I’ve run ultramarathons (foot races which might be longer than the marathon distance of 42.195km) that took solely 5 hours. I’ve additionally accomplished just a few that lasted over 24 hours. Efficiently ending an ordeal of this magnitude is strongly tied to how effectively you gas and hydrate.
Ultrarunners have an inside joke: Ultramarathon just isn’t a operating contest. It’s an consuming one.
That’s why an power gel for ultras ought to match these three standards.
- Style – Scorching warmth, freezing nights, and treacherous landscapes, these are only a few of our favourite issues. We are sometimes out within the wild with out help for hours, so it’s essential to have gels that style midway first rate.
- Weight vs. the quantity of carbohydrates – We have already got to hold many gears (rain shell, first-aid package, flasks, filter, headlamp, energy financial institution, and so forth.), so minimize weight the place you may. Ideally, every power gel ought to weigh about 30g and offers 100 energy and 20g of carbohydrates.
- Packaging – Compact sufficient to suit the totally different pockets of hydration vests and packs. The gel also needs to be straightforward to open. Nothing is extra annoying than struggling to tear open a sachet whereas fatigued.
Beneath are my favourite power gels for ultramarathons on your reference. Man…they’ve powered me by some powerful instances.
Honey Stinger Gold
At 30g, Honey Stinger Gold offers 90 energy and 24g of carbohydrates. It’s 95% natural honey, so it provides an array of micro-nutrients as effectively, notably Vitamin B Complicated.
The style and consistency of Honey Stinger Gold are naturally…honey-like. If you’re a daily power gel eater and benefit from the style of honey, then Honey Stinger is probably going a good selection. Packaging is compact and suits in most belts, vests, and packs. It’s straightforward to tear open and gained’t make a large number. Every part is sensible. Right here’s a full overview.
Maurten Gel100
Within the taste class, I give Maurten Gel100 two thumbs up. The model made its power gels “extra tasteless”, as an alternative of including flavoring, to unravel the unsolvable gel taste problem. In a roundabout method, it kind of did present a great answer.
Maurten’s largest promoting level is its hydrogel know-how. Carbohydrates encapsulated in a hydrogel can bypass the abdomen to the intestines, the place they are often absorbed quicker and with out inflicting gastrointestinal misery, the corporate claims.
Every sachet is 40g and comprises 100 energy and 25g of carbohydrates. The draw back is its greater worth nevertheless it’s undoubtedly top-of-the-line choices I’ve tried. Right here’s a full overview.
Hammer Peanut Butter
At 30g, Hammer Peanut Butter packs 100 energy and 20g of carbohydrates. Fairly good bang for the load. I’m a kind of maniacs that eat peanut butter straight out of the jar with a spoon, so this taste is true in my wheelhouse. Hammer performs up its branded chain amino acids (BCAA) content material, which helps with stopping muscle tissue breakdown and fatigue throughout train.
Hammer has been within the power gas enterprise for many years, so their merchandise are efficient and packaging merely works. There’s a cause a whole lot {of professional} athletes race with this model.
GU Vanilla Bean
This 30g power gel offers 100 energy and 22g of carbohydrates per packet, simply what the physique wants. It additionally contains further goodies akin to 450 mg of BCAA, 60 mg of sodium, 20 mg of caffeine, and electrolytes potassium and calcium. It’s a well-balanced choice and my go-to caffeinated gas.
Should you’re a fan of vanilla ice-cream or vanilla milkshake, it’s a syrupy model of that kind of style. Clearly, I nonetheless wouldn’t need to eat Vanilla Bean every day, however the style isn’t unhealthy as race gas.
GU is without doubt one of the first to bundle power gels in this type of broad on the backside and slender on the prime design. It’s a format that endurance athletes are very used to by now.
Learn our overview on GU and Hammer.
Maple7
It is a model primarily based right here in our house market, Taiwan. Maple syrup is extensively accepted as a gas different, so Maple7 merely packaged pure maple syrup right into a well-designed sachet.
In relation to pure and sustainability, it doesn’t get any higher than 100% maple syrup. And as an endurance gas, it’s a superb choice as effectively. Every gel comprises 28 ml or about 28g of maple syrup, offering 25.8g of carbohydrates and 103 energy. It’s energy-packed!
32GI
The patented one-hand snap design is the place 32GI will get an A plus plus! Its power gels are available a flat packet the scale of a bank card. Merely snap the bundle in half with just one hand to open up a crack on the middle and suck. It’s easy-breezy and mess-free.
At 27g, it offers 84 energy (on the low facet) and 21g of carbohydrates. Relating to style and consistency, there aren’t any surprises. Should you’ve eaten gels earlier than with no problem, you need to be okay with 32GI’s taste and texture.
Morinaga Wieder In Jelly Power
Westerners in all probability have by no means heard of Morinaga Weider, however it is a staple for these of us in East Asia (Japan, Taiwan, or Hong Kong). The corporate markets the power pouches as fast meal replacements for working professionals. However endurance athletes quickly found that they’re nice as a sports activities gas.
Relating to taste and consistency, it’s identical to grape jello, which isn’t unhealthy in any respect, and the corporate recommends conserving it within the fridge and consuming it chilled (a bit troublesome to do throughout an extremely, lol).
Every pouch weighs 180g and offers 180 energy however solely 45g of carbohydrates, not loads for that a lot weight. Nonetheless, it offers Vitamin A, B Complicated, C, D, E, and 40g of sodium. The pouch design comes with a twist cap. You may take just a few gulps and shut it for later within the run, which is sort of handy.
Power gel suggestions for ultramarathons
There actually needs to be another standards, which is, does the power gel stress your gastrointestinal (GI) system? Nonetheless, for my part, whether or not an power gel upsets your abdomen has much less to do with the model and extra to do with how and once you devour it.
There are three methods that “struggle” on your blood: muscle tissues, digestion, and cooling. That’s why your legs really feel heavier after a meal, why it’s tougher to refuel and run on sizzling summer season days, or why your abdomen typically rebels once you’re bodily pushed to the restrict.
Listed below are just a few suggestions from my previous expertise. Hope they’re useful with resolving GI stress.
- Be sure to drink water. Each 20g of carbohydrates needs to be chased with 250 ml of water. This helps your physique course of the power gel.
- Eat 1g of carbohydrate per kg of physique weight per hour. For instance, a 60kg athlete ought to soak up 60g of carbohydrates every hour, about 2-3 power gels. Extra doesn’t at all times imply higher although, so watch out for sugar overload and sweetness fatigue.
- I sometimes purpose to eat 150 energy per hour by a mixture of fluids and strong meals.
- Should you carry a hydration vest or pack that matches two flasks (most do), I’d counsel filling one with water and the opposite with a sports activities drink.
- Eat and drink repeatedly in small dosages. This is a wonderful approach to steadily replenish power and fluids with out over stressing the abdomen.
- I want power gels that present some bells and whistles like Nutritional vitamins, amino acids, minerals, electrolytes, and so forth. In any case, you deplete extra than simply glycogen on these tremendous lengthy challenges.
- Higher be ready than sorry. Typically your crew will get misplaced on the best way to satisfy you, or you may’t find a drop bag. At all times have some further gas with you in case of the surprising.
- Power bars are additionally an enormous a part of my extremely fueling technique. For ultra-long adventures, strong meals is a should for me. Getting from one water station to the subsequent generally takes a number of hours, so bars are good for these conditions.
- Listed below are the finest power gels of 2022 primarily based on gross sales and Web evaluations. Uncover your individual favourite power gels for ultramarathons.
