one, then there is probably isn't worth paying the extra for their hydrogel technology.
Their products are a somewhat unique blend of fructose and glucose (and maltodextrin) in the optimum ratio for athletic performance...but it's hard to gauge the actual impact of this and you are most likely just as well off with a normal, cheaper brand of energy gels!
To conclude my Maurten gel review, I would recommend trying Maurten products if you experience considerable problems with your gi tract when you run.
Solving that issue is the main reason Maurten products could be worth their high price! If this isn't an issue for you, stick to regular energy gels and save your money.
What About Other Maurten Products?
As promised, here is a quick run down of the other products Maurten sells. Their range is quite small: aside from the gels, they sell 3 drink mixes, an energy bar and a bicarb mix.
The bead like form of Maurten drinks before adding water
Maurten Drink Mix 320 & 160
Maurten 320 and 160, their main drink mixes, function much the same as the energy gels. The drink mixes contain either 40 grams of carbohydrates (160 mix) or 80 grams of carbohydrates (320 mix). One of the 320 mixes is caffeinated, containing 100mg of caffeine.
They mix well and it's pretty easy, all you really need is to put it in a bottle and give it a good shake a few times and you're done.
The composition of the drink mix straight from the packet is also a massive positive in my book. You’ll find a little bit of powder as residue in there, but they are mostly composed of little beads.
They aren't sticky or gloopy until you mix them with water, which means you don’t get powdered stickiness over every single surface. Some carb drink powders I've had seem to be stickier than toffee and literally cling to everything!
Whether you choose to use energy gels or a drink mix depends on preference. I usually go for energy gels because they are lighter to carry, but some people prefer to drink their carbs instead of slurping down gloop!
Maurten Bicarb
Taking bicarbonate of soda as a supplement is supposed to improve your performance by allowing you to do higher intensity exercise for longer periods of time.
The issue with many bicarb supplements is that they can cause gastrointestinal upset. Maurten has applied their hydrogel technology to bicarbonate of soda to attempt to tackle this. I have a full review of the effectiveness of Maurten bicarb that you can read if you are interested!
Maurten Solid 225
This product is a slight deviation from their usual offering. Maurten Solid 225 and 225 Cacao are energy bars which do not use the hydrogel technology. Their purpose is to provide a low fat, low fibre, high carb energy source. They make a change from gels and powders!
I trial this product and give a breakdown of my experience in this Maurten Solid 225 review!
