How To Hit 90g Carbs Per Hour Using Drink Mix

Key Takeaways

• 90g of carbs per hour is now well-supported by research for athletes racing 2.5 hours or more

• Drink mixes can be a practical fuelling strategy to meet high-carb intake and hydration needs

• You need a product with both glucose and fructose (roughly 2:1) to absorb carbohydrate beyond 60g/hr

• Training your gut over 4-6 weeks is essential before you take 90g/hr into a race

• Start by calculating your drink mix carb load per bottle, then fill the gap with gels, chews, waffles or bars

How To Hit 90g Carbs Per Hour Using Drink Mix

For years, 60g of carbs per hour was treated as the ceiling. Go past it and you risk cramping, bloating, or worse, a mid-race dash for the port aloo. That thinking has changed. Research into dual-transport carbohydrates now shows that well-trained athletes can absorb and use up to 90g of carbs per hour, provided their gut is prepared for it¹.

Drink mixes are a practical way to get there. It delivers carbohydrate and fluid in the same bottle, cuts down the number of gels you need to force down mid-race, and lets you adjust concentration to suit the conditions on the day.

This guide walks through exactly how to hit 90g/hr using a drink mix. We'll cover the science briefly, the maths in full, and the gut training protocol honestly, because the product you choose only works if your gut can handle it.

Quick Answer: How To Hit 90g Carbs Per Hour Using Drink Mix

Choose a drink mix built on dual-transport carbohydrates, glucose and fructose together, such as a classic 2:1 glucose:fructose blend or Maurten 320's 1:0.8 maltodextrin:fructose formula. Target around 50-80g of carbs per hour from a drink mix and top up with 1 gel per hour to reach 90g. Work out your concentration by dividing the grams of carbs in your drink mix by the litres you drink per hour. Then train your gut progressively over 4-6 weeks before you use 90g/hr on race day. Never attempt 90g/hr for the first time in a race.

Why 90g Carbs Per Hour? The Science In Brief

Traditional advice capped carb intake at 60g/hr because a single intestinal transporter, SGLT1, saturates at around 60g of glucose per hour². Push more glucose through and your gut simply can't absorb it, so it sits in your stomach and causes discomfort.

Fructose changes the equation. It's absorbed through a separate transporter, GLUT5, which means it doesn't compete with glucose for the same doorway. Combine the two at roughly a 2:1 glucose:fructose ratio and total carbohydrate absorption climbs well beyond 60g/hr, up to 90g/hr in trained athletes³.

This isn't fringe science. It's reflected in the International Olympic Committee's consensus statement on sports nutrition⁴, and Podlogar and Wallis (2022) built on it with practical, athlete-facing guidance⁵. Sports Dietitians Australia recognises the same shift in thinking, noting that fuelling needs rise sharply once an event runs past 90 minutes, exactly where higher-carb strategies start to earn their place⁶. The athletes who benefit most are those racing 2.5 hours or longer at moderate to high intensity, where carbohydrate availability genuinely limits performance.The gut adaptation required to use 90g/hr comfortably is just as important as the product you choose.

Why Drink Mix Is The Best Vehicle For High-Carb Fuelling

Drink mix solves two problems at once: carbohydrate delivery and fluid intake, in one bottle, one action. That matters when you're breathing hard and don't want to fumble with sticky gel packaging.

Concentration is adjustable too. Mix stronger for more carbs per hour, or weaker in hot conditions when your fluid needs are higher. And because drink mix carries a meaningful chunk of your carb load, you need fewer gels overall. Shift 40-60g/hr into your bottle and you're down to 1-2 gels per hour instead of 3-4, which is a real fix for gel fatigue in long events.

One caveat worth knowing: very concentrated drink mixes can become hypertonic, which slows gastric emptying and can trigger the exact GI issues you're trying to avoid⁷. Hydrogel-based products like Maurten 320 are formulated to deliver a high carb load while staying well tolerated, which is different from simply over-concentrating a standard mix. For the detail behind this, read our Isotonic vs Hypertonic Drink Mix [Link once live on website] Explained guide.

How To Calculate Your Drink Mix Carb Load Per Hour

This is where the plan comes together. Follow these steps:

1. Find the carbohydrate content per serve of your drink mix (check the nutrition information panel or the Nutrition tab on the Aid Station product page)

2. Work out your fluid intake per hour. Typically 500-750ml for running, 500-1000ml for cycling, depending on heat and intensity

3. Calculate grams of carbohydrate per hour at your usual fluid intake rate

4. Work out the gap between that number and 90g. This is what needs to come from gels or other sources

Here's a worked example using Maurten Drink Mix 320. One sachet mixed with 500ml delivers 80g of carbohydrate per bottle. If you drink 500ml per hour, that's 80g from drink mix alone. To close the gap to 90g, add half a Maurten Gel 100 (around 12g) at the midpoint of the hour.

Now compare that to a standard drink mix at 40g per 500ml serve. To reach 90g/hr you'd need 40g from drink mix plus 2x gels at 25g each OR 1x 50g gel.

Tip: write your protocol down before race day. On the start line, you should be executing a plan, not doing maths on the fly. For a full worked example, see our Marathon Fuelling Guide.

The Best Drink Mixes For Hitting 90g Per Hour

A few product types make this target realistic:

Maurten Drink Mix 320 delivers 80g of carbohydrate per 500ml using a hydrogel formula built for gut tolerance at high intake rates, one of the highest carb-per-serve options on the market. It's available through Aid Station, and we've written a full guide on How to Mix Maurten 320 Properly [Link once built].

Skratch Labs Super High-Carb Sport Drink Mix uses a dual-fuel blend of Cluster Dextrin and fructose, delivering around 50g of carbs per 300ml serve, built for long-duration efforts where 60g/hr isn't enough.

Precision Fuel & Hydration's Carb Only Drink Mix delivers up to 60g of carbohydrate per litre using a 2:1 glucose:fructose ratio, with electrolytes available separately through their Carb & Electrolyte range if you need sodium alongside your carbs.

Standard drink mixes can be mixed at a higher concentration to chase 90g/hr, but this is less reliable. Products designed for 40-60g/hr can turn hypertonic and gut-unfriendly once you push the concentration up.

Whatever you choose, confirm it contains both glucose (or glucose polymers such as maltodextrin) and fructose. A glucose-only product caps absorption at around 60g/hr, no matter how strong you mix it. Browse the full range in our Carb Drink Mixes collection.

Training Your Gut For 90g Per Hour

Gut tolerance to high-carb intake is trainable, and this step is often skipped by athletes who then have a rough day on the course. Research from Jeukendrup (2017) shows meaningful intestinal adaptation with consistent carbohydrate exposure during exercise⁸.

Start at your current intake, say 60g/hr, and increase by 10-15g/hr every 1-2 weeks over a 4-6 week block. Practise in long sessions at race-day intensity. Gut training at an easy effort doesn't fully replicate what happens under race conditions.

Watch for the warning signs: bloating, cramps, nausea, or a pace drop caused by GI discomfort means you need to dial back. Even with good training, individual variation is real: some athletes still report symptoms at high intake rates, which is why gut training is trialled and refined, not assumed⁷. Signs of successful adaptation look like no GI symptoms, stable energy, and the ability to consume drink mix at your target volume without discomfort.

Individual tolerance varies. Some athletes peak at 70-80g/hr and perform brilliantly there. The goal is your sustainable maximum, not necessarily the research ceiling. More is not always better if it costs you gut comfort.

The Bottom Line

Hitting 90g of carbs per hour is achievable with the right product, the right mixing calculation, and gut training built over several weeks. Drink mix is the most practical vehicle to shift from a gel-heavy approach to a higher-carb, easier-to-execute fuelling strategy. Calculate your protocol in training, refine it across multiple long sessions, and trust it on race day.

Browse Aid Station's range of high-carb drink mixes and find the right fuel for your next race.

Ash Miller
Dietitian and Nutritionist (Masters)
Bachelor of Physical and Health Education
Instagram: @ashthomo_nutrition

References

1. Burke LM, Hawley JA, Wong SHS, Jeukendrup AE. Carbohydrates for training and competition. J Sports Sci. 2011;29(Suppl 1):S17-27.

2. Jeukendrup AE. Carbohydrate and exercise performance: the role of multiple transportable carbohydrates. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2010;13(4):452-7.

3. Rowlands DS, Swift M, Ros M, Green JG. Composite versus single transportable carbohydrate solution enhances race and laboratory cycling performance. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2012;37(3):425-36.

4. International Olympic Committee Medical and Scientific Commission. IOC consensus statement on sports nutrition 2010. Lausanne: IOC; 2010.

5. Podlogar T, Wallis GA. New horizons in carbohydrate research and application for endurance athletes. Sports Med. 2022;52(Suppl 1):5-23.

6. Sports Dietitians Australia (SDA). Food for your sport: distance running [fact sheet]. Melbourne: SDA; 2016. Available from: sportsdietitians.com.au

7. Pfeiffer B, Stellingwerff T, Zaltas E, Jeukendrup AE. CHO oxidation from a CHO gel compared with a drink during exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(11):2038-45.

8. Jeukendrup AE. Training the gut for athletes. Sports Med. 2017;47(Suppl 1):101-10.

Disclaimer:

The content in this blog is for general information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always speak with your doctor or allied health team before changing your diet, exercise, or taking supplements, especially if you have a health condition or take medication. Please use this information as a guide only. Aid Station doesn't take responsibility for individual outcomes.