GU

Tour Sample Box

Running out of gas at the 60-mile mark of a 100-mile race is never good, to say the least. Once you hit running-on-fumes limbo, the chainrings turn to squares and you're often relegated to being the last one to finish or the first one to DNF. The venerable energy eats in the GU Tour Sample Box help avoid sticky situations like this by providing a mix of chews, hydration tablets, and — of course — that venerable standard, GU's Energy Gel.

GU's goo really needs no introduction. We've all had it, we've all been saved by it on a jour sans, and we're all fiercely partisan about our favorite flavors. Most of its ingredients read like a futuristic super food — including complex carbohydrates for sustained energy, amino acids to maintain muscle protein, antioxidants and muscle buffers to aid with recovery — but a touch of the holistic surfaces in GU's patented herbal blend or cola nu, chamomile, and ginger, which the company claims enhances energy production. It also includes a hit of caffeine, which helps your body switch to consuming stored fat as a fuel source.

The Energy Chews are a less heralded but equally welcome source of fuel, providing yet more carbohydrates, sodium, and branched-chain amino acids to buttress-up glycogen and electrolytes while giving your muscles extra support. The Hydration Drink Tabs further increase your sodium intake with 320-milligrams of pro-electrolyte reinforcement. They're also easier on the gastrointestinal tract, featuring the gentle xylitol and Stevia rather than sorbitol as sweeteners. The Energy Chews' ginger goes some way to addressing stomach issues, but the Hydration Tabs hit the problem at the source.