Energy Gels and Chews for Endurance Running
A practical fueling guide for runners: how many carbs per hour, gels versus chews, caffeine timing, hydration, gut training, and whole-food alternatives for marathon, trail, and ultra distances.
Written by Victura Nutrition TeamReviewed by Victura Editorial ReviewLast updated Oct 22, 2026
Quick answer
Neither is clearly better. Gels deliver 20-25 g of carbohydrate per sachet and need no chewing, which suits high intensity and cold hands. Chews deliver about 8 g per piece and let you dose gradually, but they require chewing and can harden in the cold. Choose the format you tolerate at race pace and rehearse it in training.
A practical fueling guide for runners: how many carbs per hour, gels versus chews, caffeine timing, hydration, gut training, and whole-food alternatives for marathon, trail, and ultra distances.
Key takeaways
- Target 30-60 g of carbohydrate per hour for runs of 1-2.5 hours, up to 90 g beyond three hours.
- Most gels carry 20-25 g of carbohydrate; plan roughly one sachet every 20-30 minutes.
- Take gels with 150-250 mL (5-8 oz) of water to speed stomach emptying.
- Caffeine gels work best at 3-6 mg per kg body weight, tested in training first.
- Eight whole foods, from bananas to boiled potatoes, can replace gels in long ultras.
The Evidence on Energy Gels and Chews
Research-backedWhy Runners Use Gels and Chews
Once a run passes roughly 90 minutes, muscle glycogen falls and blood glucose becomes a limiting fuel. Carbohydrate eaten during exercise keeps blood glucose stable, spares liver glycogen, and makes a given pace feel easier. Gels and chews are popular because they solve a logistics problem: they are light, low in fiber and fat, and empty from the stomach quickly.
A standard gel sachet weighs 30-40 g (about 1-1.4 oz) and delivers 20-25 g of carbohydrate. Soft chews run about 8 g of carbohydrate per piece, so three pieces land near 24 g. Newer high-carbohydrate gels pack 40 g into a single sachet.
Format matters far less than the plan behind it. The gel is only the vehicle for a carbohydrate target you set from duration, intensity, and gut tolerance.
How Many Carbs Per Hour (and How Many Gels)
Position stands from the American College of Sports Medicine and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics scale carbohydrate by session length:
- Under 60 minutes: no carbohydrate needed for most sessions; a carbohydrate mouth rinse can help in short races.
- 1 to 2.5 hours: 30-60 g of carbohydrate per hour.
- 2.5 to 3 hours and beyond: up to 90 g per hour from a glucose-plus-fructose blend.
The blend matters because glucose and fructose use separate intestinal transporters. Combining them at roughly 2:1 or 1:0.8 raises the ceiling on absorbed carbohydrate and lowers the odds of a sloshing stomach.
Converting a target into products is simple arithmetic. At 22 g per gel, 60 g per hour is about two and a half sachets, or one every 24 minutes. At 90 g per hour with a 40 g high-carbohydrate gel it is a little over two sachets. With chews at about 8 g per piece, 60 g per hour means seven to eight pieces.
Key takeaway: Set your hourly carbohydrate target in grams first, then work out how many gels or chews deliver it.
Gels vs Chews: Practical Differences
Both formats work. The choice usually comes down to chewing, water, and portion control rather than any performance gap.
| Feature | Gel | Chew |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate per unit | 20-25 g per 32-40 g sachet | About 8 g per piece; roughly 24 g per 3 pieces |
| Water needed | Yes, 150-250 mL (5-8 oz) | Helpful, less critical |
| Chewing | None, swallow and go | Required; harder at threshold pace |
| Cold weather | Stays semi-liquid | Can harden below freezing |
| Portion control | Fixed sachet | Flexible, piece by piece |
Gels suit high intensity, cold hands, and races where chewing is uncomfortable. Chews suit runners who get flavor fatigue from gels, want smaller incremental doses, or prefer something solid in the mouth. Many runners carry both and switch late in a long race when gels stop appealing.
Fueling Timeline: Before, During, and After
The table below assumes a morning race start and a target of 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour during the event.
| When | What to eat | Portion (g + US units) | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-4 hours before | Oatmeal with banana and honey | 40 g dry oats (1/2 cup), 118 g banana (1 medium), 21 g honey (1 tbsp) | Tops off liver glycogen with low-fiber, familiar food |
| 2 hours before | White rice with eggs | 158 g cooked rice (1 cup), 100 g eggs (2 large) | Easy-to-digest carbohydrate plus a little protein |
| 15-30 minutes before | Energy gel with water | 32 g gel (1 sachet, about 22 g carbs), 245 g water (8 oz) | Starts glucose availability without a heavy stomach |
| Every 30-40 minutes during | Gel or three chews | 32 g gel (1 sachet) or 30 g chews (3 pieces) | Keeps intake near 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour |
| Aid stations after hour 3 | Banana half or salted boiled potato | 60 g banana (1/2 medium) or 100 g potato (1/2 cup) | Breaks gel flavor fatigue with real food |
| Within 30-60 minutes after | Chocolate milk | 245 g (1 cup) | Fluid, carbohydrate, and protein for early recovery |
| 2-3 hours after | Rice, salmon, vegetables | 158 g rice (1 cup), 140 g salmon (5 oz), 100 g vegetables (1 cup) | Restores glycogen and supports muscle repair |
Start fueling before you feel low, and treat the first gel as part of the plan rather than a rescue. If a session runs shorter than 75 minutes, the whole table collapses to ordinary meals before and after.
Caffeine Gels, Hydration, and Gut Training
Caffeine improves endurance performance at roughly 3-6 mg per kg of body weight, taken about 45-60 minutes before the start or in smaller doses late in the race. For a 70 kg (154 lb) runner that is 210-420 mg. Test it in training, skip it if you are sensitive, and avoid late-evening doses.
Hydration deserves equal attention. Most gels are concentrated, so chase each one with about 150-250 mL (5-8 oz) of water to speed stomach emptying. Drinking to thirst at aid stations is a reasonable baseline; heavy sweaters often replace roughly 300-700 mg of sodium per hour, but sweat rates vary widely and should be checked individually.
Gut training is the missing piece for many runners. A 2-4 week progressive build, starting near 30 g of carbohydrate per hour and climbing toward race targets, reduces nausea, cramping, and sloshing. Practice at race pace with the exact products you plan to race with.
Whole-Food Alternatives to Gels and Chews
Some runners tolerate real food better than gels, especially in longer trail and ultra events where pace is lower and aid stations are stocked. Approximate carbohydrate values below come from USDA FoodData Central; exact numbers vary by variety and preparation.
- Banana: 118 g (1 medium), about 27 g carbohydrate
- Medjool dates: 48 g (2 dates), about 36 g carbohydrate
- Raisins: 40 g (1/4 cup), about 30 g carbohydrate
- Honey: 21 g (1 tbsp), about 17 g carbohydrate
- Maple syrup: 20 g (1 tbsp), about 13 g carbohydrate
- Cooked sweet potato: 150 g (1 medium), about 30 g carbohydrate
- Cooked white rice: 158 g (1 cup), about 45 g carbohydrate
- Boiled potato with salt: 150 g (1 medium), about 26 g carbohydrate
- Orange segments: 140 g (1 medium), about 15 g carbohydrate
- Pretzels: 30 g (about 1 cup), about 24 g carbohydrate
Whole foods carry more fiber, water, and bulk, so they work best at lower intensities or in small, frequent portions. For a road marathon at threshold pace, gels and chews remain the easier option.
What Runners Actually Do With Gels and Chews
Community insightWhat Runners Actually Reach For
Patterns from anonymized Victura meal logs and community notes are fairly consistent. Most runners start with gels because they are easy to carry and easy to count. Chews tend to appear later, often after a runner hits flavor fatigue or finishes a race where gels became hard to swallow. Logging the product, the time, and how the stomach felt is the most useful habit we see. Three or four long runs usually reveal a pattern.
Flavor Fatigue, Cold Weather, and Real-Food Swaps
A few themes come up again and again in community notes:
- Sweet gels stop tasting good after two or three hours, and savory or plain foods suddenly become appealing.
- Chews harden in cold weather and are awkward to chew at threshold pace.
- Caffeinated products split the room: some runners want the lift late, others feel jittery and switch to plain gels.
- Runners doing trail and ultra events lean on potatoes, rice balls, and fruit, often alongside gels rather than instead of them.
- Stomach trouble is usually traced back to taking gels without water or jumping carbohydrate intake too fast on race day.
Small Tweaks That Keep Showing Up
These habits repeat across experience levels and are worth copying:
- Carry one more gel than the plan calls for.
- Open sachets carefully and keep them upright so pockets stay clean.
- Chase chews with water at aid stations even when not thirsty.
- Train with the exact race-day product, not a substitute bought the week before.
- Write the fueling clock, such as gel at 30 and 60 minutes, somewhere visible on a watch or forearm.
- Alternate flavors within a race rather than carrying one sweet option for four hours.
These are usage observations from the Victura community, not medical guidance. If you have a diagnosed gastrointestinal condition or take medication, speak with a clinician before changing your fueling plan.
References
- USDA FoodData Central - food composition database(usda)
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements - Exercise and Athletic Performance(nih_ods)
- Jeukendrup AE. A Step Towards Personalized Sports Nutrition: Carbohydrate Intake During Exercise. Sports Medicine, 2014(pubmed)
- Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Nutrition and Athletic Performance: Joint Position Statement, 2016(pubmed)
- Costa RJS et al. Gut-training: the impact of two weeks repetitive gut-challenge during exercise on gastrointestinal status and running performance, 2017(pubmed)
- Maughan RJ et al. IOC consensus statement: dietary supplements and the high-performance athlete, 2018(pubmed)
Frequently asked questions
People also ask
Are energy gels better than chews for running?
Neither is clearly better. Gels deliver 20-25 g of carbohydrate per sachet and need no chewing, which suits high intensity and cold hands. Chews deliver about 8 g per piece and let you dose gradually, but they require chewing and can harden in the cold. Choose the format you tolerate at race pace and rehearse it in training.
How often should I take an energy gel during a marathon?
Most marathoners target 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour, which works out to roughly one 22-25 g gel every 20-30 minutes once fueling begins. Start early, about 30-45 minutes into the race, rather than waiting until you feel low.
Do energy gels need to be taken with water?
Yes for most gels. They are concentrated, and water helps them empty from the stomach. Take each gel with about 150-250 mL (5-8 oz) of water. Using a sports drink instead adds more carbohydrate and can slow emptying, so plan the combination deliberately.
How many grams of carbohydrate per hour should an endurance runner eat?
For sessions of 1-2.5 hours, 30-60 g per hour is the standard range. Beyond about 2.5-3 hours, up to 90 g per hour is possible using a glucose-fructose blend. Higher intakes require gut training, so build up over several weeks rather than on race day.
Are energy gels bad for your teeth?
Frequent exposure to sugary, sticky products can raise cavity risk, especially when residue sits on the teeth for hours. Rinsing with water after a gel and keeping other sugary drinks to mealtimes are sensible habits. Ask a dentist for advice tailored to you.
Do caffeinated energy gels improve performance?
Caffeine at 3-6 mg per kg of body weight can improve endurance performance and reduce perceived effort. Many runners take 100-200 mg from a caffeinated gel late in a race. Test it in training, skip it if you are caffeine-sensitive, and avoid it close to bedtime.
Can you use energy gels without gut training?
You can, but tolerance varies a lot between runners. A 2-4 week progressive build, starting near 30 g of carbohydrate per hour and working up to race targets, lowers the risk of nausea, cramping, and sloshing. Practice at race pace with the exact products you plan to use.
What can I eat instead of energy gels?
Bananas (118 g, 1 medium), Medjool dates (48 g, 2 dates), raisins (40 g, 1/4 cup), honey (21 g, 1 tbsp), boiled salted potatoes (150 g, 1 medium), cooked white rice (158 g, 1 cup), and maple syrup (20 g, 1 tbsp) all supply fast carbohydrate. They work especially well in ultras where pace is lower.
How many energy gels should I take during a marathon?
At 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour and roughly 22 g per gel, most marathoners take about two to three gels per hour, or one every 20-30 minutes once fueling starts around 30-45 minutes in. Confirm your own target from duration, intensity, and gut tolerance.
What is the difference between energy gels and chews?
Gels deliver 20-25 g of carbohydrate per sachet with no chewing and need water to empty from the stomach. Chews deliver about 8 g per piece, allow gradual dosing, but require chewing and can harden in cold weather. Performance is similar; format is a tolerance and logistics choice.
Should I drink water with energy chews?
Yes, water helps with chews too, though it is less critical than with concentrated gels. Chasing chews with water at aid stations aids swallowing and stomach emptying, especially at race pace.
How we review this guide
- Written by
- Victura Nutrition Team
- Reviewed by
- Victura Editorial Review
- Reference sources
- 8
- Last updated
- Oct 22, 2026
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