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Making your own running gels

Pre-packaged running gels are a great way to improve your athletic performance, but come with some serious downsides:

  • lots of packaging waste
  • high cost
  • packed with preservatives

Furthermore, some of the latest research out there suggests that the running gels on the market may be sub-optimal for performance.

By making your own running gels, you can control exactly what works for you, eliminate waste, and save yourself some money.

Recipe

Ingredients

Ingredient Amount
Sugar 180g
Sodium Citrate 8g
Kool Aid 1 packet
Water 90-180 ml

Directions

  1. Mix the dry ingredients together.
  2. In a microwave safe container, gently heat the water by microwaving for 1 minute.
  3. Add dry ingredients and stir until dissolved, reheating in microwave if needed.
  4. Store in a bottle for up to 1 month and consume as needed.

Notes

Batch has 4 servings, with 45 grams of sugar per serving and 500mg of sodium. Recommendation for dosage is 1 serving per hour.

The range of water given is to allow for adjustment to your preferred consistency. The lower end of the range creates a thick syrupy gel, similar in consistency to a Gu packet. The high end of the range is a finer, thinner gel approximately the consistency of Maurten gels. Mixing the batch is easier the more water is added. I personally use the lower end of the range, so as to fit more servings into a smaller container.

Explanation

During exercise, your body consumes carbohydrates and sweats out electrolytes. While other supplements may be useful to athletic performance, your body really only needs these two ingredients and water to sustain itself on longer endurance races.

Sugar

While there are many sources of carbohydrates, your body typically prefers simple sugars. Some of the latest research suggests that we have been underestimating the maximum effective ceiling, and suggests upwards of 120g of carbs per hour would be beneficial (Urdampilleta et al., 2020). Most sources point to 30-60g/hour (Exercise and Fluid Replacement: Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise) or 60-90g/hour as a more typical of what is beneficial (Burke et al., 2011). Most individuals will struggle to eat more than 60g/hour of sugar. The default recipe given above uses a 45g serving size, but adjust as your body prefers. Try different strategies and see which works best for you!

Of the many kinds of sugars we could consume, your body is ultimately just looking for one of two different sources: fructose and glucose. Recent research suggests that a 0.7-1:1 ratio is consumed fastest by the body (Rowlands et al., 2015).

While we could set this ratio directly using fructose and glucose powders, there’s a far cheaper and more effective sugar with a 1:1 ratio- sucrose. Sucrose consists of a bonded fructose and glucose. By using just sucrose, we land within the ideal ratio without needing any special ingredients.

Salt

Similar to the story for ideal carbohydrate ratios, unfortunately most gels and electrolytes on the market are significantly below the amounts that recent research suggests. In Exercise and Fluid Replacement : Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends between 300-600mg of sodium per liter of fluid consumed.

For reference, Gu recommends consuming approximately 2 gels per hour. Each Gu gel contains 60mg of sodium, giving us a whopping… 120mg of sodium, less than half of what the minimum recommendation is from ACSM.

Many others have noted the ability of a higher sodium limit on performance impact. LMNT has an excellent article on sodium and performance.

Benefits

Cost Savings

These homemade running gels are extremely cost effective. Per serving, they come out to about $0.22 per serving (for a 45g sugar serving).

This is considerably cheaper than any other gel on the market- a box of Gu with 8 gels comes out to $16, or $2 a gel. Since each gel has only 21g of carbs, to reach the same serving size requires at least 2 gels, or $4 a serving. So for about 5% of the cost, you can make your own in just minutes!

No Waste; Maximum Convenience

Gel and supplement packaging is one of the only non-renewable parts of running. A sticky and annoying source of waste, the packaging sticks to clothes and leaks after opening, even when you think you’ve sucked the last drops out!

The packages can be finicky when on the run too, as you have to consume the entire thing after opening.

A far simpler solution is in the form of small flasks, such as this one from Salomon or this one from Hydrapak.

Before each run, I pour what I need for that run into a small flask and take small sips from it every 20-30 mins.

Adjusting Ratios

Different runners have different needs, and should listen to their body first and research articles second. Some runners may have saltier sweat than others, and need to increase the amount of sodium added. Other runners may find that they cramp with too many electrolytes, or find it unpalatable.

Others may not tolerate a high amount of sugar well, and want to dial it back. Adjust the above directions to fit what works best for you!

Q/A

Aren’t other electrolytes important?

They are, but not during exercise. In fact, according to Saturday Nutrition, the addition of potassium actually decreases hydration. Your sweat is predominately water, but sodium is the next most important thing. The other trace electrolytes in our blood simply don’t add up.

Is this only for running? Can I use it for any activity?

Use it anywhere you might use Gatorade as well. Rather than mixing to a syrupy consistency, you can add the powder to a water bottle, same as you might for Gatorade or Skratch. I often use this when cycling, where the gel consistency may not be desirable.

Isn’t this just salty Kool Aid?

Yes it absolutely is.

Isn’t this just rich simple syrup?

No! It also has salt in it.

Why do you use Sodium Citrate? Can I just use table salt?

I use sodium citrate because it’s much less “salty” tasting than sodium chloride. It has a faintly tart taste to it, and isn’t so overwhelming. It can easily be ordered on Amazon.

If you want to use table salt (sodium chloride), you absolutely can. Substitute the 8g sodium citrate for about 6g sodium chloride. Be warned, it tastes very salty!

How long can I store this?

Store in fridge for up to a month. Some sources suggest that rich simple syrup 6 months as an upper bound, even at room temp. However, the added Kool Aid increases risk of contamination, which is why I recommend a shorter shelf life.

In practice, I mix with water a week before usage, as the powder form is easier to store.

Is the Kool Aid necessary?

Nope. Its fine without it, but personally I felt it was too strange to drink straight syrup.

Does any flavor of Kool Aid work?

Yep, of course! While I prefer black cherry if I can get it, others have told me that it tastes like “cough syrup”. I have also used fruit punch and lemonade flavors as well. Whichever flavor you like best is totally fine.