Adventure Racing Holiday Gifts: Day 9

Posted by Grant on 14. December 2009 00:21

This is the homestretch on the holiday gift idea journey; don't forget to check out my previous posts for gift ideas numbered 1 through 8.  Now I'll move on to gift idea #9.

I'm very active, and a vegetarian, so nutrition is a careful balancing act; I'm constantly calculating where my protein is coming from, and working to balance my food to be as healthy as possible.  Just an aside: those who know me well, also can report that I keep a firm grasp of where the nearest supply of ice cream is, so I'm not an obsessed health nut when it comes to food! 

I've tried lots of vitamins, but I've never found the right vitamin for me.  Some brands don't offer a wide enough spectrum of what I want (or require that I take many types of different vitamins -- that sort of pill juggling complexity is not for me).  Other brands are hard for me to digest, and I can recall several specific encounters while scouting Untamed New England race courses where an "A to Zinc" vitamin gave me stomach cramps for hours and hours of trekking.  What do they put in those things that makes my insides protest so much?

This Fall, I started talking with Cyril from the nuun-FeedTheMachine team.  He's raced all around the world and, having explored many nutritional avenues that I've never even heard of, he started to build a business around proper fueling for endurance athletes.  He is the guy behind www.FeedTheMachine.com.  Cyril, being an accomplished adventure racer, knows where I'm coming from and he didn't bat an eye when I brought up the vegetarian thing -- he took it right in stride and pointed out how his company's multivitamin is 100% vegetarian-friendly and still delivers the best spectrum of micronutrients for an adventure racer -- and when I write that "his company" does this or that, I literally mean his company, as this is his labour of love.  This is what I've been looking for: a vitamin from somebody that really "gets" adventure racing and offers what I need in a daily supplement.  Cyril's vitamin is called SportMulti, and this is my gift #9 for this list.

Since it's pricey to ship things internationally, I haven't tried these vitamins yet but I'll be picking up a good supply when I visit the US over the Christmas holidays.  I think any adventure racer in the market for improving their nutrition could be well served by checking out the SportMulti vitamin from Cyril's company.  

Furthermore, and this is why I am confident suggesting it as a gift on this list, if you have any questions or problems you can go straight to the developer of the product: Cyril.  I've conversed with him via email and I know he welcomes the opportunity to interact with athletes, particularly if it's in regard to his products.  I think you can't go wrong, either you discover a vitamin product that works well for you or, if you discuss any problems you may have with Cyril, you're bound to improve your understanding of nutrition and will help shape the future product that everyone can benefit from.  The SportMulti vitamin is truly a creation from the adventure racing community, so it's worth a try!

Post blog rant: One last item to mention about these vitamins: I'm not an affiliate with FeedTheMachine and I don't get any referral incentive for linking to this product (or any product on this Christmas list).  I would be uncomfortable promoting a product here that I benefitted financially from in some way; since I think integrity is more valuable than a few $ incentive here and there.  Let's be honest: I don't know how widely read this little blog is, but it's not the NY Times and I don't need to milk every nickle out of an affiliate relationship with other companies.