Fuelling long runs- help please!

[Jellybunny98]

Hoping for some advice! I have been a runner for quite awhile now, have done halfs & marathons, and always used a specific gel- the only one I ever found that I actually liked the taste of and didn’t make me feel sick, felt like it worked etc. I’m now getting back to longer distances after my second baby and this gel simply doesn’t exist anymore it has been discontinued!

Can anyone recommend a good gel they use? Or if you don’t use gels, what do you use instead?

I have so far tried (and didn’t like)

• Maurten gel- texture was okay but the lack of flavour I just didn’t like.
• SiS Go- got a pack to try but didn’t enjoy any of the flavours, they all felt really sickly sweet to me. Could tolerate if it was just one gel but training for marathon/ultra distance I definitely couldn’t have multiple.
• Someone recommended taking food instead of gels specifically a banana, this actually work and I was happy with that but it’s quite bulky to have in my running vest and not sure I could fit two into my running vest, or eat two😂

Any ideas welcome!

I did 19 miles this morning and listened to a podcast on fuelling while I was running! Take homes were that most runners are grossly under fuelling. You should be aiming for 60-80g of carb an hour for runs over 60 mins so handfuls of sweets, Kit Kats etc while lovely are not going to be enough. If you want optimum fuelling and to avoid hitting the wall in marathon training you need to look at the amount of carbs in the whole foods that you are carrying and work out if you can eat enough of them to give you what you need.

I don’t mind the sis gels but I also take the high five ones and was going to suggest them - the orange ones taste like squash. I also love the Kendal mint cake ones but they are strongly flavoured so not sure they would be good for you. I think sis do a neutral flavour one which might be worth trying. I had some chocolate covered Kendal mint cake today which was delicious but I personally can’t really chew while I run so I so far have to stick to gels. I want to do an ultramarathon at the end of the year and have accepted I’m going to have to walk while I eat because I can’t face taking in all my fuel as gel for 50km!

Wow thank you and this is really interesting! I had no idea that it was 60-80grams for anything over 60 mins! For any runs really up to a half marathon distance I usually only take a mini bag of Haribo’s which is about 13g carbs so yes, nowhere near enough.

I’m looking at the high five gels which look to be about 23g carbs so would be much better!

You’re welcome - it’s been a revelation to me too. I did lots of running pre kids but hadn’t done more than 10k until last October when I started training more seriously again. Previously, I did an 18 mile training run with only some jelly babies at mile 15 - I remember phoning my husband to tell him I felt really unwell. I did my only marathon with only a cereal bar at 18 miles when I hit the wall - it was awful! These days I’m smashing PBs I set in my 20’s (I’m in my 50’s now with four kids) and I think a big part of it is actually eating enough on my long runs.

I did my first marathon (in 2005) on 5 jelly babies - 1 every 5 miles. I dont remember even knowing about the existence of gels! I felt ok, but i wouldnt consider it now!!
I usually have a gel if im doing more than 10 miles, in training.i generally find 1 gel is enough, for me, for a half marathon. I have training buddies (who are faster than me at races) who dont eat breakfast, beforehand, or take any fuel for 10-15 mile runs, which i find discombobulating!

I’ve been experimenting with gels as I’ve always avoided them but felt I needed to fuel my upcoming marathon better than I did my last one. Last time I used energy byte caffeine jelly’s. They worked but I felt a bit weird after.

ive tried a few ones and I think I like the Kendal mint ones the best. They’re a bit weird going down but leave you feeling quite fresh and not too sticky. They’re also easy to open when running at pace, unlike some of the others I have tried. So I’m going to order more of them for marathon day.

I have also tried voom bars and I like them for training runs when you can stop to eat them but for races when you just have to get them down with it stopping they’re just too much chewing.

I agree lots of people underfuel but the 60-80g recommendation will be too high for a lot of women - it takes practice to be able to absorb that much without GI distress and many women are sufficiently carb adapted not to need quite so much anyway especially for aerobic paced events. A mix of sugar types (glucose and fructose) will be absorbed more readily than all glucose and having enough fluid is also important.

Either way it's important to practice in training and start taking it even before your event starts rather than waiting until an hour in. That way you can work out your own limits and what you absorb fastest.

I use High 5 energy drink powder. I do drink alot compared to others though so consume quite a few carbs. I then alternate a fruit pastille and mini jammy dodgers every km.

The Kendal Mint co gels are not so gloopy and also don't contain the ingredient that has the potential to give you the 💩 s. A lot of other gels do. You'd probably be fine for a half with a high carb breakfast and a bit of something ( Kendal mint co mint cake is fab) but for longer you'd need to plan your carbs carefully. The Kendal gels also contain electrolytes which is great