Death Valley Marathon

With the weather forecast for the Death Valley Marathon, next Saturday being 75 Fahrenheit, sports and exercise physician Dr Peter Brukner recommends that you drink the following amounts of water based on your gender and finishing time:

 

Women

 

• 5 hour 30 minute finish time: 198 oz of water
• 5 hour finish time: 188 oz of water
• 4 hour 30 minute finish time: 178 oz of water
• 4 hour finish time: 168 oz of water
• 3 hour 30 finish time: 158 oz of water
• 3 hour finish time: 148 oz of water
• 2 hour 30 finish time: 138 oz of water

 

Men:

• 5 hour 30 minute finish time: 212 oz of water
• 5 hour finish time: 202 oz of water
• 4 hour 30 minute finish time: 192 oz of water
• 4 hour finish time: 182 oz of water
• 3 hour 30 finish time: 171 oz of water
• 3 hour finish time: 161 oz of water
• 2 hour 30 finish time: 151 oz of water

 

Please note that these figures are just estimates based on the average weight of a 30 year old woman and man (145 and 165 pounds respectively). You can find personalised water recommendations with this water intake calculator.

 

Dr Brukner also gives the following tips to stay hydrated during the marathon:

“Your water intake requirement is a function of air temperature, your body weight and the length of time you run for.

 

These recommendations are for the entire day of the marathon, not just the marathon itself.

 

Most runners will not be able to drink more than 25 oz of water every hour while they are running. Trying to drink more than this may cause vomiting which will increase dehydration even further.

 

So try and drink at least 35 oz of water before you start the race to reduce your need to take on water as you are running.

 

Most marathons have between 10-15 water stop points.

 

I’d advise you to use as many of these as you can as keeping consistent proportions of salt and water in your system is key to reducing muscle cramps, nausea and dizziness.

 

The need to maintain a consistent proportion of salt and water in your system also means that you should resist the temptation to drink as much water as fast as you can when you finish.

 

Try to keep your water consumption slow and steady throughout the day.”

 

The Death Valley Marathon begins at 8am on 02/01/2025. The start line is adjacent to the Furnace Creek Ranch in the Death Valley National Park. You can find more information about the event here

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