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Hydration is crucial to running success – but it’s not just about drinking enough water. Ingesting the correct amount of electrolytes, whether through drinks, tablets or chews, can make or break an important race, but it’s something a lot of people neglect.
The best electrolytes for runners
Ready to get on top of your hydration? Here are our top picks, at a glance. Keep scrolling to read more.
What are electrolyte drinks?
Electrolytes are essential minerals (including sodium) that the body needs to stay hydrated. When sodium intake is too low, symptoms can range from gastrointestinal distress to nausea, bloating, fatigue, impaired concentration and dizziness.
Most runners sweat between 400ml to 2,400ml per hour of exercise, with the average value being around 1,200ml per hour. The sodium content of sweat also varies substantially, from 115mg to greater than 2,000mg per 100ml of sweat.
‘As a rule of thumb, I generally suggest runners take around 700 to 900mg of sodium per 1,000ml of fluid during longer training and competition,’ says leading sports dietitian Renee McGregor. ‘This can be a mix of electrolyte tablets, electrolyte powder, energy drinks and whole food.’
Runner's World Lab Approved
For the Runner's World Sports Nutrition Awards 2024, the Runner's World Lab recruited a trusty panel of experts and ordinary runners to trial a variety of the best electrolyte drinks, tablets and powders. They tested each product for flavour, texture, ease of use, nutritional content and, crucially, how they performed in practice. The products that excelled on test are stamped with the esteemed Runner's World Sports Nutrition Awards logo below.
The remaining products in this round-up have been carefully selected by Renee McGregor, a leading sports dietitian with over 20 years of experience, and the RW editors. Happy hydrating!
The best electrolyte drinks and tablets for runners
SiS Hydro Hydration Tablets
Per serving
| Kcals | 8 |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 0.6g |
| Salt | 0.8g |
Score: 9.5/10
Designed to be consumed before, during and after your run, these effervescent tablets provide 300mg of electrolytes (sodium, calcium, magnesium and potassium) to keep your salts topped up, as well as B vitamins and green tea extract for an extra push. As they come in a handy tube, they’re easy to transport and use – simply pop one into your water bottle as required. The zingy grapefruit flavour was praised for being ‘refreshing, light and not too sickly’.
Precision Hydration PH1000
Per serving
| Kcal | 65 |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 17g |
| Salt | 1.25g |
Score: 9.5/10
Delivering a mighty 1000mg of sodium per litre, this electrolyte powder is ideal for ‘salty sweaters’ (look for white marks on your kit where your sweat has dried) who lose a lot of sodium in their perspiration, and for long distance runs/races, particularly in hot conditions. Our panel liked the convenient single-serve sachets and said the gentle fruit flavour. There are no nasties on the ingredients list and varying sodium strengths are available to accommodate different needs.
STYKR SLT07 Hydration Tablets: Mild Citrus
Per serving
| Kcal | 11 |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 0.5g |
| Salt | 1.01g |
Score: 9/10
Each tablet contains a hefty 1000mg of sodium plus 100mg of potassium, 25mg of magnesium and 15mg of calcium when dissolved in 500ml of water. If you don’t need such a high dosage, you can drop half a tab into your bottle. Our testers found it dissolved quickly, without any pesky powdery residue, and the citrus flavour wasn’t too sharp or overwhelming. It’s free from artificial flavours and sweeteners and formulated to be gentle on runners’ stomachs.
Phizz 3-in-1 Hydration Tablets
Per serving
| Kcal | 10kcal |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 1.2g |
| Salt | 0.8g |
Score: 8.5/10
Not your standard electrolyte drink, Phizz doubles up as a multivitamin, providing four key electrolytes and 18 vitamins (including 375% of your daily dose of vitamin C) for added immune system and energy support. The fresh, fruity mango flavour and ‘perfectly fizzy’ consistency won our testers over. Just make sure not to overdose it if you’re already taking a multivitamin.
Hammer Nutrition Endurolytes Fizz - Lemon Lime
Per serving
| Kcal | 10 |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 1.2g |
| Salt | 0.8g |
Score: 9/10
Hammer blends key electrolytes (sodium, potassium, magnesium and calcium) with a healthy dose of vitamin B6 and L-Tyrosine (a non-essential amino acid), which are both linked to enhanced mental cognition and focus. Each rapidly dissolving tab is scored across the middle, so you can calibrate much how salt you need, whether it’s a half or a couple. The tangy lemon and lime taste was a hit with our testers, too.
RW Expert-tested
SaltStick Fastchews Tart Orange 60 Chewable Tablets
One of the best ‘on the run’ options we’ve tested, SaltStick Fastchews can be stored in your hydration vest or running belt, and simply popped into your mouth to chew according to your electrolyte levels. Two SaltStick Caps in an hour equate to 430mg sodium, 126mg potassium, 44mg calcium and 22mg magnesium. You might need a glug of water to wash them down, but otherwise they're a super convenient option.
Precision Hydration 1500mg
| Kcals | 16 |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 1.8g |
Another great option from Precision Fuel and Hydration, these tablets contain a whopping 1500mg of sodium per litre. They're a great option for ultramarathon runners (particularly if you're running in a hot climate) as they can be easily stored in a hydration pack and dropped into your water flask when you need them – no need to faff around opening sachets of powder. They have a very mild flavour, too, so no need to worry about flavour fatigue.
Veloforte Solo Electrolyte Powder
Per serving
| Kcals | 20 |
|---|---|
| Carbs | 5g |
| Sodium | 350mg |
| Potassium | 240mg |
| Magnesium | 9mg |
One 7g sachet of Velotforte electrolyte powder delivers 5g carbs, 350mg of sodium and 240mg of potassium. Made with real fruit and botanicals, these electrolytes are 100% natural, with no synthetics or nasties, making them easily digestible and helping to avoid any dreaded GI issues.
Since this powder comes in single servings, there are no plastic tubes and very little waste, which testers gave a big thumbs up. The all-natural golden apricot and sage flavour was compared to iced tea by one, while the coconut water taste also proved popular, giving the drink a ‘slightly tropical edge’.
Original Ginger ElectroLite 20 sachet pack
This single-serve sachet contains natural root ginger to help settle the stomach (although the overall taste is light ginger and citrus, so no need to worry about it being seriously overpowering). Caffeine free, each serving provides 400mg of sea salt, retaining magnesium, chloride and potassium.
Yanar was our former Fitness Group Testing Manager. She managed health and fitness product testing across all the magazines, overseeing all testing processes and ensuring our lab and panel tests are conducted to the highest standards. Yanar spent 15 years as a health and wellness content editor and writer for national titles such as Runner’s World, Men’s Health and Women’s Health. Yanar is a Level 3 qualified PT, trained yoga teacher and a registered yoga therapist. She has been into fitness and wellness her whole life. After many years running races and marathons, she now trains and competes in CrossFit and Olympic lifting. She passionately advocates strength training for women to build a stronger mind and body for life.
