GU is the result of years of research and extensive input from athletes. After formulating the world’s leading energy bar, Dr. William Vaughan was disappointed in how energy bars worked-- or, more precisely, didn't work--for athletes. This included his own daughter, Laura, an accomplished ultra-runner. Laura needed a way to maintain energy on long runs, but was bothered by stomach problems from solid foods and energy bars. So Dr. Vaughan began experimenting with carbohydrates in gel form. After extensive testing and trial use by athletes, GU was perfected in 1991.