Marathoners who apparently lost the most body weight whilst a race completes it earlier than the rest.

It was further stated that their weight loss superseded the amount which has been suggested for best running performance, claims the study.

The weight loss can be observed as a reduced level of fluid intake or a faster rate of fluid loss.

Most of the runners are already warned to ''hydrate, hydrate, hydrate." But the recent study states that it might prove to be too much of a good thing for performance outcomes.

"The clear evidence is that drinking just to thirst is the optimum strategy," states researcher Timothy Noakes, MD, the Discovery Health Professor of Exercise and Sports Science at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

Drinking either more or less than to quench thirst conflicts with exercise performance, he stated through WebMD in an email. Drinking in excess can prove to be lethal, or seemingly is the reason for a number of U. S. female marathon runners and soldiers.

Meanwhile in recent times, U. S. marathons have found participant deaths to have an extra intake of water, which can further lead to strangely low level of sodium in the blood, or hyponatremia.

The study has been released in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

At the start of the race, 884 marathoners vouched to join hands for the race, and 643 of them finished and were integrated in the study results.

The study saw respondents of 560 men and 83 women who weighed in at the start of the race and then at the finish.