One moment they are in the race, not feeling great but still focused on the task. The next they are lost. Their brains are numb, legs dead, vision blurry. It’s as if they are watching an out-of-focus movie. They suddenly have become too tired to function.
It happens when the body runs out of glycogen, the fuel that fires our muscles. Our bodies, even those of lean marathoners, have more than enough fat to run a marathon several times, but the body has a tough time fueling itself solely on fat. Without some glycogen, an athlete will hit the wall. Hard.
Fear of the wall fills the minds of most first-time marathoners. “Can I really do this?” they ask themselves. Even after weeks of progressively longer training runs, the question remains. Then, caught up in the euphoria of race day, they stop pondering. They just run.
But often, runners will find that wall around mile 22, when their glycogen tanks empty. It’s then that the question thunders in the brain: “Can I really do this?”
Makers of a new sports-nutrition product say the answer is a clear “Yes you can!”
For many runners, these new carbohydrate gels are becoming the $1 investment toward warding off the wall.
The gels are a mixture of carbohydrates, water and minerals, marketed under names such as Gu, PowerGel, Hammer Gel and Pocket Rocket. Most have about 100 calories and about 25 grams of carbohydrates. The texture is comparable to runny cake frosting. Often the taste is too.
They pack a punch of carbohydrates that your body can very quickly digest and convert in to glycogen. They are sold primarily to hard-core endurance athletes, people competing non-stop for more than a few hours.
These include cyclists, triathletes and distance runners. They also are becoming popular with soccer, hockey and basketball players.
Gels also are starting to see some non-sport uses. Mag Donaldson, director of marketing for Gu, has used her product in her office to get over the 3 o’clock lows. She says the company has received “goofy letters” about people who stir it into their coffee or use it as a spread on bananas.
The gels also are starting to pop up in youth sports. Donaldson says a friend’s children recently used Gu during youth soccer matches. “A pack at halftime can give a big edge. Again, it is mental. It keeps the kids from getting bored and diverted.”
Liz Applegate, nutrition columnist for Runner’s World magazine, used the gels with a youth soccer team. At a tournament, she gave the players gels between matches.
“They were going to the snack bar and getting corn dogs between games,” she said.
“The gels kept them away from fatty types of foods.”
Still, the major consumers of gels are endurance athletes, including first-time marathoners trying to get through the race and elite marathoners intent on improving their performances.
Doug Kurtis, a resident of Northville, Mich., is a fan of gels. Kurtis is a six-time winner of the Detroit Marathon and will be back to run it again Sunday. He has won more marathons (39) and run more sub-2:20 marathons (76) than any other racer. He knows firsthand the habits of elite runners.
“I get hungry late in a marathon. To combat that, that’s when I use the gels,” Kurtis said. He has occasionally used them for training. Sometimes before a workout, when he hasn’t had a chance to eat, he goes for a Gu. “My system reacts pretty quickly to food. The gels are one of the easiest to digest. But I can’t say I can get out there and feel, `Wow, now I can run faster!’ “
During a marathon, most runners will burn 30 to 60 grams of carbohydrates each hour. Most energy bars provide about 45 grams, but they are digested more slowly than a gel. The bars also are difficult to use when you are breathing hard. “When you’re running a 5:20 mile, it is hard to chew,” Kurtis said.
Energy drinks generally provide 35 grams of carbohydrates in 16 ounces, but it’s hard to drink that much, especially in a cooler marathon, where runners are not as aware of dehydration. Many runners also complain of feeling liquid sloshing around inside them after drinking too much.
With more than a dozen gels on the market, what sets them apart? Taste.
“I feel like I’m eating cake frosting, less the fat, which is a treat,” said Applegate, who is particularly fond of Chocolate Outrage Gu.
Some gels have a higher percentage of simple carbohydrates versus complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates are absorbed faster. The source of the carbohydrates also varies. Depending upon the product, you can find maltodextrin, fructose and brown rice syrup.
Some have more electrolytes, minerals or antioxidants than others. Clif Shot, from the makers of Clif Bars, touts the benefit of being all natural. According to Jayne Hagen, sports marketing coordinator for Kali’s SportNaturals, that appeals to Clif’s customers.
UltraGel is unusual because it contains 4 grams of fat in the form of medium-chain triglycerides. Brett Amundson, promotions director of Advanced Nutritionals Corp., says the triglycerides are absorbed as quickly as sugar, but they need no water for digestion. The addition also boosts the number of calories.
For many users, the list of ingredients doesn’t get too much scrutiny, with one big exception: caffeine.
“The No. 1 thing that gels have is caffeine,” said Randy Stepp, co-owner of Running Fit, which has four Detroit stores. “The ones that don’t have caffeine just don’t sell.”
