What Supplements Should You be Taking as a Runner

One of the more common questions I get asked is “what supplements should I be taking as a runner”.

Almost immediately, that question is followed by something along the lines of…

I saw this add for x product. It claims to [insert crazy claim here (eliminate lactic acid, improve recovery, enhance Oxygen utilization, etc)]. Do you think it actually works?

Sadly, 90% of the supplements you’re pitched won’t do anything to help your running.

But I can’t blame you for wondering and asking about them. The claims look amazing and it’s tough to understand the science sometimes.

Plus, many of them are backed by “studies” (notice the word “studies” is in quotes. If you watch the interview below you’ll understand why).

I remember having the same questions when I first started running and into my competitive career.

I certainly didn’t want to miss out on any potential benefits, especially if they were as easy as taking a supplement.

I tried a lot myself. But like I said earlier; none of them really worked.

But all this doesn’t really answer the question.

Is there anything that will actually help your running? Are there supplements that you absolutely must avoid?

That’s why as part of the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint I set out to really find the answers to these questions.

So, I went out and found one of the leading experts. More importantly, an expert who had nothing to gain from recommending one supplement over another.

Luckily, I knew just who to go to. Kamal Patel.

Kamal Patel has a double MBA/MPH (Master of Public Health) from Johns Hopkins University and is the director of Examine.com.

Examine.com is an independent encyclopedia on supplementation and nutrition that is not affiliated in any way with any supplement company. Founded in early 2011, Examine.com is the unbiased source for supplements and nutrition.

This interview has been a part of the Marathon Nutrition Blueprint for quite some time, but because the questions about supplements keep coming in (seriously, I get about 3 per week), I wanted to share this with our entire audience.

So, if you’ve ever wondered about what supplements work, which one’s don’t, and which ones to avoid, you have to watch or listen to this interview.

Interview outline

Here is the outline of our interview. This does not cover everything we discussed, but was mainly a framework for the interview:

1. What’s the danger of looking for short cuts with supplements? What are some of the misconceptions people have about how supplements can help or what they can do.
2. What are some of the supplements that research has shown can help runners either recover faster, absorb training better, or flat out improve performance?
3. What are some supplements that many endurance athletes use that don’t have good scientific backing or we’re now coming to find out are basically useless.
4. Finally, what are some supplements that are definitely bad for endurance athletes and should be avoided?

Watch the interview