Elec Stamina, Katsuo Stamina or QC Stamina: Which One Do You Need?
For a 10K, probably none of them. Water, a normal breakfast and sensible pacing cover it. Our three products earn a place as races get longer, and each one does a different job. Here is how to tell which, if any, belongs in your kit.
What each product is
| Elec Stamina | QC Stamina | Katsuo Stamina | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Electrolyte caplet | Race fuel pouch | Bonito fish extract tablet, made in Japan |
| Key facts | 220 mg sodium per caplet, plus potassium, calcium, magnesium, B1 and B2. 16 per pack | 260 kcal: 42 g carbohydrate, 13 g protein, 221 mg sodium. Contains milk | About 6 kcal per 4 tablets. Contains fish |
| How it’s taken | 1 to 2 caplets every 10 km with water, up to 10 a day | Mix with 150 to 200 ml water in the pouch, 1 every 2 to 3 hours | Before the start, then at set intervals by sport |
| Where it fits | Long, hot races where your sodium numbers call for it | Ultras, long rides and hikes, from around hour four | Endurance events from half marathon up |
Carbohydrate, fluid and pacing come first in every race plan. QC Stamina carries real carbohydrate, but at one pouch every two to three hours it covers only part of what a long race needs.
Match the product to your time on course
Under about 90 minutes
5K, 10K, most half marathons. You don’t need any of these. If you like a pre-race routine, the Katsuo Stamina half marathon dose is 4 tablets 30 minutes before the start, and nothing after.
Two to five hours
A full marathon at recreational pace, a long training run, a century ride. Gels and sports drink do the fuelling here. Sodium starts to depend on your own numbers: how much you sweat and how much you drink back. If you are a heavy, salty sweater who drinks a lot, Elec Stamina makes sodium easy to count. If you drink to thirst and finish lighter than you started, you may not need it. Our sodium guide walks through the arithmetic.
Six hours and beyond
Trail ultras, road ultras, long rides and hikes. Planned sodium becomes normal kit. By the middle hours, sweet gels get hard to face and aid station food can run short. A QC Stamina pouch at a drop bag or refill point gives you about two gels’ worth of carbohydrate plus 13 g of protein in one drink. Katsuo Stamina users on long trail races take 4 tablets every 90 minutes, which adds up. We worked out the count in Katsuo Stamina for Ultramarathons.
Before you race with any of them
- Try the full race-day schedule on a long training run, in the heat you will race in.
- Carry caplets and tablets in a zip bag, not loose. Sweat and rain soften them.
- Check allergens: Katsuo Stamina contains fish, QC Stamina contains milk.
- If you use QC Stamina and Elec Stamina together, add up the sodium from both.
- Stay within the directions on each pack.
Common questions
Can I take all three together?
Yes. They do different jobs and sit side by side in a long race plan. Most people only need one or two.
Will Elec Stamina stop cramps?
We don’t claim it does, and the research points more at fatigue and pace than at salt. See Why Runners Cramp in Malaysian Heat.
Can QC Stamina replace my gels?
Partly. One pouch has about as much carbohydrate as two gels, but you still need other carbohydrate between pouches.
