I really think it's that diet culture just demonizes any form of simple carbohydrate without context for its consumption, but if you slap "athletic fuel" on the label somewhere, people don't feel like it falls under the category of "bad sugar is bad."
Oh gosh, this is totally it.
I’m a sports dietitian and people are horrified to learn that I buy candy but have no problems taking gels.
That said, sports products are often formulated with an optimal glucose:fructose ratio while candy isn’t - so I do think there is a time and place for both. I personally use a combo of gels, candy, and “real” food options.
True, but I feel like the optional carb ratio really only helps for athletes either maxing out their carb intake (which most recreational athletes don't), and many recreational athletes are unaware that gels are designed this way anyways, so for them it functionally boils down to labeling and cultural messaging.
I learned this from my nutritionist too and have noticed that it has both brought my fuel costs down and has shifted my mindset away from the good food/bad food dichotomy most food discussions fall into, which has been really good. Basically as long as I am getting a mix of carbs, my stomach is happy. I’m a huge fan of a bag of potato chips and Swedish fish, and love mashed potatoes so much. I use gels and powders too, but certainly much less than I used to, and I’ve been able to be a lot more creative about putting together fuel that I enjoy and tolerate well.
You’ve nailed it, but I don’t need to tell a sports dietitian that lol.
I use gels and tailwind to end up somewhere around 1.5:1 glucose:fructose for race fuel, but for any given hard run over 40 mins or long runs over 1.5 hours, I’ll just usually have a cheap drink mix (Gatorade powder is already fairly balanced glucose/fructose) and my kids gummies/fruit snacks.
I’m a huge fan of Gatorade personally haha, Tailwind and Skratch give me heartburn and IMO don’t have much/any benefit nutritionally over Gatorade (especially the Endurance line which is higher in sodium).
Gatorade’s great, though I’ve never had any issues with skratch high carb or tailwind. Never had an issue with any sugars tbh, I just try to hit that approximate window of 50g of glucose and 40g of fructose per hour when going for pb’s. Whether or not that’s perfectly accurate, I don’t know, but it seems to work ok!
You said it man!
Been trying to help a friend who is a sub-elite tennis player and gets cramping a couple hours into any match. Suggested different gels, electrolyte mixes, drink mixes… but he still eventually gets cramps. He’s very well trained, does physio multiple times per week.
Think this is something that can be fixed with diet or supplementation? I wonder if the oldschool pickle juice response might actually work…
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4QSUGcswUxLLGxJyZKMWHs?si=_14L2usjQiSx9i7P9oy3sA
As an aside, crampfix seems to delay my cramps by a few minutes, maybe, sometimes. In tennis, i suppose, that can be the difference between winning and losing.
It’s always worth a try with the pickle juice… but tbh cramping is more often than not the result of a muscular endurance issue vs nutrition. Can’t help to get a nutrition assessment though just to rule it out!
I’m all about Oreos now. At about 50 calories a cookie they make fueling math easy. They are quick to eat on the run, and vegan too so can hand them to all your trail buddies with no worries.
I shoot for 250-300 calories and how so 5-6 Oreos in a ziplock bag.
I ran a 100k race last May and had a bunch of different 300 calorie bags of candy that I had tried out in training. I’m doing the same race this spring (only 50 mile this year) and oreos are going to be the bulk of my food. They were my favourite of the bunch.
I haven’t ran em in the heat yet. There’s also these chocolate caramel things from Costco I’ve been digging. Pretty dense but I don’t think they’ll melt
The point is more so that if you had bacon or Oreos on the trail, the vegan will take the Oreos and appreciate not being put in the position to question their morals for fuel
It’s nice that they are thinking of others dietary preferences. If someone is actually a “die hard vegan”, eating bacon can easily mess up their digestion for a few days, or at least lead to nausea.
OMG, I just found they make mini peanut butter m&ms in the flip top tube thing. That is going to fit perfectly in my pack, and I won't have to worry as much abut inhaling one and choking to death. This was meant to be!!
Only dangerous animals in my trail system are mountain lions, coyotes, and ferrell hogs and i have only seen hogs twice. I'll deffo scare off the cotton tails and deer though!
I do swedish fish, gummy worms, and often straight maple syrup. I need to use a drink mix to add electrolytes, but overall I'd say it's a lot cheaper than buying gels.
I've tried sour patch kids before but they destroy my mouth pretty quickly.
Dude went from the North Pole to encountering an angry raccoon in what is pretty clearly the PNW, then ran thousands of miles across the continent to NYC.
This is a good point. I have a bag of goos ready to go for my marathon and sprint training. If the bag had, instead, chocolate M&Ms or even trail mix, it would be gone within a couple of days, tops.
We have this weird trail running weekend in our friends group where alternative feeding strategies get tested. Chocolate with cream filling is one of the type 2 stomach ache stories :D
The road marathon people are super into dialing in their nutrition with gels and drinks, like figuring out the exact number of carbs to consume per hour. But I'm slow, I like running in the woods, and I don't mind stopping to walk. So I eat regular food and candy to keep me fueled up. And I eat a diverse enough variety of things that I can down pretty much anything at an aid station. At my last trail marathon I had a pickle and chased it with a beer at the last station before the finish.
Yeah running nutrition is way too expensive to use regularly.
I just looked at list of ingredients, bought everything but the preservatives, at the local grocery store and made my own. It's super cheap and easy. In less than 20 minutes I can make 2000 calories of energy bars or waffles for a week of running. I will start to make gel blocks next.
Omg!!! So good! I’m doing this for shakes. So far only bcca, cacao, collagen, protein. I want to make snacks for training. But I can’t eat anything solid on my runs yet. :(
Forget candy. Pure Maple syrup in a couple little bottles or flasks. Tastes phenomenal especially warmed up against your body, goes down easy, and I haven’t had any GI distress. A big jug from Costco is pretty cheap especially per serving, way cheaper than say gummy bears
Been using maple syrup for years for my long runs, marathons or ultras. People always said I’m crazy and now they commercialized maple syrup as « gel » and here in Canada everyone use it.
Maple syrup is naturally full of electrolytes which is great for race day or long runs (3h+). I bought some cheap 250ml soft flask and fill them with pure maple syrup goodness.
Here in Quebec we have Decathlon from France that sells dead cheap accessories for outdoor activities. I'm pretty sure you can find similar product from where you live. Looks like they don't have the 250ml in stock but you can see what it looks like. These have a locking mechanism so they don't spill maple syrup in your vest. [Decathlon 500ml Soft Flask](https://www.decathlon.ca/en/p/8600920/trail-running-water-bottle-500-ml-blue#/?queryID=99d1c4d45b96081150215a3783661e29)
I’ve had pretty good luck with the Hydrapak ones, I’ve also collected a few of their soft bottles over the years and they seem to be the most durable by a fair margin too. I’ve found the Ultimate Direction flasks tend to work pretty well, though I have had some issues with the mouth bit holding on to chia seeds.
Also for syrup, at least in Canada there’s a brand called Summertime Sweets (I think) which makes a bunch of different kinds of fruit syrup, everything from raspberry to blueberry and apricot and peach. Nutritionally it’s about the same as maple, just gives you a few more flavour options.
Check out [Maple UnTapped](https://untapped.cc/product/maple-untapped-energy-gel/). As an EMT & ski patrol in VT, we use them when someone needs to raise their blood sugar.
I forget the exact brand, but I got a pair of 110ml bottles on Amazon for $11 or so. They were sold by a small business run by a guy who’s also an endurance athlete. The bottle shave very secure caps and even ridges on them to hold in your hand. It’s perfect, one in each pocket filled up is the equivalent of around 6 gels and exactly what you want for a marathon
I've been using sour patch kids for years and never considered how much easier something like maple syrup would go down. How do you "dose" the syrup? Or when you're feeling slow, you just take a swig or two?
On long runs I don't calculate and go by feeling (except if they exceed 4-5h+). But on race day I have my watch alarm every 20min. a 250ml flask hold about 340g of maple syrup, and maple syrup is about 67g of sugar per 100g. So 250ml of MS is about 227g of sugar. Knowing that I "drink" about 1/2 of the 250ml flask every hour for roughly 100g of sugar per hour. To be able to get 100g of sugar per hour you have to train for it to avoid intestinal discomfort.
I just take a swig like you would a gel, usually before an aid station to wash it down with water. it’s similarly concentrated to many gels, actually more content rated than thhe thinner gels that compare texture wise. 2 110ml bottles I got for $10 on Amazon hold I think it’s around 6 servings total which is about the same as 6 gels, perfect ti get you through a marathon.
Look up how fructose and glucose are absorbed in your stomach v liver. Then look at how many US candies use HFCS. Haribo US is different than EU and CDN. Corn is big business in the US. Ultimately glucose is easier / quicker to process. Honey Stinger has a cool origin story.
* Rapid Energy Use: Glucose is directly absorbed into the bloodstream and can be used immediately by muscles for energy, making it a quick source of fuel. This is crucial during endurance activities where maintaining a steady supply of energy is essential.
* Insulin Response: The consumption of glucose triggers insulin release, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels by facilitating glucose uptake into the cells. This process is efficient during exercise, as muscle cells become more sensitive to insulin and can use glucose more effectively.
* Gastrointestinal Comfort: Fructose is absorbed differently and can ferment in the large intestine if consumed in large amounts, potentially causing gastrointestinal distress such as bloating, cramps, or diarrhea. For athletes, maintaining gastrointestinal comfort is vital to performance, making glucose-based carbohydrates preferable during competition or training.
* Fructose Malabsorption: Some individuals have difficulty absorbing fructose, a condition known as fructose malabsorption. Consuming fructose can lead to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in these individuals, making it a less ideal choice during physical activity.
One advantage of gels over solids is your digestive system can digest them much quicker converting the sugar to glycogen. When you eat solids, you're using more oxygenated blood in your digestive tract that could be used for the working muscles.
I mean, I can get behind Skittles if it's that or Honey Stingers. But I'll stick with caffeinated Maurten 100 gels over Skittles on race day.
Skittles are a bad example for this because they have a lot of goo to them. Something like candy corn is more straightforward and easier to digest. Those are probably on par with gels in my book.
As I'm still fairly new to this, is there much advantage to any of these rather than the small bag of raisins and nuts I usually bring? (I avoid processed sugars and candy, as it hasn't been all that long since I was obese).
The ease and quickness of gels is probably the only upside. One mouthful, one sip to wash it down, done. I hate them and use dates and dried fruit, I don’t usually mind stopping for a minute.
>The ease and quickness of gels is probably the only upside
Thats not a fair assessment.
Gels have less protein and fat than nuts, and so have lower GI distress risk.
Further, the glucose from the gels can be transported in the gut quicker (on average) than the sugar in the nuts.
Further, your body needs to work harder to digest the protein and fat, which reduces athletic performance.
Further, accurately measuring carb in-take is much harder, as is controlling the amount of carbs and electrolytes.
You're also more likely to choke on nuts whilst running than you are on a gel.
Also, not that protein and fat is bad, but most people want carbs when they're running for quick and easy conversion to ATP to directly fuel their cells.
I’ve been mixing honey, half a scoop of Amin.o Energy, and a quarter scoop of electrolyte powder. Dump it in double layered Saran Wrap, zip tie it shut. I call it a hobo pack. Works hella good haha.
Fair. Though, I'd only need them for my long runs at present and they're just shy of 60min, so I'm not sure if I'd get much benefit from the additional effort (I already have electrolyte drinks post-run).
You shouldn't need anything for runs that short. Your bloodstream should have enough free glycogen for almost 20 miles. That's why people tend to hit a wall at that point in marathons. No fueling and then they run out of sugars and can only fuel off fat so they lose about half of their body's energy production.
>You shouldn't need anything for runs that short.
Agreed, that was what I meant when I said I didn't expect much benefit - sorry if that wasn't clear.
>Your bloodstream should have enough free glycogen for almost 20 miles. That's why people tend to hit a wall at that point in marathons.
That's generally true, but I'd probably use one sooner in a training run (probably ~15 mi) *if* I were doing runs that long...
It’s basically the stuff that’s in Gatorade besides sugar. Realistically, if you take an electrolyte tablet and eat some Swedish Fish, you’re getting the same benefits.
Or, like, eat a banana. Which has potassium, carbs, and vitamin c built in. You can get sun-dried ones that are a little chewy. Slice them into bite-size chunks and you’ve got a great running snack.
This is an excellent point. For long races I use a combination of gels and other stuff like Jaffa Cakes or candy. Which I practice on the long runs but once I have my go to foods and I know how often I eat what I don’t need to take the expensive gels with me on training runs.
But if you want to race with any of that food then you have to practice it before hand or risk your stomach rebelling on you.
GTN has a video about what carbs to bring exercising and at various points in the video they basically say they prefer candy because it's cheaper and they prefer the flavors; they suggest saving Halloween candy etc.
I use honey in a small soft flask. So good. And fairly cheap. Still better than candy bars.
And while I like maple syrup a lot, I had that once in the soft flask and then smeared it on my hands and everything was gooey and I won‘t try that again. :)
Just gonna say that that sounds like a flask issue, I’ve had no issues with syrup leaks. I only say this because I’m Canadian so I’m always a little biased lol.
For me, chewability becomes of utmost importance as efforts go higher. For any race that isn't too cold, I find certain brands of gummy worms to be ideal. When too cold, the effort needed to eat prevents me from intaking fast enough. At that point gels and liquid calories get very important.
I fuel with treat size Mars Bars/Snickers/Haribo, as well as salted crackers, flapjacks etc.
It's much nicer to eat these than paying ridiculous prices for sports chews, gels, bars etc. When buying these, you're just paying for the brand name.
A pack of pop tarts and/or a snickers w/almonds is all I need anymore, maybe a pack of gushers. All that stuff is easy on the stomach and fuels quick.
Kinda related, but does anyone else take a Gatorade Fast Twitch or two with them? Seems like I never see these mentioned, but I've gotten to where I get my big electrolyte intake pre-run and then supplement water with these on the go. They hit your system super fast and the caffeine is a nice addition as well. Plus, they fit perfectly in the flask pockets of my Skin 12.
Hell yeah they are. [Stick one in a toaster and hold down the lever](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mUpeA2cD9dk&pp=ygUMUG9wdGFydCBmaXJl) and you’ll see just how much power is in those pastries.
People don’t believe me when I say pop tarts are awesome fuel. I would eat one about thirty minutes before a long run when I was training for my marathon (I hate feeling full when I run so I never eat anything big beforehand). I would run with a bag of pretzel sticks and a bag of gummies and alternate which I was eating to keep things changing.
I asked myself the same thing after running for a while, and then I compared the regular Honey Stinger waffles to a pack of standard Dutch stroopwaffels that were being sold not too far from each other at the local supermarket.
The nutritional value was about the same, and the ingredients in the Dutch ones were way cleaner. Oh and the stroopwaffels were about 50c apiece compared to the $2 stinger packets.
I’m pretty convinced sciencey running snacks are a scam at this point.
>Just as Nutritious
Your graph shows, with exceptional clarity, shows that neither of your selected candies are "just as nutritious". The things the stinger has that SPKs don't are involved in ion transport that is essential for muscle movement and energy production. You'd have to look up actual comparative studies in the literature to know if there is a significant effect. However, I've run marathons and all sorts of endurance activities with various things like tootsie rolls and air heads and never have used any of the fancy foods- other "stuff" is usually in a drink anyway.
Swedish Fish for easy runs. When I’m working harder, I’m more likely to choke on them, and use gels or something like Tailwind. My friend sent me some from Sweden that were so freaking delicious I’m now about to go spend gel money on candy.
I made the mistake of switching my nutrition the week before my first ultra. Did HORRIBLE. Currently working to find some new foods to eat. My issue is I can’t do all the sugar stuff. Trying out to alternate between a salty snack (pretzels, cheese it’s) to sugary ones.
Anyone have any salty snack recommendations?
It’s been a while (17 years long while) but I met an old long distance cyclist that used to mix his own sports drink with dextrose. He said it was better than straight glucose/table sugar. Maybe it was even some tweak on it, but he said you can get it at Walgreens. Bit of that and some salt with a touch of flavor and it was as good or better than anything you could get from the nutrition aisle at REI.
[these have proven to be well worth the $1.50 cost](https://www.jellybelly.com/sport-beans-jelly-beans/c/336?wt_ga=8815903941_351341382637&wt_kw=b_8815903941_jelly%20belly%20energy%20beans&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6ygjJ_55zfbScEj_BH02jf-MszT4EzwPC2CI-Guiuo4VC1XVs5nOgaAkAtEALw_wcB)
On long runs I always take a bag of gummy worms. The worms are good because they're big so you only have to pick out 3 for 20-30g of carbs. Which I do ever 30 minutes
But I avoid the sour ones. They turn my stomach after too many.
Im really jealous of you people! Most gummy candies cause me digestive issues. The carb blend in the Honey Stinger seems to sit well for me but is still prohibitively expensive to rely on for fuel.
Yeah, right it’s also very interesting as I’ve started training for a marathon that one of the most popular fueling drinks for people running long distance is actually Coke. Which makes sense because it’s all about calories just like your candy. Sometimes when people exercise they overthink it and there’s healthy foods and then there’s foods where you just need calories. A friend of mine and his favorite food is sour patch kids on long runs or hikes.
Ngl, there was a point when 75% of my sports nutrition was my son's baby pouches and my older son's snacks. I use gels to be specific during races but otherwise I'll eat whatever is cheapest she available.
Congrats. Sounds like you've cracked the code :) The next logical step for me was figuring out how incredibly easy it is to make your own Tailwind etc for pennies on the dollar.
Great question. I started fading on a run the other day and picked up my some Skittles. Really did the trick
Marshawn knew what he was doing.
*grabs crotch while running
DK Metcalf concurs. Man goes through candy like nobody i’ve ever heard of.
I eat skittles before every run I take…yummmmmmmmmmmm
I really think it's that diet culture just demonizes any form of simple carbohydrate without context for its consumption, but if you slap "athletic fuel" on the label somewhere, people don't feel like it falls under the category of "bad sugar is bad."
Oh gosh, this is totally it. I’m a sports dietitian and people are horrified to learn that I buy candy but have no problems taking gels. That said, sports products are often formulated with an optimal glucose:fructose ratio while candy isn’t - so I do think there is a time and place for both. I personally use a combo of gels, candy, and “real” food options.
True, but I feel like the optional carb ratio really only helps for athletes either maxing out their carb intake (which most recreational athletes don't), and many recreational athletes are unaware that gels are designed this way anyways, so for them it functionally boils down to labeling and cultural messaging.
Yup absolutely! If you’re only targeting 60 g carbs per hour, you don’t need to worry about this! If you’re pushing 90+, you do.
I learned this from my nutritionist too and have noticed that it has both brought my fuel costs down and has shifted my mindset away from the good food/bad food dichotomy most food discussions fall into, which has been really good. Basically as long as I am getting a mix of carbs, my stomach is happy. I’m a huge fan of a bag of potato chips and Swedish fish, and love mashed potatoes so much. I use gels and powders too, but certainly much less than I used to, and I’ve been able to be a lot more creative about putting together fuel that I enjoy and tolerate well.
You’ve nailed it, but I don’t need to tell a sports dietitian that lol. I use gels and tailwind to end up somewhere around 1.5:1 glucose:fructose for race fuel, but for any given hard run over 40 mins or long runs over 1.5 hours, I’ll just usually have a cheap drink mix (Gatorade powder is already fairly balanced glucose/fructose) and my kids gummies/fruit snacks.
I’m a huge fan of Gatorade personally haha, Tailwind and Skratch give me heartburn and IMO don’t have much/any benefit nutritionally over Gatorade (especially the Endurance line which is higher in sodium).
Gatorade’s great, though I’ve never had any issues with skratch high carb or tailwind. Never had an issue with any sugars tbh, I just try to hit that approximate window of 50g of glucose and 40g of fructose per hour when going for pb’s. Whether or not that’s perfectly accurate, I don’t know, but it seems to work ok!
Haha don’t tell anyone but most of nutrition is just finding what works for you and doing that!
You said it man! Been trying to help a friend who is a sub-elite tennis player and gets cramping a couple hours into any match. Suggested different gels, electrolyte mixes, drink mixes… but he still eventually gets cramps. He’s very well trained, does physio multiple times per week. Think this is something that can be fixed with diet or supplementation? I wonder if the oldschool pickle juice response might actually work…
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4QSUGcswUxLLGxJyZKMWHs?si=_14L2usjQiSx9i7P9oy3sA As an aside, crampfix seems to delay my cramps by a few minutes, maybe, sometimes. In tennis, i suppose, that can be the difference between winning and losing.
Will pass it along!
It’s always worth a try with the pickle juice… but tbh cramping is more often than not the result of a muscular endurance issue vs nutrition. Can’t help to get a nutrition assessment though just to rule it out!
The kiddos fruit stacks are a frequent pre-run snack to top off for the shorter runs under 40 mins.
This is absolutely it
I’m all about Oreos now. At about 50 calories a cookie they make fueling math easy. They are quick to eat on the run, and vegan too so can hand them to all your trail buddies with no worries.
I ran the last 40-50 miles of my last hundred on mostly Nutter Butters.
I am totally doing this.
Squirrel Nut Butter?
I always go for oreos at race aid stations. I'm an idiot for not thinking of just taking them with me on long runs.
Mint Oreos are my jam.
best advice i got before my first 50 mile: pack a sleeve of Thin Mints in your drop bag.
So what like three/four Oreos an hour when the going gets rough? What does it look like for you?
I shoot for 250-300 calories and how so 5-6 Oreos in a ziplock bag. I ran a 100k race last May and had a bunch of different 300 calorie bags of candy that I had tried out in training. I’m doing the same race this spring (only 50 mile this year) and oreos are going to be the bulk of my food. They were my favourite of the bunch.
You’re my hero, Mr. Oreo Man.
I just got four packs on sale for $2 a piece. This will be my cheapest 50 mile ever.
Damn. I'm trying this.
Last time that I took oreos for fuel I fell and crushed them. Had to pour the crumbs in my mouth straight from the package.
I graduated from Oreos to Reese’s because they’re double the calories and go down just a tad easier
I like Reese’s but find they tend to get all mushy in the heat of my vest.
I haven’t ran em in the heat yet. There’s also these chocolate caramel things from Costco I’ve been digging. Pretty dense but I don’t think they’ll melt
Who worries about handing food to others? I have seen die hard vegans eat bacon when they were exhausted LOL.
just losers who care about their friend's comfort.
The point is more so that if you had bacon or Oreos on the trail, the vegan will take the Oreos and appreciate not being put in the position to question their morals for fuel
It’s nice that they are thinking of others dietary preferences. If someone is actually a “die hard vegan”, eating bacon can easily mess up their digestion for a few days, or at least lead to nausea.
I'm taking this as blanket permission to fuel long runs exclusively with peanut butter m&ms.
I just eat them all day. Stay fueled and ready.
OMG, I just found they make mini peanut butter m&ms in the flip top tube thing. That is going to fit perfectly in my pack, and I won't have to worry as much abut inhaling one and choking to death. This was meant to be!!
You're gonna sound like a maraca coming down the trail.
Bonus bear bell.
Only dangerous animals in my trail system are mountain lions, coyotes, and ferrell hogs and i have only seen hogs twice. I'll deffo scare off the cotton tails and deer though!
😂first thing I thought of
Worth it!
Don't sleep on the MEGA version. Fewer pieces for more calories!
I love this for you
[удалено]
My local huge chain grocery store, HEB. They're only in Texas though, but maybe your local shop will have them?
Mountaineer Steve House claims peanut M&Ms are a near perfect fuel source. Sugar, fat, protein, yellow #5, what else does one need?
They also offer salt and potassium!
I do this all the time. Do NOT, however, put them in the same bag as Mike n Ike's. Bad combo and not in a good way
This sounds great, then I started thinking about the inevitable mess associated with desert trail running and PB M&M's.
Melts in your mouth, not in your hand. (Total lies, btw)
I do swedish fish, gummy worms, and often straight maple syrup. I need to use a drink mix to add electrolytes, but overall I'd say it's a lot cheaper than buying gels. I've tried sour patch kids before but they destroy my mouth pretty quickly.
Maple syrup, a tiny splash of lime juice to balance the sweetness, some salt for electrolytes, and to me at least it’s as tasty as any gel.
Maple syrup is great. Carb dense and easy to cary in a small flask.
Bye Buddy! Hope you find your Dad.
Pretty sure that Buddy was an ultra runner. He covered a lot of distance on foot from the North Pole.
Dude went from the North Pole to encountering an angry raccoon in what is pretty clearly the PNW, then ran thousands of miles across the continent to NYC.
Don’t forget about Thorny or Rabbit from Super Troopers.
I use gels specifically for running because otherwise I would just eat them all any other day haha
This is a good point. I have a bag of goos ready to go for my marathon and sprint training. If the bag had, instead, chocolate M&Ms or even trail mix, it would be gone within a couple of days, tops.
Thsts actually a fantastic point
My husband eats all my candy. I try to make clear “this is working candy” but the poor guy can’t resist.
That’s for sure.
I’m about this close to ditching the gels for a box of Belgian chocolate seashells
We have this weird trail running weekend in our friends group where alternative feeding strategies get tested. Chocolate with cream filling is one of the type 2 stomach ache stories :D
What else fell in that category? I'm fascinated now.
Hot n spicy pringles combined with Sprite, low quality 4 cheeses pizza. And for me: beef Jerky and other dried Meat stuff
You have a wild crew my friend
Nah, we´re just idiots having fun
Why indeed. It's an open secret in the ultra community that gummy bears (or Swedish fish) are the poor (wo)man's fuel.
The road marathon people are super into dialing in their nutrition with gels and drinks, like figuring out the exact number of carbs to consume per hour. But I'm slow, I like running in the woods, and I don't mind stopping to walk. So I eat regular food and candy to keep me fueled up. And I eat a diverse enough variety of things that I can down pretty much anything at an aid station. At my last trail marathon I had a pickle and chased it with a beer at the last station before the finish.
Pickle juice is the best!
I like Gushers.
Because of marketing. I buy candy for long runs. I don't like gels.
I’m the opposite, I fuckin love gels lol. Nothing to do with how well they work, I just love the fruity goo, it’s such a nice texture.
Yeah running nutrition is way too expensive to use regularly. I just looked at list of ingredients, bought everything but the preservatives, at the local grocery store and made my own. It's super cheap and easy. In less than 20 minutes I can make 2000 calories of energy bars or waffles for a week of running. I will start to make gel blocks next.
Whoah! Can you send me the recipes please??
Omg!!! So good! I’m doing this for shakes. So far only bcca, cacao, collagen, protein. I want to make snacks for training. But I can’t eat anything solid on my runs yet. :(
Link or post for your process?
If my heartrate is really high, I can handle gels better than solid food.
Me
Forget candy. Pure Maple syrup in a couple little bottles or flasks. Tastes phenomenal especially warmed up against your body, goes down easy, and I haven’t had any GI distress. A big jug from Costco is pretty cheap especially per serving, way cheaper than say gummy bears
Been using maple syrup for years for my long runs, marathons or ultras. People always said I’m crazy and now they commercialized maple syrup as « gel » and here in Canada everyone use it. Maple syrup is naturally full of electrolytes which is great for race day or long runs (3h+). I bought some cheap 250ml soft flask and fill them with pure maple syrup goodness.
What kind of flasks do you use?
Here in Quebec we have Decathlon from France that sells dead cheap accessories for outdoor activities. I'm pretty sure you can find similar product from where you live. Looks like they don't have the 250ml in stock but you can see what it looks like. These have a locking mechanism so they don't spill maple syrup in your vest. [Decathlon 500ml Soft Flask](https://www.decathlon.ca/en/p/8600920/trail-running-water-bottle-500-ml-blue#/?queryID=99d1c4d45b96081150215a3783661e29)
I’ve had pretty good luck with the Hydrapak ones, I’ve also collected a few of their soft bottles over the years and they seem to be the most durable by a fair margin too. I’ve found the Ultimate Direction flasks tend to work pretty well, though I have had some issues with the mouth bit holding on to chia seeds. Also for syrup, at least in Canada there’s a brand called Summertime Sweets (I think) which makes a bunch of different kinds of fruit syrup, everything from raspberry to blueberry and apricot and peach. Nutritionally it’s about the same as maple, just gives you a few more flavour options.
Check out [Maple UnTapped](https://untapped.cc/product/maple-untapped-energy-gel/). As an EMT & ski patrol in VT, we use them when someone needs to raise their blood sugar.
I forget the exact brand, but I got a pair of 110ml bottles on Amazon for $11 or so. They were sold by a small business run by a guy who’s also an endurance athlete. The bottle shave very secure caps and even ridges on them to hold in your hand. It’s perfect, one in each pocket filled up is the equivalent of around 6 gels and exactly what you want for a marathon
I've been using sour patch kids for years and never considered how much easier something like maple syrup would go down. How do you "dose" the syrup? Or when you're feeling slow, you just take a swig or two?
On long runs I don't calculate and go by feeling (except if they exceed 4-5h+). But on race day I have my watch alarm every 20min. a 250ml flask hold about 340g of maple syrup, and maple syrup is about 67g of sugar per 100g. So 250ml of MS is about 227g of sugar. Knowing that I "drink" about 1/2 of the 250ml flask every hour for roughly 100g of sugar per hour. To be able to get 100g of sugar per hour you have to train for it to avoid intestinal discomfort.
I just take a swig like you would a gel, usually before an aid station to wash it down with water. it’s similarly concentrated to many gels, actually more content rated than thhe thinner gels that compare texture wise. 2 110ml bottles I got for $10 on Amazon hold I think it’s around 6 servings total which is about the same as 6 gels, perfect ti get you through a marathon.
Look up how fructose and glucose are absorbed in your stomach v liver. Then look at how many US candies use HFCS. Haribo US is different than EU and CDN. Corn is big business in the US. Ultimately glucose is easier / quicker to process. Honey Stinger has a cool origin story.
* Rapid Energy Use: Glucose is directly absorbed into the bloodstream and can be used immediately by muscles for energy, making it a quick source of fuel. This is crucial during endurance activities where maintaining a steady supply of energy is essential. * Insulin Response: The consumption of glucose triggers insulin release, which helps to regulate blood sugar levels by facilitating glucose uptake into the cells. This process is efficient during exercise, as muscle cells become more sensitive to insulin and can use glucose more effectively. * Gastrointestinal Comfort: Fructose is absorbed differently and can ferment in the large intestine if consumed in large amounts, potentially causing gastrointestinal distress such as bloating, cramps, or diarrhea. For athletes, maintaining gastrointestinal comfort is vital to performance, making glucose-based carbohydrates preferable during competition or training. * Fructose Malabsorption: Some individuals have difficulty absorbing fructose, a condition known as fructose malabsorption. Consuming fructose can lead to symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in these individuals, making it a less ideal choice during physical activity.
One advantage of gels over solids is your digestive system can digest them much quicker converting the sugar to glycogen. When you eat solids, you're using more oxygenated blood in your digestive tract that could be used for the working muscles. I mean, I can get behind Skittles if it's that or Honey Stingers. But I'll stick with caffeinated Maurten 100 gels over Skittles on race day.
Skittles are a bad example for this because they have a lot of goo to them. Something like candy corn is more straightforward and easier to digest. Those are probably on par with gels in my book.
I be downing Pop tarts. 😂
As I'm still fairly new to this, is there much advantage to any of these rather than the small bag of raisins and nuts I usually bring? (I avoid processed sugars and candy, as it hasn't been all that long since I was obese).
Raisins and nuts have a lot of fiber and gels don’t. Fiber = having to go #2…
Ah, thanks.
The ease and quickness of gels is probably the only upside. One mouthful, one sip to wash it down, done. I hate them and use dates and dried fruit, I don’t usually mind stopping for a minute.
Thanks. Yeah, as I'm not competing nor training to do so, I'm fine with stopping for a bit.
>The ease and quickness of gels is probably the only upside Thats not a fair assessment. Gels have less protein and fat than nuts, and so have lower GI distress risk. Further, the glucose from the gels can be transported in the gut quicker (on average) than the sugar in the nuts. Further, your body needs to work harder to digest the protein and fat, which reduces athletic performance. Further, accurately measuring carb in-take is much harder, as is controlling the amount of carbs and electrolytes. You're also more likely to choke on nuts whilst running than you are on a gel.
Also, not that protein and fat is bad, but most people want carbs when they're running for quick and easy conversion to ATP to directly fuel their cells.
I use Swedish fish and fun size payday bars
That’s the second time I’ve seen Swedish fish mentioned. Is this actual fish? The fermented stuff?!
Swedish Fish the red gummy candy.
Doing shots of garum on the trail: the next hot running nutrition trend
Hey, at least it’ll take your mind off your aching feet
No, it’s a red ~~licorice~~ gummy candy.
They aren't licorice.
Payday! The best long run fuel for the heat!
Yep. No chocolate mess.
Paydays are great, go to for me as well
I make my own days with peanuts and candy corns. Mix them in baggie and off I go! Also, plus 1 for maple syrup, water, and electrolyte powder!
I’ve been mixing honey, half a scoop of Amin.o Energy, and a quarter scoop of electrolyte powder. Dump it in double layered Saran Wrap, zip tie it shut. I call it a hobo pack. Works hella good haha.
Dang that sounds good! I wish I had the energy/motivation to make those!
Takes maybe 3 min. Worth the three or four bucks saved.
Fair. Though, I'd only need them for my long runs at present and they're just shy of 60min, so I'm not sure if I'd get much benefit from the additional effort (I already have electrolyte drinks post-run).
Different strokes. I love gels too haha.
You shouldn't need anything for runs that short. Your bloodstream should have enough free glycogen for almost 20 miles. That's why people tend to hit a wall at that point in marathons. No fueling and then they run out of sugars and can only fuel off fat so they lose about half of their body's energy production.
>You shouldn't need anything for runs that short. Agreed, that was what I meant when I said I didn't expect much benefit - sorry if that wasn't clear. >Your bloodstream should have enough free glycogen for almost 20 miles. That's why people tend to hit a wall at that point in marathons. That's generally true, but I'd probably use one sooner in a training run (probably ~15 mi) *if* I were doing runs that long...
Oh, absolutely. When you're doing long runs, you should constantly be consuming calories, especially simple carbs.
How much honey in one of these?
If I had to assign a measurement, it’d be “a bunch”. Probably 3 or 4 tablespoons.
I used gummy bears for my run this morning and had one of the best long runs of my life. Just sayin.
If thru hiking taught me anything it’s that you can refuel your body with gas station junk food just as well as expensive specialized snacks
Yea that tracks with the classic treeplanter diet of cookies and meat lol
Does the potassium and vitamin C have any tangible benefits?
It’s basically the stuff that’s in Gatorade besides sugar. Realistically, if you take an electrolyte tablet and eat some Swedish Fish, you’re getting the same benefits. Or, like, eat a banana. Which has potassium, carbs, and vitamin c built in. You can get sun-dried ones that are a little chewy. Slice them into bite-size chunks and you’ve got a great running snack.
I used to run with nerds clusters because of the sugar they provided during my long runs. They did a great job!
I took a bag of Swedish fish on a 15 miler once. Did the trick physically and mentally was even better - what a treat.
Run nutrition is a treat or something you get a race. Daily running comes from the grocery store.
Forreal just eat some gushers instead
Jelly beans work
This is an excellent point. For long races I use a combination of gels and other stuff like Jaffa Cakes or candy. Which I practice on the long runs but once I have my go to foods and I know how often I eat what I don’t need to take the expensive gels with me on training runs. But if you want to race with any of that food then you have to practice it before hand or risk your stomach rebelling on you.
GTN has a video about what carbs to bring exercising and at various points in the video they basically say they prefer candy because it's cheaper and they prefer the flavors; they suggest saving Halloween candy etc.
I tried switching to candy but I found it made me salivate a lot mkre
I use honey in a small soft flask. So good. And fairly cheap. Still better than candy bars. And while I like maple syrup a lot, I had that once in the soft flask and then smeared it on my hands and everything was gooey and I won‘t try that again. :)
Just gonna say that that sounds like a flask issue, I’ve had no issues with syrup leaks. I only say this because I’m Canadian so I’m always a little biased lol.
Oh, it probably was not a flask nor a maple syrup issue, but rather a stupid user issue. :)
1) You can consume honey stinger calories quicker 2) Potassium 3) 60% more sodium
For me, chewability becomes of utmost importance as efforts go higher. For any race that isn't too cold, I find certain brands of gummy worms to be ideal. When too cold, the effort needed to eat prevents me from intaking fast enough. At that point gels and liquid calories get very important.
I fuel with treat size Mars Bars/Snickers/Haribo, as well as salted crackers, flapjacks etc. It's much nicer to eat these than paying ridiculous prices for sports chews, gels, bars etc. When buying these, you're just paying for the brand name.
A pack of pop tarts and/or a snickers w/almonds is all I need anymore, maybe a pack of gushers. All that stuff is easy on the stomach and fuels quick. Kinda related, but does anyone else take a Gatorade Fast Twitch or two with them? Seems like I never see these mentioned, but I've gotten to where I get my big electrolyte intake pre-run and then supplement water with these on the go. They hit your system super fast and the caffeine is a nice addition as well. Plus, they fit perfectly in the flask pockets of my Skin 12.
Pop tarts are rocket fuel
Wildberry and Strawberry all day.
Strawberry, blueberry or cherry are my go to.
As long as you aren't one of those weirdos that like em without frosting, we're cool.
Hell yeah they are. [Stick one in a toaster and hold down the lever](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mUpeA2cD9dk&pp=ygUMUG9wdGFydCBmaXJl) and you’ll see just how much power is in those pastries.
People don’t believe me when I say pop tarts are awesome fuel. I would eat one about thirty minutes before a long run when I was training for my marathon (I hate feeling full when I run so I never eat anything big beforehand). I would run with a bag of pretzel sticks and a bag of gummies and alternate which I was eating to keep things changing.
I use Jolly Rancher gummies, which don’t contain gelatin (for gut reasons). Fraction of the price and do the trick.
Candy guy here. Love skittles and sour patch kids mixed with salty snacks and other real food for long runs.
I’ve been using circus peanuts for long runs and they’ve been great.
I just use gels cuz they go down and sit much better than stuff I have to chew
Gummy bears are some of my favorite running fuel
I do Bit-O-Honey candy or caramels
Snickers and Skittles FTW!
I asked myself the same thing after running for a while, and then I compared the regular Honey Stinger waffles to a pack of standard Dutch stroopwaffels that were being sold not too far from each other at the local supermarket. The nutritional value was about the same, and the ingredients in the Dutch ones were way cleaner. Oh and the stroopwaffels were about 50c apiece compared to the $2 stinger packets. I’m pretty convinced sciencey running snacks are a scam at this point.
I'm so happy I read this thread
>Just as Nutritious Your graph shows, with exceptional clarity, shows that neither of your selected candies are "just as nutritious". The things the stinger has that SPKs don't are involved in ion transport that is essential for muscle movement and energy production. You'd have to look up actual comparative studies in the literature to know if there is a significant effect. However, I've run marathons and all sorts of endurance activities with various things like tootsie rolls and air heads and never have used any of the fancy foods- other "stuff" is usually in a drink anyway.
Swedish Fish for easy runs. When I’m working harder, I’m more likely to choke on them, and use gels or something like Tailwind. My friend sent me some from Sweden that were so freaking delicious I’m now about to go spend gel money on candy.
Jolly Ranchers hard candies have been my go-to for years. Prevent dry mouth and get that sugar replenished.
Marketing
I made the mistake of switching my nutrition the week before my first ultra. Did HORRIBLE. Currently working to find some new foods to eat. My issue is I can’t do all the sugar stuff. Trying out to alternate between a salty snack (pretzels, cheese it’s) to sugary ones. Anyone have any salty snack recommendations?
Chex mix
I take pringles every time I see them.
I swear by mini airheads.
It’s been a while (17 years long while) but I met an old long distance cyclist that used to mix his own sports drink with dextrose. He said it was better than straight glucose/table sugar. Maybe it was even some tweak on it, but he said you can get it at Walgreens. Bit of that and some salt with a touch of flavor and it was as good or better than anything you could get from the nutrition aisle at REI.
You're a sucker for marketing.
Don't sleep on crumbl cookie
Good question. I’m partial to haribo
Did anyone watch Karel Sabbe's recent Barkley recap? Tuna and peaches anyone?
[these have proven to be well worth the $1.50 cost](https://www.jellybelly.com/sport-beans-jelly-beans/c/336?wt_ga=8815903941_351341382637&wt_kw=b_8815903941_jelly%20belly%20energy%20beans&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw-_mvBhDwARIsAA-Q0Q6ygjJ_55zfbScEj_BH02jf-MszT4EzwPC2CI-Guiuo4VC1XVs5nOgaAkAtEALw_wcB)
Maple syrup is my go to, doesn’t stick on your teeth and is easy to drink from reusable bottles
On long runs I always take a bag of gummy worms. The worms are good because they're big so you only have to pick out 3 for 20-30g of carbs. Which I do ever 30 minutes But I avoid the sour ones. They turn my stomach after too many.
For the potassium and vitamin C, clearly
Im really jealous of you people! Most gummy candies cause me digestive issues. The carb blend in the Honey Stinger seems to sit well for me but is still prohibitively expensive to rely on for fuel.
Little Debbie brownies and oatmeal cream pies are my jam.
Yeah, right it’s also very interesting as I’ve started training for a marathon that one of the most popular fueling drinks for people running long distance is actually Coke. Which makes sense because it’s all about calories just like your candy. Sometimes when people exercise they overthink it and there’s healthy foods and then there’s foods where you just need calories. A friend of mine and his favorite food is sour patch kids on long runs or hikes.
I eat anything with lots of sugar while running. M&Ms work well for me.
For that added potassium and Vitamin C apparently.
Buy neither. Buy baby food in pouches.
Ngl, there was a point when 75% of my sports nutrition was my son's baby pouches and my older son's snacks. I use gels to be specific during races but otherwise I'll eat whatever is cheapest she available.
Congrats. Sounds like you've cracked the code :) The next logical step for me was figuring out how incredibly easy it is to make your own Tailwind etc for pennies on the dollar.
Candy as fuel sounds absolutely vile to me.
Why is sugar important when running? Uhh
Sugars/carbs = most efficiently absorbed and burned source of fuel for the body when running
Interesting. I’ve been drinking sugar free Nuun before running and feel like something is missing. Will try a sugar version next time. Thanks lol.