How to Use Salis Electrolytes for the Brooklyn Half Marathon

I've run the NYRR Brooklyn Half five times. My first was in 2008.  Back then the race began in Coney Island and ended in Prospect Park. I last competed in the Brooklyn Half in 2019 which served as the unofficial start to my Chicago Marathon build. A lot has changed in those 18 years including what I know about showing up prepared. 

If you're toeing the line at the 2026 RBC Brooklyn Half on May 16th, here's exactly how I use Salis to prepare for the distance and why I think it's one of the most important levers you have left to pull this week.

Why This Race Is a Hydration Test

The Brooklyn Half has a reputation, and it's earned. Mid-May in New York can be anything — 58 degrees with a sea breeze off Coney Island, or 78 and humid before your first wave even goes off. You don't get to choose. What you can control is how prepared your body is when the gun fires.

The course itself makes hydration strategy critical. The first seven miles — from the Brooklyn Museum through Grand Army Plaza and around Prospect Park — are where the race is won or lost. The hills aren't brutal, but they're relentless, and they come early when your legs are still fresh and your ego is running the show. Most runners go out too hard in the park. By the time they exit onto Ocean Parkway at mile seven, they're already cooked.

Ocean Parkway is five miles of wide-open, exposed road with no shade. Whatever the weather is doing, you feel every bit of it out there. If you've got a hydration deficit coming off the park loop, Ocean Parkway will collect on that debt. I've seen it happen to strong runners every time I've been part of this race whether as a competitor or spectator.

The fix isn't grabbing a cup of a fluorescent sports drink at mile eight. By then it's too late. The fix starts the night before.

The Salis Half Marathon Protocol

A note before I share this: I'm a runner and a coach, not a doctor or dietitian. What follows is my personal protocol — what I do, and what I notice. Your body is different. If you have specific health considerations, talk to a professional.

The night before the race:

Swallow all 3 Salis time-release tablets with at least 12 oz of water before bed.

Here's why this matters more than most people realize: we naturally wake up in a dehydrated state. Sleep is a long fast — six, seven, eight hours with no fluid intake while your body continues to lose water and electrolytes through respiration and basic metabolic function. A 2019 study published in Sleep found that shorter sleep duration is directly associated with lower hydration levels upon waking¹. The mechanism is straightforward: your body loses water overnight through respiration and perspiration — what researchers call "insensible water loss." Dry mouth, low energy, that instinctive reach for the glass of water on the nightstand the moment your alarm goes off. That feeling is real data. 

Race morning, your alarm goes off before sunrise and you're already starting from behind. Taking Salis the night before means your electrolyte levels are topped off when you wake up — not depleted. The time-release formula goes to work while you sleep, so you wake up on race morning feeling ready to compete.

One hour before your start

Swallow 3 Salis time-release tablets with at least 12 oz of water.

Salis' proprietary Endurance Release formula works for up to 8 hours, delivering the five essential electrolytes every athlete loses in sweat — sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, and phosphorus. It takes about an hour for your body to begin digesting the tablets, which is why we recommend taking Salis an hour before your start time. The time-release function is working with you through every mile of the race, not front-loaded and gone by mile four. 

No mixing. No bottles to fill. No carrying anything extra. Three tablets, one glass of water, done.

On the course

Sip water at the aid stations as you need it. Don't force it, but don't intentionally skip stations either — especially once you're out on Ocean Parkway. The key word is sip. You're not chasing hydration mid-race. Salis is quietly working in the background. You're maintaining.

What I notice when I race this protocol:

I'm less thirsty throughout the race, which sounds counterintuitive until you understand what's happening. My body is actually retaining fluid properly rather than dumping it. I'm able to maintain my energy level deeper into the race rather than feeling it slip away. And most importantly, I'm more durable late — able to hold my pace or push on Ocean Parkway when the runners around me are starting to fade. That's the feeling I'm chasing, and the one I want you to find on Saturday. 

A Few Words on Course Strategy

Since I've run this course five times, a few things I've learned the hard way:

The first seven miles are honest and unforgiving. The elevation chart tells the story: 246 feet of total gain packed into the front half of the race, a continuous series of climbs and descents that will expose you early if you go out too hard. The instinct on race morning, with fresh legs and crowd energy, is to bank time. Resist it. Run by effort, not by the pace on your watch. Keep your effort level steady on the uphills, let the downhills carry you — gravity is doing the work, not your legs. Arrive at mile seven with something left. That is the only job of the first half.

Mile seven is where the race begins. The terrain shifts in your favor and it stays that way all the way to the Coney Island boardwalk. This is where you start to compete. If you run the first seven miles controlled and your hydration protocol is working, you have real estate to work with. The runners who went out too hard will tell you exactly where they are by mile nine. You want to be the one passing them.

Run the first half to survive it. Run the second half to race it.

Come Find Us at the Expo

I will be at the RBC Brooklyn Half Expo at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park with the Fleet Feet team Wednesday through Friday. Come by with your questions about fueling, hydration, or race day strategy. Whether it is your first or fifth half marathon, I'm there to help make your Brooklyn Half your best performance yet. If you're unsure about your race weekend protocol, come talk it through.

Expo Hours:

• Wednesday, May 13: 10:00 am – 8:30 pm

• Thursday, May 14: 10:00 am – 8:30 pm

• Friday, May 15: 8:00 am – 6:30 pm

Salis is available at getsalis.com and at run specialty stores near you. If you want to use the protocol I described above, grab yours before Friday.

Good luck to everyone competing this weekend. Finish what you start!

getsalis.com | Find Salis at your local run specialty store

¹ Rosinger, A.Y., et al. (2019). Short sleep duration is associated with inadequate hydration: Cross-cultural evidence from US and Chinese adults. Sleep, 42(2).