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Hi,
Matt here. Ultra Running sensation and all around performance expert David Roche's Saturday Email Series continues. We told him to "let his freak flag fly" so here he is in all his unfiltered glory.
If I could only take one daily supplement, it would be First Endurance Multi-V.
I’m honestly hesitant to write this email because I think the 3 daily pills create a big advantage for me in ultras. If I were a more competitive person, I’d parrot the old, narrow-minded advice that “multi-vitamins just create expensive pee” and then hoard all of the pills like a Multi-V Gollum.
Unfortunately for my performance in close races (and fortunately for my supplement recommendations), I’m not that competitive of an athlete. I just want everyone to succeed, achieve their dreams, and enjoy stellar bloodwork.
Bloodwork was how I realized that Multi-V is BUILT DIFFERENT. I freaking hate needles. I hate needles so much that I can’t even go to Seattle due to the constant reminder. But Coach Megan is the best in the business and forced me into a blood test a few years ago. The results were OK, in the sense that I wasn’t actively dying. But they were sub-optimal for an elite athlete, with lower vitamin D and ferritin, and higher sex hormone binding globulin (reducing my free testosterone).
Afterward, I started taking Multi-V after hearing about it being used by professional cyclists. I have had bloodwork 3 times since. 2 times were in a clinic, returning with great vitamin D and ferritin, better testosterone, and hemoglobin levels that almost felt unfair. The most recent time was in an ambulance after a bad bike crash in 2024, where my ER chart reported similarly stellar hemoglobin levels. While getting launched by a car into a fence was sub-optimal, at least I wasn’t fully conscious for the needle.
Multi-vitamin science is mixed, as our “expensive pee” friends would say. My response is that the studies vary from neutral to good to great, so there is likely very little downside for many athletes. In terms of general health, on the neutral side, a 2024 study found no cross-population longevity increases from multi-vitamin use. On the positive side, a few major studies have found that multi-vitamin use in older adults improves memory and slows cognitive decline. I’d take one just for that potential cognitive benefit alone. I mean--I scroll Twitter daily. I need all the help I can get.
But where multi-vitamins really shine is when you think about their component parts, with tons of studies on the performance and health benefits of iron (oxygen content in red blood cells), vitamin D (basically every physical process), B vitamins (energy), and even minerals like boron (which may help hormone levels in some athletes). At the risk of sounding like a Silicon Valley tech bro scanning matches on Hinge, First Endurance Multi-V has outstanding component parts.
Every day after my training session, I take First Endurance Multi-V (along with CurraNZ, which is a story for another day). Does it make my pee more expensive? Yes, it probably does. It has also launched me to the top of podiums in some of the most physically demanding races in the world. First Endurance Multi-V rocks.
- David from The Feed.
(Ed. Matt here....there are actually two versions of First Endurance Multi-V. If you can't decide start with the regular, but if you are in your highest training periods, switch to the Pro at that time)
Let me explain the difference:
1. Multi-V (as David is using) is the regular version and it's amazing. Get it here.
2. Multi-V Pro adds patented ingredients and increases the dosage of some nutrients for supporting better gut health, immune support, and red blood cell support. Personally, I (Matt) take this version. Get the Pro Version here.
P.S. I thought it was also really interesting when David told me he religiously takes CurraNZ after training. This is a product we haven't talked a lot about, the data on the recovery and performance benefits is amazing. It is a natural extract from Black Currants only available in New Zealand. We import it from NZ for you. I'm going to start taking it and report back in a few weeks, but don't wait for me. Try it yourself today.
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