Alternatives To Energy Gels? Try This Carb Calculator For Runners!

It’s common for runners to take energy gels or energy drink mix, which give a quick boost of energy to help keep you going.

But if you don’t like gels, can’t tolerate more than a couple of gels during a run, or are doing a longer event and want more variety in your race fuel, then what are the alternatives to energy gels?

We’ve got suggestions for snacks and drinks you can try while running, plus a carbohydrate calculator to help you know how much to eat and drink. 

WHY DO YOU NEED ENERGY GELS DURING A RUN?

First of all, energy really just means calories, and the best source of calories for runners and other endurance athletes is easy-to-digest carbohydrates.

As we run, we use up our body’s store of energy to keep us going, but there’s a finite amount of energy stored in the body so we need to top it up while we run.

We’ve covered why you need to take on energy during a long run in more detail (it’s mostly about not hitting the wall, which happens when we run out of stored energy).

HOW MANY CARBS SHOULD YOU CONSUME WHILE RUNNING?

• The amount of carbs you consume will vary depending on how fast you are running. Quicker runners require more per hour, but overall fast and slow runners may consume the same amount of carbs during a marathon (around 150-200g).
• Aim for 30-50g of carbs per hour to begin with. If you feel good and can tolerate more, then try increasing that to 60g. Most energy gels contain 20-40g of carbs.
• Some elite runners and cyclists have trained their stomach to tolerate over 100g of carbs per hour, but this may be too much for most athletes.
• If you struggle to take gels or solid food, then focus on liquid calories – after all, it’s very important to also stay hydrated while running.
• You should take extra carbs on all your long runs (using the guidance per hour above) and also try taking some during harder workouts. Start taking carbs within 30 minutes of your run beginning.

Remember you’re burning around 100 calories per mile when you run, and while it’s not necessary to replenish all of those calories, you do want to take on as much as you can comfortably tolerate because hitting the wall sucks! To help this, you need to think about carb-loading to maximise pre-run energy stores, and consuming carbs before you run.

NOTHING NEW ON RACE DAY!

One final bit of advice, but this is important: try these foods and drinks in training and don’t wait until race day! 

You need to fuel your long runs to make them feel easier, plus doing this allows you to see what sources of energy work for you and how much you can comfortably consume while running. Practise, practise, practise! (And be prepared to find some carbs that don’t necessarily work for you – that’s why we take them during training!).

CARB CALCULATOR FOR RUNNERS 

Here are approximate carb counts of common foods and drinks that runners can use during a run. 

Remember: most runners should aim for 30-60g carbs per hour, and faster runners may want more. Overall during a marathon you may want to have 150-200g of carbs.

UNDERSTANDING THE BEST FOOD TO EAT WHILE RUNNING

Here’s some more details on how best to fuel your runs. 

The priority should be on easy-to-digest carbohydrates. It’s not just about consuming calories, and you need as many carbs as possible. For example, a standard chocolate bar is around 200 calories and 26g of carbs, but the dairy in it means it has 14g of fat. That’s good energy, but for running fuel, it’s more efficient to have something with a higher carb-to-calorie ratio (look for foods with around 25g carbs per 100 calories). 

If you choose a fizzy drink like cola then you need the regular version and not the diet version. It’s also good to let it go flat or you’ll be burping your way through the race. The caffeine in cola or something like Red Bull can also give a performance boost.

Whole foods like bananas and dried fruit (dates, raisins, cherries) have high amounts of natural sugar, so can work well. You could also try fruit juice – there has been research into drinking diluted cloudy apple juice as an energy source in longer runs. Just consider the fibre content in these foods and drinks. 

Coconut water has a decent amount of natural sugar, plus it contains some electrolytes – taking a soft flask of this on a run may work well alongside water and other carbs. 

Eating while running can be difficult for a lot of runners, but if you take a walk-run approach in a race, or if you’re running a longer trail race where you expect to walk, then solid food could work well for you. The best energy bars will be low fibre and high carb. Other options include sandwiches (go for sliced white bread), wraps and rice balls. In ultramarathons you may also want to include some protein and fat, like a peanut butter sandwich, as this can be more satiating. 

Jelly-based sweets can be a nice boost to eat during a run, though you may not want to fuel your entire run on them (it’d mean eating three or four every mile).

You have to figure out how to carry this stuff. Wearing a running pack or belt can help with larger items. Soft flasks are helpful for liquids. 

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Do you choose an alternative to energy gels? What works for you?

Photo by Matthew Feeney on Unsplash