Gear Reviews

Nuun Field Test #1

I think I may be falling in love with a tart little tablet.

One of the big issues to be mindful of when you’re an endurance athlete, especially if you train in hot, arid conditions like moi, is hydration. In the triathlon and cycling communities, it seems products like Accelerade and basic Gatorade, or Gatorade Endurance, are all the rage. The mantra is always “maintaining electrolyte balance.” Having bonked from heat exhaustion a few times and taking a couple days to recover in each instance, I have direct experience appreciation for that mantra.

Gatorade is too sugary and sweet for me and I admit I haven’t tried the other high end concoctions. I can’t seem to justify spending $50 for a tub of Glorified Gatorade. Sorry Madison Avenue Marketing Gurus. However, a little shop out of Seattle, Washington caught my eye with their flirtatious and friendly pitches for their electrolyte product nuun.

What is attractive about nuun (yes, it is lowercase) is that it has no calories and no carbs to slow the absorption of electrolytes. It’s simply an engineered and tasty tablet you throw in your water bottle and away you go for your outdoor activity. Nuun claims that it produces a hypotonic solution so that your body will absorb the concoction faster than the leading sports drinks or even water alone. Your body is then able to restore water and electrolyte balance more quickly.

My initial field tests are showing this stuff works.

Field Test #1 was to simply drink a bottle before going to my lunchtime swim. My 8-5 job is one that has me sitting in a controlled indoor environment, sitting on my ever-numb ass listening to the hum of flourescent lights. What better way to test a hydration product then at rest?

I plopped a lemon-lime tablet into my water bottle, watched it fizz like an Alka-Seltzer for two minutes until it was dissolved, then started sipping away. There is very little to no fizz once the tablet is dissolved. The taste is ever so slightly sweet with just a hint of flavor. Nothing overpowering whatsoever. As you can see from the photo above, it barely tints the color of the water.

Yet, by the time I got to the gym an hour later, I had to pee like a racehorse. Mind you, like a racehorse, I can hold it nearly all day if I have to. However, I was bursting at the seams as it were, and had to go. Clean, nearly clear urine was the outcome. This is a sign that I was well hydrated and as a result, had a great swim.

So far, so good. Nuun earns my high marks for ease of use, taste and effectiveness. The true test, however, will be taking it out in the field for a long bike or run.

Next: Field Test #2, Running on the Mean, Hot Streets of Southern Utah.

© 2006 The Outdoor Journey.