Precision Fuel & Hydration is a sports nutrition brand that specialises in tailored electrolyte and energy solutions for endurance athletes. Through their online tools and patented Sweat Test, they help athletes hit their specific fluid, carbohydrate, and sodium numbers to optimise performance and avoid cramping or stomach issues.
We recently sat down with Jack Davis, Head of Pro Sport & Wholesale at Precision Fuel & Hydration HQ in Christchurch, UK to delve deeper into a host of topics - the evolution of the brand, recent extraordinary success at Cocodona 250, party shirts, their plans for IRX 2026 and more!
Q1. You are in a lift with a runner who has never heard of Precision F&H, what are the key things they should know about the brand?
At its core, Precision Fuel & Hydration is built on science.
The brand began in 2011 when co-founders Andy Blow and Jonny Tye joined forces. The inception came about from Andy’s struggles as a triathlete competing in the heat. During a race in Kona, Hawaii, Andy suffered from a case of hyponatremia, ended up in the medical tent and needed an IV to recover.
This extreme experience sparked a search for answers, leading him to a 'sweat test.' At the time, this test wasn't widely available outside of hospitals, where it was - and still is - primarily used as a diagnostic tool for Cystic Fibrosis.
Using the test himself, Andy discovered he lost exceptionally high amounts of sodium in his sweat. This was a lightbulb moment. By implementing a customised strategy to properly replace those lost electrolytes, his performances transformed, taking him from a medical tent casualty to a podium finisher.
With a background in sports science and experience working in Formula 1, Andy incorporated these physiological insights into his own practice, where the strategies also found success.
Building on this, Andy and Jonny established a dedicated sweat-testing program that remains a core part of the business. Today, the Christchurch (UK) HQ incorporates a six-person sports science team and bespoke performance sports science lab - leading the way in sweat testing, heat acclimation, and athletic physiological testing.
Our second core focus is personalising fuel and hydration plans for anyone tackling a race or event. We built a free Fuel & Hydration Planner to make this easy. You simply input your event details and answer a few subjective questions about your estimated sweat rate, sodium loss, and racing intensity. The planner then generates a personalised blueprint detailing how much carbohydrate, fluid, and sodium you should be aiming to consume to perform at your best. We call these your "three levers" - sugar, water, and salt.
Generally, the longer you go and the more you sweat, the more you will benefit from targeted electrolyte replacement. This was the game-changer for our founder Andy, it was crucial for Rachel Entrekin at the Cocodona 250, and it remains the foundation for the athletes we work with today.
Q2. Precision Fuel & Hydration are known as the 'cool kids' in endurance sport, with a cult-like following, which is rare for a nutrition company. Is that something that has been intentional or an organic development?
That builds perfectly on the intro above. That was all about the science, but that’s only 50% of the equation. When we work with serious athletes, we know our sh*t. We follow the evidence and have a dedicated science team researching and working with universities to push the envelope. But on the flip side, we also know how to have a good time.
We know athletes are people first, doing what they do because they love it. We try to bring our own fun and personality to the table to match that. We know there’s a time and place to be serious and focused, but the rest of the time, we’re just friends they want to hang out with.
Using the recent example of Rachel Entrekin at Cocodona 250, off the back of her race, she crashed on one of our sofas just to be around the group, we went out for dinner, and she had breakfast with Andy and the team the next day. That wasn't some corporate commitment - it’s what she wanted to do because of the connection we’ve built. To us, that’s as important as the science.
Becoming part of an athlete's crew takes years of experience and relationship-building. It’s something that can’t be bought. It’s about being true to what you stand for and bringing that authentic personality to the athlete. It’s very intentional.
Q3. Would you say that individual sweat testing was the company's USP in the early days? Does that still old true today? If not, what is your USP? Otherwise, what has truly put you on the global map?
Yes, we’ve already covered a little of this, but sweat testing was our entire business for the first couple of years. Back then, we were a pure service business called "Precision Hydration," focusing solely on sweat testing. We were knocking on the doors of baseball and American football teams, to show them that their athletes needed this data. At the time, almost nobody was talking about it.
Ultimately, we achieved buy-in, and we still work closely with those teams today. While the core of our outward-facing business has shifted toward endurance athletes, team sports remain a fundamental part of our DNA.
Today, we have nearly 150 commercial sweat-test centres globally. These partners-including retail shops, coaches, physiotherapists, physiologists, and dieticians-have invested in our hardware to offer sweat testing to their local communities. It is a win-win. It helps them grow, and it allows us to connect with trusted local experts who know their markets inside out. This builds the long-term brand loyalty we are after - genuine connections with athletes.
It is a USP as no other nutrition brand in our category does this. Sweat testing and sports nutrition usually exist in isolation, but we bridge that gap. Combining advanced testing with our product line-all backed by 15 years of brand evolution-is what makes our business model so compelling today.
Our sweat-test technology is patented and backed by 40 years of medical research. Looking ahead, we also see a future where wearable devices will complement our core testing services, but we aren't there yet.
Q4. What would you say was the biggest hurdle Precision F&H had to overcome when developing as a company?
For us, it has always come down to finding the right people. We have a fantastic team-that goes without saying-and our rapid growth mirrors the running scene and the sheer number of people getting involved.
When you are scaling, finding the perfect fit is always a business's biggest challenge. It is crucial to get the right people into roles where they genuinely resonate with our brand values and equity. We have been incredibly successful at that over the years; our core team has been with us a long time, so now it is mostly about adding new people into specific, targeted roles.
You need people who are willing to go out and crew a 250-mile, three-day race, and actually be excited to be part of that journey. We have got lucky at times and keeping that culture alive will always be a challenge as we continue to scale.
Because of this, we rarely recruit conventionally. It is all about relationships, personalities, and a bit of luck. Take my own journey: I was a physiotherapist running my own clinic in Leicester. I discovered Precision Fuel & Hydration for my own triathlon training, bought a sweat test machine for my business, and started testing my local community. From there, I got involved in business trips, transitioned from a franchisee, and eventually relocated to HQ in Christchurch full-time. Our social media manager, Raff, has another great story. Since he lives locally, he had some products hand-delivered, ended up chatting with Jonny about the brand, and became part of the team!
Ultimately, we recruit based on human connection. We use our people and operations to ensure that every single touchpoint with Precision Fuel & Hydration feels personal.
Q5. How much input do the athletes you work with have in NEW product development?
We partner with the Lotto-Intermarché World Tour cycling team, who compete annually in the Tour de France and other elite global races. Over our four-year collaboration, their riders helped us co-develop our carb-only drink mix.
Previously, we only offered a combined carbohydrate and electrolyte mix. However, the riders wanted the flexibility to isolate their fuel or customise their sodium intake. In response, we created a pure carbohydrate product designed to work seamlessly on its own or paired with an electrolyte tablet.
Addressing flavour fatigue in ultra-endurance events is another key focus. While we traditionally stick to single, proven flavours, elite athlete Rachel Entrekin requested a watermelon option. We collaborated closely with her to develop this new chew, which we are fully launching at the Western States Endurance Run this June.
At Precision Fuel & Hydration, product innovation is our driving force. We are rolling out new ranges over the next 12 to 18 months to help athletes optimize their performance. Because our team is made up of passionate competitors-from HYROX racers and Ironman triathletes to sub-2:30 marathoners-we continuously test these limits ourselves. This means every product we develop is shaped directly by athletes who truly understand the demands of pushing to the next level.
Q6. Who designed the party shirts, and did you ever imagine they would become iconic?
I'm giving all the credit for this to our Creative Designer, Dave Blow. Dave’s been a part of this company since day one in one way or another, and with us full-time for the last few years. Every bit of cool stuff you see-every drawing, design, sticker, and piece of kit-is completely his brainchild. We have a fantastic creative team around him, but the artwork itself is 100% Dave.
Essentially, it perfectly nails our brand values: performance gear with a dash of fun. You saw Rachel race the entire Cocodona 250 in that exact kit. She needed serious performance she could trust, but she looked great doing it, and now everyone wants it. We just did a limited release and the global response has been massive. It’s amazing to see people wanting to share in and celebrate both Rachel's and Precision's success.
Q7. What do Precision F&H look for in a potential athlete to partner with? Is it pure performance? Or is there more involved?
Performance is non-negotiable for us. We are a performance brand, plain and simple. We want our elite athletes at the top of the podium, winning championships just as we have done for the last 12 years across numerous sports.
But winning is only part of the story. For our roster, we built what we call the ‘Precision Performance Program’. Before any official signing, we work with an athlete informally for a minimum of six months. During this time, "work" means building a genuine relationship. They use the products, give feedback, and become true fans of the brand. We need to know they want to use what we make, ensuring the connection is completely organic.
Authenticity is intrinsic to us. If an athlete was representing a rival nutrition brand just six months prior, it raises questions. Fortunately, we have eyes and ears everywhere in the industry, so we are quick to spot genuine potential. That initial informal window lets us connect on a human level, helping us figure out how we can best support each other and if there is a real long-term fit.
We rarely look at the short-term anymore. We are in the business of multi-year partnerships. A 12-month contract doesn't interest us; we want to build longer term relationships. We want to back athletes for their entire careers. To us, that deep commitment matters infinitely more than getting a quick product placement on social media.
To prove that commitment, each athlete we work with is assigned a dedicated sports scientist. Having a direct, personal contact to call-rather than a generic email address or an automated department-really resonates with them. It builds a foundation of trust, and at the end of the day, that is exactly what this brand is about.
Q8. On ‘Conversational Pace’ podcast with Brett Hornig, Rachel Entrekin described the Precision F&H Team as 'goofy' and said that created a relaxed environment for her preparations for her outstanding performance at Cocodona 250. Was that a 'conscious' decision by the crew, or is it just your natural state?
We meet every athlete exactly where they are. Who they are and what they want drives how we support them. While we love to show our goofy side, we know when to flip the switch. If someone hits an aid station and they are really struggling, it is time to be professional because we have a job to do. We bring the science and performance when it is critical, and the fun when it is not.
Take our event activations, for example. 'Club Cocodona' at the Cocodona 250 and 'La Bebida Salada' (The Salty Sipper) at the Ironman World Championships in Marbella were created purely for fun. They became spaces for all participants to enjoy, not just our own Precision athletes.
Q9. What advice would you give a new start-up entering the running space?
Stay true to who you are and what you want to build. When you lead with authenticity and embrace this as a long-term journey driven by your values, you'll naturally attract your people and create something meaningful.
Q10. Have you started making plans yet for The International Running Expo (IRX) in November? If yes, is there anything you can share?
What I can share is that Precision F&H are sponsoring the running track at IRX 2026. We are planning some of our renowned cool activations across both days that we think people will really love. We might also have some exciting updates to share by then, and we're looking into coordinating athlete presence. Nothing is confirmed on that front yet, but I’m certain the details will be revealed as soon as they are.
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