When Food Can Make You Faster  Marathon fueling strategies
January 1, 2003  Here’s the reality. At marathon pace, a typical
runner burns in the range of 200 grams of carbohydrate per hour.
But the average runner can absorb only 60 to 80 grams per hour
when carbohydrate is consumed in the most absorbable form—a six
to eight percent liquid solution. So the ACSM guidelines are
based not on how much carbohydrate you would need to absorb in
order to prevent depletion but on a very conservative estimate
of how much you can actually cram into your stomach without
suffering gastrointestinal distress (cramps, bloating, nausea).
The vast majority of runners don’t even get close to this.  The
situation with fluid loss is similar. Body fluid (comprising
water and electrolyte minerals) is often lost at rates exceeding
1.5 liters per hour during marathon-pace running. Yet the
average runner is unable to tolerate drinking at more than a
third of this rate while racing. Drinking any faster—even though
the body could use a l