Why Marathon Runners Can't Stop Eating Nerds Gummy Clusters
the brightly colored candy has quite the cult following among endurance athletes
Nothing about preparing for a marathon is easy: there’s breaking in the right pair of running shoes, putting yourself through regular tempo runs, figuring out to how to carry enough water but not too much water, and perhaps most complicated of all, learning how to feed yourself to keep your energy levels up when running for several hours straight. Many runners and ultra distance athletes have long turned to a combination of carboloading before their runs and then sucking back those questionably textured gel packets to sustain themselves during the runs (or crazy long bike rides) themselves. Those gel packets are now being swapped out at rapid pace for bags of one candy in particular — Nerds Gummy Clusters.
The candy, which are orbs of gummy bear-like goo rolled in a layer of tiny multicolored Nerds, were first introduced in 2020 and have quickly gained a loyal following since then, essentially turning around the entire Nerds’ business. According to the New York Times, Nerds products made $40 million in sales in 2018, but in 2024 that number skyrocketed to $800 million. While the candy might have taken off on TikTok thanks to (not paid for) endorsement from Kylie Jenner, it has found a cult following amongst an unexpected group of people: long distance runners and athletes. There’s a seemingly endless number of TikToks and Reels from runners proudly displaying their obsession with Nerds Gummy Clusters, showing off hundred of packets that they own of the brightly colored candy.
One such person is Dr. Tommy Martin, who is well known on Instagram and TikTok for his evangelism of Nerds Gummy Clusters. Dr. Martin, a Massachusetts-based physician and athlete who has run several marathons and even competed in the Iron Man World Championships, says that when training and racing for long distance, front loading the runs with with pasta and bagels or English muffins with jam, is just not enough. “For any run over 90 minutes, you need around 60-90 grams of carbs per hour, or at least 240-360 calories per hour.”
People have experimented with all kinds of foods to do this. The most popular but the least appetizing are energy gel packets by brands like Gu. Other popular options include Rice Krispie treats, fruit chews, and Martin even tried Uncrustables — but they have too much fat, so they aren’t always the best fuel source. But his favorite source? Nerds Gummy Clusters.
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
It makes a lot of sense when you take a look at the macros of the candy which have a similar amount of carbs and sugar to a gel packet (and even a little bit of sodium.) But macros aside, Nerds Gummy Clusters have several other advantages over every other running snack.
One of the candy’s biggest appeals? Just how portable they are. Compared to gels and other snacks, Nerds Gummy Clusters are quite lightweight and very easy to carry. The candy even comes in individual serving size packets. Plus, Nerds Gummy Clusters are also incredibly easy to find, unlike the gels that have to be ordered online or picked up at a a speciality store. “You can find Nerd Gummy Clusters almost everywhere: grocery stores, gas stations, Walmart, Target, etc,” says Kristie Chan, a hobby distance runner who works in the music industry.
The price point is also a huge draw. In a reel, sports dietician Meghann Featherstun points out that for a 25 gram serving of carbs, Nerds Gummy Clusters is just 50 cents. Energy gels on the other hand are $4-5 dollars per 25 grams of carbs. That means a 5-6 hour run can cost $30-$40 in gels alone. And though it can be argued that gels are crafted for optimal sports performance so they might offer a few more benefits, their macros are not so dramatically different than the Nerds. (Featherstun suggests that gels are perhaps best saved for race day versus training runs.)
And then there is the matter of taste:
“Gels have a ton of different flavors and types so theoretically there is a gel for everyone but some people absolutely gag at the idea of eating a gel due to the consistency and way to eat it,” says Chan. “When I first tried gels, it was warm from being in my running pouch and my lips were chapped so I felt like I was deep-throating a gel pack because I was putting the entire pack in my mouth to quickly squeeze it out, and because my lips were chapped, the packaging ended up cutting the corners of my lips. Awful first experience.” Jason Goble, a runner-based in Los Angeles agrees: “[Gels] have a disgusting texture and they will be warm from your pocket.”
Nerds Gummy Clusters, on the other hand, are actually enjoyable according to everyone I spoke to. Not only do they come in a variety of flavors, Chan says she particularly enjoys their “tanginess.” Goble is a fan of their sweet and sour flavor which he says is “good for salivating” and making sure your mouth doesn’t dry out when running. Martin says once he tried the candy for the first time last year, he was “instantly obsessed.” Everyone I spoke to also admitted to eating the candy outside of training too, because they are just that good. Martin keeps them in his house in all sizes of packages, and Chan keeps a stash in her backpack and finds them especially useful when flying.
Martin is quick to acknowledges that Nerd Gummy Clusters aren’t exactly health food and that it might seem antithetical to what endurance athletes might dietarily need. “I don’t think anybody is going to say that eating Nerd Gummy Clusters are healthy,” he says. “We all know that, but everything in moderation, and to be fair, some can even argue that doing marathons and Iron Mans aren’t the healthiest decision. I also dare someone to try to fuel up during a race or run using just apples and bananas and see if you can do what you need to without feeling GI distress and bloating.”
The question really is, according to Martin, can Nerd Gummy Clusters help you achieve what you need to achieve on a run? “The answer is yes. Just make sure to brush your teeth immediately — no one wants cavities.”
I frikkin love these things, now i need to start running so when people ask me how I got into it I can say 'Nerds Gummy Clusters' and get odd looks..