How Many Gels for a Marathon (Vegan Plan)

Counted vegan marathon gels in a race belt next to a water bottle, plantbaes.net

Count gels from grams per hour, not from “take one every 45 minutes” on the packet. Jeukendrup (2011, 2014) and the ACSM 2016 stand still put marathon fueling near 30–60 g of carbohydrate per hour, or up to about 90 g/h when glucose and fructose are combined. Being vegan does not change that math. It changes which packets you are allowed to put in the belt.

A 4-hour marathon at 60 g/h is 240 g of carbohydrate. Maurten Gel 100 is 25 g. That is 10 packets, plus a spare — not four.

The only formula you need

Pick a race rate you have practised: 60, 75, or 90 g/h.
Multiply by hours from gun to finish (include the last 20 minutes; do not stop fueling at 35 km).
Divide by grams in your packet.
Subtract carbohydrate already in bottles.
Add one spare.

plantbaes.net’s working default for a gut-trained marathoner is 60–75 g/h. 90 g/h is available after weeks of gut training. It is not a setting you switch on at the expo.

Finish time	At 60 g/h	Maurten Gel 100 (25 g)	Neversecond C30 (30 g)
3:00	180 g	8 packets	6 packets
3:30	210 g	9	7
4:00	240 g	10	8
4:30	270 g	11	9
5:00	300 g	12	10

Round up. Partial packets do not exist at 38 km. Add one spare for a dropped sachet.

Key takeaway: A 4-hour vegan marathon at 60 g/h is about 10 Maurten Gel 100s or 8 Neversecond C30s, plus a spare — not the four packets the old 45-minute rule implied.

Packet size is not a brand personality

Last verified August 2026. None of these gels is filed here as Certified Vegan.

Product	Carbs (g)	Status	Notes
Maurten Gel 100	25	Manufacturer-confirmed	35 mg sodium. Caf 100 adds 100 mg caffeine.
Neversecond C30	30	Manufacturer-confirmed	200 mg sodium. Cleaner hourly math.
Precision Fuel PF 30	30	Manufacturer-confirmed	No sodium in the gel; salt comes from their drink.
SiS Beta Fuel Gel	40	Manufacturer-confirmed	Fewer packets; large osmotic load if untested.
GU Energy Gel (original)	22	Ingredient-list verified	Flavour by flavour. Not a brand-level vegan claim.
Honey Stinger gel	24	Not vegan	Honey. Do not put it in a vegan belt.

Statuses live on the SKU. Full table: gels and chews catalog. Brand comparison: Maurten, GU, and Skratch.

Key takeaway: Match the packet to the gram target. A 30 g gel is not “better” than a 25 g gel; it is simply fewer sachets for the same hour.

Bottles cut the packet count

If you sip carbohydrate in the bottle, those grams replace gels in that hour. They do not sit on top.

Hour plan at 60 g/h	Bottle	Packets needed that hour
Gels only	Water	Maurten ×2 plus a sip of a third, or C30 ×2
Mix plus gel	Maurten Drink Mix 160 (40 g)	One Gel 100 (25 g) — 65 g, then ease the next hour
High-carb bottle	Skratch Super High-Carb (100 g)	None that hour if you actually finish the bottle

Skratch Super High-Carb and Maurten Drink Mix 160 are manufacturer-confirmed vegan (August 2026). Skratch Recovery is dairy. Tailwind Rebuild is whey. Do not grab the matching-logo canister.

Caffeine is extra math, not extra gels

Count milligrams across coffee plus packets.

Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100: 100 mg
Neversecond C30 Caffeine: 75 mg
Precision Fuel PF 30 Caffeine: check the pack; do not assume it matches Maurten

A 70 kg runner using the 3–6 mg/kg caffeine band from sports-nutrition practice is looking at roughly 210–420 mg for the whole morning, not per gel. Details: coffee before a marathon.

Do not take a caffeinated gel every hour because the belt looks even.

Why the wrapper under-fuels you

Many packets still imply one gel every 45 minutes. At 22–25 g, that is about 30–35 g/h — the old single-transporter floor, not a modern marathon target. Jeukendrup (2014) is about raising exogenous carbohydrate when the gut is trained, not about obeying marketing intervals.

Gastric distress is real. de Oliveira, Burini, and Jeukendrup (2014) link concentrated carbohydrate, dehydration, and untrained intake to GI symptoms. The fix is practising 60 g/h on long runs, not defaulting to four gels “to be safe.” Under-fueling the last 12 km is how vegan runners still bonk with a clean conscience.

Dates and bananas are not a gel substitute unless you have used them at race intensity. Three Medjool dates are about 54 g of carbohydrate and 5 g of fiber. That fiber belongs in a training week, not stacked on a 15 g race-week ceiling. See what to eat during a long run.

Key takeaway: The 45-minute rule is a marketing leftover. If you want 60 g/h, you need the grams, practised, in water, from packets you have already used.

Aid stations will not finish the count

Assume the table is not vegan until you have confirmed the SKU. Honey Stinger, some GU lines, and dairy recovery cartons show up in the same cups as bananas. Carry the counted belt. Use course fluid only if it matches a mix you trained with.

More on that trap: vegan aid-station food. Hour-by-hour context: vegan race-day fueling.

Key takeaway: Write the packet list on paper, practise it at long-run intensity, and carry every gram. The course will not vegan-check the table for you.

Frequently asked questions

How many gels do I need for a marathon?

Divide your hourly carbohydrate target by the grams in one packet, then multiply by hours on the course. At 60 g per hour, a 4-hour marathon needs about 240 g — that is 10 Maurten Gel 100 packets (25 g each) or 8 Neversecond C30 packets (30 g each), plus one spare. Wrapper advice to take a gel every 45 minutes is usually too little.

How many carbs per hour should I take during a marathon?

Published guidance is about 30–60 g per hour from a single carbohydrate source, and up to about 90 g per hour when glucose and fructose are combined. Most gut-trained marathoners land near 60–75 g/h. The top end is a trained capacity, not a race-morning upgrade.

When should I take my first gel?

By 20–25 minutes, before you feel empty. Absorption takes time. Waiting until you fade means you are about 30 minutes late. Pair the packet with water unless you have already practised that product without it.

Are vegan gels as effective as honey gels?

Carbohydrate grams and whether you practised the product decide effectiveness, not honey. Honey Stinger is not vegan. Maurten Gel 100 (25 g) and Neversecond C30 (30 g) are manufacturer-confirmed vegan as of August 2026, not Certified Vegan.

Can I just use aid-station gels?

Only if that exact SKU is in your practised plan. Courses often hand out honey gels, a GU flavour you have not used, or a recovery carton that contains dairy. Carry your own counted packets.

Do drink mixes count toward the gel total?

Yes. Every gram in the bottle counts. One Maurten Drink Mix 160 is 40 g. If the bottle is covering 40 g in an hour, you need fewer packets in that hour, not the same stack plus the bottle.

Should I take a caffeine gel?

Only if that dose is already in your long-run ritual. Maurten Gel 100 Caf 100 is 100 mg of caffeine; Neversecond C30 Caffeine is 75 mg. Count coffee plus packets so you do not stack 300 mg by accident.

What if gels make me nauseous?

That is usually rate, concentration, or an untested flavour — not vegan status. Slow, add water, drop toward 45–60 g/h, and do not grab a new aid-station packet as a fix. Practise the race rate on long runs first.

Sources

Educational content only. Carbohydrate, fiber, iron, B12, and hydration needs vary. Consult a sports dietitian or physician for individualized guidance — especially if you have a GI condition, anemia, or a history of underfueling.