8 Supplements for Running a Faster Marathon

Introduction

Runners are always looking for a competitive edge, guilty as charged! Anything I can do to tweak my training, my supplementation, my recovery, and my gear in the name of shaving off a few seconds from my average minute per km pace or a few minutes from a race and you’ve got my attention. All this just as your average recreational runner and yet, I know I’m not alone!

There are a multitude of ways to improve as a runner. From training techniques to super shoes, from proper fueling, hydration and nutrition to rest and recovery; there are a myriad of tools in the runner’s tool belt for enhancing performance. Still, an often overlooked low hanging fruit for improved running performance is supplementation. We’re not just talking carbohydrates and electrolytes here, either.

Here are 8 supplements you can add to your current protocol that will boost your running abilities and help you run a faster race in 2025!

Carbohydrates

We’ll start with the obvious ones as they’re important and worth highlighting. Carbohydrates are the primary fuel for endurance, period. While you may subscribe to the low-fuel camp in training, ultimately, research shows that come race day you better be fueling with carbs or you’re getting left in the dust.

Not only should you be supplementing with carbs during the race but loading prior to the race is important as well. Why? Loading increases your glycogen stores, which provides a fuel reserve to tap into during periods of increased and prolonged exertion (such as a marathon) and thus, delays fatigue.

Protocol:

Carbohydrate load for 1 – 3 days before race day. Aim for 8 – 12 g/kg (3.6 – 5.5 g/lb) of bodyweight per day which is approximately 640 – 960 g of carbs per day for an 80 kg or 175 lb person.

During the race, aim to consume 30 – 60 g of carbs per hour through energy gels, chews or drinks. Interestingly, however, that ceiling on intra-race carb intake may be increasing.

Recently, research has demonstrated that more is in fact better when it comes to carb intake, with the limiting factor being gastrointestinal distress only. Translation: if you have an iron stomach, keep those carbs coming! As a 150 lb male, I’ve had great success taking in almost 90 g of carbs per hour during a race.

Electrolytes

Another immediately apparent supplement is electrolytes. Electrolytes have many functions for a runner including maintaining hydration, preventing cramping and supporting endurance. Sources are plenty: electrolyte drinks, salt tablets and balanced meals can provide you with loads of electrolytes.

Much like carbohydrates, pre-race and intra-race supplementation with electrolytes is key. Proper hydration starts days before a race.

Protocol:

Begin supplementation with electrolytes (unless already regularly consuming) 2 days before race day.

Intra-race, it’s crucial to focus on replacing the electrolytes you’ve lost through sweat. If you are a heavy sweater (like me), you should pay close attention. As a general rule, aim for the following per hour:

·        Sodium: ~500 – 1,000 mg.

·        Potassium: ~150 – 300 mg.

·        Magnesium: ~30 – 50 mg.

Again, heavy sweaters should be on the higher side of these recommendations and adjust as necessary. Detailed electrolyte supplementation protocols can be estimated through sweat loss tests or determined through laboratory-based sweat tests. Luckily, if you’re even thinking about electrolyte supplementation past surface level, you’re already ahead of the curve.

Caffeine

Ah yes, caffeine, everyone’s favorite drug er… supplement. While widely consumed by the entirety of the human population for general day-to-day functioning and enjoyment, caffeine is a potent booster of athletic performance.

Caffeine not only enhances focus, but reduces perception of effort, and can increase fat utilization as a fuel source. Its effects are so potent, research has demonstrated up to a 24% increase in endurance performance for runners who supplement with caffeine prior to a run.

Protocol:

Before the race, consume 3 – 6 mg/kg of body weight (200 – 400 mg) of caffeine approximately 30 – 60 minutes prior to the race. During the race, lower the dose of caffeine intake to approximately 25 – 50 mg every 1 – 2 hours as part of gels or drinks.

PRO TIP: If you are a regular consumer of caffeinated beverages, lower your tolerance by tapering off caffeine 1 – 2 weeks out from a race. This will enhance the effects of caffeine come race day.

Protein

Runners and endurance athletes often skip out on protein and indeed, research shows that most athletes are falling far short of their daily protein requirements. Protein intake is typically considered mainly as a requirement for building muscle however, many fail to consider the crucial role that protein plays in recovery and muscle repair.

Endurance athletes can benefit from increased protein intake through improvements in their recovery during intense and increased periods of training leading up to and after a race. In fact, endurance athletes need far more protein than the average individual simply to stop their bodies from breaking down muscle to fuel exercise.

Protocol:

Endurance athletes or those regularly taking part in endurance sport should be consuming 1.2 – 2.0 g of protein per kg of bodyweight everyday. In addition, to assist with recovery post race, consume 20 – 30 g of protein within 30 minutes upon crossing the finish line.

Creatine

Typically considered a staple in the strength training community, creatine also has strong applications in endurance sport, and for an abundance of reasons. Creatine improves recovery, supports short bursts of effort (such as hillier or speed-driven efforts), enhances glycogen resynthesis, improves time to exhaustion, and increases ATP availability.

As one of the most studied and proven supplements on the market, creatine is a true workhorse when it comes to improving athletic performance.

Protocol:

Consume regularly (daily). Approximately 3 g for women and 5 g for men is typically recommended. There is no need to consume more ahead of a race or during a race, the idea is to create a consistent saturation in the body.

Sodium Bicarbonate

Alright, time for things to get a little wonky. We’ve gone over the staples, now let’s talk about some lesser-known performance boosting supplements to add to your arsenal starting with sodium bicarbonate.

Sodium bicarbonate increases bicarbonate in the blood, making the body more alkaline, buffering metabolic acidosis and delaying fatigue during high-intensity efforts. This results in a boost of speed, power, work capacity and time to fatigue.

Protocol:

Pre-race consume 0.2 – 0.3 g/kg of body weight (~13 – 20 g) 60 – 90 minutes prior to the race. This can be split into smaller doses to avoid gastrointestinal issues, which is a common side effect of supplementation with sodium bicarbonate. This makes it especially important to test this protocol prior to race day, lest you encounter a troublesome stomach half-way through the race and find yourself gripping the edges of the nearest Porta Potty toilet seat.

Beetroot Juice (Nitrates)

Beetroot juice may not be your first choice when it comes to beverages, but it has surprising effects and benefits for the endurance athlete. Supplementation with beetroot juice improves oxygen efficiency and blood flow, particularly when it comes to long endurance events/activities.

This is due to the simple fact that beetroot juice contains high concentrations of nitrates, a potent natural vasodilator. Vasodilators dilate (widen) blood vessels, thereby improving the delivery of oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the heart and muscles.

Protocol:

Prior to the race, consume 300 – 600 mg of nitrates (500 mL of beetroot juice) approximately 2 – 3 hours before the gun goes off. Start loading with nitrates 2 – 3 days prior using foods naturally high in nitrates such as beets, spinach and arugula. Intake during the race is not typically required.

Beta-Alanine

Yet another commonly unknown booster of running performance is beta-alanine. Beta-alanine increases carnosine levels in the blood, which can improve endurance performance.

How does this work exactly?

During intense exercise, your body produces hydrogen ions, thereby reducing the pH level in your muscles which is thought to be a direct cause of fatigue (not the build up of lactic acid which is a common mistaken belief). Carnosine acts as a buffer and reduces the drop in pH allowing you to train harder and longer.

Protocol:

Begin taking beta-alanine at least 4 weeks out from a race. The typical recommended dose is 4 – 6 g per day. No need to increase the dose on race day or supplement intra-race.

THE GOLDEN RULE:

I cannot stress enough (in case the upper-case bolded letters failed to convey importance), do not try anything new on race day. I would highly encourage you to take the above protocols and test them on multiple long runs in order to determine how your body reacts. Every marathoner knows when you test something new come race day, you're playing with fire.

Give these 8 supplements a try and watch your running performance skyrocket! Let me know in the comments if you've had experience with any of the above and how it worked for you.