Running Fuel 101
Is your drink fuelling your run?
Electrolytes for sweat.
Carbs for energy.
Water replaces fluid. Electrolytes replace minerals lost in sweat. Carbs supply energy. Your drink might provide minerals, carbs, or both.
Electrolytes
Precision Hydration
0g
carbohydrate
Per 3g powder scoop
Carbs + electrolytes
Hidden Edge
19.8g
carbohydrate
Per 25g powder scoop
Carbohydrate per labelled scoop, not equal powder weights or a full nutrition comparison. See product labels.
Short, easy run? Water may be enough.
01 / Start with your session
What does your run need?
Short & easy
Normal meals and water may cover the session. You don’t need a supplement stack to start running.
Longer or harder
Carbs during the run can become more useful. Practise your plan in training and check what it supplies per hour.
Weather, sweat and what you’ve eaten matter too. AIS guidance
Early start? This can fit either run.
Breakfast feels
like too much?
Try a smaller familiar carb snack, or drinkable carbs if eating feels awkward. Match the amount to your run and practise what suits you.
Hidden Edge is one drinkable option. It is not a complete breakfast; eat normally after your run.
02 / Understand Hidden Edge
Fuel you can drink.
One 25g scoop contains 19.8g carbohydrate plus electrolytes.
the sugar line.
Hidden Edge Per 25g scoop
Sugars are part of the total.
Count total carbs when planning fuel.
Selected facts from the Hidden Edge label.
What is HBCD?
HBCD is the carbohydrate ingredient in Hidden Edge. Its full name is highly branched cyclic dextrin. It is made of glucose units joined together.
A low sugar number does not mean no effect on blood glucose. Hidden Edge is not proven to keep blood sugar steady or prevent a crash.
How is HBCD different from other carbs?
HBCD’s glucose units are joined into large molecules. For the same amount of carbohydrate, this can mean fewer dissolved particles than free glucose. Scientists call this low osmolality.
Small studies have explored stomach emptying and comfort with particular HBCD drinks. The recipe and dilution matter. Much of this work used Glico Cluster Dextrin, not SusCarb or finished Hidden Edge. It does not establish that Hidden Edge feels lighter or works faster than another fuel. Takii 2005 · Takii 2004
03 / Make the amount make sense
A bottle total isn’t
an hourly plan.
19.8g/hour is below the general 30–60g/hour guidance for endurance sessions around 1–2.5 hours. This bottle calculation shows supply, not a complete fuel plan.
Match fuel to the session
Small amounts of carbohydrate can also help in hard sessions around 45–75 minutes. The guidance ranges overlap; they are not automatic switching points.
Intensity, pre-run food and tolerance matter. AIS guidance · Carbohydrate review
Mix it. Count it.
Label directions: 1 scoop in about 500ml, or 2 in about 750ml. These are mixing directions, not an hourly drinking target.
Count carbs from drinks, suitable food and gels. Hidden Edge already contains electrolytes: higher fuel needs may call for other carb sources, rather than more mineral-containing powder.
Planning a much longer run?
For events beyond about 2.5–3 hours, higher carbohydrate intakes—up to 90g/hour in general guidance—usually involve practised combinations of glucose and fructose. HBCD is glucose-based. Do not scale up Hidden Edge scoops to chase a high hourly target: minerals add up too. Use an individual plan and practise it in training. Read the carbohydrate review
04 / Put it into your routine
Choose the jobs you need.
You don’t need every product. A running bottle and a daily training habit have different purposes.
Combining products? Check the mineral totals.
Hydration + your daily training option
Precision Hydration
Replace minerals lost in sweat.
Adjust your fluid and mineral plan to the session. Short, easy runs may be covered by water. Check built-in electrolytes if you also use Hidden Edge.
Label example: one 3g scoop in 250ml of water.
View Precision Hydration & directionsPürest Creatine
Support your strength training.
One 5g scoop daily, including rest days. Creatine supports strength and repeated brief efforts. It can increase body mass; a meta-analysis found no overall endurance benefit in trained people.
View Pürest Creatine & directions Creatine endurance evidence Explore the Xplosiv creatine guideAdd carbohydrate when useful
Hidden Edge
Fuel you can drink.
Choose it when carbohydrate in a drink fits your plan. It already contains electrolytes, so another hydration powder is not an automatic addition.
View Hidden Edge & directionsOptional amino acids
Athletech EAAs
Protein building blocks in a drink.
Essential amino acids are used to make proteins. Normal meals and adequate protein come first. EAAs can be convenient when meals are awkward; extra running benefit with sufficient protein is not established here.
If chosen: one 10g scoop in 250–300ml, once daily. Contains gluten; check your label.
View Athletech EAAs & directionsA few useful details
What are the exact serving facts?
- Precision Hydration · 3g scoop
- 0g carbs; sodium 329mg, potassium 90mg, magnesium 40mg. One scoop in 250ml. This is the powder label; electrolyte sticks may differ.
- Hidden Edge · 25g scoop
- 19.8g carbs, including 0.3g sugars; sodium 325mg, potassium 300mg, magnesium 150mg, calcium 150mg. One scoop in about 500ml or two in about 750ml.
- Pürest Creatine · 5g scoop
- 5g creatine monohydrate. Daily, including rest days, if chosen.
- Athletech EAAs · 10g scoop
- 7.124g of nine EAAs; sodium 200mg, potassium 100mg, magnesium 56mg, carbohydrate less than 1g. One scoop in 250–300ml once daily.
Check your current product label and flavour. Product pages are linked in the routine above.
Can I mix all four products together?
This guide does not recommend a four-product bottle. The products have different roles, label mixing directions and overlapping minerals. Creatine is a daily choice, not a reason to add everything before a run. No complete-bottle compatibility or stomach-comfort test is established here.
Where does the evidence come from?
The practical carbohydrate guidance comes from AIS and Jeukendrup’s review. Pre-exercise carbohydrate research supports considering timing and individual responses.
HBCD studies include Takii 2005, Furuyashiki 2014 and Shiraki 2015. They are small ingredient studies, not proof of finished Hidden Edge’s effects. Training-supplement context comes from the creatine endurance meta-analysis and EAA position stand.
Xplosiv Running Fuel 101 · Product records checked 10–11 September 2026. General adult running guidance; individual needs vary.