Power Gel

Just tried a PowerBar, gel thingie and was all but sick.
Was supposed to be lemon and lime but was a sludgy, flavourless horror which had me gagging...
Anyone else had a similar experience or could someone recommend a palatable alternative?

Comments

  • Hi Dog - I seem to remember that V-rap has some excellent things to say about gel stuff, including what happens when it comes back up again...
  • Hi Dog,

    They do seem to be fairly disgusting... I wish I could find one that tasted ok. The SIS ones aren't too bad - just terribly bland.
  • Maxim Gels has loads of taste. However, it is purely glucose based, which is OK when you are training, but not really before hand.

    Agree SIS is bland.

    The Cliff shots were excellent, but you can't get them in this country any more :-(. They can sell so much in USA and they don't want to expand the business any more - they would lose the family feel of it.
  • I go with squeezy, I think they all taste fairly horribe; but I found this one doesnt make me as thirsty as the others
  • Kendal's mintcake? Bland it isn't, but I can't remember if it's glucose-based or not.

    Of course, a mix of glucose and glucose syrup (like you make peppermint creams) with an orange or mint or whatever oil flavouring might be possible . . . worth experimenting, surely?

  • Dog - Stick to pedigree chum !! (sorry I know that's pathetic)
  • ChaosChaos ✭✭✭
    Agree with the SIS verdict on being tasteless, but I found the vanilla Powergel delicious! Mind you I was knackered and starting to hallucinate about custard slices, bacon sarnies, etc...

  • ChaosChaos ✭✭✭
    They don't really do any more than an energy drink, however they do save you have to carry lots of liquid on long runs. Instead you can just take a small bottle and fill it up with water round the route. Also useful in races where you are only given water & don't want to carry your own bottle.
  • The SIS gals are nearly taste free but they are easy on the stomach and isotonic so you don't need water with them, they are not for fluid replacement though just an energy boost. I found the Powerbar, High Five and Maxim are all really sickly.
  • I tried all of the gels in my build up to my first marathon and everyone made me ill. However what I realised was that it wasn't the gel itself but the amount taken in one go. I now use the Hi Five gel in powder form which you mix up and dispense into a small flask- this way you can choose how much you use at once. Another plus point is that you can easily carry the small flask and use the water stations instead of carrying a heavy bottle. This was recomended to me by the Hi Five rep at the Dublin Marathon expo and it really is a break through!
  • Gels give you a more instantaneous boost than energy drinks. They're really useful around the 18-20 mile point of the marathon. Maxim are good in that they have a resealable cap so you don't have to get sticky gel over your hands or have it all at once.
  • "Power gel" is ok if you get the right flavor...I like chocolate. Some of their fruit flavors are ok. "GU" is good too...again, I like the chocolate. What can I say, I'm a chocoholic.
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