YESTERDAY, I was told about a teenager who went out for a long 15km run in the heat of the day and almost collapsed. I don't know if he was dehyrdated or if the sun had just baked his brains. But it is a dangerous thing to do.

He had the presence of mind to walk into a fast-food restaurant and ask for water. The staff there saw the condition he was in and gave him a big cupful.

Drinking while running is something which runners who are new to the game ignore because they don't realise how important it is just to make sure they don't drop dead. Of course drinking and drinking right can also affect your performance and running times, if you are one of the competitive sort.

Take a quick read of today's Sunday Times story if you are planning to run the marathon and you have not done any research on how to drink right during a run. The piece gives you tips on what to drink, when to drink and even how to drink it while running. Like the piece says: Consume too little fluid and you risk dehydration; drink excessively and it could dilute sodium levels in your body, causing hyponatremia.