Original Energy Gel

GU Energy Original Energy Gel is a gel with 22 g of carbohydrate, 60 mg of sodium and no caffeine per serving. It scores 92/100 on the CarbRate Science Score, helped by a dual-source glucose and fructose blend that raises how much carbohydrate the gut can absorb per hour. At 60 g of carbs per hour that is 2.5 servings an hour.

Who Original Energy Gel suits

Runners fueling at 60 g of carbohydrate per hour or more. The glucose plus fructose blend uses two absorption pathways, so more of what you swallow gets used and less sits in the stomach.

Runners who prefer small, frequent doses. 22 g per serving means more servings per hour, which some stomachs handle better than one large hit.

Runners who want to keep caffeine separate, or race caffeine-free. Caffeine-free fuel is easier to repeat every 20 to 30 minutes without stacking a stimulant.

Runners who handle sodium separately. At 60 mg per serving this is a carbohydrate source first, so heavy sweaters will want electrolytes from a drink or capsule alongside it.

Runners with dietary limits: it is vegan and gluten-free according to the manufacturer.

How to use it in a race

Start early. Take the first serving 15 to 20 minutes into the race, before you feel you need it, and repeat on a fixed clock. At 60 g/hr that is 2.5 servings per hour; at 90 g/hr it is 4.

Thick gel texture. Take it with two or three mouthfuls of water so the carbohydrate is diluted enough to leave the stomach quickly.

Practice it on long runs at race intensity before you race on it. Gut tolerance is trained; a fuel that felt fine at easy pace can behave differently at marathon effort.

Cost at 60 g/hr works out to about $5.45 per hour at list price, or roughly $19 for a three-and-a-half hour marathon.

Servings per hour assume the 22 g per serving on the label. The finder sets your own g/hr target from race distance, sweat and gut.

Why it scores what it does

Computed from verified label data with the same evidence rules for every product. Retailer relationships play no part in the score.

If this one works, try these next

Closest fueling profiles in the database (same format, carb sources, glucose:fructose and caffeine), with the one thing each does differently. Test two, not twenty.

How it went for runners like you

No reports yet. If you have raced or trained on this one, thirty seconds from you is the first data point for the next runner with your gut and your conditions.

Original Energy Gel FAQ

Compare it