SAP Energy x Amsterdam
A new Energy Gel, and the bet for natural
Gels are essential for long distance runners. They’re like a little boost that keeps enough gas in the tank to keep going. If you don’t run this is a little confusing, small plastic or aluminum pockets holding condensed sugar in gel form, don’t seem that crazy, but in fact the ratios of glucose to fructose, presence of electrolytes or caffeine, or even material of the pouch, can be enough to sway runners towards one brand or another.
With the popularity of running in recent years, runners have started taking a flat lay photo of what they will be wearing and what they will be using for fuelling. Following many runners has opened my eyes to the variety of gels and products that keep showing up in the market. It’s easy after a while to start recognizing the same gel brands, (BPN, Maurten, Upfront, Gu, SIS, amongst many others), but once in a while I see one I don’t recognize and it’s hard not to wonder how they’re surviving in such a competitive market.
Some runners, wanting to preform well but also not wanting to spend hundreds on gels will opt for alternatives. A common one in the UK are Percy Pigs, but I’ve also seen sour patch kids, skittles, and almost any type of candy you can imagine. These sweets are of course not engineered to fuel prolonged cardio, so they might not be as optimal, but they come at a fraction of a price, and for most runners, can get the job done (especially when training, would not recommend when actually racing).
A smaller, albeit growing subset of runners, are the ones that focus mainly on health and ingredient count of gels. As an alternative to emulsifier and preservative filled packages, they carry cling-wrapped dates, leaving their fingers sticky and their mouths dry, while others opt for single serve honey sachets, which come in minuscule doses, and leave runners scrambling to consume enough.1
That’s where SAP, the new energy gel created by James Warnock comes into play. He’s betting that there are enough people willing to try energy “made from nature and not a lab.”
The gel has two ingredients, maple syrup and salt. Maple syrup has a 1:1 fructose to glucose ratio which science says is best, and the salt helps provide some electrolytes which helps prevent cramping. When it launched, I was excited to see how this new running product, crafted at least in part by an influencer, in peak run popularity era, in a time when running is not just a sport, but an “aesthetic,” would look like visually — and then last weekend I got the opportunity to shoot it.
It’s important to note though, that SAP is not the first or only company selling maple based gels, Protein Rebel, another British company sells Maple Ignite, which also contains just maple syrup and salt, as well as providing a caffeinated alternative, and Maple Revolution, an Australian brand, sells gels made of just maple syrup as well as a maple, lemon, salt alternative. Price wise, both options are also better than SAP, which in coming in at 3 euros per gel is 20 cents more expensive than Maple Revolution, and a full euro more than Maple Ignite.
Of course, SAP’s greatest asset is that one of the founders is both an accomplished runner and has almost 280k followers on Instagram. But also, Maple Revolution and Protein Rebel are niche brands, mainly for those seeking out alternatives already. SAP on the other hand, is trying to sell simplicity of ingredients to those that weren’t even looking for it. This also plays into the branding: minimal, silver, and clean. In other words, SAP is luxury.
On Saturday, a day before the Amsterdam marathon, Bambas, one of the biggest run clubs in the city, hosted a giant shake out run, complete with post run bagels, coffee, and cardamom buns. They also rented out an entire space for the weekend, which alongside their collaboration with New Balance, they called Runners Central. SAP was part of the event, and James flew from the UK for it.
The event itself was a double-edged sword. On one hand, the amount of people and brands made it so my loafers and jeans didn’t stand out excessively amidst a sea of running shoes and athleisure. On the other hand, the chaos, density and scale, made the energy gel small — hard to isolate and easy to lose.
Eventually though, I got the hang of things and tried using the chaos to my benefit. It’s rare to have so many runners condensed in one group, and like in this photo, I tried to find repetitions or patterns that all of them did (like stretch against the rail).
I also took various “filler” shots of the event that I’m pretty happy with, like this woman tying her shoes right before the shakeout was set to start.
Or this one of the coffee at the event, which provides some context.
This might be one of my favorite ones, mainly because it is a little tongue-in-cheek, but also because the colors stand out beautifully in a way that highlights the simple silver packaging.
I loved shooting this event, and last week on my longish run I tried SAP. It’s exactly as you’d expect: maple syrup, and a little salt. Without a doubt it was nicer than trying to stomach dense, or grainy gels, and a lot more convenient than running with dates. The energy I got was sustained, the gel felt fine in my stomach, and my main concern —that it would be overly sweet— was thankfully assuaged. The TLDR is that I liked it, I’d use it in a race, but for 3 euros per gel, I’ll have to think twice before using them every time I train. Use them or not, I’m very excited to see where SAP goes visually, as the brand finds its footing.
One of favorite things I’ve seen recently though is bikers fuelling with rice Krispy treats. Probably impractical when running because the upper body is oscillation, but maybe worth a shot?