Photo Credit: Jodi Caplan Photography

I just purchased  Carbo-pro.   Your article mentioned to use Carbo pro with electrolytes sports drink.  What if  I use it with just water? Would you take it before a training session or race? I’m on Oahu  and  do prone paddleboarding . Training for the Molokai to Oahu and would like some advice to get prepared for the channel crossing.

Scott, Hawaii

Great question. You have come to the right place because we have consumed POUNDS of the stuff over the years.

Before we get to the answer there are a few things to keep in mind.

1. Nutrition is personal. You are going to hear all sorts of things people do, eat, and drink during endurance races. There are loads of products out there that will work. There is no right or wrong. This answer focuses on Carbo-pro because you asked it and we use it.
2. Start your nutrition training MONTHS ahead of your event. That is right MONTHS ahead. You want to be 100% certain that whatever you do, it will get you where you need to go with no GI upset. If you are doing a race like molokai you better be sure you can stomach the stuff after a 4 hour paddle because if you cant take it after 4 hours you sure wont be able to take it after 7 hours.
3. Once you think you have your nutrition dialed in – try something else so that when (not if) your perfect nutrition plan goes south on race day you have a back up on the boat that you can switch to. Seriously.

The following is what we have found works for us over the years. Our plan has got us through Ironman races, 12 hour mountain bike races, and paddle races such as Catalina and Molokai.  We also talked with Grace Van Der Byl who is a world class open water swimmer and prone paddler for an outside opinion as she is a Carbo-Pro sponsored athlete. While most of us are paddling Catalina, she is swimming it.

One paragraph about Maltodextrin before we begin

Maltodextrin (the building block of Carbo-Pro) is a an intermediate length carbohydrate molecule that is longer than the simple sugars used in some sports drinks. The only reason that this is important to you is that a maltodextrin based sports drink can pack more calories in a bottle than a drink based on a simple sugar without causing GI distress because the osmotic load of the maltodextrin will be lower than an equal calorie solution made with a simple sugar.

The bottom line is that you can get more bang for your sports drink buck with maltodextrin based drinks than drinks made with simple sugars. This is a good thing in a race like Molokai where consuming your nutrition can be difficult.

Matt’s simple Carbo-Pro formulation

Carbo-pro is pure maltodextrin. It is tasteless and devoid of electrolytes. You must – ABSOLUTELY MUST – add electrolytes to the mix or you are going to be suffering on race day. The formulation I have used for years is:

• ½ Cup Carbo-Pro
• 1/8 tsp table salt
• 1.5 tbsp Gatorade powder
• 20 oz water

This will net you 245 calories in each 20 oz water bottle. Theoretically you can add more Carbo-pro to your bottle and go with full liquid nutrition. As a prone paddler, however, your additional nutrition is limited to what you can carry on your workouts and that usually means gels. If you eat a gel on top of a maxed out bottle of maltodextrin you run the risk of some osmotic issues and GI distress. Even though you can theoretically get more malto in  your bottle, we recommend maxing out your bottles with 300 calories as this will allow you to eat some gels or food and not worry about GI distress.

I will round out my nutrition using gels based on the duration and intensity of the workout or event as described in the Riding Bumps book.

Roch’s nutrition plan using gels and maltodextrin

The makers of Carbo-pro also market Hydra C5 which is an “all in one” sports drink including electrolytes and amino acids. For most athletes wanting to go with 100% liquid nutrition, following the direction is the place to start. 4 scoops in 16 oz of water gets you 400 calories in  your bottle.

Roch is currently using C5 and mixes up 3 scoops in each 24 ounce bottle. This gets him 300 calories in that bottle. Roch, however, is prone to cramping and requires additional sodium on his long paddles. Due to constraints as a prone paddler (e.g. he is not able to carry solid food or use salt tablets)  his approach is to use one bottle of C5 and  one bottle of Gatorade Endurance formula for additional sodium.  Gatorade endurance has 660mg sodium and 150 calories per 24 ounce bottle. Roch will switch off drinking  from the two water bottles and aim to drink one bottle an hour. With this combination he gets 225 calories per hour from his bottles.

Roch will round out his nutrition using gels exclusively eating 1-2 gels per hour depending on the workout duration and intensity. Roch can handle 300-400 calories per hour starting and starts eating 30-45 minutes into a race.

Grace Van Der Byl’s liquid only nutrition

These days Grace uses C5 almost exclusively. Grace can handle 300-350 Cal per hour and mixes her bottle with 3 scoops per 16oz so she gets 300 calories per bottle.  In very long events lasting longer than 6 hours she will bump up the concentration in her bottle by an extra 25-50 Calories using the original flavorless Carbo-pro. Grace goes 100% liquid nutrition during her races except for maybe a gel or two in the last 45 minutes to one hour of a race.

In cooler conditions grace uses C5 without additional sodium/electrolytes. In warmer conditions she takes additional sodium in the form of Metasalt which is an electrolyte supplement from the makers of Carbo-Pro.

What if maltodextrin does not agree with you?

As you can tell, we have had great success with maltodextrin based products over the years. The vast majority of our athletes have had similar success. We do, however, know of people that for whatever reason do not tolerate maltoextrin that well. If you are one of them you should look elsewhere (obviously). One product that we can recommend is Endurance Fuel from Tailwind Nutrition . Jenny Kalmbach is a proponent and Tailwind has helped her finish Molokai more than once.

Take home messages

1. Practice your nutrition. Make sure whatever you are doing works for you after several hours of training
2. Add electrolytes to your Carbopro or use C5
3. Additiinal sodium may be necessary on hot days and in long events
4. Round out your nutriton with gels or whatever you like to get your total number of calories dialed in as described in the Riding Bumps book.
5. Eat early and eat often
6. If maltodextrin does not work for you – do not fret. Try something else.

For additional information regarding preparation for the Molokai2Oahu race here are a few links on Riding Bumps.
Full disclosure. Roch frey is a Carbo-pro sponsored athlete and has used maltodextrin based products for 22 years. Grace Van Der Byl is a Carbo-pro sponsored athlete. Matt Wright does not have any disclosures because he is not fast enough to garner sponsorship and, therefore, buys his maltodextrin with his own money.