ULTRA RUNNING HYDRATION & ELECTROLYTES

Capsules provide the greatest separation between drinking and electrolyte intake. You can drink according to thirst while taking a known amount of electrolyte independently, then adjust the frequency as conditions, pace and food intake change. They are also compact and straightforward to carry.

Effervescent tablets are convenient and easy to portion: carry a tube or a few tablets separately and add one when refilling. They do, however, continue to release gas while dissolving. In a closed bottle this can create pressure and foam when the cap is opened. A reservoir can be easier because air can be released through the drinking valve.

Electrolyte drink powders avoid the fizz and can offer different sodium concentrations. Combined carbohydrate and electrolyte powders simplify things further by providing fuel and electrolytes in the same drink. The trade-off is that fluid, electrolyte and calorie intake become more closely linked.

There are good practical reasons for either approach. Keeping water, electrolytes and calories separate gives you more independent control. If appetite changes or you want to alter electrolyte intake, you can do so without automatically changing everything else.

Combined carbohydrate and electrolyte drinks reduce the number of things to manage. Many ultra runners successfully use them as a substantial part of their fuelling strategy. Even then, carrying the mix in one flask or bottle and plain water in another makes it easier to see how much has been consumed and provides a choice of drinks.

Individual requirements vary considerably. Sweat losses, heat, humidity, effort, duration, food and other drinks all contribute, and requirements can change during the same event.

Different electrolyte strengths allow you to experiment in training and establish what works for you. Lower or higher concentrations can then be used as conditions and intake change, rather than assuming that more sodium is always better.

Not necessarily. There is genuine debate around how much supplemental electrolyte is required during endurance exercise, particularly when sodium is already being consumed through food and sports nutrition.

Many ultra runners choose to supplement electrolytes and develop a strategy through training and race experience; others rely largely on food and drink. More electrolyte is not automatically better, and supplementation should not be regarded as protection against excessive fluid intake.

Thirst is a useful guide to fluid intake and avoids trying to replace every measured or estimated fluid loss. Trying to force large quantities of water because a schedule says they are due can itself create problems.

A long ultra still requires attention. Starting to drink too late can leave you dehydrated and may force you to slow considerably while you recover. The important distinction is between paying attention to drinking and forcing fluid beyond what your body is asking for.

Excessive fluid intake can cause exercise-associated hyponatraemia, a potentially serious reduction in blood sodium concentration. Taking salt or electrolyte supplements does not make excessive drinking safe.

Expect your strategy to change with the conditions rather than simply following the same quantities throughout the day. Heat, humidity, direct sunshine, cloud cover and shade can all alter how quickly you become hot and thirsty.

External cooling can help too. Wetting your head, neck or arms, using available shade and managing clothing or headwear are different from drinking more fluid and should not be confused with replacing fluid internally.

Use training to learn how your drinking and electrolyte strategy responds to warmer conditions rather than discovering it for the first time during a race.

For most non-elite runners, pace can fall substantially overnight. Temperatures commonly fall as well, so fluid and electrolyte intake may need to reduce considerably compared with a warm afternoon.

The following day can change things again. Some runners increase their pace after daylight despite having considerably more distance in their legs. A fixed hourly plan that made sense during the first afternoon may therefore make little sense across an entire 24-hour or multi-day event.

Yes. Electrolytes do not come only from capsules, tablets and sports drinks. Food eaten at checkpoints or carried during the race can contribute substantial sodium, particularly salty foods.

Consider the whole intake rather than automatically continuing the same supplement schedule regardless of what you are eating. Equally, do not assume that craving or eating salty food tells you precisely how much sodium your body requires.

They can be very convenient. Tablets provide individual doses without measuring powder, and a tube or a few tabs in a small resealable bag takes little space.

The disadvantage is fizz. A tablet dissolving in a closed bottle releases gas and can build pressure, sometimes producing foam or sticky liquid when the cap is opened. Allowing it to dissolve before fully closing the bottle can help. Reservoirs can be easier to manage because excess air can be released through the drinking valve.

Two different drinks provide both choice and control. You might carry plain water in one flask and electrolyte, carbohydrate drink or squash in another. This lets you choose what you want at the time rather than committing all of your fluid to one flavour or formulation.

It can also make consumption easier to monitor. If one flask contains a carbohydrate/electrolyte drink, you can see how much of that product you have consumed independently of your total fluid intake.

Flavour tolerance is highly individual and can change during a long event. A drink that tastes good at the start may become difficult after many hours, which is one reason some runners choose lightly flavoured or near-neutral products.

The opposite can happen too. Warm plain water may become particularly unappealing when you are extremely tired. Having more than one option can maintain interest in drinking without forcing every flask to contain the same flavour.

Yes. Training provides an opportunity to test stomach tolerance, flavour, concentration, carrying and preparation as well as the overall strategy.

Try products in conditions reasonably similar to those you expect to encounter, including warmer weather where appropriate. The purpose is not to discover a perfect formula that can never change; it is to understand what works well enough that you can make sensible adjustments when circumstances change.

Check whether the particular product contains caffeine rather than assuming all flavours within a range are the same. Caffeine can be useful to some runners, particularly later in long events, but others prefer to control it independently from hydration.

Coffee, cola, gels and chews are other ways runners consume caffeine. Keeping caffeine separate means choosing when to use it without having to change what you drink for hydration.

A recovery drink can be useful immediately after a long training run or race when drinking feels easier than eating a substantial meal. It provides a convenient way to start taking in carbohydrate, protein and fluid while you recover.

It does not need to replace normal food. You can eat alongside it or follow it with food when your appetite and stomach are ready.

Single-serving sachets are particularly practical at the finish of a long ultra. Leave one in your finish or drop bag, add water after the race and you have something available immediately without relying on what food happens to be at the finish.

For runners whose appetite takes time to return, this provides an easy first step while they settle, drink and begin eating normally again.