Under-fueling wrecks more races than fitness does. Enter your race time and targets to see exactly how many carbs, fuel servings, sodium and bottles to plan. Free, instant, fully editable.
Fueling is paced per hour, not per mile. Research-backed targets for endurance racing:
| What | Range / hour | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate | 60–120 g | Start ~60–80; trained guts handle 90–120 with multiple carb types. Take more on the bike, less on the run. |
| Sodium | ~500–1000 mg | Scale to your sweat rate & heat; heavy/salty sweaters at the top. |
| Fluid | 500–1000 ml | By sweat rate and conditions; up to 1.5 L/hr in heat. |
Take carbs with water to avoid GI distress, and practice your exact plan in training — your gut is trainable, but race day is the wrong time to find your limit.
General guidance, not medical or coaching advice. Individual needs vary widely; test your plan in long sessions.
60–120 g/hour. Most age-groupers do well around 70–90 g/hr; well-trained athletes using mixed carb sources push toward 120 on the bike. Lower it on the run, where your gut is more sensitive.
At ~25 g per gel, 80 g/hr is a bit over 3 "servings" an hour — but you'll usually mix gels, chews and drink-mix rather than take gels alone. The calculator shows total servings so you can plan the blend.
Roughly 500–1000 mg sodium and 500–1000 ml fluid per hour, scaled to your sweat rate and the heat. Do a sweat test in training to dial in yours.