Getting UnTapped: Vermont Athlete Josh Ferenc on How Fueling Changed his Game

The Vermont City Marathon is a very special race to me as the first and only road marathon that I have ever run. I mainly focus on the trails and mountains, but living in VT made me want to experience the buzz that is VCM.

I heard friends rave about how awesome the course is, how the fan support is epic, and how the overall feel of Burlington, VT make this marathon the must race marathon. I've embraced VT as my home and never want to leave or have anywhere else be my home which has driven me to the place I am now, an elite runner tied to Vermont-based brands. I’ve been very fortunate to have made some amazing relationships and connections, including Julbo (a company from France, but US headquartered out of VT), Darn Tough Socks, Vermont Running Co., Cold Brewtus Coffee, and finally, Untapped Maple.

For the marathon distance on the roads, fueling was going to be an issue I'd have to address. As the weather may throw some interesting elements at you, the nutrition aspect has to be dialed as a war of attrition is more evident than not out there on the roads- who has the most energy at the end is key.

Coming from a trail and mountain background for running, it is a lot easier to fuel during those races. With the marathon, the speed aspect makes fueling tougher for me, and set aid stations puts pressure on me to fuel where the aid stations are. Being locked into an ideal pace, and the (relatively) flat course, make the pace a constant. There's not a lot of deviation.

I've had some very fun days at VCM: My first year was unbelievably hot! Not ideal for the race I had trained and planned for, but I ran well enough to be top the top Vermont runner and finished 4th overall. This feeling of success while walking around Burlington afterward was amazing! I felt that I fueled ok, but did not like how the gels I used sat in my stomach and/or were hard to consume while running. They were too sticky of a consistency.

Enter UnTapped

The following year was a year of zero stress when it came to fueling. I was mentally prepared for what to do. The stress was revolving around other things, such as, in November I was diagnosed with stage two Lyme's, which lead to bacterial meningitis, and I was bedridden for three straight weeks, leaving me only 30 days to focus on VCM. The first day I ran, it was 100 meters, and it resulted in me vomiting and having to sit. Not ideal start to marathon training. Everything I had to do to get to the finish line was going to have to be perfect; and then the weekend of the race, the weather was a snow/ice storm! This was actually a relief and made me love the idea, and gave me the utmost confidence to race. The weather was not ideal, but nothing else was either, so it fit the scenario!

With the weather being super cold, I decided to roll with the Untapped syrup packets in my shorts pockets. My body temperature was able to keep them warm, and therefore, absolutely delicious on this freezing day! With pure maple syrup, the simplicity and viscosity was perfect. It is instant calorie/sugar replenishment, and on such a cold day, it was natural and primal. I told myself that I was going to fuel every 35 min, to stay ahead of any calorie issues. The wet, cold rain hung on my jersey, but I was able to stay warm by staying focused on my pace, and keeping a good clip and fueling with Untapped Maple every 35 min. I was left without any jitters, able to process the smooth syrup very easily.

I climbed through the field, from 35th to 16th at 10 miles to 6th place overall, an amazing result for me that year. I was able to be competitive, finish strong, and felt that this race was as if I was coming back from the dead.

It is fun to reminisce and it is also a great motivator to know where I've been and where I want to go, both with my training and with my racing but watching others get UnTapped for the first time, learning what natural fueling can do has been a highlight of my work with the natural Vermont energy.

UnTapped All Natural Athletic Fuel will be available at the Vermont City Marathon at miles 6.1, 11.8 and 19