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In 2013 I made an effort to increase the amount of calories I took in during marathons, but I had a hard time swallowing the contents of GU and Cliff gels without choking, especially at fast speeds.
I don't remember exactly who told me to give the Powerbar gels a try, or whether it just happened through process of elimination, but after years of using Powerbar "solid" products I switched to PowerGels and have finally found the formula.
I've been eating these basic Powerbars before races since I started running 15 years ago
The Powergels have a more "liquid" consistency compared to other gels I've tried - which makes them go down easier without additional fluids, and they are also easier to swallow in colder weather.
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I've gotten to the point where it's no problem to get 400-500 calories worth of gels during a marathon, which is a huge improvement for me. To a certain extent, I look forward to taking them!
I know a lot of people struggle to figure out in-race nutrition and have a hard time tolerating gels. Give the PowerGels a try - at first they seem a little different, but I think you'll quickly realize it is a good different.
[Note: Yes, I'm sponsored by Powerbar, but this isn't a sponsored post. I'm writing this because I really believe in the product. I will continue to use these gels in marathons regardless of future sponsorship.]
I went through the exact same trial and error you did - and I, too, settled on Power Bar gels for their easier to consume consistency. Hammer gels also are pretty liquid, but are slightly lower calorie, I believe.
ReplyDeleteyou've mentioned the liquidy niceness of these gels in a couple of your race reports, and it convinced me to try them out (i haven't yet, but i will be doing so over my next training cycle). i hope to be slurping down gels with ease in my next marathon.
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