Best Sports Nutrition for Ultra Marathons: 2026 Guide
Table of Contents
- Quick Comparison: Best Sports Nutrition for Ultra Marathons
- How We Chose These Ultra-Running Fuels
- Best Energy Gels for Ultra Marathons
- Best Drink Mixes for Ultra-Marathon Hydration and Electrolytes
- Carbohydrates Per Hour for Ultra-Running: How Much Do You Actually Need?
- Building an Ultra-Marathon Nutrition Plan by Race Duration
- Ultra-Running Race-Day Snacks That Won't Wreck Your Stomach
- Recovery Nutrition After Your Ultra
- Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated: October 5, 2026
Quick Comparison: Best Sports Nutrition for Ultra Marathons
The best sports nutrition for ultra marathons is fuel you can actually stomach at hour eight, not the prettiest label on the shelf.
Here's the short version before we get into the weeds:
| Product | Carbs Per Serve | Best For | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Precision PF 90 Energy Gel | 90g | High carb per carry | $8.99 |
| Maurten Gel 160 | 40g | Minimal ingredients | $8.15 |
| Precision PF 30 Caffeine Gel | 30g | Late-race boost | $5.50 |
| Tailwind High Carb Fuel | 90g | 90g per hour | $8.48 |
| Skratch Labs Super High Carb | ~50g | Steady release | $99.90 |
| Precision PH 1500 Tablets | Electrolytes | Heavy sweaters | $17.00 |
| Precision Salt Capsules | 250mg sodium | Plain water days | $14.89 |
A quick word on why this matters. Ultrarunning is a sport where the wheels don't usually fall off because of fitness. They fall off because you under-fuelled, over-fuelled, or drank something your gut declared war on at kilometre 60.
How We Chose These Ultra-Running Fuels
Carbohydrate density matters because you're carrying everything on your back. A gel that delivers 90g in one pouch beats three gels that deliver 30g each, purely on pack weight and faff.
Gut tolerance came second. A fuel that tastes like dessert in the kitchen but repeats on you at hour six is worthless.
We also weighted format variety. Nobody wants to chew the same gel for twelve hours, so having gels, chews and drink mixes in the rotation keeps things tolerable.
Best Energy Gels for Ultra Marathons
The best energy gels for ultra marathons balance carbohydrate density against gut tolerance, because you'll be taking them for hours. Here are the three we'd pack.
Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 90 Energy Gel: Best for High Carb Per Carry
The PF 90 is a 90g carbohydrate pouch with a resealable cap, essentially three servings of the PF 30 gel in one package.
It's mild-tasting, which is a feature, not a bug.
At $8.99 it costs more per pouch than a standard gel, but it delivers three times the carbs. Do the maths per gram of carbohydrate and it stacks up.
Maurten Gel 160: Best for Minimal Ingredients
Maurten Gel 160 packs 40g of carbohydrate into a single gel using six natural ingredients, with no added colours, preservatives or flavours.
The hydrogel format is the selling point. It's a bigger gel for athletes who want more energy in each serve, and it's suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
At $8.15 it sits in the mid-range. One honest limitation: it's a thicker gel, so you'll want water on hand to wash it down.
Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 30 Caffeine Gel: Best for a Late-Race Boost
The PF 30 Caffeine Gel delivers 30g of carbohydrate and 100mg of caffeine per serve, with a 2:1 glucose to fructose ratio to aid uptake.
We'd save this one for the back half of a race, when alertness starts to dip. It contains no electrolytes by design, so pair it with your hydration plan.
At $5.50 a gel, it's a cheap insurance policy for the hours when your brain wants to quit before your legs do.
Best Drink Mixes for Ultra-Marathon Hydration and Electrolytes
Drink mixes do the heavy lifting on hydration and electrolytes, and they're the easiest way to hit high carbohydrate numbers without chewing. These three cover most runners' needs.
Tailwind High Carb Fuel: Best for 90g Per Hour
Tailwind High Carb Fuel delivers 90g of carbohydrate per serving, using dextrose and fructose that absorb through separate pathways in the gut, plus maltodextrin for additional glucose.
The practical appeal is simplicity: one bottle handles carbs, calories and electrolytes for the hour.
It's vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free and soy-free, and both Lemonade and Ginger Lime taste clean rather than cloying.
One caveat worth stating plainly: you can't jump straight to 90g per hour. Build up to it over several weeks of training, starting conservative and working upward.
Skratch Labs Super High Carb: Best for Steady Release
Skratch Labs Super High Carb is built for big days when carrying real food isn't practical.
Each serving provides roughly 50g of carbohydrate and 200 calories. The Raspberry flavour is light, and the 840g pouch at $99.90 works out to sensible value if you're using it regularly through a training block.
Where it falls short: it's a bigger commitment upfront than single-serve sachets, and the steady release suits longer, lower-intensity efforts better than a flat-out short race.
Precision Fuel & Hydration PH 1500 Tablets and Salt Capsules: Best for Heavy Sweaters
PH 1500 tablets are a strong electrolyte drink for starting hydrated and staying that way if you're a heavy or salty sweater. Dissolve one tablet in 500ml of water.
The Electrolyte Capsules are the flexible option. Each blister-packed capsule contains 250mg of sodium, stronger than most electrolyte capsules, and they're ideal when you're relying on plain water from feed stations or topping up another drink.
The capsules are independently batch tested against the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list, which matters if you're competing under anti-doping rules.
Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 90 Energy Gel – 90g Carbs →
| Product | Format | Sodium Per Serve | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| PH 1500 Tablets | Dissolvable tablet | Strong electrolyte drink | $17.00 |
| Electrolyte Capsules | Swallowable capsule | 250mg | $14.89 |
Carbohydrates Per Hour for Ultra-Running: How Much Do You Actually Need?
Carbohydrate intake for ultra-running typically sits between 60 and 90 grams per hour, with some trained athletes pushing toward 120g per hour.
The reason there's a range rather than a single answer comes down to absorption.
The variables that shift your target upward: longer event duration, higher intensity, bigger body size, and a gut that's been trained to absorb more.
Building an Ultra-Marathon Nutrition Plan by Race Duration
An ultra-marathon nutrition plan should change shape as the clock runs, because what works for six hours rarely works for sixteen. Here's how we'd structure it.
Under 6 Hours: Gels and Drink Mix
For events under six hours, gels and drink mix can carry the whole load. There's no need to complicate it.
Aim for a steady carbohydrate intake each hour, split between a drink mix in your bottles and a gel every 30 to 45 minutes. Keep fluid intake matched to your sweat rate and the conditions.
Solid food is optional here. If your stomach handles gels fine over five hours, don't fix what isn't broken.
6 to 12 Hours: Adding Solid Food
Past six hours, most runners start craving something to chew. Adding solid food helps break up the sweetness and gives your jaw something to do.
Good options are plain, low-fibre and easy to eat on the move. Think boiled potatoes with salt, a plain white bread sandwich, or a banana.
The trick is to slot solid food in alongside your gel and drink mix plan, not replace it. You still need the carbohydrate numbers.
12 Hours Plus: Managing Flavour Fatigue
Beyond twelve hours, flavour fatigue becomes the enemy. The gel you loved at hour two tastes like punishment by hour ten.
The fix is variety, planned in advance. Rotate flavours and formats: a neutral gel, a fruit-flavoured chew, a savoury solid, a different drink mix.
Savouring something savoury, even a cup of salty broth at an aid station, resets your palate better than another sweet hit.
Ultra-Running Race-Day Snacks That Won't Wreck Your Stomach
Race-day snacks for ultra-running should be low in fibre, low in fat and easy to eat while moving. Anything that needs serious chewing or digestion is a gamble.
Here's what tends to work:
- Boiled potatoes rolled in salt
- Plain white bread with a thin spread
- Bananas, especially early on
- Small handfuls of plain crackers
- Watermelon or orange segments at aid stations
- A few jelly lollies for a quick sugar hit
- Salty broth or soup at night sections
What tends to go wrong: high-fibre bars, anything heavy in fat, and dairy.
If you're dealing with GI distress, the usual culprits are too much carbohydrate too fast, too concentrated a drink mix, or dehydration.
Recovery Nutrition After Your Ultra
Recovery nutrition after an ultra should combine carbohydrate, protein and fluid to start the repair job.
Tailwind Recovery Mix is built for exactly this.
It's dairy-free, vegan, gluten-free and soy-free, made with rice and fava protein supplemented with all nine essential amino acids.
Beyond the shake, the priorities are simple: rehydrate, eat a proper meal when your stomach allows, and sleep. Recovery after an ultra is measured in days, not hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many carbohydrates should you consume per hour during an ultra-marathon?
Most ultra-runners target 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and trained athletes with a settled gut can push toward 90 grams or more. Tailwind High Carb Fuel delivers 90g per serving, while Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 90 Energy Gel packs 90g into one resealable pouch. The catch is that your body only handles the higher end after weeks of gut training, so start conservative and build up during training runs, not on race day.
Are energy gels or real food better for ultra-running?
Both have a place. Gels and chews are fast, portable and easy to count, which matters when you're chasing a carbohydrate target. Solid food works better once you're past the six-hour mark and flavour fatigue sets in. Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 30 Energy Chews give you 30g of carbohydrate per packet, split into two 15g chews, so you can alternate them with real food without losing track of your intake.
How much sodium do ultra-runners need?
Sweat sodium losses vary widely between runners, so there's no single number. A practical approach is to start with a drink mix that includes electrolytes and adjust from there. Tailwind Endurance Fuel provides 310mg of sodium per scoop, while Precision Fuel & Hydration PH 1500 tablets are built for heavy, salty sweaters. Their electrolyte capsules add 250mg of sodium each, useful when you're relying on plain water from aid stations.
What should you drink during an ultra-marathon?
Fluid intake depends on sweat rate, weather and terrain, but the goal is to replace what you lose without overdrinking. Many runners use a drink mix that combines carbs and electrolytes so one bottle handles both jobs. Tailwind Endurance Fuel mixes 25g of carbohydrate and 310mg of sodium per scoop, and Skratch Labs Super High Carb delivers roughly 50g of carbohydrate per serving for bigger fuelling blocks.
Should you use caffeine during an ultra-marathon?
Caffeine can help late in a long race, but timing and tolerance matter. Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 30 Caffeine Energy Gel contains 100mg of caffeine and 30g of carbohydrate per serving, with a mild neutral flavour that's easier to stomach after hours of sweet gels. Test it in training first, and avoid introducing caffeine for the first time deep into race day.
Finishing an ultra comes down to a fuelling plan you trust and fuel your gut accepts. CREWED stocks a curated range of performance-tested gels, drink mixes and electrolytes, with fast shipping from Sydney and free delivery on orders over $89. Build your race-day pack from products that have done the hard yards, and let our refer-a-friend program stretch your budget further. Get started with CREWED and line up your next start line fully fuelled.