Energy Gel tips for marathon runners

Runner grabs a GU energy gel at the 20km mark during the 2024 TCS Sydney Marathon for an energy boost.

If you’re running with us this year, you’ve probably already got your training plan sorted and maybe even started, but what about your fuelling strategy? If you haven’t considered it yet, you’re missing out on a key opportunity to improve your PB and your recovery. 

Like all health advice, you’ll need to tailor your nutrition strategy to your individual needs and circumstances, but to get you started, here are our top three tips for effective training and race day nutrition. 

1) Sip and nibble as you go:  Think of your fuelling strategy like an IV drip. The goal is to take in calories in small, frequent doses rather than as large quantities spread out every hour or so. To do this, try to eat or drink something every 15-20 minutes. For example, a GU Energy Chew or two can help keep a steady flow of nutrients and energy to your working muscles. This ‘trickle feed’ method will also reduce the likelihood of tummy issues on race day, which means no more emergency trips to the porta-loo. 

2) Train your nutrition: Now is the perfect time to perfect your running nutrition – race day is not the time to try anything new. Your nutrition plan should be dialled in, even down to which brands and flavours of gel you know work well. Try your plan out during weekly long runs leading up to the race and adjust where needed. A good starting goal is to consume 200-400 calories per hour for runs longer than about 90 minutes. Remember, calories come in many shapes and sizes: gels, chews, pancakes, chocolates...

3) Protect your muscles: During prolonged, strenuous exercise (like marathons and marathon training long runs), your body will start to break down its own muscles to supply amino acids for energy production. To protect your muscles from breakdown and help kickstart recovery, we recommend supplementing with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are crucial for muscle repair and rebuilding. BCAAs are metabolised directly by the muscles, providing an additional energy source. You’ll find BCAAs in GU Energy Gels to support you in training and racing.

Unlock more than the finish line…

At the TCS Sydney Marathon presented by ASICS we believe you deserve more than just a finisher medal. With Seven Rewards, your running journey just begins. Join up and you’ll get exclusive access to tickets, once-in-a-lifetime giveaways, partner discounts, VIP run club and community invites, limited-edition merchandise, and more. Your run, your rewards! Find out more.