Best Carb Drink for Ultramarathons

For ultramarathons, choose the drink around the whole fueling plan: carbohydrate from bottles and food, sodium from all sources, and reliable refills.

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XWERKS

Performance Nutrition · Science-Backed Formulas

5 min read

Updated October 24, 2026

Research-Backed

For ultramarathons, choose the drink around the whole fueling plan: carbohydrate from bottles and food, sodium from all sources, and reliable refills. Motion fits runners who want a 25 g carbohydrate serving while managing sodium separately. Skratch Sport Drink Mix is the better of these two starting points when more sodium in the drink itself is the priority. Motion label Skratch label

Which drink matches your ultramarathon plan?

Choose Motion when you want to separate carbohydrate and sodium decisions; choose Skratch when you want more sodium in each labeled drink serving. Motion supplies 25 g carbohydrate and 34 mg sodium, while Skratch supplies 19–20 g carbohydrate and 400 mg sodium. The choice should complement the foods and other supplies you already use. Motion label Skratch label

Your priority	Option to consider	Reason
Carbohydrate with sodium planned separately	Motion	25 g carbohydrate and 34 mg sodium per serving. Motion label
More sodium in the drink itself	Skratch Sport Drink Mix	19–20 g carbohydrate and 400 mg sodium per serving. Skratch label
A race with widely spaced aid stations	The option you have rehearsed carrying and refilling	Compare the time between stops, supplies available and actual intake.
A mix of drink and food	Count both contributions	One Motion serving plus a food portion containing 25 g carbohydrate totals 50 g. Motion label

What is in a serving of XWERKS Motion?

XWERKS Motion provides 25 g carbohydrate, 3 g BCAAs and 34 mg sodium per serving. Read the carbohydrate and mineral quantities separately when comparing drinks. Motion label

Per labeled serving	Amount or ingredient
Carbohydrate	25 g from Cluster Dextrin (highly branched cyclic dextrin)
Calories	110
Sodium	34 mg
Calcium / magnesium	80 mg / 35 mg
BCAAs	3 g in a 2:1:1 ratio
Supply / caffeine	30 servings; no caffeine listed

When is Motion the better fit?

Motion fits an ultrarunner who wants a defined carbohydrate serving without using the drink as the main sodium source. Its label lists 25 g Cluster Dextrin carbohydrate, 34 mg sodium and 3 g BCAAs. Keep carbohydrate grams and mineral amounts in separate columns when planning the combination. Motion label

Start with the course and the foods you tolerate in training. The 2019 ISSN ultramarathon position stand emphasizes individualized nutrition and the practical challenges of prolonged events. A bottle plan that works alongside familiar food is more useful than choosing on an ingredient name alone. ISSN ultramarathon guidance

Can Motion cover an ultrarunner's sodium plan?

One Motion serving supplies 34 mg sodium, so Motion should not be treated as equivalent to a drink listing 400 mg per serving. Skratch Sport Drink Mix supplies the latter amount. The appropriate sodium plan depends on the runner and conditions; the label comparison does not establish a universal requirement. Motion label Skratch label

Write the sodium contribution beside each planned food or drink instead of relying on the word 'electrolytes.' Motion also lists 80 mg calcium and 35 mg magnesium, but adding those mineral weights to sodium would not describe sodium intake. Motion label

How can Motion and food fit into the same hour?

One Motion serving plus a food portion containing 25 g carbohydrate gives 50 g carbohydrate in total. That is a worked accounting example, not an hourly target for every runner. The drink contributes 25 g; use the actual food label or recipe to calculate the other portion. Motion label

At an aid station, record what you ate and drank rather than only what was offered. A simple note about the food portion and bottle refill is enough to make the next training review more useful. Keep any separate sodium product in the same log.

One example hour: count both sources. Illustrative 50 g carbohydrate total. — Illustrative arithmetic: 25 g from one Motion serving + 25 g from food = 50 g. The combined bar is the sum of the first two, not an additional serving. This is not a personal intake prescription.

Values shown in the chart
Source	Carbohydrate
Motion, 1 serving	25 g
Food, illustrative amount	25 g
Combined example	50 g

How should aid-station spacing affect the purchase?

Aid-station spacing should determine how much familiar drink mix and food an ultrarunner must carry between reliable refills. Build the plan around realistic time between stops, then record water access, available food and a fallback if a preferred item is missing.

For a worked packing example, four Motion servings contain 100 g carbohydrate in total because 4 × 25 g = 100 g. That amount says nothing about how many hours it should cover until the athlete's food contribution and tested fueling plan are specified. Motion label

How should you test and budget a carb drink?

An ultramarathon drink should be rehearsed in long training sessions before it becomes part of the race plan. The ISSN ultramarathon position stand discusses gastrointestinal challenges and individualized intake; a product's carbohydrate type does not guarantee that every runner will tolerate every preparation. ISSN ultramarathon guidance

For the purchase budget, Motion's checked one-time price is $64 for 30 servings, or about $2.13 per 25 g carbohydrate serving. The price was checked September 25, 2026; delivery, taxes and promotions are excluded. Compare the cost of the whole plan, including any food and separate sodium source. Motion label

Should I choose Motion or a higher-sodium drink?

Choose Motion if its 25 g carbohydrate serving fits a plan in which sodium is handled separately. Compare Skratch when its 400 mg sodium per serving is useful in the drink itself. Motion label Skratch label

Does Motion use a glucose-fructose blend?

Motion lists Cluster Dextrin, a highly branched cyclic dextrin, as its carbohydrate source. It does not list a glucose-fructose blend. Motion label

What should I compare during long-run rehearsals?

Record the preparation, how much was consumed, food eaten, refill access and how the plan felt. The ISSN ultramarathon position stand discusses individualized intake and gastrointestinal challenges. ISSN ultramarathon guidance

What is Motion's carbohydrate source?

Motion lists Cluster Dextrin, a highly branched cyclic dextrin, with 25 g carbohydrate per serving. Motion label

How many servings are in a Motion bag?

Motion lists 30 servings per bag. The one-time price checked September 25, 2026 was $64, or about $2.13 per serving before tax, delivery and discounts. Motion label

Which product should you choose?

Choose Motion when you have a practiced plan for food and sodium and want carbohydrate in 25 g servings. Choose Skratch when more sodium in the drink is the better fit. Rehearse whichever combination you expect to carry between the actual race's aid stations. Motion label Skratch label

Where can you read more?

For more detail on the ingredients and training choices around XWERKS Motion, see Cluster Dextrin and workout fueling, Compare carbohydrate sources, Understanding Cluster Dextrin.

How were these options compared?

We compared manufacturer labels, full serving amounts, prices and the practical needs described in this article. Sources were checked September 25, 2026. Prices are one-time purchases before delivery, tax and discounts; calculations and planning examples are identified in the text.

The linked research provides ingredient context. This comparison does not report original product testing.