The only thing worst then the heat and humidity at Grandma’s Marathon last year (2007) was Ultima which was the sports drink served up on the course. Before I state my opinion, let’s see what the other marathon runners had to say, these quotes are pulled from Marathonguide.com.

However, Ultima does not work like Gatorade, and in the kind of heat we were in, I think it is risky to serve Ultima instead of Gatorade.

The Ultima? Yeah, it’s bad. Not so bad when cold. When warm it was bloody awful.

I know it has been stated time and time again, but the Ultima has really got to go as well. It tasted like watered-down Tang.

but what is with that Ultima?! Good golly is that bad.

The one thing that needs changing is the Ultima sports drink. It is about time for a “normal” sports drink.

I disagree with the runner who suggested that complaining about Ultima sports beverage was going too far. It is about the most horrid tasting electrolyte sports beverage out there. Please, Grandma’s, consider another product - Gatorade, PowerAde, anything else.

You may be wondering, why is Ultima so bad. This is from their website:

Ultima Replenisher is a rehydration drink that contains no sugars, artificial sweeteners or artificial ingredients. It has only 10 calories per 8-12oz serving.

Ok, let me get this straight, a sports drink with no sugar or calories? You’re out there running 26.2 miles and Grandma’s is giving you a “diet” sports drink, that taste awful. Calories = energy, and when you’re running a marathon you need the additional calories late in the race.

I’m not sure how many years Grandma’s has been using Ultima, but the bad reviews go back a few years, yet Grandma’s continues to dish out Tang, I mean Ultima out on the course. There are numerous complaints, so I’m assuming that Grandma’s is getting a good deal with Ultima.

I did get a laugh at mile 23, I’m struggling, hot, thirsty, drenched in sweat. I see a kid with a cup of Ultima, and he says “It taste like Sh*t, but it works”, I still refused that God awful stuff and drank water instead.

Milton Friedman coined the term “The Concentrated Interest Vs. The Diffused Interest”. The Concentrated Interest is Ultima, and the Diffused Interest is the Marathon Runners. The Concentrated Interest always has more power, money, organization, and is willing to fight harder than the Diffused Interest, as they have more to gain. Thus Grandma’s does not have a huge incentive to change Sports Drinks, even if the runners hate Ultima, IF they are getting a tremendous deal from Ultima.

Because even if you hate Ultima, it’s probably not a significant enough reason to not run Grandma’s.