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 their labeled carbohydrate and sodium quantities, format, mixing and dated price. They serve different purposes, so the ranking is an editorial shortlist, not a comparative performance trial.
Our original Tailwind comparison confused a two-scoop packet with one bulk-bag serving. The manufacturer confirms 310 mg sodium per scoop and 620 mg per packet. Portions and mixing instructions are rechecked below; historical prices retain their stated September date. 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
The dated price is $42.99 for a 50-serving bulk bag. A bulk serving is one scoop, approximately 25 g carbohydrate and 100 kcal; two scoops supply about 50 g and 200 kcal. The manufacturer's packet page explicitly distinguishes 310 mg sodium per scoop from 620 mg per packet. A 50-serving bag therefore supplies 25 two-scoop portions, not 50. Confirm the label and caffeine content of your flavor. If thirst and fuel needs diverge, use separately tolerated food instead of forcing more fluid to reach a carbohydrate target.
#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 who prefers this texture and has tolerated it in training. 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, but its ingredients and texture do not prove better tolerance during nausea. The 45 mg of sodium is negligible, so this is a fuel source, not an electrolyte one.
Against it: the label includes 7 g fat as well as 28 g carbohydrate; grams measure nutrients, not energy. At the dated $4.20 price, carbohydrate costs $0.15/g, equal to a $3.75 Maurten gel providing 25 g. 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 an individual assessment of sweat rate and sodium concentration, an appropriate sodium plan. Cramping or salt crust alone cannot quantify losses. A sachet helps measure intake; its contents do not establish a replacement requirement.
Against it: 15 g carbohydrate per 500 ml contributes to total fuel and must be counted. It is less carbohydrate than the fuel-focused mixes, so other food may be needed for your tested plan. 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 on October 23, 2026: the manufacturer explains that its serving size and scoop changed while total carbohydrate per bag remained the same. Do not transfer old scoop counts to a new package. A bottle can be sipped over time; a serving is not a recommendation to swallow it all at once.
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, follow the package instructions and test the concentration you intend to use; temperature alone does not establish a suitable mix.
Against it: a concentrated bottle needs a practiced intake and fluid plan. Count sodium from the actual portion and other food before deciding whether any supplement is needed. 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 is not a substantial carbohydrate fuel, so it supplements rather than replaces a fueling plan. 1,000 mg in one stick is a large dose that is easy to repeat casually. Excess fluid intake relative to excretion is central to exercise-associated hyponatremia; a high sodium dose does not make overdrinking safe. 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.
Sources
- International Society of Sports Nutrition — Position stand on single-stage ultramarathon nutrition
- Hew-Butler et al. — Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Statement
- Maurten — Gel 100 official label and usage information
- Spring Energy — Awesome Sauce current nutrition label
- Precision Fuel & Hydration — PH 1500 official product information
- Skratch Labs — Super High-Carb official product information
- LMNT — LMNT official nutrition information
- Thomas, D.T., Erdman, K.A. & Burke, L.M. (2016) — American College of Sports Medicine, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, and Dietitians of Canada Joint Position Statement: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. Source of up-to-90 g/h carbohydrate guidance for exercise beyond about 2.5 hours.
- Tailwind — manufacturer scoop versus packet explanation (rechecked October 23, 2026).
- The Feed — Tailwind Endurance Fuel per-serving nutrition (major retailer; the September source for per-serving nutrition, superseded for sodium and scoop size by the manufacturer page above)
- Running Warehouse — PH 1500 8-packet US price and per-sachet nutrition (major retailer; used because the manufacturer's US page shows euro pricing and no nutrition panel)
- Product labels and prices verified September 14, 2026. Manufacturer figures were used for Maurten, Spring Energy, Skratch Labs, LMNT and, since October 23, Tailwind; retailer figures, labelled above, were used for PH 1500. Maurten lists approximately 100 kcal per Gel 100 sachet (re-checked October 2, 2026). The October 23 correction distinguishes powder weight, scoops and packets and removes unsupported intake guarantees. Formulations, packaging, and prices can change.
- Multiday Running — Gear review methodology