Today’s article looks at the effect of drinking pre-race coffee on running performance
What’s the deal?
Caffeine is thought to improve sporting performance and many athletes say they have taken espresso shots before important competitions for a “boost”. The evidence supporting this “boost” is mixed or lacking though.
What did they do?
Thirteen well-trained male athletes were selected to run in a one-mile race. Sixty minutes before each race, participants ingested a drink: either caffeinated coffee, decaffeinated coffee or coffee flavoured warm water (no coffee). Their race times were recorded. Athletes returned twice at weekly intervals to repeat the race, but each time ingested a different pre-race drink.
What happened?
Average race times for the mile race were 4:41 minutes for no coffee, 4:39 for decaffeinated coffee and 4:35 for caffeinated coffee. It was determined that caffeinated coffee caused a 1.9% improvement in race time compared to no coffee and a 1.3% improvement compared to decaffeinated coffee.
What can you tell me about the participants?
To run one mile in under 5 minutes takes a high level athlete! Think of someone who can run a 5k in between 16 and 17 minutes, or a sub-3 hour marathon! These test subjects were very good!
What else should I know?
Participants ingested 300ml of coffee (roughly 1 cup or 100mg of caffeine). Whilst the average run time was decreased with caffeinated coffee, it is important to note that a few participants had slower times. Results are by no means guaranteed and possibly reflect other factors like fatigue, diet or even the weather.
What will I do differently?
The coffee improvement was tiny, but this could be the difference between running a 5k in 20:05 and joining that all-important sub-20 club! I hate coffee; everything from the smell, to the taste, to the fact that people are addicted to it. I won’t be trying this out, BUT, I might be tempted to try caffeine tablets instead!
This research was published in July 2018 by ND Clarke and colleagues from Coventry University, UK.
This article highlights our personal take on their research. Check it out here and see what you think!
Abstract Athlete 