Maurten Gel 100 Review

Maurten Gel 100 Review: Quick Verdict

What I want from a gel is simple: get the carbs in without any drama. Maurten Gel 100 does that for me on both long runs and harder sessions, and I’ve had no stomach problems.

How It Feels on the Run

The biggest thing is that it’s easy on my stomach. I’ve used it on long runs and during hard workouts, which is when a gel is most likely to cause trouble, and it hasn’t.

The taste is neutral, without the strong sweetness or flavoring of many gels, and that works for me. Maurten says it uses no added flavors. It’s made as a hydrogel, so it has more of a jelly-like texture than a syrupy one.

How I Use It

On long runs, I take one gel about every 45 minutes. That works out to about 33g of carbs per hour, which has worked for me on the runs I’ve used it for.

That’s a modest rate. Maurten markets Gel 100 for intakes as high as 100g of carbs per hour, and many runners aim for far more than I do in a race. Practice your plan in training, since how much you can comfortably absorb varies from person to person.

If you want more carbs per gel, Maurten also sells a larger Gel 160, with 40g of carbs. I also use its Drink Mix 160 on long runs.

Does Hydrogel Actually Work?

Maurten’s main claim is that its sodium alginate hydrogel carries carbs through the stomach and reduces the risk of stomach discomfort. The evidence for that is more mixed than the marketing suggests:

• A 2022 meta-analysis of carb drinks found no difference in performance, carb use, or blood sugar when sodium alginate was added. Risk of bias was generally low, but the authors noted that several studies weren’t intense enough to cause stomach problems or show a benefit.
• A 2026 systematic review of nine trials found stomach tolerance similar to regular carbs, with fewer symptoms at high carb intakes, and only inconsistent performance effects, mostly minor improvements in running.
• A 2026 randomized study of 81 amateur marathon runners found no notable difference in finish times between alginate and traditional gels at the same carb rate, although there were some differences in blood sugar stability and pacing.

Taking carbs at all has much better support. A 2024 meta-analysis of 136 studies found that carbs during exercise improve endurance performance, especially in longer efforts and less-trained people. It found no effect from the type of carbs used.

So I can tell you that Gel 100 has been easy on my stomach, but I can’t credit the hydrogel for that. A cheaper gel might suit you just as well. If you’ve had stomach problems with other gels, though, it’s a reasonable one to try.

Is Maurten Gel 100 Worth It?

For me, yes. I have no complaints, and I’d buy it again.

Buy it if you’ve had stomach trouble with sweeter gels, you dislike strong flavors, or you want a simple gel for long runs and hard workouts.

Skip it if you already have a cheaper gel that works, you want a lot of flavor, or you want the gel to supply much of your sodium.

Maurten Gel 100 FAQ