Energy gels

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Misssynth
Misssynth Posts: 179 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Looking for recommendations for decent tasting and useful energy gels for long runs please! UK based

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  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Salted caramel GU is delicious!
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    Tropical punch clif bloks. Or (cheap) fruit snacks if you don't mind separate electrolyte tablets.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    ritzvin wrote: »
    Tropical punch clif bloks. Or (cheap) fruit snacks if you don't mind separate electrolyte tablets.

    I got some bloks to try but decided I didn't like the idea of trying to chew when I was running, so I gave them away to a cycling friend!
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    For the liquid-type gels, Hammer Nutrition Chocolate was pretty good..but I don't know about shipping to the UK.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    ritzvin wrote: »
    For the liquid-type gels, Hammer Nutrition Chocolate was pretty good..but I don't know about shipping to the UK.

    I mainly preferred them over Gu because you could buy in a bulk bottle and use a (much less messy) refillable dispenser bottle. I think gu was/is only available in those annoying single-serve disposable pouches that are messy to hang onto afterward.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Buy as many different ones as you can afford and try them. For me even one brand can vary from flavor to flavor whether it bothers my stomach.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,676 Member
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    Espresso Love, Salted Caramel and Banana Strawberry are tasty and easy for me to digest. A lot of the fruit ones taste like pie filling, but can be too sweet for me. I like the Margarita flavored shot blocks. If you have a hard time chewing them, cut them in half before you run. For a more natural sugar rush, pitted dates or figs are good.
  • beckyboyes
    beckyboyes Posts: 6 Member
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    Torq gels are amazing, they do raspberry ripple, apple crumble, banoffee and others which I can't remember there flavours. My fave is the raspberry ripple one
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    I like the wiggle brand. I don't care about the taste but these make the hills seem easier near the end.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Torq rhubarb and custard gel - yum!

    But generally I just buy what's on special offer, I eat them for effect not for enjoyment.
  • Misssynth
    Misssynth Posts: 179 Member
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    Thanks guys! I will try a few, but funds are limited so i wanted to at least know some people like ones I buy lol. Will be trying gels over blocks because i'll probably choke if I try to chew anything while I run! Salted caramel sounds amazing
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Misssynth wrote: »
    Thanks guys! I will try a few, but funds are limited so i wanted to at least know some people like ones I buy lol. Will be trying gels over blocks because i'll probably choke if I try to chew anything while I run! Salted caramel sounds amazing

    how long are your long runs? the GU gels are pretty expensive so if money is tight then maybe look at your pre -run fueling instead? fueling isn't really necessary till marathon distance.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    have you tried.....food?

    seriously, what about real food? There are things you could try such as bananas mashed in a bag slurped down, same with apple sauce (what about those baby food pouches although possibly similarly expensive to gels), raisins and other dried fruit?

    It's worth experimenting and worth trying a variety because you'll get to a point where gels taste pretty disgusting...
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    Misssynth wrote: »
    Thanks guys! I will try a few, but funds are limited so i wanted to at least know some people like ones I buy lol. Will be trying gels over blocks because i'll probably choke if I try to chew anything while I run! Salted caramel sounds amazing

    how long are your long runs? the GU gels are pretty expensive so if money is tight then maybe look at your pre -run fueling instead? fueling isn't really necessary till marathon distance.
    Misssynth wrote: »
    Thanks guys! I will try a few, but funds are limited so i wanted to at least know some people like ones I buy lol. Will be trying gels over blocks because i'll probably choke if I try to chew anything while I run! Salted caramel sounds amazing

    Unfortunately, they are in chew form, but if money is tight, fruit snacks (typically dirt cheap for the same number of calories) have a pretty similar nutritional profile to most of the energy gels/chews (basically a gelatinized flavoured starch syrup) except for no added electrolytes (which can be added to water if you are also carrying that with you on longer runs).
  • Vladimirnapkin
    Vladimirnapkin Posts: 299 Member
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    There were endless jokes on a few long, group runs about a teammate who made his own gu.
  • WhitneyDurham777
    WhitneyDurham777 Posts: 71 Member
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    I think the roll your own approach is very underrated. I make a ton of recipes that I have found in the book 'feed zone portables' delicious and cost conscious.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
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    WhitneyDurham777 wrote: »
    I think the roll your own approach is very underrated. I make a ton of recipes that I have found in the book 'feed zone portables' delicious and cost conscious.

    hmm..I'll have to check some of those out..off the top of my head, some Hershey's syrup & light corn syrup would probably work in a pinch. I think straight honey is also pretty popular.

    ~ after some very brief googling: http://www.slocyclist.com/make-your-own-energy-gels-cheaply-easily/
    (They also link to the gel flask I mentioned earlier from Hammer Nutrition).
  • stingrayinfl
    stingrayinfl Posts: 284 Member
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    an option is fig newtons..cheaper..is chewy...Nunn and Tailwind are great,,,Hammers has good gels

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