Magda's Western Win
On a sweltering day in June of 2015, Magdalena Boulet won her 100-mile debut at the infamous Western States 100 Mile Endurance Run. Despite a wrong turn at mile 31, the 2008 Olympian bounced back to win the race.
And she did it without eating anything!
But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t properly fueled. Magda relied on a liquid fueling plan that gave her all the nutrition she needed from Roctane Energy Drink Mix. We are obviously big fans of Magda here at GU, where she’s our VP of Innovation, Research, & Development and inspires us all to put in more miles and go on more adventures. GU turns 25 this year, so as part of our look back at GU’s history of innovation, we chatted with Magda about her big win in 2015 and her non-traditional fueling strategy.
Keeping It Simple
Magda’s decision to fuel only with Roctane Energy Drink was inspired by the conditions that face all runners at Western States. “As an ultrarunner,” she says, “you need to be able to digest and then absorb food and drink while moving up and down steep mountains.” Long efforts jar the body, slosh the stomach, and decrease blood flow to the gut, so ultrarunners need to ingest energy that can quickly break down and empty from the stomach into the small intestine to fuel muscles and the brain.
“The decision to use Roctane Energy Drink at Western States was based on its simplicity and practical advantages,” says Magda. The Western States course presents unique environmental obstacles — altitude, significant elevation change, temperatures that tip above 100°F. “By running over 100 miles, it was going to cost me less energy to drink rather than eat,” Magda determined. “I asked myself what flavor could I drink hour after hour… the idea of cold ice tea got me excited. So our ‘Summit Tea’ flavor was born. Western States actually served as a field test for its development and production.”