Breaking: Ironman Officially Inks Deal With New Hydration Partner for North American Races

If you’ve ever participated in an Ironman-branded 70.3- or 140.6-distance race, you know that the neon-hued Gatorade Endurance formula is a hallmark of the offered on-course bike and run hydration.

However, bottles and cups of Gatorade will soon be phased out completely, as Triathlete has confirmed with both parties that Ironman has signed an agreement with a new hydration partner for its North American races: Mortal Hydration.

Athletes have already seen Mortal Hydration alongside previously offered nutrition and hydration options at events like Oceanside 70.3, and Ironman has said that they will continue to offer Gatorade as an option until July: The first Ironman North America 70.3 event without Gatorade will be 70.3 Muncie on July 13; the first full-distance North American Ironman without Gatorade will be Ironman Lake Placid on July 21.

What is Mortal Hydration?

Boulder, Colorado-based company Mortal Hydration (which goes by “Mortal” for short) was founded in 2018 by former collegiate athlete and professional cyclist Becca Schepps. She initially started Mortal as a kombucha company, but pivoted to her first love—sports nutrition—over the past two years.

“I love anything related to fitness, and I’m also a Type One diabetic, so my fueling strategy needs to be very specific,” Schepps, who is Mortal’s CEO, said in an exclusive interview with Triathlete. “I wanted to formulate a hydration product that would allow me to address my unique fueling needs as a diabetic while keeping my preferred nutrition strategy – drinking electrolytes and eating carbs – possible.”

After nearly two years of testing with World Tour food scientists, Mortal Hydration was ready for the public, and is currently distributed exclusively through online sports nutrition retailer The Feed. This also means that your on-course hydration is no longer available at a gas station or grocery store.

Schepps is clear that Mortal is an electrolyte drink and not a “fueling” drink, the way some high-carb drink mixes are.

“In addition to formulating a truly hydrating drink mix, I wanted to take some learnings from the kombucha side of my business and incorporate those into Mortal Hydration electrolyte mix,” Schepps said. “One of those learnings was to make our flavor profiles simple and ones you crave while working out, so we settled on: margarita – which is basically lemon and lime – mango, and berry.”

Mortal uses both cane sugar and Stevia to simultaneously sweeten the electrolyte mix and to boost the flavor profiles. Additionally, Mortal has “regular” and “salty” versions of the drink mix, with 460mg and 920mg of sodium in each, respectively.

Schepps added that using high-quality ingredients in Mortal Hydration’s electrolyte mixes is a top priority.

“We use sodium chloride – not sodium citrate like many other brands -, calcium lactate pentahydrate, and magnesium glycinate which are all top-notch ingredients,” Schepps said. “Athletes will also have one Mortal flavor on the bike and one on the run, so they won’t get flavor burnout during their races.”

How does Mortal Hydration compare to Gatorade Endurance Formula?

Nutrition is the fourth discipline of triathlon, and it’s important to understand the differences between Mortal Hydration and Gatorade Endurance Formula – the two are not interchangeable without some tweaks.

Kylee Van Horn, RDN is a sports nutritionist who works with endurance athletes and is the founder of FlyNutrition. As such, she is familiar with both Mortal Hydration and Gatorade Endurance Formula and their nutrition profiles.

“Mortal Hydration is definitely an electrolyte mix and not a traditional carb-containing hydration mix,” Van Horn said. “Mortal Hydration contains a bit of cane sugar and dextrose, which adds a small amount of carbs, but stevia is a non-nutritive sweetener. Gatorade Endurance, on the other hand, contains sugar, maltodextrin, and fructose—all of which contribute carbohydrates.”

Ironman on-Course hydration: Mortal Hydration vs. Gatorade Endurance Formula vs. Gatorade Thirst Quencher

Van Horn notes that it may be difficult for athletes to plan on using Mortal Hydration in the same way they may have used Gatorade Endurance Formula.

“The difficult part when comparing Mortal Hydration to Gatorade Endurance is that if athletes are relying on on-course nutrition for calories, carbohydrates, and electrolytes, they won’t get that just from drinking Mortal Hydration,” Van Horn said. “Because of Mortal Hydration’s high sodium content, it can be risky to double up on servings, as too much sodium intake can increase thirst and cause fluid electrolyte imbalances in the body that could lead to GI distress.”

Van Horn advises that if athletes plan to rely on Mortal Hydration for their electrolyte needs on course that athletes consider carrying more of their own fueling drink mix and/or more solid food.

“I would not recommend increasing servings of Mortal to reach your calorie or carbohydrate needs,” Van Horn warned. “For athletes that have issues with fructose or higher-calorie drink mixes, Mortal Hydration could be a good option, but it could be challenging for athletes that have the potential for over-salting their nutrition plan.”

In terms of pricing, as of this writing Mortal Hydration is available in single servings for $1.25/packet to make 22 ounces of fluid; Gatorade Endurance is roughly $1.80/packet to make 24 ounces of fluid. When purchased in bulk, Mortal Hydration goes down to $1.20/serving and Gatorade Endurance costs roughly $1/serving.

* Note: Mortal Hydration’s nutrition fact serving size recommends 13g of powder (one packet) to make 22oz. of fluid; Gatorade Endurance’s nutrition fact serving size recommends 25g of powder (1/2 packet) to make 12oz. of fluid; Gatorade Thirst Quencher’s nutrition fact serving size recommends 35g of powder (1 packet) to make 16.9oz. of fluid.

How will Mortal Hydration be distributed at Ironman races?

Schepps confirmed that Mortal will be distributed on the bike pre-mixed via standard reusable water bottles – not the single-use plastic Gatorade bottles previously handed out at most North American Ironman-branded races. There will also be single-serving packets of Mortal Hydration at aid stations for those who would rather grab a stick pack and mix their own drink.

On the run, pre-mixed cups of Mortal Hydration will be set out on aid station tables.

Schepps knows that triathletes are skeptical of a new hydration partner entering the North American Ironman circuit so close to race season, but hopes that triathletes will soon welcome Mortal Hydration as part of their training and racing regimens.

“A packet of Mortal Hydration along with two Maurten 160 gels will get athletes to just about 90 carbs,” Schepps added. “It’s my hope that once triathletes give Mortal Hydration a try, they’ll love it just as much as we do and incorporate it into their training and racing fueling plans.”