Why I Built Cadence, the And Everything We've Made Since
For years I thought the thing holding my training back was my training. It wasn't. It was how I was hydrating. Here's the whole story of the brand, and everything we've built since.
Ross Mackay · Founder, Cadence
5 min read
People ask me all the time why I started a hydration brand. Like there was some big plan, there wasn't.
Cadence started because I was fed up a couple of summers ago, and nothing on the shelf was fixing it. I'm a runner. I've trained most of my adult life.
And for a long stretch I was cramping on runs I should have cruised, getting headaches after sessions, and waking up like the sleep hadn't touched the fatigue.
I did what everyone does, blamed the training, blamed the sleep and changed my volume.
Then one afternoon I sat down and actually read the labels on everything I'd been drinking. And that was the moment. Because the problem was never my training. It was the one thing I'd been ignoring for years. Hydration, done properly.
The hydration aisle and electrolyte industry was letting me down. That was step one.
Three types of product in those specific aisles I kept trying, but never realised what was in them! And every one of them was letting me down. Here is what I found when I read those labels.
The sugary bottles. 26 grams of sugar, a couple of artificial dyes, and 200 to 300mg of sodium. Built to taste sweet and sell, not to actually do anything for you. You spike, you crash, you reach for another. That was the plan all along.
The little fizzy tablets. Cleaner, fair enough. But 300mg of sodium when you sweat out 500 to 700 in an hour of training. You'd need two of them to break even, and let's be honest, nobody does that. They also taste horrendous might I add.
The salt bombs. A full gram of sodium in one hit. Great if you're a keto dieter, I'm not. I'm an athlete, father and business owner on a normal diet, and I was overdosing salt for months wondering why easy runs felt like hard ones.
Not one of them hit the things I actually needed. Taste and formulation.
The taste always let me down, and the number is 500mg. Nobody was building around it.
500mg. That is roughly what you sweat out in an hour of training, so we replace what you lose, it's that simple.
I couldn't find a single product built around that number, so I stopped looking and started building a product that also tasted incredible.
MATT JONES SPORTS NUTRITIONIST
I brought in a sports nutritionist, Matt Jones, and we made the formula I'd been trying to buy for years.
500mg sodium. Potassium and magnesium dosed for absorption.
Zero sugar and Third-party tested, so you know exactly what is in it and exactly what isn't.
I've documented the whole thing. Every formula, every launch, every mistake.
One more thing that matters to me. I did not build Cadence behind closed doors.
I have documented the entire thing on YouTube, from the first batch that tasted rough to the launches we finally got right. Tens of thousands of people have followed the whole journey. If you want to see how it is made before you trust what is in it, it is all there, warts and all.
That is on purpose, this is a brand built for the people who actually use it, not a logo slapped on someone else's formula.
You have watched us make the mistakes and fix them.
And here is what we built.
The cans. A better-for-you tasty soda. Orange, Cola, Cream Soda and more. Zero sugar, zero nasty ingredients, zero calories, zero caffeine, 500mg sodium. A beverage you can drink everyday.
The sachet system. Daily, Energy and Sleep. One clean formula for the whole day. But dosed with the right effective science-backed formula.
The fuel range. Gels and bars for the long sessions. Dual-fuel carbs your gut can actually handle, with electrolytes built in.
One system, now in the hands of people all over the world. Built for the podium, for day-to-day life, and just as good for a Tuesday. What started as the thing I couldn't buy is now keeping runners, parents and everyday people hydrated across the UK, the US and beyond.
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Hydrating Customers Worldwide
Daily Hydration Electrolyte Drinks
This is the heart of it, grab-and-go daily hydration that tastes like soda. 500mg sodium, 190mg potassium, 30mg magnesium, zero sugar, 5 calories. No mixing, no measuring. Crack it and go, at your desk, in the car, after a run, or with dinner.
We have a proper flavor range now, Cola, Cream Soda, Citrus, Watermelon Mojito, Melonberry, and the one I am most proud of, the new nostalgic Orange.
The orange soda you grew up on, . It is the nostalgic orange soda you remember as a kid, bright and fizzy, without the sugar hangover.
The flavor is banging, honestly, and it is doing everything the sugary version never did for you.
If you only try one thing, try the cans. They are the "oh, that is what hydration is supposed to feel like" moment for most people.
Shop All ELECTROLYTE DRINKS →
Daily Hydration Electrolyte Sachets
Same clean formula as the cans, in a sachet you can carry anywhere. 500mg sodium, dissolves in seconds, in Citrus, Melonberry and Orange.
This is the morning one, the training one, the one you reach for when you know the day is going to be long and you want to start it right.
The cans are the treat you look forward to.
The sachets are the habit that keeps your hydration topped up all day.
Ps - they taste fantastic!
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Energy Electrolyte Sachets
This one is for the hard sessions, race morning, and the afternoons that need more than a second coffee. It is the same full 500mg hydration base, plus 100mg of caffeine and 200mg of L-theanine.
The L-theanine is the bit I care about. It smooths the caffeine out, so you get a clean, level lift with no jitters and no 2pm crash.
You are fuelled and hydrated at the same time, from one sachet, instead of stacking a coffee on top of a hydration tablet and hoping.
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Sleep & Recovery Electrolyte Sachets
I will be straight with you about this one, because I always have been. It is built for recovery, not for flavor.
Here is the thinking, The adaptation from your training does not happen in the session. It happens overnight, while you recover. And you keep losing fluid across those eight hours of sleep. Nobody had built anything for that window.
So we did. A lighter overnight dose of sodium, matched to what the night actually needs, plus seven recovery actives like glycine, theanine, magnesium, ashwagandha and valerian, to help you switch off and recover. It is caffeine-free, obviously.
The high-dose actives mean it has a distinctive taste.
I have never pretended it tastes like the daily flavors, because it does not. The point of this one is what it does while you sleep, and the people who use it tell me it is the difference-maker.
Tried, Tested & Proven by The Best.
We didn't buy our way onto a start line. Athletes found Cadence, used it, and stayed.
Today it's the everyday hydration for runners, triathletes and performers, alongside the parents, shift workers and desk athletes who just want to feel good getting through the day.
Hercules Nicoloau
Fastest Man to Run Across Greece
Hercules is an ultra endurance runner, known for his multi-day, record breaking runs, including running across Cyprus and becoming the fastest man to run across the country of Greece. He completed the 1200km feat fuelled by Cadence, consuming 518 Daily Hydration Sachets over the course of 14 days.
Lucy Davis
Cadence Athlete & Hyrox Champion
HYROX world-record holder and hybrid athlete Lucy Davis uses Cadence to fuel and replenish her intense training sessions. She incorporates Cadence into her grueling routine to stay properly hydrated and recover from intense cardio and brick sessions.
Charlie Lawrence
50-Mile World & 100km USA Record Holder
Charlie Lawrence is an American ultrarunner, World Record Holder in the 50-mile distance and American Record Holder in the 100km. Known for his relentless pace and discipline, he’s one of the fastest endurance athletes on the planet.
Alex Yee
GBR Triathlon Olympic Gold
Medallist
Alex Yee is an Olympic gold medallist and one of the world’s leading triathletes, known for his exceptional run speed and composure under pressure.
No Sugar Electrolyte Hydration
Built with science-backed formulas
No proprietary blends hiding underdosed ingredients
"The brand that takes cramps and sodium seriously. The gels helped me get my first sub-3 at Barcelona, a 12-minute PB."
— James, 38 | Manchester, UK
Sarah, 31 Bristol, UK
"500mg of sodium is what I need to start my day. My old salt-heavy brand gave me headaches. Ordering more."
— Mark K., verified buyer
Sarah, 31 Bristol, UK
"Tastes like soda but way better for you. I've been telling everyone."
— Verified Cadence Subscriber
Tom, 42 Denver, US
"Cadence helped me fuel my first marathon and stay injury-free through the whole block."
— US customer, verified buyer
I built Cadence because the thing I needed didn't exist. No sugar, the right dose, properly tested, and good enough that you actually want it every day.
A couple of years later it is a brand built for the people who train, who show up, who just want to feel good without drinking a chemistry set of sugar and dye to get there.
Try our products today! Subscribe and save: 30% off your first order, and free gifts in months two and three. Cancel anytime, no lock-in, no minimum. If it isn't doing anything by the end of month one, don't keep going.
You've done the work. This is the easy part. Grab a can, run the system, and find out what your day feels like when the formula is finally right.
Ross Mackay - Founder, Cadence
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24 x Electrolyte Cans (2 Cases)
01 x Free Bottle
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No Sugar Electrolyte Hydration
Built with science-backed formulas
No proprietary blends hiding underdosed ingredients
EDITORIAL DISCLOSURE
This article is sponsored by Cadence Hydration. All opinions and experiences shared are based on genuine product use. Results may vary. Cadence products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Consult your healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen.