How Many Carbs Per Hour? Complete Endurance Fuel Guide | FTP Endurance Fuel
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How Many Carbs Per Hour Do You Need?
The fuelling numbers for running and cycling, by session length — and exactly how many pastilles that works out to.
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How many carbs per hour? For efforts of 60–90 minutes, take 30–60g per hour. From 90 minutes to 3 hours, aim for 60–90g per hour. Beyond 3 hours, athletes with a trained gut can push 90–120g per hour. Under an hour, you don't need to fuel at all.
Why the number matters
Carbohydrate is your body's premium fuel at race intensity, but glycogen stores only hold enough for roughly 90 minutes of hard work. Fuel too little and you'll fade, slow, or hit the wall outright. Fuel the right amount, at regular intervals, and you hold power and pace to the finish — whether you're running or riding.
The same hourly targets apply to both sports. The practical difference is that eating on the bike is easier, so cyclists usually find the higher intakes simpler to hit, while runners tend to do better splitting fuel into small, frequent doses every 15–20 minutes.
Carbs per hour by duration
| Duration | Carbs per hour | FTP pastilles per hour | Notes |
| Under 60 min | 0g | — | Water or electrolytes only |
| 60–90 min | 30–60g | 2–4 | Start fuelling from the first 20 minutes |
| 90 min – 3 hours | 60–90g | 4–6 | The marathon and long-ride zone |
| 3 hours + | 90–120g | 6–8 | Trained gut required — practise first |
Worked example: gels vs pastilles
Say you're riding or running for 3 hours at 75g of carbs per hour — 225g in total. With typical 25g gels, that's 9 gels: nine wrappers to open, nine sticky hits of syrup, nine chances for your stomach to complain.
With FTP pastilles — 2 pastilles ≈ 30g of carbs — the same 225g is 15 pastilles: just 5 per hour, taken one or two at a time whenever suits you. Same fuel, steadier drip-feed, one pocket, no wrappers flapping in the wind.
Going past 90g: the glucose:fructose trick
Your gut absorbs glucose and fructose through separate transporters. Fuel with glucose alone and you cap out around 60g per hour; combine the two — FTP pastilles use a 1:1 glucose:fructose ratio — and both doorways open at once, letting you absorb more carbohydrate per hour with less gut distress.
The higher intakes still need rehearsal. Build up across your long training sessions: start at 60g per hour, add 10–15g every couple of weeks, and let your gut adapt before you ask it to handle 90–120g on race day.
Hit your hourly number the easy way
1:1 glucose:fructose pastilles — 2 pastilles ≈ 30g of carbs.
Make it stick in the real world
Whatever the target, the winning habit is little and often: fuel every 15–20 minutes from early in the session rather than waiting until you feel empty — by then you're already behind. Pair your carbs with sensible drinking, rehearse the exact race-day plan on your long runs and rides, and count out your fuel before you leave so the maths is already done.
Fuel that does the counting for you
Tart Cherry Energy Pastilles 1kg
1:1 glucose:fructose — a whole season of long sessions.
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Mixed Fruit Energy Pastilles 1kg
Rotate the flavours when the hours get long.
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Tart Cherry Taster Pack
Trial your carbs-per-hour plan on your next long session.
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Try the TasterCommon Questions
How many carbs per hour for a marathon?
Most marathoners are in the 90-minute-to-3-hour-plus zone, so target 60–90g per hour — that's 4–6 FTP pastilles every hour, taken in small doses from early in the race.
Can I really absorb 90–120g per hour?
Only with dual-source fuel (glucose plus fructose) and a trained gut. Build intake up gradually over weeks of long sessions rather than jumping straight to the top of the range.
Do cyclists need more carbs than runners?
The hourly targets are the same. Cyclists simply find it easier to eat on the move, so they tend to actually hit the higher numbers — runners should focus on small, frequent doses.
Do I need carbs for a 45-minute run?
No — your glycogen stores comfortably cover efforts under an hour. Save the fuel for sessions over 60–90 minutes, and stick to water or electrolytes on short days.
Know your number. Carry your fuel.
2 pastilles ≈ 30g of carbs — the simplest way to hit your hourly target.
Shop Energy PastillesKeep reading: How Many Carbs Per Hour for Cycling · The Glucose:Fructose Ratio Explained · How Many Gels for a Marathon? · Energy Chews vs Gels · Carb Loading Guide
