New energy drinks, without all the nasties

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When Eliud Kipchoge ran a 2:01 race and became the world’s fastest marathon runner, he had a few key tools in his arsenal. The first was the Nike Alphafly, a £290 running shoe. The second was a water bottle containing clear fuel from a Swedish brand called Maurten.

maurten It’s a “game changer,” says Kipchoge of the liquid formula that contains 80g of carbohydrates per 500ml sachet, allowing you to stay hydrated throughout the race. “I drink it every 5 km,” he says. “The flavor is neutral and pleasant to the stomach.” The fans have taken note. Maurten’s sales currently reach one million a week for envelopes from the brand founded in 2015: annual revenue is expected to reach 380 million Swedish crowns (around £27.5 million).

The remake resonates with the extreme sports trend.

Maurten is pioneering a wave of startups offering a clean approach to fitness fuel. “Sweat isn’t sweet, so why were all the so-called ‘sports’ drinks full of sugar?” asks Robb Wolf, former biochemist and co-founder of LMNT. The brand (official partner of USA Weightlifting, whose name is a simplification of the word element) sells sugar-free, naturally flavored electrolyte drinks, rich in sodium and enriched with magnesium and potassium; The citrus adds a summery touch to the water, the chocolate is pleasantly spicy. London brand StyrkrLaunched last year, it has effervescent tablets designed to stop muscle cramps that contain no sugar or preservatives. Mission offers pre-workout performance tea and Lean sells a naturally caffeinated drink, both great for those who have an aversion to coffee. veloforteThe range of gels is handmade in small batches. Most are priced at a premium: a box of 12 Maurten gels costs from £32.40; 30 packets of LMNT cost $45; and Veloforte gels are £6.59 for three.

Styrkr SLT07 Citrus Gentle Hydration Tablets, £9.99 per tube of 12

Lean Natural Strawberry Flavored Pre-Workout, £22 for 250g

Mission Perform Yerba Mate, Lemongrass & Mint Tea Bags, £6 per pack of 10

veloforte Date, Lemon and Ginger Tempo Gel, £6.59 for three

Exercise fuels have mostly been a necessary evil in endurance sports, but traditional gels are derived from sugar syrups and contain edible chemicals and preservatives, which are bad for the gut. Maurten, on the other hand, has patented hydrogel technology: his gels contain only six natural ingredients to prevent digestive discomfort: the formula took two years to perfect.

The major fuel remodeling coincides with the increasingly accelerating trend towards extreme sports and distance tests. “Amateur athletes are not so amateur anymore,” says Christian Sanderson, founder of Styrkr. The company’s 50g rice bars are so popular that they often sell out when pre-ordering. “Now we want to go faster and further, and we want the best technology, the best kit and the best fuel to help us achieve that.”