Our Story
THE ORIGIN OF SPORT SPUDSTM - MY STORY
Years ago, my husband, Matt, and I started training for marathons. We did 3 marathons together, and each time I would get sick around mile 15. All of the gels and sports drink products were too sweet for me. After starting a family, I got back into my training, adding triathlons to the mix, still eating popular sweet sports products and still sick around mile 15-18. I went to visit a sports nutritionist, Ilana Katz, and we worked on eating a specific diet leading up to the race date, which limited acidic foods. She also recommended that I eat potatoes while I was on the course. My girlfriends and I did several half Ironman distances trying to scoop potatoes out of a bag with our dirty hands. It was kind of gross, but they were really tasty and definitely gave us energy, and the salt replaced lost electrolytes. With the help of potatoes, I managed to get through 2 Disney Goofy Challenge races without feeling sick to my stomach. This led Matt and I to think of how great it would be to have potatoes in a pouch. Finally, after 11 years, Sport Spuds was born! I look forward to many more challenges now that I have the convenience of Sport Spuds, and hope that you find the power of potatoes as helpful in your training as I have in mine. — Alison James
Years ago, my husband, Matt, and I started training for marathons. We did 3 marathons
together, and each time I would get sick around mile 15. All of the gels and sports drink
products were too sweet for me. After starting a family, I got back into my training,
adding triathlons to the mix, still eating popular sweet sports products and still sick
around mile 15-18. I went to visit a sports nutritionist, Ilana Katz, and we worked on
eating a specific diet leading up to the race date, which limited acidic foods. She also
recommended that I eat potatoes while I was on the course. My girlfriends and I did
several half Ironman distances trying to scoop potatoes out of a bag with our dirty
hands. It was kind of gross, but they were really tasty and definitely gave us energy,
and the salt replaced lost electrolytes. With the help of potatoes, I managed to get
through 2 Disney Goofy Challenge races without feeling sick to my stomach. This
led Matt and I to think of how great it would be to have potatoes in a pouch. Finally,
after 11 years, Sports SpudsTM was born! I look forward to many more challenges now
that I have the convenience of Sports SpudsTM, and hope that you find the power of
potatoes as helpful in your training as I have in mine. — Alison James
Ilana Katz
Ilana Katz, CSSD is a board-certified specialized sports dietitian. She specializes in sports nutrition, body composition/weight management, and individualized meal planning for any specific need. Being an endurance athlete herself, Ilana definitely practices what she preaches in her meal planning philosophy. In order to relate personally to her clientele as well as motivating others seeking a healthy, maintainable and practical lifestyle, she eats to fuel her body for her sport.
“Potatoes are Mother Nature’s perfect sports nutrition offering. They provide the ideal ratio of carbs for sustainable fuel, as well as being rich in potassium, complimenting electrolyte needs required to eliminate cramping. Their natural taste and ease of digestion reduce the high risk of gastrointestinal distress compared to the simpler sugar options.“
Jim Shanni, MD, FACEP
Jim Shanni has been an ER Doctor in the Atlanta area for the past 17 years. An avid long distance cyclist, Jim has completed hundreds of 200k rides, dozens of 600k rides and one 1200k ride.
“Potatoes are easy on the stomach and give me some pick up on the ride. I like that they aren’t sticky like the empty gel packets. Sport Spuds will definitely be easier!”