General Fitness & Nutrition: Accelerade???

Have any marathon runners out there tried using Accelerade?  I know that the label has an allergen warning on it that states that it contains milk.  I am lactose intolerant and have been afraid to try it.  It is the hydration beverage at my next marathon...YIKES! 

Please let me know what you all think of this product.  Thanks

I like Accelerade.  I have been using the powder this season in Tri's and long training rides.  I use it in conjunction with gels (15 min before start) then I will begin hydrating with Accelerade and cytomax (each in seperate bottles).  I gel ever 45 min in the ride or tri.  I like the protein idea, it might be psychological, but I feel it works.  As far as the lactose intolerant, I can not comment, other than I love cheese and could not imagine no cheese. 

That could be very bad.  But I would hope that if the participant training properly, (which includes nutrition and hydration) they would be aware of what they could and could not consume safely.  I know that every race that I have entered that had aid stations with items other than water, the entry forms told what would be at the aid station.  This is where a person that had special dietery concerns could do research and consult with their physician.  Also, when the event had these sorts of things (gels, drinks, blocks, or bars) they were provided by the manfacturer for free as a sponsorship promotion.  What I also found was that in the events that had those items at aid stations, there was also plain water (imagine a hot weather distance event with participants dumping red colored accelerade over their heads!!).  It sounds to me that you are doing your homework for this event, contact the organizers and find out that if the aid stations will have water in conjunction with the accelerade, if not ask why.

I've also used Accelerade as well as Endurox for marathon training, and am quite happy with the perceived results. Fast and smooth recovery, without any issues, and am very happy to continue to use their products. I can't say that I have ever thought of Accelerade as a lactose-laden drink, but the label does indeed have that warning. On the lactose intolerance, the Accelerade website comments specifically (URL: http://www.accelerade.com/products/FAQs.aspx ) that:

 The whey protein in Accelerade comes from milk. The maximum lactose content in Accelerade is less than 1%, which may not be of concern to the vast majority of individuals who are lactose intolerant. If you have concerns related to lactose intolerance, we recommend consulting your physician.

 As I'm not lactose intolerant myself, I can't comment on the potential results, but understand your concerns. Depending on your reaction severity, a super-dilute low volume sample (in a controlled setting) may help you determine if there will be any potential adverse reaction, but at the very least, every event I've been to pushes water more than the sports drink. Alternatives (such as water) should be readily available.