Ironman Europe Announces Partnership with Precision Hydration

Ironman Europe announced today that it will be partnering with Precision Fuel & Hydration – specifically, Precision Hydration 1000 electrolyte tablets – as their official on-course beverage partner for 2024 and beyond.

Triathletes in North America recently learned of news that Mortal Hydration is replacing Gatorade Endurance Formula. The first race featuring Mortal Hydration was Oceanside 70.3 last month, and the last North American Ironman-branded race with Gatorade products will be 70.3 Muncie on July 13.

The first Ironman Europe race to feature Precision Hydration 1000 tablets will be Ironman 70.3 Aix-en-Provence on May 19.

We sat down for an early interview with Precision Fuel & Hydration CEO Andy Blow to discuss this partnership and what it means for long-course triathletes in Europe who are planning to race an Ironman-branded race this year. We also spoke to an independent nutritionist to help parse out the differences between Precision’s offerings, versus Mortal Hydration and Gatorade products, below.

What is Precision Hydration?

Precision Fuel & Hydration was founded in 2011 by Brit Andy Blow as a “direct response to what I learned as a triathlete and sports scientist competing in triathlon in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” Blow says.

After struggling with cramping during hot races, Blow pursued a medical-grade sweat test in the early 2000s – and found out he is what we call today a “salty sweater.” Not wanting other athletes to suffer his fate of multiple ruined races due to not consuming enough salt, Blow says he began to create a commercially available sweat test – Precision Fuel & Hydration’s first product.

“[After designing the sweat test, we introduced] a range of multi-strength electrolyte drinks to the market soon after,” Blow says.

Precision’s range includes chewable carb-loaded gummies, caffeinated gels, electrolyte tabs, and salt pills. All products are labeled with a large number on the packaging that generally correlates with the nutrient most athletes are looking for from the product.

For example, their salt pills have a giant “250” on the box, to illustrate how many milligrams of salt are in each pill. The “1000” electrolyte tablets feature 1,000mg of sodium per 34 ounces.

How Do Precision Hydration 1000 Tablets Compare to Gatorade – and to Mortal Hydration?

As North American triathletes have already noted, Ironman’s on-course hydration partnerships are moving away from having a carb-heavy beverage in favor of two electrolyte-focused ones: Mortal Hydration and Precision Hydration 1000 tablets.

Kylee Van Horn, RDN, is the founder of FlyNutrition, a sports nutrition consulting group; below she breaks down the differences in Gatorade Endurance, Mortal Hydration, and Precision 1000 by standardizing for 24-ounce servings, which is likely to be similar to the size water bottles triathletes use.

Van Horn explains that the main difference between Precision 1000 and Gatorade Endurance Formula is that Precision 1000 has a higher sodium content and “little-to-no” calories and carbohydrates.

“The Precision 1000 product is usually meant to be taken with other fluids and calories taken in the form of gels, chews, and real food options,” Van Horn says. “Gatorade Endurance offered the option to have an ‘all-in-one’ fueling product that featured sodium, calories, and carbohydrates, which can be easier to use for some athletes because they don’t need to carry or eat as much fuel.”

Van Horn also notes that Precision 1000 has the highest sodium amount of all three products – Precision, Gatorade, or Mortal – so that’s one thing athletes may (or may not) need to worry about.

“Getting in enough sodium while using Precision 1000 will likely not be a problem for most athletes as it’s high in sodium,” Van Horn says. “However, athletes should take caution in consuming something with so much salt if they aren’t used to it. A higher sodium content could be a challenge for a handful of athletes that aren’t salty sweaters, causing GI distress or increased thirst.”

Blow acknowledges that Precision 1000 is indeed an electrolyte and not a carb-filled drink.

“Based on the thousands of sweat tests we conducted in the last 10 years where the average sweat-to-sodium loss is about 950mg/liter, Precision Hydration 1000 is an excellent fit for athletes doing long-distance endurance events,” Blow says. “Precision 1000 allows individuals to adjust each part of their fueling and hydration strategy individually – using gels, bars, real food, and cola available on course alongside Precision Hydration 1000.”

Precision is trying to make this on-course hydration change a bit easier for athletes to stomach, as they have provided an information page about their work with Ironman as well as a free nutrition planner to help athletes build their individual race day nutrition plans.

The Precision 1000 drinks will be pre-mixed in disposable water bottles and handed out at bike aid stations; on the run, they’ll be handed out in cups.

It’s also worth noting that while Gatorade is typically available in multiple locations (including gas stations and supermarkets), Mortal Hydration is available only at The Feed, and Precision’s products are available directly from the brand, as well as other various retailers.

“Precision Fuel & Hydration was a direct response to learning to solve hydration-related problems myself 20 years ago and it’s amazing to now be partnering with Ironman,” Blow says. “From a company perspective, triathlon is in our DNA and we exist to help athletes solve their hydration issues – everyone at Precision Fuel & Hydration is buzzing to be partnering with the biggest brand in triathlon.”