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10 best energy gels to keep you running for longer

Whether you’re into marathons or prefer a gentle jog, these sachets will keep you fuelled

Charlie Allenby
Tuesday 27 July 2021 13:25 BST
<p>Small, light and easy to carry, they all claim to help aid performance, and keep you running harder for longer</p>

Small, light and easy to carry, they all claim to help aid performance, and keep you running harder for longer

Whether you’ve just started running or you have a number of races under your belt, there will come a time when you’ll consider trying out some running energy gels. Small, light and easy to carry, they all claim to help aid performance, and keep you running harder for longer.

When carrying out an endurance activity (such as running), the body mainly turns to its glycogen stores to fuel its movement. Predominantly sourced from carbohydrates, glycogen is essentially the stored status of glucose (aka sugar) and is found in muscles and the liver.

However, once you start burning through your limited stockpile of glycogen (which usually takes around 60 to 90 minutes), you need to top it up, which is where energy gels come in.

Most energy gels, bars and chews look to offer that all important “sugar-rush” in an easy-to-digest package with the aim of getting it into your system as quickly as possible. Bars with multiple sources of carbohydrate (for example, maltodextrin and fructose) are able to do this faster, and are a great way of replacing minerals and nutrients (particular sodium) sweated out during exercise.

Meanwhile, isotonic gels have a water-like viscosity which can be easier for the body to absorb and some will include electrolytes and caffeine. These are scientifically proven to have performance benefits. Caffeine doesn’t agree with everyone, though, and can cause upset stomachs, so it is best experimented with during training.

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This final point is important for those who have a specific race that they are training towards. Most events will have an energy supplement sponsor, with free gels or bars given out as you make your way around the course. It’s therefore worth practising with the sponsor’s products during your training, purely so you know whether they sit well with you or if you need to carry an alternative source.

To help you find the right running energy gel, we put several of the best gels, bars and chews to the test. From ultramarathon-focused nut butters to cake-flavoured gels, these are the best running energy gels to buy in 2021.

The best energy gels for 2021 are:

  • Best overall – Torq gel sachets, 15 x 45g: £20, Wiggle.co.uk
  • Best gel used by professionals – Science In Sport go isotonic energy gel variety pack, 7 x 60ml: £5.35, Hollandandbarrett.com
  • Best solid energy bar – Clif Bar bloks energy chews, box of 18: £39.48, Tredz.co.uk
  • Best for a quick energy boost – Stealth advanced isotonic energy gel, 60ml: £1.40, Secret-training.com
  • Best flavour – GU energy gels, 24 x 32g: £27.36, Wiggle.co.uk
  • Best easy to use packaging – High 5 energy gel, 20 x 40g: £12, Wiggle.co.uk
  • Best for simplicity – Maurten gel 100, box of 12: £32.40, Sigmasports.com
  • Best for a caffeine hit – Caffeine Bullet energy chews, 4 x 4-chew packs: £12.45, Amazon.co.uk
  • Best naturally flavoured gel – OTE energy gel, box of 20: £28.80, Otesports.co.uk
  • Best nut butter – Outdoor Provisions all natural energy nut butter, 16 x 32g: £27, Outdoorprovisions.co.uk

Torq gel sachets, 45g, box of 15

torq-gel-cherry-bakewell

Best: Overall

This gel comes in a wide variety of interesting flavours – from rhubarb and custard to apple crumble – and if the cherry bakewell range we tested is anything to go by, refuelling will be something you look forward to.

A 2:1 blend of maltodextrin:fructose with five electrolytes, the relatively small gel (45g) packs an impressive amount of carbohydrates (29g) into each easy-to-digest serving. It is suitable for vegans, although its eco-credentials are let down by the fact that its packaging isn’t recyclable. Overall, a very flavoursome gel that we returned to time after time during testing.

  1. £20 from Wiggle.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Science In Sport go isotonic energy gel variety pack, 60ml, box of 7

science-in-sport-variety-pack

Best: Gel used by professionals

The go isotonic energy gel by Science In Sport is one of the most recognised energy gels on the market and is used by everyone from Manchester United players to Tour de France champions. But is it any good?

The apple-flavoured gel tasted quite synthetic to us, but wasn’t unpleasant, and seemed to do the job – quickly delivering 22g of carbohydrates thanks to its isotonic formula. The only downside is that they recommend consuming a sachet every 20 minutes during exercise, meaning that you might end up having to carry quite a few of the 60ml packs in your running belt or bag if you’re heading out on a longer training session or race.

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Clif Bar bloks energy chews, box of 18

clif-bloks-energy-chews

Best: Solid energy bar

American brand Clif Bar is renowned for its energy bars, which are able to pack the equivalent of a meal into a tasty 68g slab. But these have always been pretty tricky to eat on the go, until now. The bloks energy chews, although aimed at cyclists, are ideal for runners who prefer solids to liquids.

The six-piece pack contains the equivalent amount of carbohydrates (45g) as you’d get from two rival energy gels, making it a compact option, although you will need to wash it down with water. The tropical punch flavour was surprisingly nice for a citrus-inspired taste, and the only real flaw is that the packaging isn’t recyclable.

  1. £39 from Tredz.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Stealth advanced isotonic energy gel, 60ml

stealth-advanced-isotonic-energy-gel-pack

Best: For a quick energy boost

An isotonic energy gel to directly rival Science In Sport’s offering (£5.35, Hollandandbarrett.com), the advanced line from Stealth also packs 22g of carbohydrates into each 60ml serving. Where it does have the edge though is its combination of two energy sources (maltodextrin and fructose), meaning you feel the benefits sooner.

Quite loose in texture, it was easy to take on during an intense bout of testing. Its only real downside, apart from having to buy sachets individually, is its non-recyclable packaging – meaning that if you follow the recommended three-per-hour, you’ll be creating quite a lot of rubbish on longer training sessions.

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GU energy gels, 32g, box of 24

gu-energy-gels-salted-caramel

Best: Flavour

If you want maximum flavour from your energy gel, then this offering from American brand Gu Energy is the way to go. The 32g pouch is a lot less wet than competitors and has a truly gooey consistency (hence the name). This means it can produce ranges that actually taste like they’re supposed to – the salted caramel one being our favourite – but you will have to wash it down with water.

Flavour-aside, it has some impressive stats – cramming 22g of carbohydrates into its small package is no small feat. But it’s probably best reserved for long-distance athletes, as the impact does not kick in quite as fast as some of the wetter gels above.

  1. £27 from Wiggle.co.uk
Prices may vary
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High 5 energy gel, 40g, box of 20

high-5-energy-gel

Best: Easy to use packaging

One of the bigger sports supplements brands around, there’s a good chance that if you’re competing in a race or running event that High 5 will be on hand with energy gels around the course. Its vegetarian-suitable gel is one of the wetter options on the market, but provides you with 23g of carbohydrates per serving. Its orange with fruit juice was one of the least favourite flavours that we tested for this article, but its simplicity to tear and the packaging’s feel in the mouth made up for any misgivings we had about the watery flavour.

  1. £12 from Wiggle.co.uk
Prices may vary
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Maurten gel 100, box of 12

maurten-gel-100

Best: For simplicity

While a lot of the above call themselves a gel, the gel 100 from Danish brand Maurten is the closest we tested to a gelatin-like consistency. The pouch is used by the likes of Mo Farah and had one of the highest ratios of carbohydrate-to-weight we tested (25g per 40g serving). Although it has no fancy flavour profiles and is one of the more expensive gels on the market, it’s ideal for runners who want something simple-yet-effective. And, if it’s good enough for Mo, then it’s good enough for us.

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Caffeine Bullet energy chews, 4 packets (16 chews)

caffeine-bullet-energy-chews

Best: For a caffeine hit

A lot of energy gels and bars go big on the carbohydrate content and add in some caffeine as a little perk. But these energy chews from Caffeine Bullet turn that on its head. A pack contains four 8g chews that each contain 100mg of caffeine – slightly more than a double espresso – while also offering 6.9g of carbohydrates.

We did find them quite hard to chew to start with while running, but they soon softened up, providing an extra boost when we needed it. It should be noted that, as per the packaging’s warning, the recommended daily maximum intake of caffeine is 400mg (or one packet).

  1. £12 from Amazon.co.uk
Prices may vary
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OTE energy gel, box of 20

ote-energy-gel

Best: Naturally flavoured gel

With its products used by the likes of the Brownlee brothers, Leeds-based OTE knows a thing or two about producing sports supplements for those at the top of their game. Its energy gels are naturally flavoured and on the looser side, and the result is a subtle taste that doesn’t suffer from being synthetic.

If your focus is carbohydrates per serving then its 20.5g per 56g packet is bettered by others on the list, but its combination of maltodextrin and fructose got the energy to our muscles quickly. Although non-recyclable, its packaging is quite innovative in that you can tear it in two places depending on if you want to sip the gel or gulp it down in one go.

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Outdoor Provisions all natural energy nut butter, 32g, box of 16

Outdoor Provisions all natural energy nut butter

Best: Nut butter

Although it might appear to be a slightly out-there inclusion on a list of energy gels for running, this nut butter pouch by Outdoor Provisions has earned its spot. Its focus on slow-release energy over pure carbohydrates makes it one for ultra-endurance athletes over half-marathon PB chasers.

Its all-natural taste is also unrivalled. With an ingredients list of almonds, dates, coconut oil and sea salt, there’s nothing in there you wouldn’t be able to buy at the supermarket. It is also vegan and its wrapper is made entirely from compostable materials, making it a great choice for the eco-friendly among us, too.

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The verdict: Energy gels

With a seriously impressive amount of carbohydrates per serving and a flavour that actually tasted like it said on the packet, the Torq gel was the best energy gel for running that we tested. The GU energy gel came a close second, however, for flavour, while the Clif Bar bloks are a great option if you prefer your energy supplement with a bit of a bite.

A final honourable mention has to go to Outdoor Provisions, which is leading the way in energy supplements that are beneficial for us without harming the planet.

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Whatever gel you opt for, carrying it on your route is easy with one of these running backpacks which work for racing, commuting, trails and even marathons

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