5 hour energy for marathons?

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oilphins
oilphins Posts: 240 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone, was wondering if I could get some feedback on 5 hour energy drinks. I'm doing my 6th half marathon this Sunday. I know all about the proper way to carb up and what to eat 2-3 days prior and what to eat on race day morning as well as the gel packs and gatorade that help with energy throughout the run. But I see these 5 hour energy drinks everywhere at every store I go to and their just these tiny bottles that are suppose to boost energy. Does anyone know if taking one of these before a marathon will help me or do anything to keep up my stamina? I don't really know anything about them and was wondering if anyone maybe has taken one or knows anything about them. Any feedback would be appreciated.

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  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    Fake energy. You can't get "energy" out of nothing. All those things do is ramp up your metabolism for an hour or so. They are not "fuel" and will not help you get through a hard race. Also I don't know how you react to these things but any time I have ever tried one my heart rate goes through the roof. Not at all what you want when racing. Bad idea all around.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
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    bad idea. You're asking for an arrhythmia. Avoid at all costs. Especially for an extended exertion like a marathon.
  • ThickMcRunFast
    ThickMcRunFast Posts: 22,511 Member
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    bad idea. Heart problem in a bottle.
  • oilphins
    oilphins Posts: 240 Member
    edited June 2015
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    I sort of figured they probably wouldn't help but wanted to check with other people to see if anyone knew about them. I guess if it makes your heart rate jump, that's not a good thing for running or at all. No idea why they sell this crap then. Thanks everyone.
  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    oilphins wrote: »
    I sort of figured they probably wouldn't help but wanted to check with other people to see if anyone knew about them. I guess if it makes your heart rate jump, that's not a good thing for running or at all. No idea why they sell this crap then. Thanks everyone.

    5 hour energy is not designed for marathons at all.

    I actually have no idea why anyone would take it... I guess it's just to keep you wired for '5 hours'?
  • fbinsc
    fbinsc Posts: 735 Member
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    Probably not a big deal, people certainly take a lot of GU loaded with caffeine. I wouldn't recommend it though. I used to use them when I had to drive overnight. I found they helped at first but I ended up feeling nauseated. I bought a huge box from Costco and ended up throwing most away. I had a few bottles that looked dirty under the cap, really don't trust that stuff.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    oilphins wrote: »
    Hey everyone, was wondering if I could get some feedback on 5 hour energy drinks. I'm doing my 6th half marathon this Sunday. I know all about the proper way to carb up and what to eat 2-3 days prior and what to eat on race day morning as well as the gel packs and gatorade that help with energy throughout the run. But I see these 5 hour energy drinks everywhere at every store I go to and their just these tiny bottles that are suppose to boost energy. Does anyone know if taking one of these before a marathon will help me or do anything to keep up my stamina? I don't really know anything about them and was wondering if anyone maybe has taken one or knows anything about them. Any feedback would be appreciated.

    I wouldn't be doing anything new at this point when your race is on sunday...
  • glevinso
    glevinso Posts: 1,895 Member
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    fbinsc wrote: »
    Probably not a big deal, people certainly take a lot of GU loaded with caffeine. I wouldn't recommend it though. I used to use them when I had to drive overnight. I found they helped at first but I ended up feeling nauseated. I bought a huge box from Costco and ended up throwing most away. I had a few bottles that looked dirty under the cap, really don't trust that stuff.

    Caffeinated gels are not really the same thing as the b-vitamin loaded energy drinks.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    dont know about you but I know those things dont give me any boost or energy.not to mention they taste awful
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    I've done Red Bull mid-ironman marathon (it was offered on course) but unless it is something you use regularly - I wouldn't recommend - nothing new on race day
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    edited January 2017
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    If I remember correctly it says on the bottle "not a source of caloric energy" so all you're getting is a brain/heart rate spike.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    No thanks to palpitations and anxiety on race day! :p
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    Knightride48 wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    Fake energy. You can't get "energy" out of nothing. All those things do is ramp up your metabolism for an hour or so. They are not "fuel" and will not help you get through a hard race. Also I don't know how you react to these things but any time I have ever tried one my heart rate goes through the roof. Not at all what you want when racing. Bad idea all around.

    Yeah 4 year ago I get high idle too but I guess because I didnt get enough sleep or eat b4 that day but I had like the Powerade like 20 or 32 oz so maybe it was sleep deprived?

    You aren't going to get an answer since this is a zombie thread
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I'm guessing that they have caffeine in them. Caffeine has been shown to improve athletic performance. It helps to give you a boost if you consume it near the end. At the beginning and middle it doesn't help much.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
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    TimothyFish wrote: »
    I'm guessing that they have caffeine in them. Caffeine has been shown to improve athletic performance. It helps to give you a boost if you consume it near the end. At the beginning and middle it doesn't help much.

    Exactly, caffeine is a proven aid to endurance performance, you just don't want to experiment with it for the first time on race day.
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    Knightride48 wrote: »
    singingflutelady wrote: »
    Knightride48 wrote: »
    glevinso wrote: »
    Fake energy. You can't get "energy" out of nothing. All those things do is ramp up your metabolism for an hour or so. They are not "fuel" and will not help you get through a hard race. Also I don't know how you react to these things but any time I have ever tried one my heart rate goes through the roof. Not at all what you want when racing. Bad idea all around.

    Yeah 4 year ago I get high idle too but I guess because I didnt get enough sleep or eat b4 that day but I had like the Powerade like 20 or 32 oz so maybe it was sleep deprived?

    You aren't going to get an answer since this is a zombie thread

    I just did

    Congrats. Have yourself a cake sandwich.

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