About Us

GU Sports (Sports Street Marketing) was founded in Berkeley, CA, in the early 90's by Dr William Vaughan. The mission from day one, which is still true today, is to provide athletes the best exercise specific nutrition products available. Period!

After formulating the world's first energy bar, Dr Vaughan was disappointed in that the bar, due to it's high level of fat, fiber and protein, did not work for athletes while they were training and racing. His own daughter, Laura, a very accomplished ultra-marathoner, continued to have severe stomach problems when consuming bars during races. "How can we call it an Energy Bar for athletes when all it does is shut down the system for 45 minutes or so while the body digests all those useless-to-athletes ingredients?" asked a frustrated Dr. Vaughan. So in the late 80's he began experimenting with carbohydrates in gel form. Because gels did not require any ingredients for solidity (fat, fiber, and protein) they could transport energy to working muscles within minutes without any stomach distress: The perfect "food" for athletes during workouts, training and racing was invented. And after extensive testing and trial use by all types of athletes, GU Energy Gel was perfected in 1991.

The name, the gel form, and the strange little packets all contributed to a slow growth curve for GU at first. But as the word spread from the ultra-marathon world into the marathon, cycling and triathlon communities that there was a perfect way to energize the body and mind while training and racing, the product's influence exploded.

It's now 2007 and hundreds of thousands of athlete around the world thank Dr. Vaughan everyday as they suck down a GU and head out the door for a run, a ride, a gym workout, a 10k or an Ironman. "GU is it!" reports Dr. Vaughan. "After so many years of developing and perfecting foods for athletes, I'm really proud to be able to help people have a better workout, and to help the serious athlete take it to the next level."