Marathon trainees planning their drinks
You want to distinguish routine hydration from fuelling for demanding sessions rather than use one drink for every run.
Who is choosing these drinks?
Runners buying mixers for home
You want tonic, ginger ale or lemonade for a non-training occasion without treating it as a purpose-designed exercise drink.
Shoppers comparing mixer multi-packs
You want to check can size, total volume and how much you will use before choosing a pack.
What should you check?
Water for routine hydration
Choose when: You need a drink for ordinary use across your training week.
Trade-off: Water does not provide the carbohydrate needed in a carbohydrate-focused fuelling plan.
Exercise fuelling
Choose when: The demands of a training session call for planned carbohydrate intake.
Trade-off: A drink containing sugar is not, by that fact alone, suited to your session or wider plan.
Mixers for leisure
Choose when: You want the flavour of a mixer outside training.
Trade-off: Its intended use does not establish that it meets your exercise-fuelling needs.
Once you know which role the drink will serve, check its label and pack format against that use.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise fuel | Check carbohydrate per 100 ml and the intended use of the drink. Fit any intake into the plan for the particular session. | For a demanding run, I want to plan fuelling rather than assume a mixer’s sugar makes it suitable. |
| Routine hydration | Consider water for everyday drinking. Compare sugar declarations per 100 ml if choosing a flavoured drink instead. | I want a straightforward drink for ordinary training days, without treating every run as a fuelling session. |
| Pack format | Check the number and size of bottles or cans, total volume and storage instructions. | Will I use this pack for the occasions I have in mind? A home multi-pack may not be convenient to carry on a run. |
What can lead to the wrong choice?
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Assuming a mixer’s sugar makes it long-run fuel
The British Dietetic Association identifies carbohydrate as fuel for exercising muscles, but that does not establish that every drink containing sugar fits a particular run.
Plan exercise fuelling around the session; choose a mixer for its intended leisure use.
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Assuming a lighter tonic replaces water
A lighter variant changes the choice within a mixer range, not the drink’s intended role. The NHS identifies water as a hydration choice.
Compare mixer labels when choosing a leisure drink, and consider water separately for routine hydration.
Which mixer brands are relevant?
Fever-Tree
Fever-Tree positions its Premium Indian Tonic Water for serving with spirits.
- A reference point if you are choosing tonic for a leisure drink.
- That positioning does not establish a role in marathon fuelling.
Schweppes
Tesco lists Schweppes tonic and Sainsbury’s lists its Original Lemonade in 12 × 150 ml can packs.
- The small-can format may suit occasional serves at home.
- A mixer or lemonade listing does not establish suitability for exercise fuelling.
Fentimans
Fentimans offers Premium Indian and Naturally Light tonic waters as part of its mixer range.
- Fentimans declares 4.4 g carbohydrate, all sugars, per 100 ml for Premium Indian Tonic Water.
- The carbohydrate declaration alone does not make this tonic an exercise-fuelling choice.
Britvic Mixers
Britvic described classic and zero-sugar Indian tonic variants in its 2023 grocery launch material.
- The variants allow a label comparison for at-home mixer use.
- Britvic’s at-home mixer positioning is not guidance for training fuel.
Joybuy options for training drinks
These options represent two different training-drink roles: a sports drink to consider within a planned fuelling approach and still water for routine hydration. Neither is a mixer.
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Lucozade Sport Raspberry Isotonic Sports Drink, 12 × 500 ml
A sports-drink option to consider if carbohydrate intake forms part of your plan for a particular session; the pack contains 12 × 500 ml bottles. Check the ingredients if phenylketonuria affects your choice: the listing states that it contains aspartame, a source of phenylalanine, and is not suitable for people with phenylketonuria.
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Highland Spring Still Water, 6 × 1.5 L
Still water for routine hydration at home, supplied as six 1.5 L bottles. It does not provide carbohydrate for an exercise-fuelling plan. The listing says to refrigerate after opening and use within 7 days.
Frequently asked questions
Can tonic water replace marathon-training fuel?
Not as a general choice. The British Dietetic Association identifies carbohydrate as fuel for exercising muscles, but tonic makers position their products as mixers. Choose exercise fuelling according to the session rather than assuming any drink containing sugar will fit your plan.
What can I drink for routine training hydration?
Water is a straightforward starting point. NHS guidance identifies water as a hydration choice; consider the demands of a particular session separately from everyday drinking.
Does a light tonic become a sports drink?
No. A light variant changes the choice within a mixer range, not its intended use. Compare its nutrition declaration with the regular variant if choosing a leisure drink, and plan exercise fuelling separately.