To drink or not to drink

[Rob Furness]

So you read the whole article including this:

As Noakes says, it is far better simply to drink according to the dictates of thirst. “As long as athletes drink according to thirst during their efforts, they will develop neither severe dehydration nor over hydration.” In a recent paper providing guidelines for fluid replacement, Noakes urges athletes not to consume more than 800 ml (~ 27 ounces) of fluid per hour as they exercise (7).

and came to th conclusion that Noakes was advocating too much fluid intake (smashes palm of hand on forehead repeatitively).

Take those blinkers off Rob

That wasn't my conclusion, that was the conclusion of the article. It said dehydration wasn't a problem and may even be beneficial, however you'll still want to drink 5-6 mouthfuls of sports drink every 15 mins (mainly for energy). I don't have blinkers on, and I don't worry about dehydration either. I'm just pointing out that even the research you've quoted is still full of stupid comments. How is it possible for someone to advise that dehydration isn't a problem and then in the next sentence suggest you should take on less than 800ml per hour? That would be far more then I would ever take on anyway. I ran a 3 peaks recce not long ago and consumed about 500ml of fluid over 4 hrs so I can't understand how his advice adds up