Now that I'm finally doing long runs again, I've started testing energy gels. I've used a variety of different gels before, but I'm always interested in trying new ones. And luckily, I've never had any stomach problems...yet! A few weeks ago, I reviewed the High5 Isogel with Caffeine and since then I've also tried the PowerBar Fruit Gel with Guarana and the Kinetica Hydrating Energy Gel.
PowerBar Fruit Gel with Guarana
I've used PowerBar gels before and they've always worked well, so I thought it would be nice to try the new fruit gel. Mango Passion Fruit sounded yummy, and the fruit gel is supposed to have a slightly thinner consistency than the regular.
I used this gel on a 13 mile run--my second gel at the 8 mile mark. No problems with the package, and I though the mango passion fruit flavor tasted really good. As with other PowerBar gels I find they are a bit saltier than some, but this doesn't bother me and is probably due to the higher sodium levels. It has been so long since I've used gels that I couldn't tell if this one was actually thinner than the other PB ones. However, to me they are definitely thinner than some of the other gels out there (eg SIS GO gels) and the small pack size (41g vs the typical 60g) means there is less to go down anyway. You do have to take this gel with about 150ml of water.
I felt an energy boost soon after taking the PB gel, and feel like it gave me extra energy through the final miles. I didn't feel too full after taking it and had no stomach issues.
