The Rise of Floda: Trail Running’s New Secret Weapon

For years, trail running aid stations offered a plethora of snacks and drinks—a smorgasbord of junk food with almost no nutritional value, beyond their ability to propel hoards of shuffling INKnBURN zombies down the trail.

While ultrarunners didn’t seem to mind—and many actually seemed to relish in devouring handfuls of of cookies, potato chips, gummy bears and pretzels while gulping de-fizzed cola as they hobbled and sometimes crawled to finish lines—the world of science-based nutrition exploded in recent years and shunned the array of quickly-available carbohydrates in the form of all manner of oozy, goopy gels and goos.

OK, sure, modern gels, bars, stroopwafels and drinks are pretty good—and good for your racing performance—but, c’mon, ultrarunners just can’t live without their de-fizzed sodas.

Enter Floda, the ultimate performance-enhancing energy drink that’s primed to revolutionize endurance sports.

What is Floda? It’s an innovative new energy drink created out of an age-old concept that dates back to the early days of ultra-distance trail running. It’s a cola-flavored flat soda (i.e. FLat soDA) that’s formulated with zero carbonation, yet it still provides peak levels of sugar and caffeine—the essential nutrients needed to keep moving through the toughest miles of an ultra.

Designed for distance and inspired by the love of running, Floda, the world’s first-ever flat soda, is a mind-blowing new concept brought to life by Satisfy and Trail Runner, part of the Outside, Inc. Network., with the intent of disrupting endurance sports hydration as we know it.

We put a man on the moon, and now, we’ve used cutting-edge science to take the bubbles back out of soda.

Launched during the May 1-6 Cocodona 250 ultra-distance trail race through central Arizona, Floda is the trail running scene’s new secret weapon for grinding through the painful hours of ridiculously long races.

“Floda is set to revolutionize the endurance drink industry and has the potential to change the way runners think about energy drinks.” says Brice Partouche, founder of Satisfy, which is the sponsor of the Cocodona 250s’s Fair Ranch Mile 100 Aid Station, where Cocodona runners will be able to drink in the rejuvenating essence of Floda for the first time.

The launch campaign for Floda drops on May 3, with the release of an authentic and edgy 30-second short film, directed by renowned French directing duo David & Douglas. The launch video is a celebration of trail running and the joy of a sugary energy boost during a run wrapped into one compelling cut. The video, like the lavender-hued labels of the Floda cans, features Satisfy pro athlete Michael Versteeg, winner of the inaugural Cocodona 250 race in Arizona.

The biggest drawback with traditional sodas is that the carbonation can cause discomfort, leaving them burping and cramping their way to the finish line. Only true insiders would let their traditional sodas flatten overnight. But this is where Floda comes in.

The brand embodies the essence of trail running—raw, pure, and natural—just like the drink itself. With its unique formula, Floda offers all the energy of soda without the discomfort of carbonation, making it an ideal drink for trail runners. Its tagline sums it up perfectly: “All the Energy of Soda. With None of the Fizz.”

“We’ve always kept our ears to the ground of our communities to truly listen to what trail runners need to keep running longer,” says Zoe Röm, Trail Runner Editor-in-Chief. “And what our community needs, more than anything else, is Floda. We just tapped into something the ultrarunning community has been doing all along. This is the next evolution in endurance nutrition”

The film is premiering during the Cocodona 250 race livestream and Floda will be exclusively available at Fain Ranch Aid Station at Mile 100 powered by Satisfy, main sponsor of the race.

“It’s been great to see the growth and excitement for trail running, and we just hope Floda will help get more people—especially soda-loving runners—running more too,” Rom says. “This is a necessary addition to every runner’s nutritional arsenal.”

Floda will be available for FREE to the running community through social giveaways and at additional running events across the United States and Europe this summer. Follow @SatisfyRunning or @Trailrunnermag to find out where and when.