Best Performance Supplements for Runners & Triathletes

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Evidence is mixed. Some studies show benefits for time-trial performance and recovery, particularly when paired with sodium bicarbonate, while others find no meaningful improvement or even a slight negative effect during high-intensity efforts. Most athletes who use them report better recovery and sustained energy rather than a dramatic race-day jump, so they're worth trialling in training first."}]}]}

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Sodium bicarbonate works by buffering the acid that builds up in your muscles during hard efforts, delaying the burning, heavy-legged feeling that forces you to slow down. It's one of the best-researched ergogenic aids around, with the clearest benefits for high-intensity efforts lasting up to around 12 minutes, think fast finishes, hill repeats, or the last hard push in a race, rather than steady, easy-paced training runs."}]}]}

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"Dietary nitrate, found in beetroot juice and concentrated shots, can lower the oxygen cost of exercise and improve time to exhaustion, with the clearest benefits showing up in shorter, high-intensity efforts rather than very long steady-state races. Most protocols call for a dose 2 to 3 hours before racing, with some athletes loading for a few days beforehand."}]}]}

{"type":"root","children":[{"type":"paragraph","children":[{"type":"text","value":"These products are designed to help delay the burn associated with lactate build-up and reduce oxidative stress during hard efforts, so you can hold a higher intensity for longer before fatigue sets in. They're generally taken shortly before a race or hard session rather than daily, and like any new supplement, should be trialled in training first."}]}]}