14632 522 261 522 0 405. Road cyclist best g fuel flavours hairpin bends up hillside. Could you be an Everesting champ?
We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. You should aim to consume 30-60g of carbs per hour, either in the form of gels, drinks or solids. Some products also contain caffeine, which can help to give a mental and physical boost during the last hours of a race. We’ve been slurping and munching our way through over 150 supplements to find the best running gels, bars, chews, drinks and gels on the market and have handpicked our favourite options below. A paste more than a gel, Vala’s blend of maple syrup, squished dates, powdered chia seeds, Welsh sea salt, lemon and lime juice creates a rarity: a gel you actually look forward to eating. With 24g carbs in each portable 35g pack, they’re as good spread on toast and mixed in porridge as they are gobbled neat. With 7g carbs per cube, it’d take a mighty muscular jaw to chew through enough of these to power a full marathon.
However, Cubos’ soft Turkish delight texture and snackable size are perfect for smaller hits of energy when a gel would be overkill. The Amaro and Guarana pack an additional hit of jitter-free caffeine and you can scoff them happily without water. Tailwind’s mildly sweet mixes are designed to combat taste fatigue on day-long ultras and make for great Long Sunday Run energy, too. Each portable stickpack delivers two 25g servings of fast-acting carbs from a dual-source dextrose-sucrose, plus an electrolyte balance that mimics sweat.
Easily overwhelmed tastebuds might enjoy the naked unflavoured option. They won’t replace electrolytes at the same rate as dedicated hydration products, so you may still need to look elsewhere to stay on top of your fluids on longer runs. The compact, easy-open tubes are a dream to use on the move. These maltodextrin-free gels mix ingredients such as rice, chia seeds, honey and molasses with fruit, sea salt and even peanut butter to create a range of all-natural fuel options. Each compact 45g rip-top tube supplies 15-20g carbs and each 12-pack includes options such as Hill Aid, Caneberry and Power Rush.