It used to be that if someone was caught with a mysterious white powder in their gym bag, alarms would sound. Now, they’re probably just getting ready for a 1:43 in the 800. Welcome to the era of Maurten Bicarb—the baking soda that’s gone bougie, bagged a PR, and somehow dodged both the bathroom.
Yes, baking soda. The same humble pantry staple that fought acid reflux and made your grandma’s cookies rise is now fueling Olympic dreams. Except this time, it comes in a sleek little sachet, costs over $30 a pop, and has a fancy umlaut in its name—Bi•carb (because “Bicarbonate” was clearly too pedestrian). Mauten figured out how to combine a gel and some extra baking soda, make it taste like flavorless performance dippin’ dots. Market it in their signature monotone ads and make people believe it would make them as fast as Cole Hocker.
In today’s middle-distance arms race, Maurten’s bicarbonate blend is the new it-drug—not a drug, mind you, just a supplement that happens to delay fatigue, buffer lactic acid, and make your rivals pray your stomach can’t handle it. Or at least that’s what I’ve been told.
For decades, bicarbonate loading was the sweaty secret of sports science PhDs and desperate triathletes. Problem was, it usually ended in gastrointestinal pyrotechnics. Runners would gain ten seconds of speed and lose twenty minutes of dignity. A PR…Maybe.. Probably just an urgent porta-potty sprint.
Just remember there is no Strava segment for fastest time in and out of the course porta-potty.
Yet here we are , somehow, some way, Maurten a bunch of UK endurance nerds solved it. With some molecular wizardry and Scandi branding, they wrapped that ticking time bomb in a gel casing so elegant it looks like it should be sold by Dior.
All of the sudden, everyone’s breaking through. Collegiate records? Smashed. Indoor mile times? Borderline absurd. Coaches buy it for their runners to try and train with. Runners tweet about how they “finally figured out their pre-race fueling.” And every athlete from Oregon to Oslo is showing up with suspiciously white smiles and this Maurten cereal bowl in their race bag.
Let’s be honest—this is either the greatest sports nutrition breakthrough since caffeine, or a very convenient scapegoat. In a post-doping world where everything fast is suspect, Maurten Bicarb is the perfect alibi: “Nope, not EPO. Just some artisanal baking soda in a $40 pouch.”
Here’s the twist. While bicarbonate is backed by legit research, and its buffering powers are real, it’s still not clear whether it’s the reason behind all these fast times—or just riding shotgun to better shoes, smarter training, and possibly, just maybe, some unmentionables.
Is bicarb the hero? The one percent that we have been searching for? I’m sitting here wondering what Salizar might have tried or been able to cover up if it was around 10 years ago. Would David Rudisha have beenable to run sub 1:40? It’s hard to say. But one thing’s for sure: It’s never been easier to run fast and look clean doing it. Just pop your pouch, swallow with a smirk, and remember, after all, it’s just baking soda.The fastest legal white powder in sports.