It’s official. Ironman has made the switch from Gatorade to Mortal Hydration. Click here to view the announcement. Now what?
There is a difference between Gatorade and Mortal.
We touched on this in a previous video (see below) but this change does bring some strategy differences for athletes. One significant difference is the lower amount of carbohydrates per serving Mortal offers when compared to Gatorade. This is not an insignificant difference!
Regardless of the differences, we as athletes need to move forward. Any positives or negatives this on-course hydration change brings will be shared by all. Below are three key steps to move forward.
Try it ASAP.
I hate to tell everyone to go out and spend more money, but you need to figure out if this will work for you well ahead of the race. Buy some Mortal and try it out during some indoor sessions first! You should attempt to fuel long and short workouts with this new product. If it sits well with your stomach, begin identifying how much you’ll need to take in per hour to keep you going. **Note that the carbohydrate levels are much lower than they were in Gatorade. Be prepared to supplement carbs via another source.
Fail fast if necessary.
This is a new product and will certainly be the first time many of us are trying it out. If it doesn’t work for you, begin setting up another fueling plan ASAP. This will be especially important for the Ironman athletes training for Lake Placid who will be the test case at the full distance for this hydration product. Give it a few significant workouts and if it’s not working, cut it out of your regimen and move on.
Keep an eye out to see how it will be delivered on course.
Traditionally Gatorade provided bottles to athletes at aid stations on the bike. One big questions that affects race strategy is how Mortal will be delivered to athletes on the bike course. Will it be bottled? Will it be handed out in packets? At this point we don’t know, but do keep an eye out because this could significantly impact your aid station strategy.