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There is no safe, universal hourly water or electrolyte dose for every runner. Start the run reasonably hydrated, let thirst help limit drinking, and use your own sweat losses, pace, duration, temperature and humidity to refine the plan. Drink enough to avoid excessive dehydration, but do not force fluids or assume an electrolyte drink makes overdrinking safe.
For runs longer than about an hour, carbohydrate and sodium may be useful, especially in heat or humidity. The practical target is a plan you have tested in training—not a rigid number copied from someone else.
The short answer: match intake to losses, not a universal formula
Your water requirement depends on how much you sweat. Sweat rate changes with body size, pace, clothing, temperature, humidity, wind, terrain and acclimatization. Sweat sodium concentration also varies substantially between runners. The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) therefore recommends individualized fluid replacement rather than one hourly prescription (ACSM, 2007).
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- Begin the run normally hydrated; do not try to “pre-load” by gulping excessive water.
- During the run, use thirst and your measured sweat pattern to decide how much to carry and drink.
- Avoid both extremes: excessive dehydration can impair performance and increase heat strain, while drinking beyond losses can dilute blood sodium and cause exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH).
- Consider sodium and carbohydrate for prolonged or hard efforts, but treat them as performance and tolerance tools—not permission to drink past thirst.
The 2015 international EAH consensus specifically supports using innate thirst to limit excessive drinking while providing enough fluid to reduce excessive dehydration (Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, 2015).
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What “long” means for your hydration plan
Duration changes the problem. A relaxed 50-minute run usually has different fueling and fluid needs from a three-hour race in humid weather. Older ACSM guidance found little performance evidence favoring a sports drink over water for exercise under one hour, while discussing carbohydrate and/or electrolyte drinks for sessions lasting longer than one hour (ACSM, 1996). That does not create a mandatory cutoff; it identifies when replacing fuel and electrolytes becomes more relevant.
| Run situation | Practical starting approach | What to reassess |
|---|---|---|
| Under about 60 minutes, comfortable intensity | Drink to thirst; water is often adequate if you started hydrated. | Heat, unusually heavy sweating, and whether the session becomes longer or harder than planned. |
| More than 60 minutes or high intensity | Plan access to fluid and consider a carbohydrate-electrolyte option that you tolerate. | Your sweat rate, carbohydrate needs, stomach comfort and the route’s refill points. |
| Very long run or ultramarathon | Use a tested plan based on measured losses, thirst, weather and available foods or drinks. | Heat and humidity, sodium-containing food and drink, changing pace, and signs of over- or under-drinking. |
These categories are decision aids, not prescriptions. A cool, easy 90-minute run may require less fluid than a hot, fast 45-minute workout.
Start the run hydrated without forcing water
The 1996 ACSM position stand suggested about 500 mL (approximately 17 US fl oz) around two hours before exercise (ACSM, 1996). This is a pre-exercise suggestion from that document, not a during-run target and not a requirement for every person. Use the two-hour window to drink normally, allow time to use the restroom, and avoid arriving with a stomach full of fluid.
If you are already drinking normally and the run is short and cool, adding a large volume simply to hit a number can increase bathroom stops and may encourage overdrinking later. People with kidney, heart or endocrine conditions, or those taking medicines that alter fluid or sodium balance, should get individualized advice from a clinician before changing fluid intake.
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Measure your sweat rate before prescribing an hourly amount
A before-and-after body-weight test is a practical way to estimate sweat loss. Do it on a representative training run, wearing similar clothing and carrying the same bottle you expect to use in an event. The ACSM describes body-weight change as one method for customizing fluid replacement (ACSM, 2007).
Step-by-step field test
- Weigh before running. Record body weight as consistently as possible, ideally with minimal clothing and after using the restroom.
- Record every drink. Measure the volume you carry and what remains. Include water, sports drink and other fluids.
- Record urine during the test. If you stop to urinate, measure that volume or note it as accurately as possible.
- Run for a known time. A 60- to 90-minute session in conditions similar to your target run is useful. Note temperature, humidity, pace and clothing.
- Weigh after running. Towel off sweat and use the same scale and clothing conditions.
- Calculate loss. Sweat loss in liters is approximately: pre-run body mass (kg) − post-run body mass (kg) + fluid consumed (L) − urine produced (L). Because one kilogram of mass change is approximately one liter of water, the units align closely.
- Convert to a rate. Divide the estimated sweat loss by the run duration in hours. Repeat on a hot day and a cool day; one test is not your permanent number.
Worked example
A runner starts at 70.0 kg and finishes a 90-minute run at 69.0 kg. They drink 0.5 L and produce no urine during the run. Estimated sweat loss is 1.0 kg + 0.5 L = 1.5 L over 1.5 hours, or about 1.0 L per hour. That is an estimate of loss under those conditions, not an instruction to replace exactly 1.0 L every hour. Thirst, stomach tolerance and the risk of exceeding losses still set the practical ceiling.
The ACSM position stand discusses avoiding excessive dehydration and cites more than 2% body-weight loss from water deficit as a goalpost in its discussion; it also emphasizes that fluid plans must be individualized (ACSM, 2007). Treat 2% as a context-specific reference, not a license to chase body weight with forced drinking.
How to drink during the run
Let thirst prevent the biggest mistake
Drink when thirsty rather than setting an aggressive schedule that requires finishing a bottle. Thirst is not a precision sweat meter, but it is a useful safeguard against consuming far more fluid than you lose. The 2015 consensus identifies excessive fluid consumption as a primary cause of EAH and recommends thirst-guided drinking (Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, 2015).
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Use measured loss to plan logistics, not to force replacement
Your sweat test helps you decide how much to carry, where to refill and whether a handheld bottle, vest or aid-station plan is realistic. It does not mean every drop must be replaced. If your calculated rate is high, reduce heat exposure where possible, slow the pace in extreme conditions and arrange reliable access to fluid rather than trying to drink rapidly.
Account for the route
- Map fountains, aid stations and refill points before a long run.
- Carry only what you can drink comfortably; a heavy pack can change pace and heat production.
- Use smaller, regular sips if large drinks cause sloshing, but stop following the schedule if you are not thirsty.
- Practice with the exact bottle, drink temperature and concentration you expect to use in competition.
When electrolytes and carbohydrate make sense
Electrolytes are most relevant when exercise is prolonged, sweating is substantial, or conditions are hot and humid. Sodium is the principal electrolyte discussed in endurance guidance because it is lost in sweat and helps make a drink palatable. Individual sweat sodium, however, is not established by a generic label or by how salty your shirt looks.
Published sodium ranges and their limits
| Source and context | Published figure | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| ACSM position stand (1996), exercise longer than one hour | 0.5–0.7 g sodium per liter of water | Historical concentration guidance. It is not a universal dose or proof that every runner needs sodium in every bottle. |
| International Society of Sports Nutrition ultramarathon position stand (2019) | 500–700 mg sodium per liter of fluid; approximately 300–600 mg sodium per hour in hot or humid conditions | Context-specific ultramarathon guidance. Needs vary with sweat rate, food intake, weather, duration and tolerance (ISSN, 2019). |
The 2019 ultramarathon position stand presents those ranges as a strategy for long-duration running, particularly when sweating is prolonged and heat or humidity is high. Do not convert them into an exact personal recipe without considering your measured losses and the sodium in food and other drinks.
Carbohydrate is separate from hydration
The 1996 ACSM statement describes 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour during intense exercise lasting longer than one hour as a way to support carbohydrate oxidation and delay fatigue (ACSM, 1996). This is a fueling strategy, not a universal hydration requirement. A carbohydrate drink can supply both, while gels, chews or food can provide carbohydrate separately from water.
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Water versus a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink
Choose based on duration, effort, sweat, weather, tolerance and access. Neither option is automatically safer if you consume more fluid than you lose.
| Option | Useful when | Limitations and checks |
|---|---|---|
| Plain water | Shorter or easier runs, cool conditions, or when carbohydrate and sodium are supplied by food. | Large volumes without sodium or food can still contribute to dilutional hyponatremia if they exceed losses. |
| Carbohydrate-electrolyte drink | Longer or harder sessions when you want combined fuel and fluid, or when salty sweat and hot conditions make sodium useful. | Check concentration, taste, stomach tolerance and total intake. Sodium does not make overdrinking safe. |
| Water plus separate food or gels | When you prefer to control carbohydrate and fluid independently. | Plan where both are available; do not forget that foods and other drinks contribute sodium and carbohydrate. |
Sports drinks commonly contain only 10–38 mmol/L sodium, compared with approximately 140 mmol/L in serum. The 2015 EAH consensus uses this comparison to explain why sodium-containing sports drinks cannot prevent hyponatremia when someone drinks beyond their losses (Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, 2015).
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Adjust the plan for heat, humidity and very long events
Heat and humidity can increase sweat losses and make cooling harder. Pace, direct sun, clothing and acclimatization also matter. On a hot day, repeat a sweat-rate test or use a conservative plan from a comparable session instead of importing numbers from a cool-weather run.
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Build and test a personal long-run plan
- Set the scenario. Write down expected duration, pace, temperature, humidity, terrain, clothing and available refill points.
- Estimate losses. Perform a body-weight test in similar conditions and calculate an hourly estimate.
- Choose the simplest drinkable option. Decide whether water, a carbohydrate-electrolyte drink, or water plus food best fits the effort.
- Set a carry and refill plan. Bring enough for the route without making “emptying the bottle” the goal.
- Practice at race intensity. Test taste, concentration, bottle access and carbohydrate amounts on several training runs.
- Review outcomes. Note thirst, stomach comfort, performance, weather and post-run body mass. Change one variable at a time.
Do not debut a high-sodium product, a new concentrated mix or a forced-drinking schedule on race day. Your plan should remain flexible enough to respond to heat, slower pace, missed aid stations and stomach distress.
Recognize underhydration and exercise-associated hyponatremia
Possible excessive fluid loss
Large sweat losses, worsening heat strain and declining performance can signal that conditions exceed your plan. Move to a cooler location, reduce effort and obtain fluid according to thirst and available support. Persistent or severe symptoms warrant medical evaluation.
Possible EAH: treat as urgent
Confusion, severe headache, repeated vomiting or seizures during or after exercise can indicate serious EAH. The 2015 consensus treats suspected EAH as requiring urgent medical assessment (Third International Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia Consensus Development Conference, 2015). Stop exercising, alert race or emergency staff and do not respond by forcing more water. A sports drink is not a substitute for assessment.
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Common mistakes to avoid
- Copying someone else’s hourly volume: their body size, sweat rate, pace and weather may be entirely different.
- Chasing a clear bottle or a scale number: neither proves that you need more fluid, and forced intake can be dangerous.
- Assuming sodium cancels excess water: sports-drink sodium is far below serum sodium and cannot neutralize overconsumption.
- Ignoring food and drink totals: sodium and carbohydrate from gels, meals and multiple bottles add together.
- Testing only in perfect weather: a cool-day plan may fail in heat or humidity.
- Changing several variables at once: you will not know whether a problem came from volume, concentration, carbohydrate, sodium or pace.
A concise decision rule
For a short, easy run, start normally hydrated and drink to thirst. For runs beyond an hour, especially hard or hot sessions, plan fluid access and consider carbohydrate and sodium that you have already tolerated. Use a body-weight sweat test to inform logistics, not to force replacement. At every distance, the safest rule is the same: replace enough to limit excessive dehydration while never drinking beyond what your thirst and losses justify.
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