Gear - Motortabs

I discovered Motortabs at the end of my triathlon season last year. Motortabs, a fluid replacement system, uses an effervescent delivery system much like an alka seltzer. Instead of powders and scoops, Motortabs are served in foil packets and begin to dissolve when they hit water. In a matter of minutes the tablets, or tabs, dissolve completely in the bottle or cup that they are placed in.

The Motortabs product is available in three easy to drink flavors, lemon-lime, fruit punch and orange. Each tab is 16g of carbohydrates (65 calories per tab) allowing for easy estimation of nutrition needs. Additionally, sodium (250mg) and potassium (75mg) are also a part of the product.

Here’s where I see the Motortabs advantage. The tabs themselves are easy to carry. They taste good. The formula is really simple allowing for easy combination with other nutrition sources. Tabs can be carried and mixed on the fly in aero bottles according to need with water on the course, as there is nearly always water on the course.

That last point was made especially clear to me on a past race. I had premixed bottles of nutrition sitting waiting for me at mile 60 of 112 and after four hours of baking on the hot pavement the stuff was nearly undrinkable. What was missing on my part was the desire to drink as much as I had to to stay hydrated and to keep my energy stores up. All over the course was Gatorade, which for me needed to be cut down a little with water, and cold water. On a hot day nothing, and I mean nothing, sounds or feels better than a bottle of cold water. If I had had an aero bottle and Motortabs I would have been able to mix my drinks as I went, adding cold water and which ever flavor tab suited my fancy as I went. Instead I had to discard over three hours of planned nutrition and do my best with what was on the course. Not what I had planned and far from ideal.

On a personal note I’ve tried several products, am not sponsored by any of them (YET, hint hint!), but have found that this product allows me the greatest amount of nutritional and logistical flexibility over the long course. Couple that with also liking the flavor and not minding the tenth bottle of the stuff over the course of a workout or race and I think I’ve found my product. I’m going back to Ironman this summer and Motortabs are a key part of my nutrition plan for training and racing. With any luck at all, there will be a new PR for me out there. I can’t wait.