Some companies start with a business plan.

mapleROO started with a collapse in a medical tent after an Ironman.

The Race That Changed Everything

A few years ago, Eric Poulin was racing his second full Ironman.

Everything pointed to a breakthrough performance. The training had gone well, the fitness was there, and he felt ready to achieve something big: qualifying for the Ironman World Championship.

Physically, he was ready. But during the race, something went terribly wrong.

His stomach completely shut down. The nutrition products he had trusted during training suddenly stopped working. What started as discomfort turned into a serious problem.

Eric kept pushing through the race, but his body was no longer cooperating.

Shortly after finishing, he collapsed and was taken to the medical tent.

Lying there exhausted, one thought kept coming back: I was ready physically but my nutrition failed me.

That day, Eric made a promise to his wife Karine: No more Ironman. No more endurance racing.

A New Chapter in Australia

Not long after that race, the Poulin family moved from Canada to Australia.

And something unexpected happened

They discovered a country that seemed to live and breathe the outdoors. Early mornings were filled with cyclists riding along the coast, runners meeting before sunrise, and triathletes training together.

The lifestyle was contagious.

Before long, Eric found himself joining local triathlon and running clubs. The joy of endurance sport slowly returned.

But before racing again, Eric made another promise to Karine: If he was going to race again, he would find a better way to fuel his body.

A Simple Discovery

During his search for better nutrition, Eric came across something fascinating.

Some endurance athletes had started experimenting with maple syrup as a natural energy source.

For Eric, it felt almost obvious.

Growing up in Canada, maple syrup was everywhere - part of family breakfasts, traditions, and everyday life. Yet in the world of sports nutrition, it was almost invisible.

But when you look at the science, maple syrup has remarkable properties for endurance athletes:

• Natural carbohydrates for quick energy
  

• A moderate glycemic index
  

• Naturally occurring minerals
  

• And most importantly… very few ingredients
  
  

The idea was simple.

What if endurance fuel could be natural?

 

Bringing Two Worlds Together

Eric reached out to Maple from Canada to learn more about maple syrup and its potential for sports nutrition.

The idea resonated.

But Eric and Karine wanted the project to reflect both parts of their story - their Canadian roots and their new Australian home.

Since Australia is known globally for sports science research, Eric contacted the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise.

They loved the concept.

Instead of rushing a product to market, they partnered together to study maple syrup as an endurance fuel.

Two Years of Research

For Eric and Karine, this step mattered deeply.

They didn’t want to create just another energy gel.

They wanted to build something credible, natural, and supported by research.

Over the next two years, mapleROO worked with the University of Canberra and Maple from Canada to study how maple syrup could support endurance performance.

It was a long process — but it was the right one.

mapleROO Is Born

After two years of research and product development, mapleROO officially launched in March 2025.

A brand inspired by two countries:

🍁 Canada - Home of pure maple syrup
 🦘 Australia - Home of endurance sport and outdoor adventure

The philosophy behind mapleROO is simple:

Real ingredients. Real energy.

Today the company produces natural maple-based sports nutrition including:

• Energy gels
  

• Energy waffles
  

• Drink mixes
  

• All-natural Carb energy chews
  
  

All designed to give athletes clean, gut-friendly fuel.

Proof on the Race Cours

Eventually, Eric returned to racing

This time fuelled by mapleROO.

And something remarkable happened

The stomach problems that had once ruined races simply disappeared.

Using mapleROO as his fuel, Eric has qualified two years in a row for the Ironman 70.3 World Championship (2025 and 2026) and continues to compete today - now pushing further by taking on 100 km endurance races.

 

For him, it confirmed what he had believed since the beginning:

Natural fuel works.

Helping Other Athletes Find Their Way Back

But what happened next meant even more.

Athletes started reaching out.

Some completed their first Ironman. Others qualified for the Ironman World Championship or the Ironman 70.3 World Championship using mapleROO.

But the messages that touched Eric and Karine the most came from everyday athletes.

People who had struggled with stomach issues for years during training — athletes who loved endurance sports but constantly battled gut problems that ruined long rides, long runs, and races.

Many share the same story:

“For the first time, I can ride my bike for four or five hours without gut problems.”

Some go even further.

They write to say:

“mapleROO changed my life.”

For Eric and Karine, those messages are the most rewarding part of the journey.

Because mapleROO was never meant to be just another sports nutrition brand.

It was created to solve a real problem - the same one that once forced Eric into a medical tent after an Ironman.

In our first year, our focus has been simple: grow organically through real athletes sharing real stories. No gimmicks, no marketing tricks - just people discovering that natural fuel can make a real difference.

Today, when athletes tell us they can finally train, race, and enjoy endurance sports without constant stomach issues, it confirms that mapleROO is doing exactly what it was created to do:

Helping athletes get back to the sports they love.

 

A Family Journey

Behind the scenes, Karine has played a central role in building mapleROO - from shaping the brand to creating the website and supporting the growing community of athletes and retailers.

Their daughters have embraced the Australian lifestyle too, trading hockey skates for surfboards while cheering on their parents’ adventures.

For the Poulin family, mapleROO is more than a company, it’s a family journey.

 

From a Promise to a Mission

What began as a promise in a medical tent has grown into something much bigger.

Today mapleROO is spreading across endurance communities in Australia and beyond.

What started as a personal search for better nutrition has become a mission: helping athletes fuel naturally so they can push further, go longer, and enjoy the sports they love.

From maple trees in Canada to athletes pushing their limits across Australia - and now around the world. 🍁🦘

Explore our full range of organic maple syrup energy gels, waffles, and hydration mixes here.