Gel

Just spotted Lucozade Sport Orange Carbo Gel in Boots this lunchtime. They were labelled as a new product, so brought a couple and couldn’t resist the temptation to try one when I got back to the office. Having never tried any gel products before (only ever heard people describe them as sickly) I was pleasantly surprised to find it tasted quite nice. I think they will be OK in the middle of a long run.
They come in a 45g sachet, easy to carry and it gives you 30g of carbs. 99p each, which I think is too expensive for every day use, but I might give them a go at the next half marathon I do.

Please tell us later whether it tasted as nice on the way up as it did on the way down, Dynamo.

I have been a big fan of SIS gels - more watery than other gels and hence easier to digest on their own and far less sickly sweet; quite pleasant in fact, although you probably wouldn't eat them for fun! Main problem is they are bulkier - bit of a hassle to carry or fit in a pocket - and the packaging is impossible to get into on the run (assuming you don't tend to carry a pair of scissors when you're racing).

But I recently tried Clif gels - you are given them at the 17m point on the Chicago Marathon - and I have to say they are the best tasting energy product I've ever come across. The 'Mmm .. Chocolate' variety is like liquid Cadburys and you could quite happily eat it for dessert. Only one snag: you have to get them mail order from the States as they don't sell them here.

Can someone please tell the NY organisers!

Mike, how do you get them? Is there a site for them? I like the SIS gels too but find them bulky as you do, in the interests of science I am always looking out for other gels to try. The only other ones I liked were Carboshotz, easier to carry but not isotonic as the SIS ones are.

Mike - You can get Clif gels in the UK - trouble is, I can't remember where! But I've defintely seen them at a walking/climbing shop in the Peak District (Outside?) Clif products were quite heavily promoted in all the climbing mags a year or two ago.

SIS gels are great - I was once force fed two during a blizzard in a 100 km bike ride when I was just about to pass out. They got me going again for another 5 miles or so, when the exercise had to be repeated .. and again ... Of course, jelly beans and ribena may have worked just as well!!!

Lizzy/Sarcy

I'm pretty sure that they pulled out of the UK quite recently. I did a search of the UK web at the time and the only place I could find offering them over here was in Scotland, and when I rang them they said they weren't available any more (they'd just not removed them from their web entry).

I got mine from rei.com. If you follow this link:

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=1175577&parent_category_rn=4500606

... it should take you there.

I've got a name-dropping anecdote about them, actually. I mentioned to my sports masseur that I was looking for them, and he got into his mind that it was the Clif Bars I was interested in rather than the Shots (the bars are pretty good, too). As well as servicing middle-of-the-pack runners like me he has some serious runners as clients, one of whom is Sonia O'Sullivan. Anyway she was going over to New York for some pre-marathon publicity so he asked her if she could get me some of these bars. When I turned up next time there they were waiting for me. But better still, Sonia was the next session after me so I was able to thank her on my way out. I still smile at the thought of her breaking from her schedule to pop into their equivalent of Sweatshop just to keep her promise to someone she's never met before. What a nice lady!

I'm in the minority of runners who actually like almost all the gels out on the market, and V-rap, I've never had one come back up before, during, or after exercise. Must have a cast-iron digestion.

Only kidding, folks. Most people get on absolutely fine with gels once they can get past the shock of how sweet and gloopy they are.