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For marathon distance racing, I prefer Gu over all other gels I've tried. It contains only 5g of fructose, with the rest of the calories coming from the more easily digested Maltodextrin. I find that Gu can be consumed without any extra water as long as it is taken a bit at a time and [[How to eat a Gel|mixed with saliva]]. Some of the flavors can be a little strong, but the 'plain' Gu has a light cola flavor.
==Gu Roctane==
This is an expensive variant on Gu, and I've not noticed any difference when using it. The amount of amino acids that are added is quite small (1.7g) and the benefits do not seem to justify the cost, which is roughly double the cost of standard Gu. On the other hand, if you are paying hundreds of dollars for a race entry (or even more with travel), even a slight edge may be worth it. If you take 8 gels in a 4-hour marathon, that only adds $8-10 to the cost of the race. Of course, you'll need to practice with Roctane in your training, so you'll have to factor that cost in as well.
==Clif Shot (new formula)==
The new formula Clif Shot uses Maltodextrin like other Gels and is remarkably similar to Gu though it has slightly more sugar making it a little more difficult to digest. The previous formula used brown rice syrup that I found harder to digest and left a bitter aftertaste – nasty stuff.