Back Emma Bates is a world-class marathon runner, with a personal best time of 2:22:10. She's finished as the top American in the Boston Marathon the last two years, placing 5th overall in 2023, and she finished 2nd at the 2021 Chicago Marathon. She also represented Team USA at the 2022 Marathon World Championships.
We had a chance to chat with Emma about her love for the marathon and how UCAN has helped solve her fueling challenges.
How did you get into running?
Emma Bates: The interest started in kindergarten. Even when I was three years old, I was running around all the time, but once I got into kindergarten, when we started running the mile in gym class, I would to try to beat everybody in class and beat the boys. I just had such a competitive nature about me and I was a very hyperactive child.
My parents knew that they needed to wear me out a bit more, so they put me into distance running. I went to the first day of practice and I just fell in love with the community and how much fun everybody was having. The friends that you make, that was what kind of stuck with me and that's why I continued my running career into college, just because I had so much fun with it in high school. The rest is history from there, I was able to win a national title and then get a professional sponsorship with Asics.
What do you like about being a marathon runner?
EB: I think it's mostly the training. I mean, you're training for about 12 weeks for this one race. I just love going out there for 20 plus miles and finding a different side of myself. I have learned so much about my motivation, my dedication, and all the qualities that you can transfer into real life. It's such a cool experience. It's a great way for me to meditate as well and get my thoughts in order and go after something that not a lot of people are able to do.
Everybody that does train for a marathon, especially the people that are working full time and have kids, is trying to better themselves. They have certain PRs and goals that they're going after or just health related things, and I think that's so special about the marathon. You can come into this race and be surrounded by so many different facets of running, from the competitive nature to the joy of running. I love it so much more than I thought I would just because of that atmosphere and the joy and tenacity that people have for the goals that they have in hand. I get so much more motivated to go after my goals seeing that.
What were some of the challenges you faced fueling for the marathon when you first started?
EB: I ran my first five marathons before I found UCAN, and in every one of them I struggled with gastrointestinal distress, vomiting, and stomach cramps. The biggest challenge for me was just getting down enough nutrition during the race without upsetting my stomach.
I tried many different sugary gels and drinks and experienced the same results. The spikes in my energy level were really jarring. It didn’t feel good when I took some of the gel down and I’d feel good for five minutes and then completely crash. I’d try to take more down which upset my stomach even more and then it became a vicious cycle of trying to fuel myself more and more, feeling that energy spike & crash, and upsetting my stomach.
What made you want to try UCAN in your training?
EB: Since I was experiencing so much GI distress from the sugary fuels, I knew I had to try something different. I didn’t know much about UCAN other than Meb Keflezighi having great success with it, so I didn’t know if it was going to be the product for me. I was so stoked to try UCAN once I learned that they use a different type of carbohydrate in their product that digests easier than simple sugars.
When I heard that UCAN had developed their new Edge Energy Gel, I was really intrigued because I like taking gels more than drinks during the marathon. I’m much better at taking a gel down rather than liquid. I’m a mess when I take the bottles - it’s all over me and I end up missing most of the nutrition! Gels are so much easier to get down in one gulp and I definitely feel like gels sit better in my stomach rather than a bunch of fluid swishing around.
I practiced with UCAN throughout my entire training cycle for the Marathon World Championships in 2023 and felt amazing. I had never felt that kind of sustained energy throughout the entire run and I had some amazing workouts when I finished faster than I ever had before. To have that energy at the latter stages of your workouts or long runs was something that I didn’t think I could attain through just fueling properly. Going into the World Championships, I was stoked to have that advantage and going into every fueling station I was super excited to get the UCAN Edge gel down.
How do you incorporate the different UCAN products into your training?
EB: I use Edge energy gels during my long runs, especially when I’m focusing on marathon training. I really enjoy the taste of it so I actually look forward to taking it every time I need it. I love switching up the flavors as much as I can. Orange Mango is my favorite but the Strawberry Banana and Pineapple are also delish 😋
I never feel a spike (or crash) of energy. I like that I can feel the same throughout an entire long workout or race. The gels keep me feeling like me without worrying about depleting my energy at any point. They also aid with recovery. I feel so much better after workouts and races which is a great indicator that I am fueling myself properly during each session.
Before a run, I'll sip on some of the Hydrate for electrolytes and then after that, I'll go for a run. I've had my fair share of stomach issues with a lot of electrolyte products and especially when they have alternative sugars, but with UCAN, I’ve never had a problem with my stomach being upset. So that's a big deal, especially if I'm drinking it beforehand.
Based on if it’s a workout day or a training run day I’ll decide what I eat afterwards. If I'm lifting weights after a workout, then I'll do the Cookies & Cream Protein. It’s a great way to fuel me because I don’t like to eat a lot before I lift. Taste is such a big thing for me. I’ve always hated protein powders and the flavor profile and I’ve just had to choke it down. With UCAN, I look forward to taking it between my workout and my lifts. When I start the lift, I have so much more energy and I feel like my recovery process after that has been greatly improved.
With the Boston Marathon approaching, what does your race day nutrition look like?
EB: My pre-race breakfast is typically a slice of toast with peanut butter and jelly and a cup of coffee. During the race, I'll take one UCAN Edge gel every 5K, which usually ends up being a total of 7-8 gels during the race.
I take UCAN edge every 5k during marathons due to the amount of calories I burn running a fast pace. In training workouts, I take a gel every 45-60 minutes. This is what works for me but I recommend experimenting a little bit until you find what is best for you.
What’s your overall approach to nutrition? Are there any principles you try to follow?
EB: My outlook is kind of boring, but it’s just to be balanced.I don’t deprive myself of anything that I really want, especially running 120 miles a week during marathon training. I’m not hyper-focused on how many calories are in things, I've never really kept track of that. It's more about making sure I’m fueling myself. If I eat something and I feel better, then that’s what I'm going to do. It ebbs and flows too, depending on where I am in my training cycles in terms of how much I'm eating or what I'm eating.
I've listened to a lot of coaches, a lot of peers, a lot of nutritionists, and I've kind of picked things up from them and have administered that into my daily routine. I’ve also tried to focus on people that have found success. Deena Kastor is a big person that I've kind of modeled my career after and I've adopted a lot of her habits. Even my training partner Emma Coburn, just seeing what she eats every day and knowing that we just need to fuel ourselves is something that has really stuck with me. Through a lot of trial and error, I've been able to figure out what works best for me.
