Olof Sköld: CEO and Co-Founder of Maurten
By The Feed.
Olof educates us on the products that are fueling the fastest marathon times right now... those being Maurten. Learn about the hydrogel technology used in their drinks and gels to provide athletes a high-carb fueling solution and their latest product Solid.
Highlights of the webinar with Olof:
2015: Maurten begins work with “Hydrogel” tech born from seaweed to encapsulate their fuel.
With high carbohydrate fueling being undoubtedly proven to improve endurance performance, Maurten aimed to optimize their transportation, absorption, and gastric emptying method.
They utilized the Hydrogel Technology to both create and optimize fueling modes: a Drink Mix 160, 320, and Gel 100.
Priority of Maurten: Function
SOLID
Function (not flavor) first and foremost
High carbohydrate concentration
Optimized carbohydrate ratio
Minimalistic ingredient list
Low on fibers
Low fat
The Unofficial Series
While Maurten was being used behind the scenes for many top-level athletes in training, there became issues with sponsorship ties and contracts. To accommodate this, they created an Unofficial Series that featured blank, silver sachets for athletes to use.
Why is the 500ml recommendation so important for mixing their drinks?
It’s key to maintaining the bi-polymer structure and the effectiveness of the mixture. Diluting the mixes actually creates more room for GI issues than increasing the mixture (adding more).
How are athletes incorporating the SOLID bar?
It is a great “solid food” complement to your fueling lineup. For ultrarunning and other endurance events, they are using it in race situations, on long runs, and even as they get out the door.
Can you add supplemental electrolytes to the Maurten products?
We do have electrolytes in our products but understand there may be certain circumstances for adding salt/electrolytes…preferably separate from the products themselves.
What other nutrients can Hydrogel transport?
That is something you will see in the future! We like to look for “white space” where there are missing pieces that can be improved upon…
How big is Maurten?
We are around 40 people in Sweden but have grown to many countries now. We have marketing run in-house, so while people think we spend a lot of money on that we actually spend much of our resources on research and development.