Sea salt for the sodium. Coconut water, marine magnesium and marine algae calcium for the rest. That’s the whole stick — no sugar, no sweeteners, no flavourings, no carbs. The carbs are the gels’ job. This is the thing you drink alongside them: it dissolves with no sediment, tastes of very little, and that’s the point — something you can keep taking hour after hour without going off it.
- ✓500mg sodium per stick, from sea salt
- ✓Source of magnesium — 60mg per stick, 16% NRV
- ✓Zero sugar. No sweeteners, no flavourings, no carbs
- ✓Four ingredients: coconut water powder, sea salt, marine magnesium citrate, marine algae calcium
- ✓Vegan · Made in Britain · One stick in 500ml
Who runs with it
In the vest on race day
Ady Hodge
Marathoner & ultrarunner · 3rd woman, Dartmoor Discovery Ultra 2026
“Sustain has become a staple in my running routine. It’s so easy to take on longer runs or busy days without it feeling complicated. I love that it isn’t sweet — after gels, it’s really nice to have something with more of a salty taste for a change.”
Bernie Siu
Six Star Marathon Majors finisher · pacer · 14 marathons and counting
“I like Sustain because it has no flavour and is gentle on the palate. You can add it to other drinks easily, and the packaging is so small it doesn’t take up space.”
Why unflavoured
Four things in. Everything else left out.
Sea salt, coconut water powder, marine magnesium citrate, marine algae calcium. That’s the full list. No sugar, and no sweetener standing in for sugar. No flavouring, no colour, no anti-caking agent. No carbs either — the gels carry your carbs, this doesn’t need to. What’s left mixes clear, tastes faintly of the sea, and runners tell us they’re still drinking it at hour four, when everything sweet has started to grate.
Drink it straight. Or add a squeeze of lime, a splash of squash — or, one runner’s idea, stir it into a chocolate milkshake.
Runs with the gels
Fuel is the gels. This is what you drink alongside them.
Sustain has no carbs on purpose. Take a gel for the energy and a stick in your bottle for the salt — the two don’t overlap, so it runs with either gel. It’s already packed into the Half Marathon Race Pack.
How many sticks
- Long runs and hot daysUp to 1 stick an hour, each in 500ml of water. Adjust for heat, how long you’re out and how heavily you sweat.
- Everyday1 stick a day. More or less water to taste.
- Maximum5 sticks a day. Do not exceed the stated daily dose.
Maple Ignite
Caffeine-free maple gel. 24g carbs, 110mg sodium, two ingredients. The everyday fuel.
See Maple Ignite →
Maple Coffee
Same maple base, 45mg of caffeine from real coffee. For the back half of a long race.
See Maple Coffee →
Half Marathon Race Pack
Gels and Sustain sticks for 13.1 miles, boxed together. £26.99.
See the Race Pack →Also in every stick
Salt does the job. Magnesium comes with it.
Sustain is built around sodium: we chose 500mg a stick so it’s small enough to take often on a long day rather than risk taste fatigue. Sea salt brings the sodium and chloride. Coconut water brings the potassium. Marine magnesium and marine algae calcium bring the last two. Five electrolytes, from four ingredients — nothing artificial and zero sugar:
Magnesium · 60mg a stick · 16% NRV
- Magnesium contributes to electrolyte balance.
- Magnesium contributes to normal muscle function.
Want magnesium as a daily supplement?
That’s Power Up — magnesium at a daily-supplement dose, taken at night, not in your bottle. Sustain isn’t a substitute for it.
See Power Up →Sustain is a food supplement. One stick a day provides the magnesium these claims refer to. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Do not exceed the stated daily dose. Keep out of reach of young children.
Sodium, chloride, potassium and calcium are declared in the panel below. No claims are made for them.
Directions
Mix: one stick in 500ml of water. Add more or less water to alter the taste. Drink it straight, or add a squeeze of lime or a splash of squash.
Long runs and hot days: up to 1 stick an hour. Adjust for heat, how long you’re out and how heavily you sweat.
Everyday: 1 stick a day.
Maximum: 5 sticks a day. Do not exceed the stated daily dose.
It’s made to be taken while you’re out and sweating. If you are sat at a desk you will only need one stick a day. On a low-salt diet? Check with your doctor before adding it. Food supplements should not be used as a substitute for a varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle. Keep out of reach of young children.
Ingredients
Coconut Water Powder, Sea Salt, Marine Magnesium Citrate, Marine Algae Calcium.
That is the full list. No sugar, no sweeteners, no flavourings, no colours, no anti-caking agents.
Allergens: none of the ingredients is one of the fourteen allergens that must be declared by law. The pack carries no “may contain” statement.
Suitable for vegans. Made in Britain.
Nutrition
Typical values per 100g: Energy 8kJ / 2kcal · Fat 0g (of which saturates 0g) · Carbohydrate 0g (of which sugars 0g) · Fibre 0g · Protein 0g · Salt 22.2g
Per 5.4g stick: Energy 0kJ / 0kcal · Fat 0g (of which saturates 0g) · Carbohydrate 0g (of which sugars 0g) · Fibre 0g · Protein 0g · Salt 1.2g
Electrolytes per stick: Sodium 500mg · Chloride 600mg (75% NRV) · Potassium 200mg (10% NRV) · Magnesium 60mg (16% NRV) · Calcium 60mg (7.5% NRV)
The sodium and chloride come from the sea salt. The potassium comes from the coconut water. The magnesium is marine magnesium citrate; the calcium is from marine algae. NRV is the nutrient reference value for an adult.
Per 5.4g stick · mixed in 500ml
500mg
Sodium
from sea salt
from sea salt
5
Electrolytes
see table
see table
0g
Sugar
0 kcal
0 kcal
4
Ingredients
nothing else
nothing else
| Electrolyte | Per stick | % NRV |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 500mg | – |
| Chloride | 600mg | 75% |
| Potassium | 200mg | 10% |
| Magnesium | 60mg | 16% |
| Calcium | 60mg | 7.5% |
Salt 1.2g per stick. Sodium has no reference value. Full typical values, including per 100g, are in the nutrition tab below.
A starting point
How many sticks to pack
One stick per 500ml. Pick your row by how long you’ll be out, your column by the weather, and adjust for how heavily you sweat.
| Out for | Cool | Warm | Hot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under an hour | 0–1 | 1 | 1 |
| 1–2 hours | 1 | 1–2 | 2 |
| 2–4 hours | 2 | 2–3 | 3–4 |
| 4 hours and up | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Never more than five in a day. Pack one more than the grid says — a spare stick weighs nothing.
Runners’ questions
What people ask before they buy
Does it taste of anything?
Faintly of the sea, and not much else. Most runners describe it as “no aftertaste” and “not too salty”; a couple have said they don’t love it and drink it anyway, and one didn’t like it at all. There’s no sweetener or sugar, so if you’re used to flavoured electrolytes this is different. It dissolves clear, with no sediment at the bottom of the bottle.
Can I add flavour?
Yes — that’s half the point of leaving it unflavoured. A squeeze of lime, a splash of squash and a dash of blackcurrant juice are the three runners mention most. One runner stirs it into a chocolate milkshake for salted chocolate. It also works really well on its own, so it goes with whatever you already drink.
How many do I take on a long run?
Up to one an hour, each in 500ml of water, adjusted for heat, how long you’re out and how heavily you sweat. On an ordinary day, one. The maximum is five a day. Start with one ready mixed and see how you go — the sticks fit in pockets or a vest, so carrying a few extra to make on the run is easy.
Why is there no sugar or carbs in it? Do I still need a gel?
Yes, if the run’s long enough to need fuel. The carbs are the gels’ job — Maple Ignite or Maple Coffee — and electrolytes is this one’s. Keeping them separate gives you more control, as you can take a gel when you need energy and a stick when you need a drink, rather than getting both every time you sip. Several runners race with a stick in the bottle and a gel in the pocket; the Half Marathon Race Pack is that combination boxed up.
Only 500mg of sodium — other brands have more?
Some do put more into a single serving. 500mg is deliberate: we wanted a stick small enough to take often on a long day rather than one big salty hit, because it’s easier to keep drinking and there’s less taste fatigue. If you’re out for hours, in heat, or you sweat heavily, try taking more sticks over a longer period rather than mixing a stronger one.
Other electrolytes have upset my stomach. Is this different?
We can’t tell you how your stomach will react — nobody can. What we can tell you is what’s in it and what isn’t: four ingredients, no sugar, no sugar alcohols, no sweeteners, no flavourings, nothing fizzy. Some runners who’ve struggled with other brands tell us this one sat fine. The single-stick pack is there so you can find out for the price of one.
Rated by runners
“No sediment, no sugar, no flavour. A truly refreshing drink.”
Pete F., verified buyer · one of the reviews below
Choose your pack →
Single stick to try · 14 pack · 28 pack. Free UK delivery over £40.
Every day, not just run days
Electrolytes for the run. Run Easy for the rest.
Two teaspoons of marine collagen in your morning coffee, two more at night — run or no run. That’s the whole routine. One ingredient, nothing added, and the product our customers reorder most.
★ Best Value Collagen 2025
Run Easy Marine Collagen
Hydrolysed marine collagen. One ingredient. Dissolves in hot or cold drinks.
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See Run Easy →Not sure where to start? Start Here →
