The running gel aisle is a mess. Forty brands, a dozen marketing claims per gel, and the price-per-gram spans an order of magnitude. Buying gels for race day shouldn’t feel like buying a used car, but it kind of does.
This is an opinionated walk through the major brands a serious runner will actually encounter. Not every gel; the leaders, the ones with a real point of difference, and a couple that are worth knowing about for specific situations. Where a brand falls short, we say so. The point of this post is to save you money on a bad fit, not to bless everything in the category.
The math of how many gels you actually need is in a separate post: how many gels should you take during a marathon. This one is about which gels.
At a glance
| Brand | Carbs/serving | Tech | Best for | Falls short on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurten | 25–30 g | Hydrogel | Gentle stomach, race day | Price, flavour (or lack of) |
| SiS | 22–30 g | Isotonic | Hot races, no water at hand | US availability, taste |
| GU | 22–24 g | Traditional | Affordable race day, flavour variety | Texture, dental sweetness |
| Neversecond | 30 g | Dual-source | High-carb fueling, value | Newer brand, fewer flavours |
| Precision Fuel | 30 g | Dual-source | High-volume fueling, clean label | Price, less common in shops |
| Huma | 21 g | Chia-based | Sensitive stomach, real-food preference | Lower carb count per serving |
| Spring | 21 g | Real food | Ultras, GI training | Low carb-per-gram for road racing |
| Honey Stinger | 21–24 g | Honey + chews | Solid-food alternative, organic | Sticky, hard in cold |
| Tailwind | 27 g | Liquid (drink mix) | Ultra-distance, all-in-one | Not a gel; needs flask |
The three formats you should know
Before going brand by brand, a quick taxonomy. There are three meaningfully different fueling formats — and they affect more than just taste.
Traditional gels are concentrated sugar slurry: maltodextrin, fructose, water, flavour. GU, PowerBar, Honey Stinger, most of the supermarket gels. They sit at ~25% carbohydrate concentration, which is well above what your stomach empties comfortably, so you need to chase them with water. Cheap, effective, and the format most runners cut their teeth on.
Hydrogel is Maurten’s contribution to the category. The gel contains alginate and pectin that form a gel matrix at low pH (i.e. in your stomach), which the brand argues lets you tolerate higher carb concentrations without GI distress. The evidence for the precise mechanism is contested — independent studies don’t all replicate the benefit — but the practical experience matches: runners who can’t handle other gels often handle Maurten fine. Whether that’s the chemistry or the simple fact that it tastes like nothing (less taste = less sweetness fatigue) is a separate argument.
Isotonic gels are the SiS speciality. The gel itself is mixed at body-fluid osmolarity (~290 mOsm/L), so you don’t need water to dilute it. Useful for hot races, ultras, or any situation where water stations are unreliable. Trade-off: each gel is bigger and heavier because they’re more diluted by design.
There’s also liquid fuel (Tailwind, Maurten Drink Mix, SiS Beta Fuel) — these aren’t gels but solve the same problem. They get a section at the end because for some race distances they’re a better answer than gels.
For the math of how much of any of this you actually need, the body-weight and intensity-anchored ranges live on the science page.
Maurten
The default premium pick. Hydrogel formulation, 25 g (Gel 100) or 40 g (Gel 160) of carbohydrate per pouch, 0.8:1 maltodextrin-to-fructose ratio. Two ingredients you can pronounce. Almost no taste — somewhere between sweet water and slightly thicker sweet water.
Who it’s for: runners with sensitive stomachs, runners chasing 60+ g/h who haven’t trained their gut to handle aggressive flavours every 20 minutes, and runners with the budget for it. The hydrogel goes down easily even at the back end of a marathon when most other gels start to feel like they’re glued to your teeth.
Where it falls short: the price, mostly. At roughly $4 per gel, a marathon’s worth of Maurten runs to $30–$40. That is a real number, particularly when you factor in the practice gels you’ll go through in training. The “no flavour” thing also genuinely bothers some runners — there’s no reward, no flavour cue, just texture. A few people find that unsettling.
Pairs well with: water, and very little else. The whole point of the hydrogel is it manages its own osmolarity, so you don’t strictly need a sports drink chaser.
Also worth knowing: Maurten’s DRINK MIX 320 is the highest-carb-per-bottle option in mainstream nutrition (80 g per 500 ml bottle). If you can drink your fuel rather than chew it, it changes the gel-count math considerably.
Science in Sport (SiS)
The default pick for hot races and for runners who hate having to chase gels with water. The GO Isotonic Energy Gel sits at 22 g of carbohydrate per pouch but in an isotonic format that’s much larger than a standard gel — about 60 g of total product per serving. You squeeze it in, no water needed.
Who it’s for: runners doing summer races, races with sparse water stations, or anyone who’s been burned by needing to time a gel to a water cup. SiS Beta Fuel — the brand’s high-carb 40 g dual-source line — is also one of the better high-volume options if you can find it.
Where it falls short: SiS is a British brand and stocking in the United States is unreliable. You can order online but you can’t always grab them at a local running shop, which makes practising with them inconvenient. The taste is also love-it-or-hate-it — a lot of runners find the flavours artificial. And the bigger pouch means more to carry per gram of carb.
Pairs well with: nothing, by design. That’s the whole pitch.
GU
The American default. Twenty-plus years on the market, roughly $1.50 per gel, available in every running shop in the country, and somebody has hated every flavour they’ve ever made.
Who it’s for: runners on a budget, runners who care about flavour variety, and runners doing long runs where a $4-per-gel option is going to cost more than the race entry. GU is also genuinely good at what it is — a competently formulated standard gel with adequate sodium and a recognisable taste.
Where it falls short: the texture. GU is thicker than most competing gels and reads as cloying after the third or fourth one. There’s an established population of runners who hate the taste; the brand inspires strong opinions in both directions. For high-volume fueling (8+ gels in a race), the sweetness fatigue is real. The standard gel is also single-source carbs (maltodextrin/fructose blend but not in a true dual-transporter ratio at lower-carb counts), which limits the rate you can comfortably hit.
For higher-carb situations, GU’s Roctane line bumps the carb count to 24 g per gel and adds amino acids and electrolytes:
Pairs well with: a generous water station and a flavour you’ve actually tested in training. Don’t gamble on race-day GU flavour roulette.
Neversecond
The newcomer with a real point of difference. Founded by Asker Jeukendrup — the carbohydrate-intake researcher whose work underpins the whole “dual-transporter” approach — Neversecond is what happens when the person who wrote the papers decides the existing products aren’t following the science closely enough.
The C30 gels are 30 g of carbohydrate at a 1:0.8 maltodextrin-to-fructose ratio, which is right in the dual-transporter sweet spot. They’re roughly the same price as GU but with significantly more carbs per serving, which makes the carbs-per-dollar math actually quite good.
Who it’s for: high-volume fuelers who want to hit 80+ g/h without chewing through ten gels in a race. The 30 g count per gel lets you space gels further apart while hitting the same hourly total.
Where it falls short: it’s newer, so the flavour catalogue is smaller, and US stocking in physical shops is still patchy. The brand also leans hard into a sciencey aesthetic that some runners find off-putting (the gels are numbered “C30”, which feels more like a supplement than a snack).
Pairs well with: a structured fueling plan you’re actually following. The point of 30 g per gel is to make 90 g/h feasible without becoming a full-time gel-eater.
Precision Fuel and Hydration
The British answer to Neversecond. Clean ingredient list, 30 g per gel, 1:0.8 ratio, neutral taste. PF30 is the workhorse — a serious option for runners chasing 80+ g/h.
Who it’s for: experienced marathoners and ultra runners doing high-volume fueling who want a less aggressively-marketed alternative to Maurten at slightly lower cost. Precision also has the strongest sweat-sodium testing programme of any nutrition brand — they’ll send you a kit, measure your sweat sodium concentration, and pair it to their electrolyte products. If you take sodium seriously, they’re hard to beat on the integration.
Where it falls short: price is closer to Maurten than to GU, and they’re harder to find in stores outside the UK. The taste is intentionally muted, which works against you if you need a flavour cue to motivate eating mid-race.
Pairs well with: their PH 1500 electrolyte drink. The integrated system is the actual selling point.
Huma
A real-food-leaning gel based on chia seeds and fruit puree, with about 21 g of carbohydrate per serving. The texture is thicker and more pulpy than a traditional gel — closer to baby food than to a syrup.
Who it’s for: runners with sensitive stomachs who don’t get on with maltodextrin gels, runners who care about ingredient transparency, and runners doing longer events (50K, 50-mile) where sweetness fatigue from synthetic gels is a real problem.
Where it falls short: 21 g per gel is low for marathon-pace fueling. At 60 g/h you’d need three Huma per hour, which is logistically annoying. The chia-thickened texture is also harder to push out of a pouch at the back end of a race when your hands are cold and uncoordinated.
Pairs well with: ultras and long trail runs more than road marathons.
Spring Energy
The cult-favourite real-food option. Spring’s gels are made from things like rice, banana, salt, and almond butter, with about 21 g of carbohydrate per pouch — though carb counts vary by flavour and have famously been the subject of independent testing controversy (some flavours, when independently tested, came back well below their stated carb count). Take the labels with a careful eye.
Who it’s for: trail and ultra runners, runners who can’t tolerate sugar-based gels, and runners who are willing to accept a slightly lower carb count per serving in exchange for ingredients they can pronounce.
Where it falls short: independent testing of the carb counts is not always flattering. For road marathon fueling at 60+ g/h, Spring is not the most efficient option — you need a lot of them, and the carb count per gram of product is on the low end.
Pairs well with: 50K+ events where solid food and gels alternate, and a more relaxed stance on hitting an exact carb-per-hour number.
Honey Stinger
Organic, honey-based gels and waffles. The waffles in particular are a cult favourite for the pre-race window and for ultra runners who need a chew rather than a swallow.
Who it’s for: runners who want a solid-food option in their fueling mix, ultrarunners, and runners with strong organic-ingredient preferences.
Where it falls short: honey is sticky and gets unmanageable in cold temperatures (the waffles can go rock-hard below about 5°C). The carb count per serving is moderate. Honey Stinger is great as the second or third item in a varied fueling kit, less convincing as the primary gel.
Pairs well with: a varied race-day kit (gels for the steady-state fueling, waffles for the moments you can’t face another gel).
Liquid fuel: Tailwind
Not a gel, but worth covering because for some runners it replaces gels entirely. Tailwind is a drink mix designed to be your only fuel source — carbs, electrolytes, and calories all in one bottle, at a low enough osmolarity that you can drink it like a sports drink rather than having to chase it with water.
Tailwind Endurance Fuel ($$) →
Who it’s for: ultrarunners, runners whose stomachs rebel against gels but tolerate sweet drinks, and runners running with a hydration pack who can mix one fuel source into their flasks. The “nothing else needed” pitch is genuine.
Where it falls short: 27 g per serving means you’re drinking a lot of fluid to hit marathon carb targets, which gets heavy in a road race where you’re not carrying a vest. Tailwind is built for the ultra context; in a city marathon with aid stations, it’s an awkward fit.
What should YOU use?
The honest decision tree:
Marathon, sensitive stomach, willing to pay: Maurten Gel 100. Practise with it. Don’t switch on race day.
Marathon, normal stomach, budget-conscious: GU or Neversecond. GU if you want flavour variety and store availability; Neversecond if you want more carbs per gel and are happy ordering online.
Marathon, chasing 80+ g/h: Neversecond C30 or Precision PF30. Both are 30 g per gel in proper dual-transporter ratios. Pick on taste preference, not on marketing.
Hot race, unreliable water: SiS Isotonic. Less compromise than there sounds.
Ultra, sensitive stomach, real-food preference: Huma, Spring, or Honey Stinger waffles in rotation. Don’t lock yourself into one product for 8+ hours of running.
Sub-3:00 marathon, gut-trained, going for it: Maurten DRINK MIX 320 in a flask plus 4–5 backup gels of your race-tested choice. The drink mix delivers 80 g of carbs per bottle, which is the fastest way to hit 100+ g/h without taking a gel every 12 minutes.
The most important rule is the one that has nothing to do with brand: do not introduce a new gel on race day. Whatever you’ve picked from this list, test it on your last three long runs at the carb rate you actually plan to hit. Gut tolerance is the variable that matters most, and gut tolerance is trained. Race day is no time to find out your stomach disagrees with your nutrition plan.
This guidance is informational and based on published ranges for healthy adult endurance athletes. If you have a metabolic, cardiovascular, or gastrointestinal condition that affects how you absorb carbohydrates or fluids, talk to a clinician before changing your race fueling.