One such company that replied offered me a discount on their product, which is better than a poke in the eye with a big stick. Mountain Fuel is a company based in Cumbria that have developed a range of 'naturally balanced nutritional supplements' that claim to not need to be taken with water. Their 'hydrogel' combines carbs, electrolytes, and water to to produce a sports gel that is easy on your stomach.
I bought a discounted Sports Jelly Taster pack and tried it out this weekend. I used two of the sachets on an eleven mile run in the peak district and compared the two - 'Sports Jelly +' which is vegan, gluten free and contains 30 grams of carbs, electrolytes, and 50 grams of caffeine, and the 'lemon and lime sports jelly' which is 20 grams of carbs and electrolytes.
Being a historian, I'm not best placed to comment on the nutritional science behind the labels. The extent of my understanding is that when I am running distances, I need to take on my body weight in kilo's as carbohydrates in grams for each hour that I run. But beyond that, I'm just trying to get by...
I preferred the flavour of the 'sports jelly +' over the lemon and lime - the latter was just too sharp for my taste buds - but, more importantly, these little sachets made the difference to my running when I needed it most. Unlike the sickly sugary taste of something like SIS Go Energy, the Mountain Fuel sachets were pleasant to use, went down easily, and felt like they were delivered directly to my muscles. This gave me the more than adequate and immediate lift that I needed without any stomach issues like cramping.
This was really impressive. As I am trialling different kinds of food intake for my running of the West Highland Way in October, 2024, I also had some peanut butter and jam sandwiches on this run.
That was a different story altogether.
People have been very generous in donating to 'Run the Highland Way for Chris' and the current total rests at £450, just shy of my £500 target. That is fantastic. I have also had some responses from the companies that I have approached, and I will bring some reviews of that stuff, as and when.
