I have a good buddy of mine that swears by the stuff. He said a few times it caused him to hack, but not often. Hasn't stopped him from using it though. What was your experience?
As for me, I don't really get into supplements and don't have any specific pre race meal rituals either. Just oatmeal if I wanna wake up 3 hours before my races. Anything in my stomach 2 hours before the race will cause cramping 4/5 times.