Endurance Sports
Endurance supplements for running, cycling, swimming and triathlon: carbohydrate drinks, energy gels, electrolytes, caffeine and recovery protein. We explain which forms suit long sessions and how to time them.Read more →
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What endurance athletes actually need for long sessions
What limits you in a long session
Endurance performance depends on two things you can influence while you move: your carbohydrate supply and your fluid and sodium balance. Muscle glycogen becomes limiting after roughly 90 minutes of hard work, so most products here are carbohydrate in a form you can swallow at speed. Most guidance for efforts over two hours lands around 60 to 90 grams of carbohydrate per hour, which makes serving size more important than brand. Alongside the race-day items sit the products that support the training weeks behind it, from protein to daily nutrients, which you will also find in our wider sports nutrition range.
A carbohydrate-electrolyte drink can only carry the EFSA claim on maintaining endurance performance if it delivers 80 to 350 kcal per litre from carbohydrate and 460 to 1150 mg sodium per litre. Plenty of drinks end up weaker than that once they are mixed at home, so read the label rather than the front-of-pack promise. If you race in heat, plan sodium per hour instead of per bottle. On days when you want fluid and salt without sugar, electrolyte tablets and drinks are the simpler choice.
The forms differ more than the labels suggest
Choosing between them is mostly practical: what you can get down while breathing hard, and what your stomach tolerates at race pace.
- Drink mixes: carbohydrate and sodium in one bottle, easy to sip, but the flavour has to stay drinkable for two or three hours.
- Gels: around 20 to 30 grams of carbohydrate per sachet. Non-isotonic gels need water alongside them, isotonic energy gels do not.
- Chews and bars: slower to eat, useful on the bike or in ultra events where you want something solid.
- Single ingredients in powder or capsules: caffeine, beta-alanine, creatine, bicarbonate. Useful when you know what you are targeting. Note that no performance claim is approved in the EU for beta-alanine or bicarbonate.
How we choose the endurance range
We select on three things: the form, the dose and combinations that make sense. For drinks we check carbohydrate and sodium per litre against the EFSA conditions, because a weak mix will not do what the packaging suggests. Above roughly 60 grams of carbohydrate per hour we prefer glucose plus fructose blends, because the two sugars are absorbed by different routes and sit more comfortably in the gut. We buy directly from the brands, so what you order is authentic, and our compliance team checks every product before it goes live. We also test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. You can read how we select brands and products.
Who this collection suits
This range fits anyone training beyond about an hour: marathon and half marathon runners, cyclists, triathletes, swimmers and long-distance hikers. Below that duration, water and normal meals usually cover it, and there is no need to buy anything. Carbohydrate and caffeine work on the day itself. Daily nutrients behave differently: expect to notice magnesium, iron or vitamin D only after two to three weeks of consistent use, and mainly if your intake was low to begin with. Practise your fuelling plan in training rather than on race morning, and use recovery and hydration products in the hours after long sessions, so the next session starts from a better place.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as an endurance supplement?
Two groups sit under the same heading. First, in-session fuel: carbohydrate drink mixes, gels, chews and bars, plus electrolyte tablets that replace the sodium you lose in sweat. Second, training-support products used daily or after sessions, such as protein for recovery and single nutrients like magnesium, iron and vitamin D. The first group works on the day. The second only does something over weeks of consistent use.
Do I need to fuel every run or ride?
No. For sessions under about 60 to 75 minutes, water and your normal meals are usually enough, and buying fuel adds cost without adding much. Fuelling starts to matter when the effort runs longer or harder, because muscle glycogen becomes limiting after roughly 90 minutes of hard work. Long rides, marathon training blocks, triathlon and ultra events are where a plan of grams per hour genuinely changes how the last hour feels.
Which form should I choose: drink mix, gel, chew or capsule?
| Form | What it gives you | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| Drink mix | Carbohydrate plus sodium and fluid | Cycling, hot weather, steady sipping |
| Gel | Concentrated carbohydrate per sachet | Running, racing, precise timing |
| Chews and bars | Solid carbohydrate, slower to eat | Long rides, ultra events |
| Powder or capsules | One ingredient, no calories | Caffeine or creatine dosed on its own |
Most athletes end up combining a drink for fluid and sodium with gels or chews for extra carbohydrate. Non-isotonic gels need water with them, so check that before race day.
What has to be in a sports drink for it to carry the EFSA endurance claim?
The claim on maintaining endurance performance is tied to a specific composition, not to the word "isotonic" on the front of the bottle.
| Requirement | Value per litre |
|---|---|
| Energy from carbohydrate | 80 to 350 kcal |
| High-glycaemic carbohydrate share | At least 75% of energy |
| Sodium | 460 to 1150 mg |
| Osmolality | 200 to 330 mOsm/kg water |
How much caffeine is used before a long session, and how much is too much?
EFSA assessed the evidence for caffeine and endurance positively at a specific dose and timing. Note that these performance claims were never authorised for use on EU labels, so brands cannot print them.
| Situation | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dose EFSA assessed for endurance | 3 mg per kg body weight, 1 hour before |
| Single dose of no safety concern, adults | 200 mg |
| Daily amount of no safety concern, adults | 400 mg |
| Pregnancy, UK guidance | No more than 200 mg per day |
Do I really need electrolytes, or is water enough?
For a one-hour session in mild weather, water is normally enough. Electrolytes become relevant when you sweat for hours, when it is hot, or when you drink a lot of plain water over a long day. Sodium is the one that matters most, because it is lost in the largest amount. Plan it per hour rather than per bottle, since sweat rates vary widely between people and sodium concentration in drinks does too.
How do I avoid stomach trouble when I fuel during long efforts?
Gut tolerance is trainable, so introduce fuelling in training rather than on race day. Start at the lower end, around 40 to 50 grams of carbohydrate per hour, and build up over several weeks. Above roughly 60 grams per hour, blends of glucose and fructose are usually kinder, because the two sugars are absorbed by different routes instead of competing for one. Also match your fluid to your gel: concentrated, non-isotonic gels without water are a common cause of complaints.
Which daily nutrients matter most for endurance athletes?
Three come up often, each with its own approved claim. Iron contributes to normal oxygen transport in the body, which is why runners with heavy training loads sometimes check their levels with a GP first. Vitamin D contributes to the maintenance of normal muscle function, and UK sunlight is limited in winter. Magnesium supplements contribute to normal muscle function and to a reduction of tiredness and fatigue. None of these replaces sleep, food and sensible training load.
Are these products safe to use if I am subject to doping control?
No retailer can promise that for every product, and we will not pretend otherwise. If you compete under anti-doping rules, choose products that are batch-tested under a third-party programme such as Informed Sport, and keep the batch number of what you take. On our side, every product passes our compliance team before it goes live, we buy directly from the brands so there is no grey supply chain, we test products ourselves and independent labs spot-check batches. Check your own federation's rules for the final word.
