I’m planning to use between 6 and 8 GU gels during my next marathon this coming weekend. The gels are caffeinated and my concern is that too much caffeine could somehow create problems.
So far no digestive issues with the gels… I’m more worried about heart rate getting elevated and dehydration. This wasn’t an issue during training but I only used them during 1 long run and don’t have more data to compare.
What is your experience?
I’ve used up to four in a HM with no issues.
Isn’t caffeine a diuretic, 8 gels with caffeine is like 4 cups of coffee.
Isn’t caffeine a diuretic, 8 gels with caffeine is like 4 cups of coffee.
Caffeine is a diuretic and will eventually lead to dehydration…but it takes a while. When I’m doing a race up to 2 hours I feel relatively safe in taking in the caffeine 30 minutes before race start. I make sure I’m fully hydrated by then and, perhaps most importantly, that I haven’t had caffeine in the week leading up to the race. I think caffeine leads more to a ‘chronic’ dehydration. For me, it seems more important not to have had any in days prior to the race.
If you have a good history of tolerating the given amount of caffeine then you should be OK. I don’t have any personal experience using caffeine before 3 hour races though. It’s something I’d be cautious of myself because of my experiences with caffeine-related muscle cramps.
It’s important to know the total amount of caffeine you’ll be getting in milligrams. If that info isn’t on the gel packet then you need to contact a company rep and find out. I’d be very concerned if you can’t tell me the total milligrams of caffeine you’ll be ingesting.
The articles I’ve read say you have to take a lot to make it affective. Like, way more than your going to get in 8 gels. The bigger question is why you are taking 8 gels during a marathon. Unless you are are a pretty large person, 200 calories is pushing the upper limit of what you should take in during the race. If you are 200 pounds and plan on running four hours then I withdraw the question.
Chad
Didn’t lance armstrong take like 15 or 20 during his < 3:00 marathon?
If there are 25mg caffeine in each gel, then that’s 200mg total caffeine–about two cups of coffee. Over 3+ hours of a marathon, that probably won’t be a big deal for most people (and I know it would give me a performance boost).
If the gels have 50mg each, then that’s 400mg total, 4 cups of coffee, and maybe too much.
During races shorter than about 3 hours, I take a 200mg caffeine pill right before the swim start, and my Infinit drink mixhas about 35mg per bike hour of caffeine as well. For me, I find that this works really well and allows me to bike and run faster with a bit less discomfort. I definitely crash after the race, though…
6-8 gels are too much with or withut caffeine! it is usually 1 gel every 45 minutes. how long does it take to finish a marathon?
If you practiced with it you should be fine.
I use pretty much GU only for nutrition during my IMs. 16-20 on the bike and another 16-20 on the run. Never had any problems.
I alternate between the Espresso and Vanilla ones. Once I ran out of my own I used Power Gel provided.
I also train using it however. On my long runs of 2 hours I will try and bring 6 packets with me. Pretty much I never want to run out of energy during my workouts. Keeping fueled made all the difference in the world for me this year.
I also think that 8 gels is a lot for a marathon, but then I usually rely on whatever sports drink is being served on course and supplement with a gel or maybe two.
If you are a large person or going to be on course for a long time, and going to drink mostly water, then maybe 6-8 is about right. If you are not going to drink any sports drink on course, then 6-8 might be a bit on the high side but not outrageously so.
What is your expected finish time and how much do you weigh? Will you be drinking a sports drink too?
Victor
The Gu gels pack 20mg of caffeine.
good relationship between gel-> coffe.
the GU gels with caffeine has 20mg.
the expresso love has 40mg.
i dont think the 20 mg one is a big deal at all. 8 gus during the marathon seems ridiculous. take like 4-6 tops.
My personal opinion is that 8 is too many, but again it is my personal opinion. I am running Chicago this weekend and plan on using 4. i will take it about every 10k along with a drink of water. If i am feeling short on energy towards the end I will just grab a cup of sports drink along with my water after mile 18.
If Lance used 20 gels… That is 2000 calories right there… plus whatever he carbo loaded pre-race.
I think using between 6 and 8 should not be a problem. I was more worried about the caffeine. I guess if I can get to the starting line with ~2000 calories stored in my body plus 600 calories coming from gels and assuming the avg marathon will make you burn ~3000 calories then at 2600 I’m still at a deficit… I guess the rest of the calories will come from stored fat and whatever else they offer during the race.
My target is between 3:45 and 3:50
I would simply do what has worked for you in training. 20mg of caffeine per gel is not very much, and I don’t think 8 packets is ridiculous at all. I routinely use 3/hour in my long runs with no problems. Stick with what you’ve been doing. Good luck in your race!!
Are you aware that you can get GU’s without cafeine?
I know the Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Expresso all have cafeine. Many of the others don’t.
jaretj
Are you aware that you can get GU’s without cafeine?
I know the Vanilla Bean, Chocolate Expresso all have cafeine. Many of the others don’t.
jaretj
Strawberry Banana and Lemon Lime are the only two without it now. Expresso Love as 2x the rest.
Checking the website, the Orange Burst doesn’t either.
I was suprised to see that the Just Plain and the Tri-Berry did have it though.
jaretj
If i were I’d carry 12 additional just in case…
actually the orange burst has caffeine as well. I try to limit my caff, intake and like GU’s and use the Lemon. Caffeine is a diuretic, but during exercise. The easiest write up to find on this was in one of the last triathlete mags. But also depending on your daily caff intake will depend on how said amount will effect you. if you drink more than 2 cups a day, your body may not notice it. Being that say 200-300mg of caff in spread out over 26.2 miles, I think you should be ok.