‘scared’, and not keeping track of your intake. Next time, drink only fluid-replacement drinks (about 600-750ml per hour) and not water. And practise drinking these amounts in your pre-race training runs. —Joe Beer, sports scientist and level-two triathlon

available - know where your drinks stations are before you race. Sports drinks are ideal; use the one available on the day or try some of the natural sports drinks on the market.Henrietta BaileyHenrietta Bailey is a nutritionist who works as part of the Pure

hours before the race," says Steve Worthington, an elite triathlete with a third-place finish in the Windsor Triathlon to his name.Closer to the race, Worthington may eat a banana and drink a little sports drink or squash. "In theory, I should be well

recommend you try to eat something. You would need to consume four or five gels or the equivalent in sports drink to get enough energy. Cereal and slow-release carbs are your best options.Q. How much do you recommend drinking before the race? inlastplace

before training. A snack will be very important if you have missed your main meal. It will be quickly converted into fuel.As for hydration, sip 400-600ml of water or sports drink in the two hours before training, as this will help you to stay hydrated

to drink during the race? Sarah MastersonA. Ideally you should have practised drinking on the run while you have been training. Only taking on water is not a good idea - I'd advise you take on some sports drink or carry some gels as well. Water will be out

for you on race day. So I would say that the more time you have to try different sports bars, gels, energy drinks and timings, the better. As well as thinking about which carbohydrate you'll take on board during the race this is also a good time to plan

. If solid foods seem unappealing in the morning, whip up a fruit and yoghurt smoothie.Experimenting at the wrong timeTrying a new food or drink during a race usually spells disaster, but training sessions are a great time to discover what fuels you best

public toilets or cycle to a friend's house where you can visit the bathroom before cycling home again.ROCKET FUELPower your training and racing with these home-made sports drinks.Hypotonic drinksThese contain a little carbohydrate and salt

run at marathon pace too - if you keep your other runs shorter still, you should be fighting fit for the marathon.Q. I did a local 20-mile road race, but although it advertised plenty of drinks stations these were only stocked with water. I hadn