Marathon - running & drinking a cup of water

The amount of fluid consumed should be approximately equivalent to its loss due to perspiration. Start drinking before you start. Within two hours before the start, before the start of the warm-up, you need to drink about 0.5 - 0.7 L of liquid enriched with carbohydrates or electrolytes. After the start, you need to start drinking from the first feeding point, and not after the appearance of thirst. You may find this article helpful https://www.silvermckenna.com/top-5-repercussions-of-not-getting-enough-water/

I’m planning to have a cheap 16 Oz plastic water bottle filled with Gatorade at the start. Annoying to carry but will use it for 5-7 or so miles, avoid the crowded early aid stations, then toss it when it’s gone and just slow down and drink from a normal aid station cup from there on. The first 10 miles are the most crucial for getting carbs and electrolytes in

Golldy wrote:

The amount of fluid consumed should be approximately equivalent to its loss due to perspiration./

Lol, no.

This is not possible when running at a fast pace. The maximum rate of gastric emptying cannot keep up with water loss from sweat. Moreover, matching your perspiration would be too much water because the h2o that is stored in glycogen is released back into the bloodstream as you burn carbs.

Research shows an inverse relationship between hydration and performance. Until you reach extreme levels of dehydration, the fastest runners are more dehydrated than the slower ones. There is no demonstrated downside to moderate dehydration in marathons. It’s an issue in very long races (Ironman) and very hot races. In normal fall conditions, you don’t need ANY water to run a marathon.

Icouldbeyourmom wrote:

I’m planning to have a cheap 16 Oz plastic water bottle filled with Gatorade at the start. Annoying to carry but will use it for 5-7 or so miles, avoid the crowded early aid stations, then toss it when it’s gone and just slow down and drink from a normal aid station cup from there on. The first 10 miles are the most crucial for getting carbs and electrolytes in

May I suggest that instead of Gatorade, you mix your own hyper concentrated carb mix. 16 oz of Gatorade isn’t a lot of carbs, but it is a lot of liquid to carry. You can get several hundred grams of carbs in a 10 oz hand bottle with a strap. You hardly notice it, and you can toss it at 16 miles or so.

Enter some beer miles as training

Ernest wrote:

Thirsty wrote:

Buy one of those Gatorade 24 oz. twist top bottles usually only found in convenience stores. Not hard to carry for a full marathon if you try it for a few long runs first. At every water stop take the whole top off and pour the water/Gatorade into the bottle - only slowing down a little to avoid spilling or dropping the top. You can then easily sip every half mile or so and delay dehydration vs. spilling half the cup and waiting for the next water table a mile away.

No competitive runner would do this.

Agree, this sounds as a bad solution. Carrying a bottle and then having to take of the lid and fill once in a while?.. No