Understood. Appreciate the details there.

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I don't think there's a universality to this, just fwiw. Personally, I appear to need esophageal peristalsis to occur to some degree before the reflex really kicks off, so pickle juice is preferable.
As mentioned up thread, I think chinese hot mustard packets are a good way to go for a lot of people; you get both heat and acid, and it's hard to beat the form factor.

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The mechanism by which pickle juice works has nothing to do with electrolytes. Given that you can cramp quite seriously even while keeping electrolytes topped off, pickle juice can be a race saver when cramps occur.

You’re not using enough mustard.

I should have clarified equal volumes. :)

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Uhhh... Yikes.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
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This is how I carry it also. It has worked pretty well for me to banish cramps.

I would rather have cramps and DNF than drink pickle water.

Similarly: some races have Coca-Cola available at aid stations. I want to see the bottle or can it comes out of to be sure I don't drink Pepsi. If drinking Pepsi meant that I'd avoid the hospital, then be sure the ambulance is nearby. I'm not close to joking. I graduated from Emory University, and there is a ferocious allegiance to Coca-Cola at Emory. I haven't so much as sipped a Pepsi in over 34 years. I think most/all of my classmates and those who call Emory our alma mater would make the same decision as I would, as quickly as I would.

Respectfully, that's a bit of a stretch.... It's been proven to work -sometimes- for -some- people. And for some of those 'some' people I'd say it was somewhat placebo......like "Hey, I cramped, so I stopped for 10 minutes at an aid station and drank a hot shot / pickle juice and my cramps disappeared!!!". OK, was it the juice, or the 10 minute break..... And even when it 'works', it is a band aid for the underlying cause (pushing too hard) and the cramps will likely return in force. Even the creator of Hot Shots has acknowledged that.

I've tried pickle juice, hot shots (was a beta tester, so had cases of it), none of it ever helped, had some of the worst leg cramps at races while using this stuff. For me, and I'd venture most people, as mentioned above it was simply a matter of pushing too hard and the solution was to go easier.

I took the position that pickle juice is just a fancy vinegar. It s composed of vinegar, water and salt after all.

So once a year (or so) on the way to a race, I go to McDonald's, buy some fries and filch a bunch of vinegar sachets. My wife eats the fries. The sachets fit nicely in the race belt or in the Bento box. I have even put one in my swim cap as I often cramp up on the swim (although I never do in the pool).

Works a charm.
I have enough to give away when some poor soul goes down in the run.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19997012/


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35416793/

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Oh as a serial cramper, I've read those studies, along with an endless amount of forum posts on the subject. What became very clear to me based on my own experience and several others, as it absolutely does not work for everyone. I wish it did!

I don't recall anyone claiming that it *did* work for everyone. It *does* work, though, and it works for a majority of the people studied. It's also definitely *not* a placebo.

It sucks that you're an outlier, but you are, and we all know the value of n=1 anecdata.

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Tech writer/support on this here site. FIST school instructor and certified bike fitter. Formerly at Diamondback Bikes, LeMond Fitness, FSA, TiCycles, etc.
Coaching and bike fit - http://source-e.net/ Cyclocross blog - https://crosssports.net/ BJJ instruction - https://ballardbjj.com/

When I raced middle distance, I used to carry pickle juice in small plastic vials. I used some small plastic ones where my iron supplement in liquid form came in. They worked magic when cramps appeared near the end of the race, and they allowed me to finish without slowing down.

Have you tried Walmart yellow mustard from a squeeze bottle? Or straight vinegar? In my experience pickle juice is weak. :) And "hot shots" - a product targeting this effect - misses the mark for me.

I like caffeine pills instead of coffee. I like sugar instead of [insert expensive product]. I like things that work. If I took my anti-cramp efforts seriously, I'd carry either yellow-mustard (not packets; a squeezable bottle!) or plain vinegar.

That said, I'm sure it doesn't work for everyone. But I am curious if you have tried the more extreme acid approaches. :)

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Dr. Alex Harrison | Founder & CEO | Sport Physiology & Performance PhD
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Admittedly I don't think I have. I've used (many many times) hot shots, real pickle juice from a flask, packaged pickle shots (forget the name, same type of bottle as hot shots). Maybe I'll carry some mustard packs next time. There is no way I'd be able to sip straight white vinegar without hurling.
That said, my cramp issues mostly went away when I dialed back the effort on the bike.