Hydration mixes do far more for your body and performance than water alone, especially in the world of endurance sports. When I’m trail running, there are three supplements that stand out.

---

Trail runners have a funny dynamic: We have some gear and rituals that we’ll absolutely never change, while at the same time, we often find ourselves chasing the latest in products and wearable tech. One area that I find it hard to break out of is my preference toward certain hydration mixes while trail running.

No one today is ever going to question the need for proper hydration during endurance events (emphasis on today; we know about the insane “purposeful dehydration” experience of the 1904 Olympic marathon). Hydrating during a long run means finding a drink that’s easily absorbed — and avoiding those foods and ingredients that slow down that absorption process.

Enter the wildly packed market of sports drinks and hydration mixes. Boasting copious amounts of electrolytes and other energizing components, these additives will help keep your body healthy and safe and functioning as optimally as it should.

When dissolved in water, electrolytes put out an electrical charge that’s extremely beneficial to the human body, helping us to maintain essential fluid levels inside and outside of our cells. Electrolyte drinks ultimately pack a one-two punch, restoring both the water and electrolytes the body loses through physical activity.

The end goal is to help prevent dehydration.

Ultramarathons that I’ve volunteered at or participated in have offered a variety of brand-name electrolyte drinks to runners: Tailwind, Heed, Hammer and Gatorade, just to name a few. But like with anything, you should “practice” with the things you use to fuel your body well before race day, and I’ve learned that not every drink mix sits very well in my stomach. Even more, I avoid some simply because they taste awful.

So, during a trail run or race, I tend to take individual serving sticks of my favorite types of electrolyte additives. Not only do I not have to worry about what kind of drink mix they have at the aid station, I give myself some good options for whatever I’m in the mood for. Need something lighter and refreshing? Watermelon flavoring has me covered. Something that feels strong and quenching? My raspberry has big flavor. How about a classic with a few calories? I’ve got a lemon lime that hits the spot.

It’s nice having choices!

No matter whether you’re the kind of runner who uses a bladder or has flasks on your vest, here are my three favorite brands of electrolyte and hydration mixes as a trail runner:

Skratch Labs Sport Hydration Drink Mix

There is no question that this is at the top of my list. The little sticks of Lemon + Lime, Fruit Punch and Strawberry Lemonade flavors practically live in my trail running vest. I like them because they bring some much-needed calories into the equation — and, at least without a fueling reminder from my sports watch, I often “forget” to eat, especially on race day.

Skratch Labs gets these calories through added sugars, which some people frown upon. Skratch likes to say that they’ve found that sweet spot with sugar intake: Enough to improve performance but not so much that it tears up your gut.

“When glucose and sodium are transported together across the gut, this also moves water, allowing for faster hydration compared to water alone,” the company says.

It also aims to help address any potassium, calcium and magnesium that gets lost during threat, while not using artificial flavorings in the final product.

Over the past several years of running, usually training about five times a week with many marathon and ultramarathon races sprinkled in, Skratch has never caused me GI distress. On more than half of the runs where I wear a vest, you can expect to see one flask filled with Skratch and one with plain water.

And, as a bonus, Skratch’s recovery hydration mixes are second to none. They are the pillar of refreshment, with flavors such as Chocolate, Strawberries + Cream and (my favorite) Horchata. They deliver a good mix of carbs, protein and electrolytes to feel better fast after a hard trail run.

---

Protekt Liquid Hydration Supplements

Protekt may stand out for a few reasons, but the most noticeable is that it’s a liquid drink mix, not a power one. The brand’s hydration line has a 10:2:1 electrolyte ratio of sodium, potassium and magnesium — not to mention a naturally-sweetened, zero-sugar formula.

Zero sugar means zero calories in this case, so its suitability is entirely up to you. I find that Protekt is best on those brutally hot and humid days when I’m running 10 miles or less. I can certainly do 10 miles without many calories, so Protekt serves me well with a lot of refreshing flavor and hydration features.

“We intentionally formulate our supplements as a liquid so that it: mixes faster and more evenly than powders (goodbye clumps), is easy to pour into any size bottle without any messy powder spills, and doesn’t leave a powdered residue on the inside of your favorite bottle,” the company says. “Our liquid electrolytes not only make your water taste better, they are scientifically designed to help you get more out of it so that you can prepare, perform, and recover on a daily basis.”

Two of Protekt’s three founders are military veterans, and roughly 90 percent of the Protekt team are runners. I appreciate their foundation for knowing how to push their physical and mental limits purposefully and effectively.

Protekt has three flavors in its individual hydration sticks: Watermelon, Lemonade and Raspberry, with the latter really being the most potent of the bunch. The flavors are very strong, and it can have a stronger, almost syrupy taste, like if you were drinking a more diluted version of a Gu gel. If there’s any complaint I have about Protekt, it’s that the Raspberry flavoring is so potent that it can linger in nozzle of a flask or handheld water bottle for a very long time.

One bonus worth mentioning with the Protekt brand: Grab a couple of their lip balms too. I’ve replaced almost everything else with them.

---

Osmo Nutrition Active Hydration

If you’ve never heard of Osmo before, that’s perfectly OK. As an East Coaster, I’m not sure I’ve ever encountered this California-based brand in the wild. But still, once I discovered them in late 2020, they’ve been solidly in my hydration rotation.

Osmo Nutrition Active Hydration, as its name implies, bills itself very specifically as a “during-exercise electrolyte,” designed specifically to rehydrate the body while we exercise.

With an optimized blend of sucrose, glucose, and electrolytes intended to replace water lost through sweating, Osmo Nutrition’s drink mix works similarly to many others. The major difference here is that Osmo is designed to work fast, at a rate of about three times greater than water alone.

The result is that Osmo Nutrition’s electrolyte drink is intended to increase your endurance and power, boosts blood circulation, reduces cramps, and fights fatigue.

I love the refreshing nature of Osmo — the taste, especially from the blueberry pomegranate flavor, feels cleansing on some of the hotter and humid days I endure. The brand also has individual servings of blackberry, orange and lemon lime.

“When you begin to sweat and lose body water, you cannot drink enough plain water fast enough to stay on top of hydration,” Osmo says on its website. “The combination of sodium, sucrose and glucose in Active Hydration results in speedy rehydration that is 3x faster than plain water alone. This makes a huge difference in how you feel and perform.”

---

Ryan Tipps is Managing Editor for ActionHub. He lives along the Blue Ridge Mountains, is an avid hiker, backpacker and trail runner and has been a part of the wilderness search and rescue community since 2005.