HEART AND SCIENCE

Like many innovative solutions, the original energy gel that revolutionized performance nutrition all started with a single question:
“How can I help an athlete reach their highest potential?”
For GU Energy Labs founder Dr. Bill Vaughan, an avid runner and mad biochemist, that question was inspired by his daughter, Laura, a competing ultra runner who struggled with the oh so fun gastrointestinal distress.

It was the early 90’s, around the same time neon windbreakers, in-line skates, and spandex shorts were all the rage. Energy bars, a.k.a. sawdust bricks, were in their early stages, doing their best to provide unnecessary ingredients and gut bombs to athletes searching for that ever-illusive performance edge. Dr. Vaughan, on the other hand, was experimenting with carbs in other forms. Rigorous experimentation and refinement resulted in a a convenient goo-ey energy source that efficiently delivered complex and simple carbohydrates, essential amino acids, lactic acid buffers, and antioxidants faster than one could say, “Ready, set…” The first three flavors of GU: Chocolate, Vanilla and Orange launched in 1992.

Today, the question that unleashed the full potential of millions of athletes lives on – which is more than we can say about fanny packs. And GU is proud to have played a small part in fueling countless adventures, PRs and champions.

Dr. Vaughan’s son, Brian continues to carry the athletic family torch. In addition to running GU, he is a serious cyclist and ten-time Leadville 100 MTB finisher and has created a company culture committed to performance athletics and the nutritional needs of our customers.

Like our founding father, we, the employees of GU are the embodiment of heart and science. We make only what athletes need, i.e. stuff that works like nobody’s business. We walk the walk, run the run, and ride the ride. Helping athletes excel is not just a passion of ours. We live it, breath it, dream it, and suffer it. It’s all part of the answer to the question that never really gets answered.

“How can we help athletes reach their highest potential?”
There will always be personal records to destroy, crushingly beautiful vistas to gain, enlightment through sweet suffering personal demons to slay and new athletes to help educate about performance nutrition. And we aim to always keep you in pursuit with new formulas, new forms, and new flavors for every type of athlete and every type of athletic need.

Whether it’s long lasting energy, muscle rebuilding fuel and protection, or natural hydration in a gel, powder, drink, capsule or some other form we haven’t invented yet, we take our responsibility to help you stay hydrated, energized and recovered for the day of greatness seriously. We are your partners and aspire to do whatever we can to help propel you to the other side.

GU in 2015 features personalities with purpose, passion for innovation, data, clean sport and an even stronger commitment to our communities of runners, cyclists, triathletes and adventurers. We are honored and humbled to earn your business every day.

What are you waiting for…this story to end? Well, it doesn’t. This is just the beginning of it. Now find your GU, get out there, and go for it. Better yet, GU for it.