Thinkers & Tinkers: Robert Kunz of 1st Endurance new
Slowtwitch: What were the first products you offered?
Robert Kunz: the introduction of our first product Optygen was significant because we launched a product that was twice as expensive as anything else using ingredients that were not readily recognized. It was a calculated risk to introduce Optygen before anything else because it created an entirely new endurance nutrition category. At the time, there were during-exercise drinks, bars, gels and recovery products but nothing that would significantly improve endurance and performance. we also backed it up with two different double-blind, placebo controlled clinical studies that used elite endurance athletes (not untrained athletes or mice) to validate its effectiveness. In addition, we offered a 100% performance guarantee. No other endurance companies were going to these lengths. It was important to us to take these extra steps because we weren’t just launching a product because we thought there was a market for it. we were introducing something to our friends- people we trained with on a daily basis and we weren’t about to put our names behind something that wasn’t exceptional.
Slowtwitch: You are both a scientist and an athlete. Talk about the role you play(ed) in the development and testing of products?
Robert Kunz: because I am both a scientist and a competitive triathlete/cyclist/runner, I have a unique perspective. As an endurance athlete whos been racing for twenty-five years, I know we sweat profusely, burn a ton of calories and put our bodies under tremendous stress all the time. we walk a fine line between gaining fitness and getting sick. At one time or another Ive also tried most of the other endurance products while training and racing so I know how they perform (not just how they taste in a lab). This hands-on testing gives me an in-depth understanding of the endurance supplement market and its history.
And, as a scientist whos been in the supplement industry for over fifteen years, I know we endurance athletes have unique nutritional requirements that are next to impossible to meet without supplementing our regular diets. I understand what makes a good endurance product or product line and what falls short. because Ive been working in research and development in the supplement industry, I have a lot of valuable contacts and am privy to new ingredient research and technology as soon as it becomes available.
Slowtwitch: Tell us about how a product goes from concept to product.
Robert Kunz: At First Endurance, our approach is different. Concepts and ideas can come from anywhere. Sponsored athletes usually play a key role in the direction and development of each product. we solicit constant feedback from our athletes and use this feedback to determine what products should and should not be in the First Endurance line up and also which First Endurance products can be improved. These ideas and concepts then go to our endurance research board who take the information and do a literature review looking for evidence to support the concept and its potential effectiveness. we then create a product prototype and distribute it back to our professional athletes for detailed feedback. our athletes will test the prototype during training and intensive racing (including Ironmans, ultras and cycling events like the Tour de France). Based on the feedback we will adjust the prototype and send a revised version back to our athletes. This process can go back and forth numerous times until the product is perfect. In the case of the EFS liquid shot, this took two full years. Once the professional athletes have given their seal of approval we open up the feedback to our online customers via our newsletter, then we launch.
PreRace, for example, is the result of a request from our athletes that wanted something that would give them a potent mental and cardiac jump-start before races. our research & development team evaluated all the possible ingredients that would target the objective, then developed prototypes for the athletes to try. the athletes tested the prototypes in their respective workouts and races for a period of time and then filled out a detailed survey for us. the formula received excellent reviews in terms of performance but fell short on a few of the attributes. we took this feedback and went back to work. Various versions were produced and tested until we had a formula that met the objectives. after that, we had a double-blind, placebo controlled clinical study done on PreRace to determine it’s effectiveness on cycling endurance. the results were staggering: Over a 40k time-trial: times were 3′17″ faster than with the placebo, watts increased by 15, lactate threshold increased and there was no significant change in heart rate or rate of perceived exertion. Complete details on the study are available on our web site.
Thinkers & Tinkers: Robert Kunz of 1st Endurance new