---
title: "Carbs per hour running: how much you actually need"
description: "Carbs per hour running: 30 to 60 g for most runs, up to 90 g on long ones. Here is how to pick your number and train your gut before race day."
date: "2026-10-25"
url: "https://www.typetwo.eu/blog/carbs-per-hour-running"
language: "en"
---

# Carbs per hour running: how much you actually need

Google "carbs per hour running" and you get 30 g, 60 g, 90 g and, if you scroll far enough, 120 g. Everyone sounds sure. They can't all be right.

Here's the short version. For most runs longer than an hour, aim for **30 to 60 g** of carbs per hour. Go higher only on long efforts, with a mix of sugars and some practice.

## Where the numbers come from

The 30 to 60 g range comes from the [ISSN position stand on nutrient timing](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5596471/). It's meant for hard efforts of more than an hour, taken as a 6 to 8% carb solution.

The ceiling comes from [Jeukendrup's review](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008807/). With one type of sugar, your gut absorbs about 60 g per hour. Mix types, like maltodextrin and fructose, and the review points to about 90 g per hour for ultra-endurance events and well-trained athletes.

Under an hour, the picture flips. Around the 1 hour mark, the same review says [a mouth rinse or small amounts of carbs](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008807/) can help performance, and large amounts aren't needed, at least for well-trained athletes. For anything under 45 minutes, it gives no figure.

Less-trained athletes land lower in these ranges, and so does anyone whose stomach says no.

## Carbs per hour running, by how long you run

Time on your feet sets the number. A 2 hour half marathon and an elite marathon last about the same, so they share a row.

| How long you run | Carbs per hour | In 30 g servings |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2.5 hours | 30 to 60 g | 1 to 2 |
| More than 2.5 hours, trained | 60 to 90 g | 2 to 3 |

The 2.5 hour line is where [Podlogar and Wallis](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9734239) recommend mixing glucose and fructose at 60 to 90 g per hour. For sessions up to 3 hours, they recommend up to 60 g per hour of fast-oxidising carbs.

Our own read: a half marathon usually sits in the first row. Most marathons, and everything longer, start at **60 g per hour** and only climb if training says you can.

## From grams to gels

Grams are useless in a race. Your brain can't count them at kilometre 31.

So do the sum before the start. Sachets on the market hold anywhere from 18 to 45 g, so read the label. A typetwo serving is 30 g, which makes 60 g an hour exactly 2 servings.

A 4 hour marathon at 60 g an hour is 240 g. That's 8 servings, or one every 30 minutes.

Write the schedule on your wrist or set a watch alarm. Around kilometre 25, memory is the first thing to go.

If you're still choosing between sachets and powder, we compared them in [gel mix vs energy gel](/blog/gel-mix-best-energy-gel-alternative).

## What about 120 g per hour?

Researchers have started to test 120 g per hour. The picture is mixed.

A 2022 study of [11 highly trained male cyclists](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00421-022-05019-w) compared 120 g per hour (fructose to maltodextrin at 0.8:1) with 90 g per hour (1:2) over 3 hours. The higher dose gave **higher exogenous carb oxidation**, 1.51 against 1.29 g per minute. Stomach comfort and perceived effort didn't differ between the two, the body's own carbs weren't spared any further, and performance wasn't measured.

Dose and sugar ratio changed together, so the study can't say which one did what.

A 2020 trial of [20 elite male runners](https://doi.org/10.3390/NU12051367) in a mountain marathon with about 4,000 m of climbing found lower muscle damage markers 24 hours after the race with 120 g per hour than with 60 or 90 g. Their internal load was lower too. All of them had done nutrition and gut training beforehand.

The groups were small and all male, and the [2022 review by Podlogar and Wallis](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9734239) still says current recommendations don't go above **90 g per hour**. Treat 120 g as something to try after you've practised at 90, with a stomach that has said yes.

## Train your gut before race day

Your stomach adapts, or at least it gets more tolerant. Podlogar and Wallis say gut training [needs to be considered](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9734239), while noting that it hasn't been shown to improve absorption. It may just make you more comfortable with the load.

Jeukendrup's advice is simpler: [practise your intake in training](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008807/).

Here's one way to do it:

- Start your long runs at 30 g per hour and see how you feel.
- Add one serving to the next long run if everything stayed calm.
- Stay at your number for 2 or 3 weeks before you raise it again.
- Use the same product you'll use in the race. [Nothing new on race day](https://www.runningwarehouse.com/learningcenter/training/nutrition/energy_gels_explained.html).

Want a plan for a specific race? The [typetwo fuel plan](/fuel-plan) turns your pace and distance into a schedule.

## When to take less

Some days the stomach wins. Heat, nerves or a gel gulped without water can make 60 g feel like 100.

If that happens, drop to what you can keep down and sip water. Taking in less than planned beats a race spent in a bush.

For ongoing stomach trouble or a medical condition, talk to a dietitian or a sports doctor. A blog post can't tell you what your gut can handle.

[Our gel mix](/product) is built for the practice runs: 30 g per serving, shaken with water or your favourite drink, easy to dose up or down. Join the waitlist below if you want to try it.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many carbs per hour should I take for a marathon?

Start at 60 g per hour for a marathon of more than 2.5 hours, and test it in long runs. Trained runners can go up to 90 g per hour, but only with a mix of sugars like maltodextrin and fructose. Recommendations don't go above that.

### Do I need carbs on a run under an hour?

Usually very little. For efforts of about an hour, [Jeukendrup's review](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008807/) says a mouth rinse or small amounts of carbs can help performance, and large amounts aren't needed. That applies to well-trained athletes. Below 45 minutes the review gives no figure, so we don't either.

### How many gels is 60 g of carbs an hour?

It depends on the sachet, which can hold 18 to 45 g. With 30 g servings, like typetwo, 60 g an hour is 2 servings. Check the label and do the maths before the start.

### Can I take more than 60 g of carbs an hour?

Yes, if you mix sugar types and your stomach is trained for it. Single-source carbs top out at about 60 g per hour, while mixed sources reach about 90 g per hour in [Jeukendrup's review](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008807/). Practise first and raise the dose slowly.

### How do I train my gut to take more carbs?

Raise your carbs a little on each long run and stick with the new number for a few weeks. Use the same drink or gel you'll race with. Researchers say [gut training](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9734239) is worth considering, but it isn't proven to improve absorption.

### How many carbs per hour for a half marathon?

Most half marathons take between 1 and 2.5 hours, which puts you in the 30 to 60 g per hour range from the [ISSN position stand](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5596471/). That's 1 to 2 servings of 30 g an hour. The sum is ours: the ISSN range applied to typical half marathon times.

### How many carbs per hour for an ultra?

[Jeukendrup's review](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4008807/) points to about 90 g per hour for ultra-endurance events, with mixed sugar types and well-trained athletes. [Podlogar and Wallis](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9734239) say current recommendations don't go above that. Build up to it over many long runs, and start lower if you're less trained.

### Is a 2:1 ratio of maltodextrin to fructose the best mix?

It's the standard, and it's what typetwo uses. [Podlogar and Wallis](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9734239) argue that a ratio closer to 1:0.8 glucose to fructose may work better for oxidation and gut comfort. The evidence is still being built, so either way, test the mix in training.