dee archbold wrote: i am training for the kokoda challenge at the gold coast (96km in under 30hrs) and at the moment with the heat i need something more than water as i am hiking for up to 8hrs, any suggestions as most replacement powders have anything from 15-30g sugar, i have found one with 9.5g

Hi,
I was looking at electrolyte replacement for cramps of a night and cam across a few sites, here is one giving a recipe, but it does have lemon juice, and you can sweeten with dextrose http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/beverages/a/sportsdrink.htm
Also found this, but don't know if it is available in Australia http://www.crampnomore.com/sportshealth/faq.html

Here is one recipe I found on the net and tried. It seems ok, although I didn't have any of the Lite Salt (look it up on the net), I also added a pinch of epsom salts because one of the recipes I saw mentioned it. (be careful though as it may give you the "runs")  Maybe you could play around with the different recipes to find one that suits.

Electrolyte Drink

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 quart (950 mL) water

• ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) baking soda (bi-carb)
  

• ½ teaspoon (2.5 g) table salt

• ¼ teaspoon (1.25 g) salt substitute (potassium-based), such as Lite Salt or Morton Salt Substitute

• 2 tablespoons (30 g) sugar /substitute

1. Add baking soda, salt and sugar substitute to the bottom of a clean, dry pitcher.

2. Cover the ingredients with a small amount of water and, using a whisk. mix vigorously until the ingredients are dissolved.

3. Add the remaining water as well as the flavoring of your choice. Stir the mixture until the flavoring is well combined and refrigerate.

4. Refridgerate

Measure all ingredients precisely. Small variations can make the drink less effective or even harmful.

dee archbold wrote: i am training for the kokoda challenge at the gold coast (96km in under 30hrs) and at the moment with the heat i need something more than water as i am hiking for up to 8hrs, any suggestions as most replacement powders have anything from 15-30g sugar, i have found one with 9.5g

Lucozade Original -- sweetened only with glucose; will give you energy.  David recommends it in his book -- the 2nd one, I think.  I've only seen it in little 300ml glass bottles, which may not be great for hiking.

Waaaaaaay back before sports drinks were developed my coach used to make sure all of the elite squad kept salt tablets and glucodin tablets along with our water bottles. I well remember the controversy surrounding the release of Staminade, which was labelled by coaches as 'Coke with extra salt'. I wonder if there is not still a good case for the inclusion of both salt and glucose tablets in any athlete's replenishment kit.

It is worth Googling 'salt tablets'...There are some interesting comments on various sports forums.

David F