The project, led by Sports Nutrition & Exercise Physiology PhD candidate, Sean Sage, aims to identify the optimal sodium concentration in drinks that athletes should consume before exercise to enhance performance and adapt better to heat stress.

The study will analyse various sodium concentrations to understand their impact on running performance, helping athletes develop effective hydration strategies for training and competition in the heat.

Sean – a PhD candidate with the Institute for Sport & Physical Activity Research – and the research team are currently seeking participants who wish to contribute to the study, with the criteria including that the candidates must be a male runner or triathlete aged 18-45 years old, who has run 5K faster than 21 minutes and 30 seconds in the past six months.

For further information and to sign up to take part, click here or email Sean.Sage@study.beds.ac.uk.

Speaking about the research, Sean said: “I am extremely excited to be officially recruiting for the final lab-based study of my PhD. We are due to get some top-class athletes recruited for this study, who I'm sure will benefit from the study and the data that will be obtained. I hope that this will help to contribute to the hydration and endurance performance literature and improve pre-exercise hydration recommendations to athletes around the world.”

This PhD project is part-funded by Precision Fuel and Hydration, a leader in sports hydration solutions. Their sports science team has also been involved in the study's design, ensuring that the research aligns with real-world athletic needs.

Dr Michael Newell, Senior Lecturer in Health, Nutrition & Exercise, added: “We are eager to explore how pre-exercise hyperhydration can influence athletic performance, particularly in challenging hot conditions. This study builds on our previous work, and with the support of Precision Fuel and Hydration, we aim to refine hydration strategies that could offer practical, evidence-based guidance for athletes worldwide. I look forward to uncovering new insights that could significantly impact how we approach hydration in endurance sports."