A Runner's Guide to Using Energy Drinks

Energy drinks can be a valuable component of a runner’s nutrition strategy, offering a quick and convenient way to replenish energy stores during long runs and intense training sessions.

Packed with carbs and sometimes electrolytes and caffeine too, energy drinks provide a rapid source of fuel and hydration helping runners maintain their best performance.

It is essential to combine the use of energy drinks with a balanced diet and adequate hydration, they should be treated as a supplement not a substitute.

Types of Energy Drinks

Most energy drinks come in a powdered format ready to be mixed with water. Nutritional content can vary from brand to brand but all will contain carbs for energy

Carb-only:

Some energy drinks are carb only, meaning they won’t address your hydration needs. If you choose a carb only energy drink, make sure to also use either an electrolyte replacement tab or drink alongside to maintain proper hydration.

Popular at XMiles:

• SIS Beta Fuel Energy Drink
• Maurten Drink Mix 320
• Precision Fuel & Hydration Carb Only Drink Mix

High-Carb:

For runners the goal should be to consume between 30-90g of carbs per hour to maintain energy levels during exercise lasting over 60 minutes. The exact amount depends on many factors and will be different for every athlete.

High-carb energy drinks allow the runner to use the energy drink as their only energy source, eliminating the need to carry energy gels or other fuelling products.

Using an energy drink as the only source of fuel can be ideal when running medium distances lasting 1-2 hours- for anything over this length it can be good to have some variety in your fuelling strategy.

Popular at XMiles:

• OTE Super Carbs Performance Energy Drink
• Skratch Labs Super High-carb Drink Mix

Carb & Electrolyte:

The most common type of energy drink is one that contains both carbs and electrolytes (this includes the high-carb drinks we just mentioned), these provide the perfect solution to fuel and hydration in one drink.

Popular at XMiles:

Active Root Sports Drink Mix

• 40g Carbs
• 227mg Sodium

Tailwind Endurance Fuel

• 50g Carbs
• 303mg Sodium
• 88mg Potassium
• 26mg Calcium
• 14mg Magnesium

TORQ Energy Drink

• 30g Carbs
• 279mg Sodium
• 6mg Magnesium
• 27mg Calcium
• 64mg Potassium

Caff vs non-caff:

The subject of caffeine in sports nutrition is highly debated, is it necessary? Does coffee have the same affect?

Caffeine is a stimulant and for some runners can be a useful tool to enhance focus, especially towards the end of a long run. For runners who want caffeine but perhaps don’t like the taste of coffee, a caffeinated energy drink is the perfect solution.

Some athletes prefer to get their caffeine intake from coffee alone, and others just don’t get on with caffeine at all. For those runners a non-caffeinated drink is best.

Popular caffeinated drinks at XMiles:

INFINIT :JET FUEL

• 125mg Caffeine

Maurten Drink Mix 320 CAF 100

• 100mg Caffeine

When to Consume Energy Drinks

Energy drinks can be used to improve performance and alertness during endurance workouts and races. If you’re only exercising for up to an hour, then water or an electrolyte hydration tablet drink is sufficient.

You will still of course be losing glycogen and (opt for just water) electrolytes. However, because you’re not continuing to exercise at a sustained effort for a longer period (over 1 hour) you don’t need to refuel during your activity.

Instead, refuelling with a recovery drink or by eating a meal will be enough to aid your recovery.

For exercise over an hour in length, you will want to be fuelling from the start to ensure a balanced carbohydrate load during activity. 

Pre-loading by taking an energy drink before you start ensures you’re properly hydrated from the beginning and gives your body time to metabolize the carbohydrates you’re taking in to be used later, before you start to crash. Ideally finish drinking the mix 1 hours before your activity.

Timing:

You ideally want to consume 30-90 grams of carbs per hour, this can be in the form of your energy drink, energy gels, energy bars or energy chews, so how often you are taking your energy drink depends on the carbohydrate content and the rest of your fuelling strategy.

For example, OTE Super Carbs mixed with 500ml of water contains 80g of carbohydrate. So, 500 ml every hour would give you the required carbohydrate intake, or you could drink half 250 ml of the energy drink, giving you 40g of carbohydrates, and then combine with an energy gel with a carb content of 20-30g.

This way you can limit your liquid intake to avoid bloating or in colder weather but still get your ideal hourly carbohydrate intake.

Choosing the Right Energy Drink

The perfect energy drink looks different to every runner, we all have our own personal preferences, dietary restrictions and nutritional needs to consider when choosing a product.

Taste, texture, ingredients and nutritional content are all factors when deciding which is the right energy drink for you.

Hydration

If opting for a carb only energy drink, don’t forget to consider you hydration as well. To maintain proper hydration during exercise lasting longer than 1 hour, you need to top up electrolytes lost through sweat.

Drinking carb only energy drinks during a long run won’t be enough to keep you hydrated.

Takeaway

Energy drinks are a convenient and effective tool for endurance runners to maintain energy levels during long training sessions and races.

By understanding the benefits of energy drinks, following usage guidelines, and using proper timing strategies, you can optimize your performance and avoid hitting the dreaded "wall".

And always remember to experiment during your training to find what works best for you, and don’t leave it all till race day!

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