Like fuel belts, gel belts generally strap around your waist and feature a pocket or elastic hoops to hold energy gels. If you plan to take energy gels during a marathon, which many runners do, you’ll likely need about five to eight packets — the recommendation is usually to take one about every 45 minutes. That’s too many to tuck into the key pocket in your running shorts, so a gel belt might be a good idea. But some runners prefer to be creative, sticking packets inside gloves, under the strap on their hand-held water bottle, inside an open lining in their jog bra, etc. If you purchase a gel belt, make sure to test it out on a long run before race day to make sure it doesn’t annoy you.

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