Hey everyone – I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend full of relaxation mixed with training. We’re almost to the cooler weather where we don’t return from a 60 minute easy run soaked head to toe and shorts caked in salt. So cheers to that!
Summer always feels like it goes by too quick. One moment we’re sweating through our shoes, the next we’re running in the cold darkness before or after work. But for now we’re still in the limbo period of early fall. Where the sun hangs around just enough to give us some extra life while remaining cool enough to enjoy your peak long run before the big fall A-race. Summer went especially quick for us, but first I want to introduce myself…
Who Are We?
No one has asked, but I still think it’s proper etiquette that I introduce myself before 1,000+ people read my writing…
I’m Alec, Founder of IntraChew and general hobby jogger who got sick of consuming gels on a regular basis. No more would my Saturday mornings consist of wiping sticky energy gel leftovers off of my fingers at mile 10 on my long run. Or cleaning the mess in my running belt from the gel wrappers getting residue everywhere. I felt that a new, and more fun, way to fuel while still chasing our performance goals was needed. This simple annoyance led me to creating IntraChew, the world’s first performance gummy bear.
We can go more on me later, but this is a summer recap, not the Alec show.
Pre-Summer Rebrand
Heading into this summer I wanted to do one thing and one thing only: Turn heads with a brand that looks nothing like any of the other endurance-focused fueling products out there.
We know our product is best in class in terms of fueling (19g carbs, 100mg sodium, 50mg potassium, 25mg magnesium & calcium) but our packaging lagged significantly behind. When I say “significantly behind”, I really mean it was bad. I truly thank everyone who purchased v1 on a limb. Yes, the product is/was amazing, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that from the packaging.
(one user humorously pointed out that v1 packaging looked like a shampoo bottle).
Regardless, it was decided that in order to make a splash, we needed a re-branding, and quick.
Eye-catching, fun, different, memorable, and CLEAN. Everything about Intrachew is clean. From our product being mess-free to our packaging being easy to read and distinct.
Some words I like to associate with Intrachew:
1) “Clean” (no sticky mess runners usually get from gels)
2) “Performance” (IntraChew is your go-to on race day or during your key workouts & long runs.)
3) “Approachable” (you can trust us, you don’t look at our product and think “I’m not so sure about this…”)
Our aesthetics had to match that. I like to think we delivered (please feel free to reply and let me know what you think).
Falmouth Road Race
If you don’t know the Falmouth Road Race, it’s essentially the “biggest little race” in the United States. Over 13,000 people cram into Falmouth Massachusetts to run a 7-mile point to point race.
Since this race being point to point, that means the race has to bus everyone to the start line that’s blocked off to everyone besides the runners. No bags, no friends/family to help you warmup, and not much space either. But there’s another major issue: no calories. All the race provides at the start line for 13,000 runners is water.
So we decided to help out in a small way. The night before the race (and before they blocked off street access to the start line), we to the start line and hid a couple hundred packets of IntraChew in the bushes.
After making the journey to the bus pickup point, then walking the extra mile down to the start line, we made our way to the bushes about a half mile before the start line. We spread our ~500 packets of Intrachew across multiple water station tables and the runners flocked in. There wasn’t a gummy bear left to hand out after 15 minutes. Our only regret is not bringing more!
Check out our story highlights labeled "FRR" on our Instagram HERE.
Stickers!
We finally got stickers in and they have been going out with each order over the last two weeks or so. So if you missed out on stickers from an order in August, feel free the email me after your next purchase and I will be sure to add a few extras in!
Right now every order gets one of our signature red running bear and one square informational sticker.
If you place them somewhere (water bottle, laptop, stop sign), show us!
What’s Next
Hats!
5-panel running hats will be in soon for purchase by late September. These hats not only look great but are truly a “running” hat. Lightweight, breathable, and easy to clean. I’ve put these through the sweat test on many summer runs already.
We also decided to keep the front of the hat simple, with just the red bear on the front for style points!
Why IntraChew
We are really trying to meet and hear from all of you, so if you see us at a race or receive an email from me, please don't be shy and say hello back! We want to know your stories and how our energy chews are helping your perform at your best.
Bottom line, we care how we are impacting your training and race day performance. If we can be a small part in your success, that makes us happy.
If you haven't tried our chews yet, shop HERE or click the button below!