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Precision Fuel & Hydration Will Be at Your Next IRONMAN Event: What You Need to Know

Solveig Lovseth carries three Precision Hydration water bottles on the bike in Kona 2025. Photo: Kevin Mackinnon

Precision Fuel & Hydration (PF&H) are now the official global hydration sponsor of IRONMAN. From regional races to the World Championships, PF&H electrolytes will be in every bottle on every IRONMAN course. Since we all should live by the golden rule of “nothing new on race day,” this was our cue to put PF&H to the test. For several months, I’ve chugged, squeezed, and chewed PF&H and am happy to report you’ll be fueled and hydrated at your next IRONMAN event.

How It Started, How It’s Going

A tale as old as time, PF&H began to solve a specific problem. Founder Andy Blow struggled with cramping during his elite triathlon career and, using his degree in Sport and Exercise Science, he identified that his sodium intake was mismatched to his sweat losses. That insight was the start of PF&H. 

Electrolytes remain PF&H’s core offering, available in four different strengths (250, 500, 100 and 1,500 mg) according to the amount of sodium they provide. Their PH1000 (1,000 mg sodium per liter) is what IRONMAN athletes will see on course. The wider range—drink mixes, gels, chews—follows the same logic: minimal flavor, clear carb counts and formats that are easy to combine and calculate even while on the run. 

Everything is Informed Sport tested. Packaging is clean and functional. Pricing sits at the upper end of moderate. None of this is revolutionary—and that’s the point. PF&H are not chasing novelty. What they are chasing, however, is happy athletes and that includes professionals in the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, Formula 1, English Premier League and, of course, triathletes including IRONMAN world champion Solveig Løvseth, two-time 70.3 world champion Jelle Geens, and American favourites Danielle Lewis and Matt Hanson.

It’s at Your Next Race: The Ironman Partnership

Announced in December, PF&H will be a major IRONMAN partner in 2026. Building on their established relationship in Europe, PF&H will be the on-course hydration at all IRONMAN events worldwide (energy products will still be Maurten), including Kona and the 70.3 World Championship in Nice. It seems like a big corporate step but, PF&H Creative Director, Dave Colley, says otherwise. 

“Our approach has always been to show up where athletes are and try to be genuinely useful—not just visible,” explains Colley. “Partnerships like the IRONMAN deal are an extension of that philosophy. We’d been supporting athletes at events informally for years; this scales it up.”

Despite the scale of that deal, PF&H insist it’s not a philosophical shift. Colley says the partnership formalizes what they were already doing informally at events for years.

“It means showing up at events and helping athletes with their strategies—offering consultations and sweat testing in the expo, having our products at aid stations. We’re trying to be present in the moments that matter rather than just buying visibility.”

Focused on Simplicity

PF&H’s product range can appear limited compared to competitors, particularly in flavor options. Except for their chews that come in a mint/lemon flavor, all of their products come in one not-overly-sweet, slightly citrus flavour. That’s intentional.

“A lot of sports nutrition marketing has historically focused on selling a new ingredient or feature—the next wonder compound,” Colley begins. “Our view is that sports nutrition is actually inherently simple: carbs, fluids and sodium cover most of what matters.”

The variety they offer is more in terms of sizing and delivery, in case you prefer a powder or capsule rather than a tablet to get your electrolytes, or opt for their Flow Gel (that’s a whopping 300g of carbs in one sachet) designed to save you from emptying a bunch of gels into a flask. 

“The real key to success is getting the right amounts at the right times for you as an individual,” Colley says. “That’s why so much of our customer service and advice focuses on education about how to use products effectively, not just what’s in them. It’s a different emphasis, and it shapes where we put our resources.”

That philosophy explains why PF&H invest heavily in education rather than product sprawl. Their website hosts extensive learning resources, case studies and planning tools. Most impressive is their free video consultation service, available to any athlete. Within a day, you can speak to a real person who will help you think through hydration and fueling, whether you use, or plan to use, their products. Arguably, that personal service does more to build trust than any sponsorship or partnership announcement.

On-Demand Nutrition

PF&H also offer a subscription service that reflects the same athlete-first thinking. There is no minimum commitment, orders can be adjusted or paused freely, shipping is free, and discounts accumulate up to 20%. Once you reach that level, you keep it as long as you remain active.

It is not aggressively marketed and feels deliberately low-pressure. In practice, it feels less like a subscription and more like nutrition on-demand.

“We wanted to offer a subscription service that we’d want as customers ourselves,” Colley says. “Traditional subscription-first brands can sometimes be a bit ‘pushy,’ which is not what we wanted our subscription service to feel like. Other than sending customers an email explaining the benefits after their second order, we don’t do much to actively promote it. It’s there as a secondary option on the product pages if you’d find it useful. It remains an intentionally niche offering for athletes who value the convenience, rather than a core part of how we sell.”

Tried, Tested, and Happy 

Nutrition isn’t always the easiest product to review since it can be very subjective. Get it really wrong and it’s a disaster, but over a certain basic standard, it’s personal preference that matters most. So, while I will go through their products, where they truly differ from other brands is their customer service. So let’s start there. 

Their electrolyte tablets and sachets are pretty much like every other, but you can select your strength to individualize your nutrition. The gels aren’t too sticky or thick, but they aren’t liquid either–a happy medium–and the one flavour is agreeable. Chews, that come in 30g squares or a 60g bar, aren’t sticky/gummy, and are easy to chew while on the move. The drink mix is easy to measure and customize to carbohydrate needs (1 level scoop at a time) and, thanks to the subtle flavor, you can mix in 120 g in one 750 ml bottle without it turning into syrup. 

I still use other brands, particularly for flavor variety, but, on the other hand, PF&H have become a dependable constant partly because the more subtle taste doesn’t wear on the palette (and I wouldn’t want that to change).

Where the company stands out time and time again is its commitment to athletes. Not only in how it offers its products, but how it provides services, including access to detailed and science-driven education along with video consultation.

I tried the free video consultation service and was connected to a high-level sports scientist who researched heat training for his doctoral thesis. I asked him how to execute a heat training protocol but he was also ready to help me figure out how much sodium I needed, how to make a race day nutrition plan, and even how to carry it all on race day. Knowledgable and actionable advice, personalized to my goals and needs, all for free.

As for the subscription service, after many months, I’ve never run into any “fine print” catches or penalties, and can attest that they stand by all their claims on flexibility since I’ve made use of almost every one. I have had my share of delivery problems but, even though it has never been their fault, PF&H have always bent over backwards to solve the issue. 

When you call their customer service, a human picks up the telephone right away. When you email customer service, a human replies to your email in a day. On the multiple occasions when I’ve done something and needed their help (even speaking to Colley for this article), they are always there with a helpful attitude–that alone scores them big points in my books and why I’m confident recommending, not just their nutrition, but their company as a whole. 

For the Suggestion Box

Before this feels all too one-sided, if I had a note for the suggestion box, it would be to put a login button at the top of the homepage on their website. Knowing it’s a niche service, I kind of understand why it’s placed at the bottom in tiny print and, okay, it’s not like it’s hard to scroll all the way down to the very bottom but, in this modern world of too much convenience, is a button isn’t too much to ask for?

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IRONMANNutrition

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