Kitten.....there really wont be any benefit from taking gels on a 10 mile race, even less so on a shorter distance. ALthough I am guessing that for you at the moment these distacnes are a long way (not trying to sound patronsiing here)....your body is capable of these distances.
I dont know the 'science' talk to back it up.....but your muscles store carbs which it will then use for fuel for a run. (Glycogen?) With a 'full-tank'....your body should be able to cover about 18-20 miles.....so the reason behind the gels is that you can top the tank up a little if you plan to run over that distance so you dont hit 'the wall'.....when you run out of fuel effectively.
As long as you eat well before your runs, you should be fine. Anything you consume wont really make any difference as your body has to absorb it etc and also you should have plenty of fuel anyway. If you want to take gels anyway I would say that it would be more of a psychoilogical benefit than physical. But at the end of the day if it works for you, go for it.
Jelly babies are a suitable alternative.
I dont tend to take anything other than water on runs of under 15 miles.
