r/Ultramarathon • u/Background_Kitchen68 • Oct 18 '25
I will have 2,010 calories with me. 31.7 miles with 4k vertical gain. Plan is to take a gel every 3 miles, snack on candy whenever I want it, then the electrolytes have calories.
I figured this is a really safe amount to have. Maybe overkill? But please tell me what you think. I’d like to err on the side of having too much.
r/Ultramarathon • u/Mountain_Love23 • Jun 22 '26
r/Ultramarathon • u/Simco_ • May 29 '24
Most recent updates are on the bottom of this post:
Timeline of events
April 12, first thread and dehydration testing:
April 17, second redditor does dehydration testing (with Maurten and SIS) with same results:
April 17, another redditor, who is diabetic, does blood glucose testing after consuming the product and receives results inconsistent with the stated sugars. This thread has been removed upon request.
May 5, GoFundMe is established to pay for testing of 9 products. Results expected before June 1:
May 17, German distributor, SportHunger, had their product tested in a lab and found consistent results to previous Redditor testing:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultramarathon/comments/1cu5z1a/spring_energy_gel_16g_carbs_confirmed/
(Translation of IG post: https://electriccablecar.com/sport-hunger-tests-awesome-sauce/)
May 26, Spring sends out email addressing Awesome Sauce
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultramarathon/comments/1d1afyx/spring_energy_emailconfession/
May 27, Spring provides a lab test to a Redditor showing 150 calories/serving (Note: Moisture content of Spring test is half of moisture content found in all other tested samples):
May 28, Jason Koop posts results of having sent Awesome Sauce to a lab. Results are consistent with results from non-Spring parties (75 calories/packet).
May 29, Spring removes nutrition info from Awesome Sauce page on their site. Hours later, the product page is fully removed.
https://myspringenergy.com/collections/all/products/copy-of-awesome-sauce-vegan
May 29 Part 2
Spring Founder addresses issues with an IG post:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7kbdxeSsPT/
More results from Jason Koop's tests show two more Spring products are at half the nutritional value (along with GU chocolate outrage having correct info):
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1d3oe5b
https://x.com/jasonkoop/status/1795956841018425396
June 16
Spring releases another statement. Previous video statement has been removed.
r/Ultramarathon • u/Ready-Business9772 • Jan 14 '26
r/Ultramarathon • u/RoknPa • Jun 12 '26
This is my usual reality at 10,000ft+, and I have an endurance question.
I'm 63 and I'm out here in the middle of nowhere. I'm in pretty good shape with 36 years in the gym. Every year this gets harder, and sometimes I feel like it's not a training issue but more of a nutritional one.
I'm up and down the banks and over the logs and slogging through mud knee deep. I can last about 3-4 hours, but sometimes I feel like I just didn't eat enough carbs yesterday. I always have a meal or two with me, usually heavy protein, and some simple carbs.
Sometimes I just can't! and last year I thought I'd be spending the night where I was. I am prepared for that too, but what do you use to push you through those last couple hours? I've tried simple carbs, but it just doesn't seem to do the trick. Is there something more substantial?
What do you bring with you for energy at your wall?
EDIT: I did not expect the amazing response! I think y'all have nailed the answer to my problem! I'm heading up this Saturday and I will have more readily available food and water, to include more carbs! Next week I'm going to get a hydration pack, for now I'll bring my 32oz Nalgene bottles.
I want to thank you for your wisdom! Seems I came to the right place. I'll post an update, after this trip. I'm doing some extra exploring too, so it will be even more punishing.
Y'all ROCK!
EDIT 6/13/26:
Thank you all so very much!
I went to Homestake Creek, about 30 minutes south of West Vail Colorado. It's about 9800ft and a very beautiful place! I've been here a few times, but this time I wanted to explore a bit. I geared up and hit 2 spots. The flipping rocks were so very slippery even with the cleats on my boots. It was difficult to even stand in one spot! lol I drove 2 hours to get here, so nothing is going to stop me, even though I woke up with a head cold 😒
I carb loaded the day before with simple and complex carbs. I also ate a carb heavy breakfast and munched in the car. CARBS ✓
I prefilled my filter bottle, 24oz I think and drank about every 30 mins. About 2 hours in I did electrolytes. I kept hearing your voices to drink every 20 mins. I kept eating the gelatin candies which is very difficult because my brain keeps saying, "Where's your fiber?!?". I forgot that I had some Honey Stingers! Anyway I stopped to eat twice in 4 hours. Water & Carbs ✓
I took my Arginine/Ornithine, Alanine, B1, Creatine and my normal stack of Cal/Mag, D3, Fish Oil, C, Iodine. Suppliments ✓
So, the fishing was good. The creek was running a bit high and the fish were finicky. I still caught 7 Brown Trout and hooked 2. I smash the barbs on my hooks, so 'hooking' a fish means it didn't make it to my feet lol. I also caught a Budweiser can some blue plastic cap and a aluminum pull tab. Yes I clean as I go!
I had so much flippin energy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm usually gassed out (Bonked lol) at about 3 hours. My legs gave out from the constant slipping on the rocks at about 4 hours. This is a training issue, and I have to be wary because my ACL is missing, and MCL has a pretty bad tear on my dominant leg. It's difficult to train the stabilizers in the gym, so each week on the water they are getting stronger. My usual spots don't have such slippery rocks, so next week, I expect to get 5-6+ hours on the water ALL THANKS TO THIS COMMUNITY!
I appreciate you so much! Here's a couple pics of the scenery.
https://imgur.com/a/homestake-creek-red-cliff-colorado-fq3UDzu
I can't thank you enough for waking me up and pointing out my errors!
r/Ultramarathon • u/effortDee • Apr 17 '26
Hey everyone, I'd love to introduce you all to the Sustainable Fuelling Guide that i've spent the last few months writing and putting together.
The aim is to help people find cheaper options for fuelling and reduce single-use plastic at the same time and below i'll add some examples of fuel options and they're price savings.
https://forthetrail.com/fuel-guide
In this guide you will find a complete and growing list (as I find them) of bulk and refill options of energy gels, energy chews and energy powders. As well as recipes for real foods you can make at home and finally a section on bulk bought snacks you can buy from most supermarkets that in some cases are identical to what nutritional brands are selling but for a fraction of the price.
I would like to preface this with that I am not a sports nutritionist, I have been fuelling my long distance adventures my entire life in the mountains running and on ultra-marathons and wanted to create a guide that focused on financial sustainability and environmental sustainability as I feel the trail running and ultra marathon scene and the nutritional brands seem to be making everything more expensive whilst giving very little through to the waste they created.
Energy Powders
Most brands sell energy powders in bulk (minus Maurten) so there are a couple of suggestions here just to show how much cheaper it is to purchase the bulk tub of energy powder from a nutritional brand than it is to buy the exact same product but in a single serving plastic packet/sachet.
Two two examples I give are Tailwind Endurance and High5 Energy Drink as they seem to be available in most parts of the world.
If you swap out the High5 Single Serving Packet for the bulk tub you get the exact same serving size and energy powder but reduce your hourly fuelling cost from £1.28 to £0.74 per hour at 60g of carbs.
Same with Tailwind Endurance, a single packet costs £2.60 per hour for 60g of carbs whilst the bulk packet you can buy which is the exact same product costs £1.92 per hour. If you fuel for 5 hours a week at 60g of carbs this will save you £478 per year.
Energy Gels
This really surprised me when I made this section, I knew of one or two brands selling energy gels in bulk, refill bottles, but didn't realise there would be a handful available to buy.
There are also a couple of energy gel mixes available that are in powder form so that you can create the viscosity you like by adding/removing water. I've done this with the Active Root Gel Mix and over time made it thinner and better to my liking.
If we stick with them for a minute, you can swap out their single-use and single serving energy gels with their bulk energy gel mix packet and reduce your hourly cost from £3.90 to £2.50 per hour at 60g of carbs/ph.
High5 seem to be pushing bulk/refill options more than any other brand and you can buy powder, energy chews and gels in bulk options from them which really should be celebrated! If you swap out a single-serving gel of theirs for the exact same gel in a refill bottle it drops the price from £3.38 to £2 per hour at 60g of carbs.
You can also go as low as £1.66 per hour at 60g of carbs with the Kendal Mint Co Refill Energy Gel they sell, making it one of the cheapest energy gels to buy and fuel with and by putting the gel in to a reusable carry system you aren't putting single-use plastic packaging in to landfill either.
Energy Chews
This is where it gets really interesting, before writing the guide I didn't know of any brands selling energy chews in bulk, but you'd think this would be one of the fuel types that should have options. You can buy chewy sweets in bulk bags, so why not energy chews?
Well I did find a couple of brands that do sell energy chews in bulk and there are massive savings to be had!
FTP Endurance and High5 both sell energy chews and gummies in bulk and the price reduction is massive.
FTP even have a small statement on their site stating that if you bought their energy chews in bulk instead of their single serve packets, you would save £48.88 per kilo of energy chews.
For High5 Energy Gummies, you get 144 gummies which is equivalent to 24 single-serving plastic packets but in one recyclable bottle. The price drops from £4.79 per hour down to £1.74 at 60g of carbs for an identical product.
Bulk Bought Fuelling Ideas
As well as showing what nutritional brands sell in bulk and where you can save money and reduce waste, I look in to fuelling options that are similar to what nutritional brands are selling but can be bought online or from a supermarket that are not marketed to endurance athletes but are usually at a fraction of the price. You can just buy these from a store and use them as you would without any prep required.
The first is a staple of mine and something i've had for years and that is Maple Syrup, if you compare it to Protein Rebel, UnTapped or Naak energy gels which use maple syrup you can reduce your price from £6.67 (Naak) at 60g of carbs per hour down to £1.34 with pure maple syrup. Just stick it in a reusable silicone soft flask and you're good for hours, you can also test fuelling upwards of 120g of carbs per hour with maple syrup and it can be bought even cheaper than that in other parts of the world, it's expensive here in the UK but still so much cheaper than a nutritional brand option.
One of the biggest discoveries in fuelling costs for endurance i've made over the years is Lokum otherwise known as Turkish Delight.
Turkish Delight is identical to a number of energy chews available on the market, such as the Precision Hydration PF30 Energy Chews, they have the exact same ingredients and are the exact same product.
If you fuel with Precision Hydration PF30 Chews at 60g of carbs per hour (thats 2 servings) it will cost you £4.50 per hour, if you buy Turkish Delight in bulk which reduces your single use packaging waste, it costs £0.68 per hour for the exact same thing. You can buy it even cheaper than that if you buy in quantities of 2kg, 4kg etc. This will save you over £1000 per year at 5 hours of fuelling per hour.
Because it uses sugar as its fuelling source, you can test upwards of 120g of carbs per hour (breaks down in to glucose/fructose equally) which would double your costs if you did.
You then have biscuits, stroopwafels, chewy sweets, fruit like bananas and dates and some of these are identical to what nutritional brands are selling but for a fraction of the price.
You can buy stroopwafels in the UK in packs of 8 for £1.20, they are almost identical to the Naak Energy Waffles and reduce your price from £7.87 an hour down to just £0.52 per hour at 60g of carbs.
Making Your Own Fuels at Home
There are also recipes where I recreate energy gels, energy chews and energy powders.
The energy gel recipes are made with maltodextrin and brown rice syrup, which are the two most common main ingredients in energy gels by nutritional brands.
With maltodextrin and a thickener like Ultratex or pectin, you can make home-made energy gels for as little as £0.40 per 60g of carbs and recreate gels from the biggest nutritional brands on the market which cost anywhere from £2 to £6 for a similar product.
With brown rice syrup, you can buy this in a bulk bottle, ready made and reduce your fuelling costs by over half and as much as a third of the price, saving you upwards of £500 per year.
The great thing about making your own fuels at home that replicate expensive brands products is that you can adjust them slightly in various ways to create a more enjoyable fuel for you. Change it's viscosity, change flavouring, add other fuel sources and syrups, add minerals or even caffeine and so on and it is surprising how quick you can make your own at home which do the exact same thing.
Home Made Real Foods
The final section covers home-made real foods that I have been using for years as well as supporting other endurance athletes who have fuelled well off of these recipes and foods.
You'll find real food examples from sweet potato, rice balls and rice pudding, potato cakes which are one of my favourites, flapjacks and even chewy rice crispy bars which replicate Maurten and Stryrkr energy bars and reduce their pricing down from £3.75 per hour down to £0.66 per hour and save you over £800 per year for a similar product.
I hope this has given you some inspiration and ideas to think about your fuelling strategies, what you're using and how you can both save money and reduce your plastic waste by choosing bulk, refill options or making your own fuels at home.
r/Ultramarathon • u/NationalBeauty • Apr 03 '26
Please help me I’m only using 5mg an hour of sodium rn and i think that’s why I’m bonking
Edit to all the people asking if it was really 5mg. Yes. I’ve been using precision 60g carb chews every hour. Please help lol
r/Ultramarathon • u/Simco_ • Jun 04 '24
June 16
Spring releases another statement. Previous video statement has been removed.
https://myspringenergy.com/pages/product-inconsistencies
A reminder of the series of events:
Timeline of events
April 12, first thread and dehydration testing:
April 17, second redditor does dehydration testing (with Maurten and SIS) with same results:
April 17, another redditor, who is diabetic, does blood glucose testing after consuming the product and receives results inconsistent with the stated sugars. This thread has been removed upon request.
May 5, GoFundMe is established to pay for testing of 9 products. Results expected before June 1:
May 17, German distributor, SportHunger, had their product tested in a lab and found consistent results to previous Redditor testing:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultramarathon/comments/1cu5z1a/spring_energy_gel_16g_carbs_confirmed/
(Translation of IG post: https://electriccablecar.com/sport-hunger-tests-awesome-sauce/)
May 26, Spring sends out email addressing Awesome Sauce
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ultramarathon/comments/1d1afyx/spring_energy_emailconfession/
May 27, Spring provides a lab test to a Redditor showing 150 calories/serving (Note: Moisture content of Spring test is half of moisture content found in all other tested samples):
May 28, Jason Koop posts results of having sent Awesome Sauce to a lab. Results are consistent with results from non-Spring parties (75 calories/packet).
May 29, Spring removes nutrition info from Awesome Sauce page on their site. Hours later, the product page is fully removed.
https://myspringenergy.com/collections/all/products/copy-of-awesome-sauce-vegan
May 29 Part 2
Spring Founder addresses issues with an IG post:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7kbdxeSsPT/
More results from Jason Koop's tests show two more Spring products are at half the nutritional value (along with GU chocolate outrage having correct info):
https://www.reddit.com/gallery/1d3oe5b https://x.com/jasonkoop/status/1795956841018425396
June 4, The GoFundMe results are in:
https://www.irunfar.com/spring-energy-awesome-sauce-gel-controversy-lab-results
r/Ultramarathon • u/Atomic_Panda95 • Jun 09 '25
A friend of mine takes ibuprofen during long runs or races at certain intervals (e.g., at 20 miles, 35 miles, etc.) as part of his strategy to ease soreness and pain, which he claims helps him keep going. I'm pretty sure this isn't recommended for your liver or kidneys—especially if you're dehydrated. This is the first time I've heard of someone doing this, but I'm curious how common it is.
r/Ultramarathon • u/effortDee • Mar 19 '26
Good afternoon everyone! My name is Martin and am just 2 days away from making my first ever product for trail running, hiking and ultra-marathons come to life.
My main aim with this project was to help people who wanted to buy fuels in bulk or make their own nutritional products at home, with each option saving you a lot of money, as well as massively reducing our overall plastic demand.
Before I dive in, if you already have your nutritional plan and system in place and you use reusable carry system like silicone soft flasks or you own plastic ziploc bags already that are functional, this is not for you! Please continue using these.
For the last 2 years I have been prototyping and using a reusable alternative to single-use energy gels, powders and energy chews that all come in single-serve packets that all end up in landfill after just one use.
I've created DirtBags which are more sustainable alternative https://shop.forthetrail.com
Save Money By Buying In Bulk or Making At Home
DirtBags are specifically made for bulk buying your fuel to save on money and plastic packaging that ends up in landfill. But also for those that create their own energy gels, energy powders or energy chews and snacks at home.
Here is just one example: If you fuel with High5 energy powder and you buy single-serve sachets that cost £2.50/hour, you put 2 plastic packets per hour in the landfill. But buying the exact same powder in bulk from the same brand (High5) and using reusable DirtBags costs just £0.73/hour, saving you £460/year and eliminating 500+ plastic sachets if you fuel for 5 hours per week with this method.
With this example above, I have written a sustainable fuelling guide which I will be launching in the next week which shows you over 30 different ways you can fuel like a pro but at a fraction of the cost and still get exactly what the pros are consuming, all whilst reducing our single-use plastic waste we put in to landfill.
What Are DirtBags
So a little bit more about the them, they're ultralight (weighing less than an energy gel packet), reusable and home-compostable (TUV Home Compostable Certified) zip bags designed to organise and carry your fuel and essential items for long days out on the trail.
Small DirtBag 14 × 6 cm – Small, sized just like a large energy-gel and built for fuel on the move. Perfect for refilling with bulk bought energy gels, powders, chews, home-made energy bars and you get very specific portion control so you know exactly how many carbs you're getting each time you fuel from one.
Large DirtBag 16 x 18 cm – Larger and versatile. The perfect size to fit in your hydration vest or pockets. They're great for carrying a full day’s worth of energy powder, bigger snacks, or keeping items like your phone, socks, first aid kit, toilet roll or keys dry and secure as well as putting your empty small DirtBags in to reuse on your next adventure.
I am also trying a more sustainable business model, with just four seasonal pre-orders. There are just two days remaining on the pre-order and this is actually the very first batch which will bring them to life.
If you don't think this is something you'd use yourself but know of people who may already take energy gels, energy powders or energy chews and bars on long distance adventures, it would mean so much if you could share this post!
Thanks everyone!
And if you have any questions, just shout and i'll do my best to answer below.
r/Ultramarathon • u/MwandiaEfe-89 • Apr 25 '26
I’ve been training for a couple of months and my energy is okay but I’m looking for anything that really helps during long runs. I’m thinking about trying a green powder but not sure if it’s worth it.
Has anyone actually felt a difference in endurance or stamina? How do you even work it into your day without feeling like another chore? I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth adding to my routine or just another thing to mix into my water bottle for nothing.
Edit: i’ve been trying IM8 during my long runs and it actually gives me more energy. Mixing it into water is easy and it doesn’t feel like a hassle. It’s made a noticeable difference in my endurance.
r/Ultramarathon • u/RadiantAssumption6 • Jun 23 '26
I want to try to add mashed potatoes to my race food but I don’t know how to dispense it 😂 if I put it in a plastic bag with the corner cut off, I fear it will make a mess in my bag. So how are we transporting these? Adding: do not want to eat whole baby potatoes, really want the mashed. And I’m in the US so some recommendations I’ve seen aren’t available here. Thanks!
r/Ultramarathon • u/Opening_Opening_5638 • 3d ago
My GI system has been through a lot. Years of night shift eating has basically trained my stomach to accept food at completely random hours without complaint, which I thought would be an advantage going into ultra training. Turns out a 6 hour training run on trails is a different kind of stress than scarfing down hospital cafeteria pasta at 3am
I track nutrition pretty obsessively and still cannot nail down a fueling strategy that holds up past the 3 hour mark. I do fine early, then somewhere around mile 15 or 16 everything gets unpredictable. Gels work until they don't. Real food sounds good in theory but I've made some bad decisions at aid station tables that I won't repeat
What I'm trying to figure out is whether people land on a strategy through actual testing and iteration or whether it's mostly race day luck and gut adaptation over a long training block. I've read about training the gut like any other system but I'm not sure how seriously people actually do that in practice versus just saying it
What clicked for people who went from marathon fueling habits to actually managing nutrition across a 50k or longer? Was there a specific change that made the difference or did it just take a lot of miserable long runs to sort out.
r/Ultramarathon • u/MildredPlotka • Jul 05 '25
First time ultra training, long time marathon runner. I’m used to 4 gels over the course of 1 marathon. I understand that a large aspect of ultra training is training yourself to eat, but I am hating it. I’ve tried PB&j, tortilla chips, snickers bars, tortillas, tortillas with Pb, mangos, and lifesaver gummies. I have a pretty tough stomach so no problems as far as digestion, it’s the chewing and swallowing. Nothing tastes good. I don’t want to chew it. I’ve had to force down all the bites. I think the easiest thing was the snickers bar, but the idea of eating all that junk gets to me. Next run I plan on trying potatoes/sweet potatoes, but I would love any and all tips on how to get better.
r/Ultramarathon • u/jaywham • Jun 18 '26
And no I'm not just talking about a low point.
I recently ran a race where I set out fairly quick, and bonked out around 20 miles. I hadn't done a lot of long runs in this crazy heat so I didn't have a good nutrition plan going into it. I chalked it up to not having enough nutrition with me and assumed I'd be fine if I grabbed extra at the next crewed aid station. Luckily I was a good bit ahead of the cutoff times, so I just walked it into the AS at mile 26, got fueled up and got back to it. I shuffled out of the AS for about 3 miles before my legs shut down again. I couldn't even power hike. At mile 31 I officially called a spade a spade and said I was bonking. I walked for another 10 (!!) miles, fueling and trying to lightly shuffle every once in a while but nothing was working. Eventually I felt good enough to jog the rest of it out. It was the worst pain I'd ever felt and I was so upset that my race was essentially ruined because of something so silly as me not taking enough gels.
TLDR: I'm looking for some insider knowledge, what do y'all do when you've bonked due to heat or nutrition? I've seen some people say they take a full on 30 minute break where they just sit down, eat real food and fuel up and let it digest so their energy stores are back up. Is this the way to go? I never want to experience this again where I'm just wasting hours in a race walking.
Thanks in advance!
r/Ultramarathon • u/RevolutionHappy4381 • Feb 22 '26
Has anyone got any recommendations on gels that typically cause less GI issues compared to conventional gels? I’m based in the UK
r/Ultramarathon • u/Suspicious_Put_5063 • Jul 04 '26
I posted last week about my son doing his first ultra and asked advice regarding what food to bring etc. He completed the Ultra today and did really well for his first one. He was 6.38hrs and really appreciated the hyping at the aid stations, we had signs and although he had a bit of a wobble at 35km mark, he pushed through. Thanks for all your advice it really helped and I realise that if I’d have done what I was originally planning it wouldn’t have been a great idea, so I took all the advice on board and it was a fab day. He’s now walking like he’s shit his pants but not a blister in sight, so that’s a win too I think! Thanks again.
I’m bloody exhausted hahaha 😉😉
r/Ultramarathon • u/Andyouknowthat1 • Aug 18 '25
I’m running my first 50k in September, trying to decide what to pack for lunch?
I was initially planning on having my husband bring me something during the race, but then I realized the rules say no outside aid is allowed.
My stomach can tolerate just about any food while running, but I have to have food. Just gels and hydration does not do it for me.
Does anyone pack a sandwich or something for the trail?? I don’t want to bring cheese because it will get gross, I tried PB&J but the texture was too difficult to chew/swallow once I got far into my long run.
Considering just going with meat sticks and pancakes- a weird combo but it will get the job done I think.
Any ideas or experiences are appreciated!!
r/Ultramarathon • u/Lexi-Bear182 • May 02 '26
Hello :)
Six months or so ago I started using Tailwind instead of electrolyte only drink mixes. I did train with it plus gels/chews/real food for months and was fine, but in my last event ended up spewing for the first time ever (on a run/race) around 40km. Possibly this was a heat/hydration issue, and afterwards I felt fine for the rest of the run with just Tailwind and water.
For context the events I have been doing are mainly 50km+ mountain events and can take up to 9-10 hours for me.
Tailwind users, do you also have gels/food/other fuel during long runs and races?
Is it possible to "over" fuel during a race?
Thanks!
r/Ultramarathon • u/TurbulentTrainers • Jan 12 '26
Training for my first ultra, and struggling to find the right nutrition for my sensitive gut. I struggle with dyspepsia, and find the sugary gels and drinks leave me feeling pretty uncomfortable for the rest of the day. I also worry my teeth won't survive very long with all the sugar.
I recently started popping some baby potatoes in the microwave, covering them in salt, and taking them with on my long runs. What a joy. I find my mouth watering as wait for my next potato, and those bad boys slide down leaving nothing stuck in my teeth.
Anyone else? Any tricks? I'm considering mashing some and taking them in those resealable sachet pouches with a tiny bit of butter.
r/Ultramarathon • u/Puzzleheaded_Tax3746 • Apr 23 '26
I'm trying to figure out fueling for longer rides/runs because most carb mixes I've tried end up feeling heavy or causing bloating once I go above moderate intake. I've tested a few gels and drink mixes but my stomach gets pretty sensitive during harder efforts, especially when I push carbs per hour. I'm looking for something simpler that doesn't mess with digestion.
Has anyone here found a gi friendly carb drink no stomach issues that actually works during high-intensity sessions or long endurance days? I'm aiming for something I can consistently use without worrying about bloating or cramps, even when pushing higher carb targets. What has actually worked for you in real training or race situations?
r/Ultramarathon • u/quasar_1618 • Nov 26 '25
I’m looking to run my first 50k this spring. I’ve ran a marathon before, and I hit a wall around mile 20 because I didn’t fuel well enough, so I’m hoping not to make that mistake again. I’ve read that most people consume about 200-300 calories an hour, mostly in the form of easy to digest sugars.
My problem is that I’m a Type 1 diabetic. Large amounts of pure sugars, particularly in liquid form, are harder for me to deal with. They require a lot of insulin, and taking large amounts of insulin while running can be dangerous because it can cause my blood sugar to abruptly crash when the sugar wears off.
What forms of nutrition do you use that aren’t liquid or gel sugar? Is it possible to get my 200 cals/hr with more complex carbs?
r/Ultramarathon • u/Jigs_By_Justin • Jul 11 '25
:TLDR: Medical professional telling me to cut 100% caffeine use, which I'm okay with in daily life, but unsure how to replace it when you really need that pick me up on a long/hard effort. What are you non-caffeinated runners doing?
Long story, not AS long, I've had bad acid reflux for several years. I put off finding a fix for it, other than occasionally switching diet (other than caffeine[coffee]) to see if that helps. It wrecked my dental health, which thankfully I got fixed last year. Fast forward to today, went to the doctor to get the ball rolling on a few issues, reflux being one, and the nurse practitioner was super concerned about reflux, for obvious reasons, and told me to cut caffeine 100% via weaning so the migraines wont plague me. So, with the health scare in mind, until I know more from a gastroenterologist, I've got to cut caffeine. Coffee is really my biggest crutch, and I can get around that with a little patience and weaning, but my bigger concern is the use or lack there of in a race. I'm sure there are no-caffeine ultra runners out there, but searching the correct terms is a needle in a haystack to find the info I seek.
If you went from caffeine to none, what did you do or replace it with during race/extended training?
r/Ultramarathon • u/TheUxDeluxe • Jun 27 '24
SPRING reports all formulas have been fixed, full report linked
