Much is made of re-fuelling during long runs, and rightly so. The ability to top up and replenish in a quick and, more importantly, tasty way is key to a successful session. With an Ultra Marathon and Marathon on the horizon long runs were planned and prepped. Having been a previous user of SIS Energy gels the opportunity to try new flavours was welcomed and the bag loaded.
A 32km point-to-point run was arranged starting in Manchester City Centre and heading south-west along the towpath of the Bridgewater Canal through the suburbs – in other words, no serious inclines, no hills, no tricky terrain.
After 12km at a steady 6.39 per km pace we tried the new orange flavoured BETA FUEL ENERGY CHEW. A pleasant, not overpowering orange taste, the jelly-type chew breaking down quickly was well received. The result was noticeable with the next 3km covered at the higher pace of 5.59 per km.
At 22km I tried the apple flavoured GO ISOTONIC ENERGY GEL. Another pleasant, authentic taste; the consistency was not thick and the gel was swallowed quite easily. This time the next 3km, approx. 20 minutes, was covered in a 30 second per km faster time. Another noted performance increase.
More new flavours were tried in the last 20km of an 80km Ultra Marathon. Once again, the flavours were genuine, not too sweet and completely palatable. Three gels were taken during this period and each time the following kilometres were covered in a pace raised by over a minute per km.
The final new flavour was the Tiramasu GO ENERGY BAKE which was tried at the start of the Manchester Marathon. Coffee flavoured foods can suffer from being over-powered but in this case the balance was exact with the overall experience a positive one. Very tasty and easy to digest.
In summary, all the new flavours (like the existing range) are authentic and very palatable. Consistency is good, easy to break down and swallow whilst on the move. And the resultant energy boost is noticeable and well received. More of the same please!
Review by Dennis Yarwood
Dennis reviewed:
BETA FUEL ENERGY CHEW – Orange Flavour
GO ENERGY BAKES – Tiramisu Flavour
GO ISOTONIC ENERGY GEL – Orange, Blackcurrant, Apple, Fruit Salad, Cherry
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