Energy gels

Looking to gather info on the best energy gels for half marathon racing. Wanting to go more organic-natural.
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Replies

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    They are really either glucose or sometimes glucose & fructose and may also contain caffeine.
    Can be isotonic (more diluted) or more concentrated. Flavours vary enormously from OK to revolting.

    The base that the sugars comes from may or may not upset people's stomach.
    Which is why you should experiment during your training rather than in the event.

    If you are drinking fluids during your runs then adding them to your drink is more convenient - which is what I do with a sports drink powder so I can vary the dosage. I only carry gels as an emergency backup or to add to water if needed.

    Define what you mean by this "Wanting to go more organic-natural" as carb gels are hardly natural so it's a bit of a contradiction....
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Salted caramel GU is delicious, don't think it's organic though.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
    Salted caramel GU is delicious, don't think it's organic though.

    Yes they are....whoever came up with that flavour deserves the Nobel prize for something....

    OP if you really want to go organic/natural consider making your own. You need to get a gel flask (any running store / Amazon etc will have them) and there are ton of recipes out there. My favourite (tastes like Halloween candy) is 3 parts honey, 1 part molasses (regular or blackstrap) a little water to thin it out and (optional) a pinch of salt.
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Here are the organic gels that The Feed sells. Obviously the nut butter thing isn't a gel, I think their logic was that you can eat it on the go. That said, I'm don't see the point in an organic gel save for for marketing purposes.

    Either way, try whatever you hoping to have during your race during training.
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    Honey sticks
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,515 Member
    Organic: Pure organic honey, add some water if it's too thick. Add some powdered caffeine (carefully measured) if you want.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,449 Member
    Honey Stinger has organic gels. I can't comment on them since I have not tried them (and probably won't since GU works fine for me). Not sure what the difference is compared to their normal gels (which I have used and like) but I'm sure you will pay more and probably get less.

    Good luck.
  • misskris78
    misskris78 Posts: 136 Member
    Honey stinger has organic products that are fine. I like the waffles when I'm biking, but I'm not sure how I'd feel about them when running. Bicycling magazine has a good article this month about different types of fuel. It's intended for cyclists, but the concept still applies for runners. It's worth a read. When I trained for a marathon, I tolerated Clif Shot Bloks the best. Definitely not organic.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    There is no best. That's why there are tons of different kinds. Between taste, calories, textures etc, its a very highly individualized preference. Try a few and see which ones you like and can tolerate
  • 7lenny7
    7lenny7 Posts: 3,454 Member
    Organic: Pure organic honey, add some water if it's too thick. Add some powdered caffeine (carefully measured) if you want.

    ^^ This.

    For my marathon and first 50K, I used honey, diluted with water (3:2 honey to water seem to work) and put in a soft water bottle like the one below. Cheap, easy, and much neater to use than sticky gel packets.

    hydraflask-small.jpg
  • lporter229
    lporter229 Posts: 4,907 Member
    If you prefer to have something solid, you may also like dried fruits like apricot, pineapple, etc.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    lporter229 wrote: »
    If you prefer to have something solid, you may also like dried fruits like apricot, pineapple, etc.

    Dates also work really well (at least for me), although runners who are sensitive to fiber will want to test carefully with dried fruits (I have some family members who had . . . interesting results).
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    i like honey stingers. the waffle before. then w/e i have on hand during the run. the waffles sometimes i have for breakfast
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    I do the Honey Stinger waffles as well (they have organic). I cannot stomach the gels, the texture and I have tried some revolting tasting ones. Honey stinger makes chews (organic) and so does Gatorade (not organic).

    I would just try out several and see which ones suit you better.
  • dws00
    dws00 Posts: 159 Member
    I have also had good results from the GU gels. The fruit flavors aren't that bad and they keep me from cramping on long runs(10+miles)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,553 Member
    Wondering if you will even need energy gels (assuming this is to combat glycogen depletion) for a half marathon. I am a woman so am more efficient at burning fat during endurance events. I would have only benefitted from gels close to 7 hours of exertion.

    I hit the wall once at a long distance inline skating event (140 km skating) after 6.5 hours of continuous exertion. Someone from the organization saw me struggling gave me a hotel satchet of jam to suck on that cleared my mind almost immediately, so yeah having a packet of jam works too.

    If you snack on dried apricots during the race, you can probably keep the gels on hand only if you have an emergency situation. Glycogen depeletion (your brain can only run on glycogen) means you suddenly get totally confused and are unable to coordinate your movements.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I ran my first half marathon with raisins. It works just fine if you're able to not choke yourself. I did drop a few raisins around mile 10, and I nearly cried. Every raisin tastes like ambrosia at that point.
  • dws00
    dws00 Posts: 159 Member
    apullum wrote: »
    I ran my first half marathon with raisins. It works just fine if you're able to not choke yourself. I did drop a few raisins around mile 10, and I nearly cried. Every raisin tastes like ambrosia at that point.

    I will have to try that. Thanks for the tip!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    edited May 2018
    acpgee wrote: »
    Wondering if you will even need energy gels (assuming this is to combat glycogen depletion) for a half marathon. I am a woman so am more efficient at burning fat during endurance events. I would have only benefitted from gels close to 7 hours of exertion.

    I hit the wall once at a long distance inline skating event (140 km skating) after 6.5 hours of continuous exertion. Someone from the organization saw me struggling gave me a hotel satchet of jam to suck on that cleared my mind almost immediately, so yeah having a packet of jam works too.

    If you snack on dried apricots during the race, you can probably keep the gels on hand only if you have an emergency situation. Glycogen depeletion (your brain can only run on glycogen) means you suddenly get totally confused and are unable to coordinate your movements.

    you don't 'need' gels for a half, most people have enough glycogen to get round. in my experience fueling just helps make it feel a little easier.

    not sure where you got the 7 hours from as i don't see many people running a full marathon without some sort of fuel?
  • Wiedzma_Agata
    Wiedzma_Agata Posts: 31 Member
    Thank you everyone, I'm reading and taking notes. Getting ready for my first ever marathon in August (coastal/trail)... so any advise of this kind welcome here too ;)