What Electrolyte Product Is Right for Running 80km on Road?

Not all electrolytes are created equal.

I recently marshalled at the final station of the Wild Atlantic Ultra, a 50 mile road ultra that winds its way through the unforgiving narrow mountain roads that surround the town of Louisburgh in County Mayo.  Michael Van der Klei who lives locally created the race after doing a perfect 50 mile loop during one of his training runs…yes a training run!

The Wild Atlantic Ultra50: The Relentless Road & Strong Atlantic “Breeze”

The WAU50 is very much a war of attrition over 80km that’s loops around by the Sheeffry Hills and back towards Louisburgh cutting through the wilds of Doo Lough Valley.

This year, the weather was brutal. Sheets of rain and a driving wind made the race one to remember. The sheer determination and mental toughness I witnessed was staggering, in particular the people who picked up an injury and carried on or stayed with a friend to help them finish.  

📸 Friends supporting friends for the last 10k

The rain and long waits for runners at the final station of the WAU50 in the end offered me a great insight into which product people were using at the 72km mark of an 80km race!

Not so much the elite racers as they didn’t stop but the weekend warriors, office workers and busy parents who train all year to compete and give it all for a race that most people have never heard about!

It won’t surprise you to hear there was no “go to”.  Some just had a cup of water others a banana or a flat coke.

But it must be said that four people did use carb loaded electrolytes and I wanted to take you on a deeper dive on the general differences between them and Pilgrim Hydration.

Race Day: How do you fuel?

Carbohydrate electrolyte drink mixes are designed for performance during long, hard efforts where eating real food isn’t an option and energy needs to be fast and digestible. Generally, they are thicker drinks and as one runner on the WAU50 explained - they are “down the hatch” kinda drinks.  The other major standout with many of these type of drink mixes is that they are high in salt but on the much lower end for potassium, calcium and magnesium.

One being used on Saturday for example (per serving) had 100g of carbs (with 50g of that being sugar), just 12mg of Magnesium Oxide and 27mg of Potassium. Compare that to 0.2g of sugar, 100mg of Magnesium Glycinate, 100mg of Potassium and 50mg of Calcium in Pilgrim Hydration then that’s a very different electrolyte drink.

None of the above is a negative, it simply comes down to what you want from the product.  

Pilgrim Hydration: Formulated for After the Finish Line

Once the race ends and the adrenaline fades, your body shifts into recovery mode.  That’s when Pilgrim Hydration works at its best.

Our formulation was not made to add carbohydrates into your body, it was created to maximise your water intake and aid muscle recovery so that you can race again the next day!  

We do this by having:

• 1000mg of L-Glutamine to support muscle recovery and gut health
• Chicory Root Fibre to enhance mineral absorption and promote digestive wellness.
• 0.2g of sugar per serving: Ideal after a race that already pushed your sugar intake to the limit.
• 100mg Magnesium Glycinate: A highly bioavailable, gentle form of magnesium that helps reduce soreness.
• Low sodium, to promote maximum water absorption post-race rather than replacing salt loss.

Race Smart. Recover Smarter.

The real takeaway?

There’s no one’s size fits all strategy. The key is to know your body and test your approach in training.  What fuels your race may not always fuel your recovery. And that’s ok… in fact it’s how it should be.