Water stops are used to combat interrelated dangers: hyperthermia, dehydration and hyponatremia (low blood level of sodium).
Drinking water combats dehydration, while intake of electrolyte solutions (often provided by various sports drinks) combats hyponatremia and its severe form, water intoxication.
Stopping for 10 seconds per station results in 1-2 minutes of added time, but the loss of stamina due to dehydration would add much more.
Some texts say that thirst is not a reliable indicator of the need in water,[2] while other say that obligatory drinking at every opportunity without real need increases the danger of hyponatremia.
Many team sports, such as association football,[4] gaelic sports[5] and rugby union,[6] introduced water breaks into games as part of measures to tackle the spread of COVID-19.