Do Ultra Runners Really Need Gels?

A Practical Guide to Fueling Long Days on the Trails

Ask a group of ultra runners how they fuel and you’ll get more answers than there are miles in the race. Some live on gels, others graze on potatoes, wraps, bananas and whatever looks appealing at aid stations. The question always comes back around: do you actually need gels to run an ultra?

The truth is no - you don’t. But they are still one of the most effective tools available, especially when used alongside real food. Most runners feel and perform at their best when they don’t choose one or the other, but rather use both at the right times.

Fueling long distances is mostly about consistency. Most runners need around 40-60 grams of carbohydrate per hour in training and 60-90 grams on race day. Alongside that comes the need for sodium and steady hydration so digestion keeps working. You can hit those numbers with gels, potatoes, bananas, wraps, rice, fruit, or homemade pouches. What matters more than the format is whether you can digest it and keep eating.

Real food plays an important role. In the early hours of a long race, real food often feels grounding. It’s comforting and satisfying, and tends to sit more gently on the stomach than a long run of sugary gels. Real food delivers slower, steadier energy and helps avoid that familiar “sweetness overload” many runners experience late in an ultra. It also provides a mental lift - a feeling of being fed, not just fueled - which can be surprisingly powerful.

But real food has its downsides. It’s bulkier, messier and harder to chew when fatigue catches up. Foods that taste great in hour one can feel impossible in hour eight. Digestion slows down as the effort continues, and chewing becomes more of a task than you’d expect.

That’s where gels still shine. They’re quick, predictable and require no chewing. They absorb fast, they slot into any pocket, and they work even when your appetite disappears. In the late stages of a race, when terrain gets technical or your brain turns foggy, a gel is often the one thing you can rely on. They’re not perfect - stomachs sometimes need training, and the sweetness can become overwhelming - but they do their job extremely well.

Most runners eventually settle into a rhythm that uses everything: real food early, a mix of real food and gels in the middle, and mostly gels towards the end when chewing feels like too much work. It’s a flexible, forgiving way to fuel.

My own approach shifted dramatically thanks to something completely unrelated to running: feeding my children. When my youngest was a baby, I made everything from scratch - purées, soups, mashed vegetables, soft fruit blends - and stored them in reusable baby pouches. Years later, ahead of a long fell run, I opened a cupboard and saw those empty pouches. The idea hit instantly: why wasn’t I using these for my own fuel?

I tried it. I filled one pouch with mashed potato, one with sweet potato, and another with a banana-and-honey blend. Out on the run, they were perfect. Soft, gentle on the stomach, easy to swallow and deliciously familiar. They didn’t make my hands sticky, and I could control everything - carbs, salt, texture, flavour. It felt like the perfect midpoint between real food and gels.

It also made me realise something else: the way my kids ate - small portions, soft textures, gentle flavours, frequent feeding - was exactly how my body preferred to take on fuel during long runs. We tend to overcomplicate ultra fueling, but the body often responds best to simple, child-like nutrition delivered often and kindly.

One thing I wouldn’t recommend, though, is using store-bought baby food pouches. They seem convenient, but they simply aren’t designed for athletes. Baby food is deliberately low in salt - exactly the opposite of what long-distance runners need. It’s low in calories and carbs too, often containing just 8-12 grams of carbohydrate per pouch. The flavours are muted and bland, perfect for toddlers but not for an adult gut that might be screaming for savoury relief. Many mixes are heavy in apple or pear, which can irritate tired stomachs. Homemade pouches give you full control and are far superior for long efforts.

They’re also incredibly easy to make. Choose soft foods, mash or blend them with a splash of water, broth or electrolyte drink, and spoon them into a reusable pouch. Working out the carbs is simple: weigh the ingredients, use the carbs-per-100g number from a label or food table, do quick multiplication, and add it up. If you’re making several at once, divide the total carb amount between the number of pouches. It doesn’t need to be exact - just “close enough” to plan your fueling.

Here are some of the blends that work beautifully on the move:

Real-Food Fuel Pouch Recipes

1. Savoury Potato Fuel

• 150g boiled potatoes ~26g carbs

• 50g broth - 0g carbs

  Total: ~26g carbs

  
  

2. Banana + Honey Blend

• 120g banana ~26g carbs

• 15g honey ~12g carbs

  Total: ~38g carbs

  
  

3. Sweet Potato + Maple

• 150g sweet potato ~30g

• 20g maple syrup ~13g

  Total: ~43g carbs

  
  

4. Rice Pudding + Jam

• 120g rice pudding ~15g carbs

• 30g jam ~21g carbs

  Total: ~36g carbs

  
  

5. Soft Oat + Banana + Maple

• 80g cooked oats ~10g carbs

• 80g banana ~17g carbs

• 10g maple ~7g carbs

  Total: ~34g carbs

  
  

Of course, pouches are just one option in the big world of real-food fueling. Ultra runners have long been known for pulling out some wonderfully odd snacks mid-race, and most of them work because they’re simple, soft and easy to digest. Over the years I’ve seen and eaten just about everything out there. Bananas, salted potatoes, sweet potato chunks and fruit purée are all classics. Watermelon and oranges are brilliant on hot days and beloved at aid stations everywhere.

There are plenty of portable snacks too: wraps with peanut butter or jam, rice balls or onigiri, soft cereal bars, fig rolls and slices of malt loaf. Savoury options become especially appealing later in a race when sweetness becomes overwhelming - cheese bites, broth, mini sandwiches, little quesadilla wedges, even a cup of ramen from an aid station can turn everything around. And then there are the sweets that somehow always work: dried fruit, jelly babies and homemade flapjacks. All of these foods have made appearances in packs and pockets over the years, and they’ve all carried runners through difficult miles.

I learned many of these lessons through lived experience. I still remember a miserable winter long run where I’d packed only gels to “be disciplined.” By hour three, the sweetness was unbearable. Stopping at a stone wall, I opened my vest and found nothing but more gels. I would have traded them all for a cold potato. It taught me that training isn’t just about logged miles - it’s about learning what you truly want to eat when fatigue settles in.

A mountain race later on reinforced this. Around mile 30, tired and queasy, I was handed a tiny wrap filled with mashed potato and salt. It grounded me instantly and gave me the strength to climb out of the valley. Another time, during a 50-miler, I watched a runner spoon cold rice pudding into a soft flask. He grinned and said, “Gels are for survival. Rice pudding is for joy.” I tried it the next week and he was right-sometimes joy is the most powerful fuel.

And then there was the day I shared half a homemade pouch with a runner who was deep in a calorie crash and couldn’t face another gel. He perked up within minutes. That moment reminded me that ultra fueling isn’t just nutrition. It’s comfort. It’s connection. It’s looking after each other on difficult miles.

You don’t need gels to run an ultra - but they’re a useful safety net when chewing becomes impossible or terrain demands fast energy. Real food keeps you comfortable. Gels keep you consistent. Homemade pouches blend both strengths beautifully. The best fueling strategy will always be the one that uses all the tools available and trains your gut to handle them.

Ultra running is an eating event disguised as a race. Feed yourself well, and the miles take care of themselves.