Why American Record Holder Keira D'Amato Made the Switch from Sugar to UCAN

Keira D'Amato is one of the most accomplished women's distance runners in the United States. She currently holds the American Women's Half-Marathon and 10-Mile Record and she set the American Women's Marathon Record in 2022 before it was broken by her UCAN teammate Emily Sisson later in the year. Despite all of her success, Keira found herself getting nauseous and having spikes and crashes in energy from her old fueling plan that consisted of high-sugar sports nutrition. It even caused her headaches after long runs and races, causing her to end up in the hospital twice after marathons. "I was putting so much sugar into my system that my body would crash hard afterwards," says Keira. "I'd get terrible migraines and just be exhausted. I was piecemealing everything. It makes me feel queasy now just thinking about those sugary fuels because I think they just sent my body into a bad place so many times.”

The UCAN Difference

Keira made the switch to UCAN last year, after testing out the products extensively while training for the New York City Marathon. UCAN products contain LIVSTEADY, a steady-release, complex carbohydrate that maintains stable blood sugar and steady energy levels for hours, without the spike & crash of sugar-based fuels.

 

"I used to go to startling lines feeling nauseous because of all the sugar I had already put into my body pre-workout," says Keira. "I don’t feel that any more. What’s really nice with UCAN is that I have something now that I preload with in the morning that has me going into workouts feeling good. Why didn’t I figure this out earlier? I thought it was normal to feel nauseous!” As she started training with UCAN, she noticed the difference right away. "It really was the first workout that I noticed a difference. When I switched to UCAN, I had no problem taking it in. I never felt like my body was rejecting it and I never felt nauseous during those workouts." Keira says training with UCAN consistently has been a “total shift”. She’s not feeling the energy crashes that she was experiencing with sugary fuels. Previously, she was counting down the steps to get to the next fuel table during a marathon because her body was craving more sugar. Switching over to UCAN has given her much more consistent energy without the spike & crash.

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How Keira Fuels with UCAN

Keira has been using the various UCAN products to fuel all aspects of her training. Here is her typical routine. Pre-Workout "I’m doing the Energy Powder before my runs. I take that on the way to my workout. I really like the taste and consistency of it in the morning." Her favorite flavor is the Tropical Orange Energy Powder.

During Workout "I take the Edge Energy gels about every 45 minutes during my workouts. It’s really great that you don't need to chase them with water, because I used to take sugary gels with water and I'd have to stash bottles on my long runs. Now on long runs through the woods, I use the Edge gels even without any water and I’ve been able to get away with not having to stash bottles.” Keira's favorite flavor is Pineapple Edge. She had an Edge gel every 10k during the NYC Marathon (roughly every 30-35 minutes).

Post-Workout “After my workout, I drink the Cookies & Cream Energy + Protein because it’s super important to get protein in right afterwards. I’ll get really lightheaded when I don’t get enough calories after a workout so Energy + Protein and the Energy Bars have been really helpful for that. How you fuel before and after the workout is just as important as what you do during and it's really great that UCAN has products for every occasion.”