Best Ultramarathon Nutrition (2026): Spec Comparison

How We Compared the Products

This is a desk-research comparison of current labels and list prices, checked September 14, 2026. The Listed Price column shows the manufacturer's own US list price unless the note beside the product says otherwise. We ranked products for ultramarathon fueling by how easily they deliver our hourly defaults (about 50 g carbohydrate and 300–600 mg sodium), then by format and mixing, then by price.

Two label figures could not be confirmed on a manufacturer page. Tailwind does not publish a nutrition panel on the Endurance Fuel page we could retrieve; the per-serving figures below come from The Feed, a major retailer, and are labelled as such. LMNT publishes its electrolyte content but no calorie or carbohydrate figure, so we do not state one. Maurten's Gel 100 page lists 25 g of carbohydrate and approximately 100 kcal per sachet.

#1 — Tailwind Endurance Fuel

Tailwind's current Endurance Fuel page lists vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free formulations and both caffeinated and non-caffeinated flavors, at $42.99 for the 50-serving bag. It does not publish a nutrition panel we could retrieve. The Feed, a major retailer, lists 200 kcal, 50 g carbohydrate and 620 mg sodium per serving, plus 180 mg potassium, 24 mg magnesium and 54 mg calcium. Because that is a retailer figure rather than a manufacturer one, and because Tailwind sells both stick packs and bulk bags whose scoop servings differ, weigh or count your own scoops before you build a plan around it. One serving an hour covers the carbohydrate and sodium defaults on its own, which is why it ranks first. In heat or late in the race, when you drink less, add gels so fuel does not fall with fluid.

#2 — Maurten Gel 100

The official Gel 100 page lists six ingredients and a 0.8:1 fructose-to-glucose ratio. Two gels an hour give 50 g of carbohydrate, our hourly default. Maurten prices the box of 12 at $45 and lists each sachet at approximately 100 kcal on the same page. Learn more about what ultrarunners eat during races.

#3 — Spring Energy Awesome Sauce

The correction this guide has carried still holds. The current Awesome Sauce label lists 28 g of carbohydrate, not the 45 g figure that circulated in older reviews and third-party databases. If you built a fueling plan from a 45 g assumption, you are roughly a third short per pouch. Check the package in your hand rather than an archived figure.

Who it is for:a runner whose gut has stopped accepting sweet syrup gels. The ingredient list is apple juice, basmati rice, apple sauce, maple syrup, MCT oil and avocado oil, and the texture is closer to a thin baby-food purée than to a gel, which is why it survives hour 14 for some runners when a maltodextrin gel does not. The 45 mg of sodium is negligible, so this is a fuel source, not an electrolyte one.

Against it:28 g of carbohydrate for 180 kcal means 7 g of that energy is fat, which is not fast fuel; per gram of usable carbohydrate it is the least dense option in this comparison and, at $4.20 a pouch, among the most expensive. The thick texture is also harder to take without water than Maurten's hydrogel.

#4 — Precision Fuel & Hydration PH 1500

Precision publishes the concentration rather than burying it, which is the main reason this product is on the list: you can calculate what you are taking. The PH 1500 page gives the mixing instruction and the vegan and gluten-free status but shows euro pricing and no US nutrition panel; the per-sachet figures and the $13.99 price for the box of 8 come from Running Warehouse, a major US retailer, and are labelled as such.

Who it is for:a runner who has actually established, through a sweat test or repeated experience with cramping and salt crust, that they lose sodium at a high rate—and who wants that sodium in a measured sachet rather than guessed from a shaker. It is also used as a pre-load drink in the hours before a hot race.

Against it:15 g of carbohydrate per 500 ml is not a fuel source, so this is an addition to your carbohydrate plan, not part of it. High sodium is not a default for anyone who has not identified the need, and no sodium product prevents exercise-associated hyponatremia if you drink past thirst—the sodium concentration of the drink matters far less than the total volume of fluid.

#5 — Skratch Labs Super High-Carb

We re-checked this one against the manufacturer page because 50 g of carbohydrate in one serving is high enough to be worth confirming: it is correct, and the raspberry and mango variants list 51 g. That is a whole hour at our 50 g/h default in a single bottle, well below the 90 g/h ceiling but above what many untrained guts take comfortably at once, which is exactly why it needs care rather than enthusiasm.

Who it is for: a runner who has deliberately trained their gut and wants to carry fewer things. One serving replaces roughly two gels, and because you control how much water you mix it into, you can run it concentrated in cold weather and dilute in heat.

Against it:a 50 g serving is a lot of carbohydrate to arrive at once, and a concentrated bottle empties the stomach more slowly. The 200 mg of sodium per serving is modest for a drink you may rely on for hours in heat, so sodium likely needs to come from elsewhere. And because fuel and fluid are in the same bottle, drinking to thirst in the heat and fueling to plan pull in different directions—separate them if the weather demands it.

#6 — LMNT Electrolytes

The LMNT product page publishes the three electrolyte figures but no calorie or carbohydrate figure, so we do not state one; treat it as a non-fuel product. At 1,000 mg of sodium per stick it is the highest single-serve sodium dose in this comparison.

Who it is for:a runner who already has a working carbohydrate plan—gels, real food, or a low-sodium drink mix—and needs to add sodium without adding sweetness. In a multiday event where flavour fatigue is real, the ability to add salt without another sugary bottle matters. It is also the simplest option to hand to a crew: one stick, one bottle, no scooping.

Against it:it fuels nothing, so it is an addition to a plan rather than a plan. 1,000 mg in one stick is a large dose that is easy to repeat casually, and a strongly salty drink can itself encourage drinking beyond thirst—which is the mechanism that causes hyponatremia, not a shortage of sodium. LMNT's marketing language about paleo and keto hydration is not ultrarunning evidence.

How to Build Your Nutrition Plan

Start with total carbohydrate: Count carbohydrate from drinks, gels, and food together rather than stacking manufacturer serving suggestions.
Keep fluid responsive: A drink mix ties fuel to fluid; consider whether heat, thirst, and pace require those needs to be managed separately.
Individualize sodium: High-sodium products such as PH 1500 or LMNT are options, not defaults, and do not prevent hyponatremia if you overdrink.
Practice the whole system: Test concentration, texture, flavor fatigue, caffeine, and solid-food alternatives during training. See our gut training protocol and hydration and sodium guide.