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Since retiring as a professional motorsports driver three years ago, Danica Patrick has continued to take on big challenges. This includes everything from bungee jumping to skydiving to eating a scorpion, to name a few. “I realized when I was done racing that one of the things I enjoyed the most about doing it was getting out of my comfort zone,” says Danica.
Running the Boston Marathon
On her bucket list was to run a marathon, so when she was presented with the opportunity to race the 2021 Boston Marathon, she jumped at the chance. “I like running, so at first I thought I’d be able to do a marathon even without training because I’m strong mentally,” says Danica. “As the runs got longer, that’s when it hit me that I really needed to put the miles in.”
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Training and Nutrition
Danica trained for Boston with her sister Brooke and her good friend Erin, who are all ran the marathon on behalf of The Light Foundation. As the training picked up, she turned to her sister, an avid runner, for recommendations on nutrition and that’s how she found UCAN. “I've realized first-hand how important nutrition and fueling are to feeling good and being able to perform your best,” says Danica. “Since it was my first marathon, I really wanted to make sure whatever I put into my body agreed with me. UCAN has become a critical part of my workouts to ensure I have long-lasting energy and focus through the very end of my run.”
Recommended Marathon Nutrition Strategy
The recommended marathon nutrition strategy is to fuel with UCAN Energy Powders 30 minutes pre-race and replenish energy levels with one pouch of UCAN Edge every 45-60 minutes during the race. While many athletes today fuel with sugar-based energy products such as sports drinks and gels, the emphasis on quick energy requires continuous supplementation to rescue the body from crashing. The spike and crash in energy and frequent re-fueling with sugar can leave athletes prone to bonking and stomach issues.
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Benefits of UCAN Products
Alternatively, athletes who use UCAN products benefit from the steady-release of energy from LIVSTEADY, the patented, complex carbohydrate that’s unique to UCAN and delivers long-lasting energy without a spike & crash and with less frequent re-fueling compared to sugar.
Conversation with Meb Keflezighi
Danica recently spoke with 4x U.S. Olympian & Boston Marathon winner Meb Keflezighi on her podcast. Meb relied on UCAN to fuel the most impressive victories of his career and kept him running strong into his 40s. He’s a strong believer in UCAN’s unique way of delivering energy, both for elite athletes and people running for health and fitness.
Endorsement from Meb Keflezighi
“UCAN is a game-changer for energy and recovery,” says Meb. “I wasn’t worried about rescuing my body from a crash, instead I had consistent energy levels that allowed me to focus on running, not fueling. Being able to have energy without sugar really made a big difference for me, especially later in my career.” Whether you’re a first time marathoner like Danica, or one of the greatest of all-time like Meb, the benefits of maintaining stable blood sugar with UCAN are applicable to runners of all levels. Stable blood sugar is key for athletic endurance, focus, recovery, body composition and overall metabolic health.
Danica's Results
Danica’s goal for her first marathon was to finish the race in under 4 hours. She ended up finishing her debut marathon race in 4:01:52, just missing the goal she set, but she’s still able to keep things in perspective given the unpredictable nature of the marathon. “Just physically being able to run 26.2 miles says a lot about who we are and how we take care of ourselves.”
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