Runners planning fuel for long runs
If you want to count carbohydrate portions while running, choose a product and intake schedule you can practise before a marathon. A sweet chosen for its size alone does not provide that plan.
Who is choosing?
Runners considering a pocket-sized toffee
A toffee stick may appeal as a sweet around training. Check its serving size, ingredients and whether you can comfortably eat it in the circumstances you have in mind.
Runners comparing sugar-free sweets
Sugar-free toffee is not interchangeable with carbohydrate fuel. Check its sweeteners: the NHS notes that polyols can have a laxative effect when consumed in large amounts.
What should you check?
Decide whether you need a countable serving during a run or a sweet around training. Then check the exact pack and practise how you intend to use it.
Portioned carbohydrate gel
Consider it when: You need servings you can count as part of a practised long-run plan; Science in Sport states that each GO Isotonic Energy Gel sachet contains 22 g carbohydrate.
Bear in mind: Flavour, texture and comfort while running need testing with the exact product before race day.
Conventional toffee stick
Consider it when: You want a sweet around training and its ingredients and portion suit you.
Bear in mind: Tesco lists milk ingredients in Werther's Original Stick; a whole stick is not, by itself, a repeated fuelling and hydration plan.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrate portion | Read the carbohydrate amount per serving and the serving size. Work out how many servings your practised plan calls for rather than using the pack size as a serving. | I want to count what I carry and when I use it on a long run. |
| Comfort during a run | Try the exact product at a planned time during training. Check whether its texture, flavour and packaging work for you while moving. | A fuel I can use comfortably during training matters more to me than choosing by format alone. |
| Ingredients | Read the current pack's ingredient and allergen declaration. Tesco lists cream, condensed whey and butter in Werther's Original Stick. | If I need to avoid milk ingredients, that particular toffee stick does not suit me. |
| Supply for race day | Confirm current availability before relying on a product. Allow time to obtain and practise with the same item you intend to carry. | I would rather settle on my supplies during training than switch to an unfamiliar product just before a race. |
Common buying mistakes
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Treating one sweet's carbohydrate figure as a marathon plan
Tesco lists 86.9 g carbohydrate per 100 g for its 50 g Werther's Original Stick. That label figure does not tell you when to eat it, what else to carry or how to plan fluids.
Use the labelled serving size to calculate a portion, then practise your timing, total intake and hydration approach on long runs.
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Substituting sugar-free toffee for carbohydrate fuel
Tesco lists polyol sweeteners in Werther's Sugar Free Toffee and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect. The NHS also notes this possible effect for polyols consumed in large amounts.
Do not rely on sugar-free sweets to meet a planned carbohydrate intake, or try a polyol-containing product for the first time during a race.
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Leaving a product switch until race week
Availability can change: Tesco marked the checked Werther's Original Stick and Thorntons Original Toffee listings out of stock. A replacement may have a different serving size or ingredients.
Check stock and the current pack early enough to practise with the product you will carry.
Relevant brand references
Werther's Original
Its Stick is a conventional toffee option, not a product presented as endurance fuel.
- Tesco lists a 50 g pack and 86.9 g carbohydrate per 100 g for the Stick.
- The listed ingredients include cream, condensed whey and butter; check the current pack if milk ingredients matter to you.
Thorntons
The checked Tesco Original Toffee listing is a 300 g pack, rather than a single stick.
- The 300 g pack size is stated on the Tesco listing.
- For a countable in-run portion, check the nutrition information and decide how you would divide and carry it.
Science in Sport
Its GO Isotonic Energy Gel is a portioned carbohydrate alternative to confectionery for exercise.
- Science in Sport states that each GO Isotonic Energy Gel sachet supplies 22 g carbohydrate.
- The stated serving does not establish how you will tolerate the gel or what intake schedule suits you; practise with the exact product.
Carbohydrate gels on Joybuy
These are gel options for runners considering portioned carbohydrate fuel instead of a single toffee stick. Check each pack's serving information and ingredients when planning what to use in training.
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Applied Nutrition Endurance Elite Tri-Source Energy Gel, Orange Burst, 40 g carbs, 20 gels
A gel option if you want to plan countable carbohydrate portions for long runs. The product name states 40 g carbs and a pack of 20 gels; confirm the per-gel serving information and current allergen declaration on the pack, then test it in training.
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Science in Sport GO Isotonic Daily Wellness Support Gel, Fruit Salad, 60 ml (12 packs)
The 60 ml gel packs offer individual portions to carry during training. Check the carbohydrate amount and ingredients on this exact variant before setting an intake schedule, and practise using it with your hydration plan.
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Applied Nutrition Energy Gel Endurance, Blackcurrant, 20 × 60 g
This pack contains individual 60 g sachets for runners comparing gel portions. Read the exact pack's carbohydrate-per-sachet figure and ingredients before adding it to a practised long-run plan.
Questions about toffee and running fuel
Can one 50 g toffee stick fuel an entire marathon?
Do not treat one stick as an entire marathon fuelling plan. Tesco's figures for Werther's Original Stick work out to about 43.5 g carbohydrate for the whole 50 g pack, while the UK Sports Institute explains that stored carbohydrate supplies are limited during prolonged exercise. Plan and practise repeated intake and hydration rather than relying on that single portion.
Is sugar-free toffee a substitute for carbohydrate fuel?
No, not for a planned carbohydrate intake. Tesco lists maltitol, isomalt and sorbitol syrup in Werther's Sugar Free Toffee and warns that excessive consumption may produce laxative effects; the NHS likewise notes that polyols can have this effect in large amounts.
How should I try a new gel or sweet before a race?
Try the exact product during training at the time you intend to use it, and check whether you can comfortably eat it, open its pack and follow your hydration plan. Do not make race day its first trial.
What ingredients should I check on a toffee stick?
Read the ingredient and allergen declaration on the exact current pack. Tesco lists cream, condensed whey and butter in Werther's Original Stick, so that product contains milk ingredients; other toffees need their own label check.