Best Energy Gels, Chews & High-Carb Fuel Mixes for Race Day
Best Energy Gels, Chews & High-Carb Fuel Mixes for Race Day
The old advice was 1 gel every 30-45 minutes IS NOT GOOD ADVICE. The new advice, backed by actual sports science, is that trained guts can handle 60-100 grams an hour with the right carb blend — and more fuel late in a marathon is directly tied to not falling apart at mile 22.
How many grams of carbs you need on race day really depends on how hard you’re running, how long you’ll be out there, and what your specific body needs. So while 40-60 grams of carbs an hour is an excellent starting point, it’s not one size fits all.
So we went deep on what's actually sold in 2026 across gels, chews, and the newer wave of high-carb drink mixes. Below is a genuine roundup with carbs per serving, caffeine where it applies, and honest flavor/stomach notes.
First, a Quick Gut Check on Carbs Per Hour
Most of these newer products are built around glucose-fructose blends instead of straight maltodextrin, because your gut has separate absorption pathways for the two sugars. Blend them right and you take in more total carbs without the stomach revolt that used to come with 'just eat more gels.' None of this is about hitting a number for the sake of it — some Athletes feel great on 60g an hour, others push toward 90-100g for a big marathon. Race day is the wrong day to find out which — this list is your shopping guide for the long runs between now and then.
The Gels: Fast, Familiar, and Built to Grab on the Go
Gels are still the default for a reason — small, fast, no chewing required.
Maurten Gel 100 CAF 100 — (25g carbs, 100mg caffeine; hydrogel tech turns the gel into a soft mass instead of a syrupy blast — go-to for sensitive stomachs.)
Maurten Gell 100 — carbs; hydrogel tech turns the gel into a soft mass instead of a syrupy blast — go-to for sensitive stomachs.)
Precision Fuel & Hydration PF 30 Gel — (30g carbs, 2:1 glucose-to-fructose.)
GU Roctane Energy Gel — (20g carbs, up to 35mg caffeine (70mg in Cold Brew Coffee), plus amino acids and extra sodium for tired legs late in a race.)
Science in Sport BETA Fuel Electrolyte Energy Gel — (Optimal 1:0.8 Ratio Maltodextrin & Fructose - 40g Carbohydrates & 200mg Sodium designed for stacking multiple gels per hour without GI distress.)
The Chews: For When You Want Something You Can Actually Chew
Some Athletes don't love gel texture — chews solve that and double as a mental reset mid-race.
Honey Stinger Organic Energy Chews — (Honey-based, gluten-free, real fruit flavor — consistently praised for stomach comfort. Caffeinated Performance Chews add 75mg caffeine plus electrolytes.)
Skratch Labs Sport Energy Chews — (36g carbs and 90mg sodium per packet, real fruit, notably softer texture, easier to eat while breathing hard.)
Clif Bloks Energy Chews — (48g carbs per pack, 50/50 simple-to-complex sugar split, plant-based; caffeine flavors range 25-50mg for flexible dosing.)
The High-Carb Drink Mixes: Fuel You Sip Instead of Squeeze
The newest category — mixes engineered to deliver 80g or more of carbs per bottle. Test these on long training runs before race day since they change how much you're drinking, not just what.
Maurten Drink Mix 320 CAF 100 — (80g carbs and 100mg caffeine per 500ml, mild low-sweetness flavor.)
SIS Beta Fuel Drink Mix — (80g carbs per 500ml, described as a gold standard for high-carb fueling — pair with an electrolyte source since it has no added sodium.)
Skratch Labs Super High-Carb Sport Drink Mix — (50g carbs and 200 calories per serving using Cluster Dextrin — scale to two scoops for closer to 100g.)
Precision Fuel & Hydration Carb Only Drink Mix — (2:1 maltodextrin-to-fructose, up to 120g of carbs per liter with reviewers reporting minimal GI issues.)
How to Actually Build Your Race-Day Fueling Plan
Race day is not the day to try something new. Every product above needs a test run on a long run first. This is exactly what our Fueling & Hydration Planner in the app is built for — log what you're testing, track how your stomach handled it, and dial in your race-day carb and caffeine plan well before you're standing in a corral. The Hydration & Fueling Planner is free for every athlete in the app.
If you want more than a plan, that's The Team with Coaching— get the ability to talk your fueling and hydration plans through with a coach during our live coaching calls. It's $89.99 a month, cancel anytime.
Fuel the Miles You're About to Put In
Whichever gel, chew, or drink mix you land on, don't wait until race week to meet it for the first time. Grab a Running Plan and start testing your fuel on the long runs where it actually counts, or step into a Training Experience and fuel through it alongside people who'll tell you the truth about how their stomach handled it.
Download the BALG Training App today and get the support you deserve!
— Coach Kelly
