Article by Renee Kursemark
Tailwind High Carb Fuel ( April 2025)
Renee: High carb running is all the rage. I’m easily not fast or good enough to follow this trend to the extreme without having some serious GI issues while running. That said, it’s no secret that fueling with high carb intake during long efforts, even for us mid to back of pack runners, can be essential.
The High Carb Fuel is mixed for 90g of carb per serving with 60g from glucose and 30g from fructose. If you want easy measurement for mixes, the High Carb Fuel is a simple way to ensure 90g carbs per hour.
The recommendation is to mix 92g of High Carb Fuel (one packet, as shown in photo) with 16-24 oz of water consumed over one hour, which gives those 90g of carbs along with 360 calories and 59g of added sugar.
For reference, the Tailwind Endurance Fuel serving recommends 54g of mix with 20-24 oz of water over one hour, giving 50g of carbs, 200 calories, and 50g of added sugar. If you want to Math this issue, you could simply mix the Endurance Fuel at a higher concentration if you can handle the taste and sugar. Likewise, you can dilute the High Carb mix, and if you don’t already take in 90g of carb per hour, stepping up is best. Tailwind recommends taking in 90g over 90 minutes one week, then 90g over 80 minutes the following week, and then 90g of carb per one hour if tolerated.
I’m not up to 90g of carbs per hour yet, and I might never get there with my efforts. I do, however, prefer the Ginger Lime flavor of the High Carb Fuel to most other Endurance Fuel flavors. The ginger flavor is strong! The High Carb Fuel will also be available in Lemonade flavor. The packets are about 4”x5” in width/height, but they fit well into high capacity vests. Carrying several of these in a 12L vest is not a problem.
[photo above: 2 packets of High Carb can fit into each of the side/mesh pockets on my Nathan Pinnacle 12L Pro]
Tailwind Birthday Cake Recovery Mix ($12 4-pack)
Renee: In celebration of the one and only Courtney Dauwalter’s 40th birthday, Birthday Cake Recovery Mix is available for a limited time only. The mix uses a new protein formula with 20g per serving along with added BCAAs. The new formula will be available in additional flavors as well. The other nutritional facts remain the same as for the current Tailwind Recovery Mixes.
In terms of flavor, Tailwind states the mix is “like a frothy milkshake” without a “chalky taste.” I agree. While the mix is meant to be mixed with water (it’s vegan),
I used milk to enhance the savory, rich cake flavor. I might switch to water for summer running. I have been using the mix after my first back-to-back long run each week as a way to recover for the next day’s long run. With 33g of added sugar, it’s a once a week product for me, but a useful one as I bump up my mileage of 50-60 miles per week to (ideally) 80-100 miles.
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Renee is a former U.S. Marine journalist, which is when her enjoyment of running and writing started. She isn’t that awesome of a runner, but she tries really hard. Most of her weekly 50-60 miles take place on rural country roads in Nebraska, meaning mud, gravel, dirt, hills, and the occasional field. She has PR’s of 1:30:59 for the half marathon and 3:26:45 for the marathon.
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