The Best Supplements for Runners: Your Complete Guide

If you’re a runner, you’re probably constantly on the lookout for things that can improve your performance. While it’s important to remember that a “food first” approach should be the foundation of any runner’s nutrition plan – after all, the food we eat provides us with the fuel we need to perform – the right supplements can make a big difference, helping to enhance endurance, reduce fatigue, and promote faster recovery after intense training sessions or races.

For competitive athletes, it’s also vital to ensure that supplements are safe and free from banned substances. Look for certifications like NSF Certified for Sport, Informed Sport, and Banned Substances Control Group (BSCG) to ensure the supplements you choose meet strict standards. You can also consult trusted resources like the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s nutrition page, and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for guidance on safe supplement use and prohibited substances.

Regardless of the supplements you need to support your training and performance, it’s important to know what’s available before choosing supplements. Read on to learn about the best supplements for runners, tips for incorporating them into your race plan, and other things to watch out for.

Please note that this blog post contains affiliate links. That means that if you purchase an item through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only provide links to products I trust and use with my own patient-athletes.

Performance Supplements

There are several performance and recovery supplements for runners that start off our list of the best supplements for runners to add to their routine. If you’re unsure which ones are best for you, speak with your dietitian.

Creatine

Creatine is one of the most well-studied sports supplements, with research showing that it can benefit athletes of all sports and runners of all types. Creatine monohydrate is the most effective form of creatine on the market. We typically see performance increases of 10 to 15% with regular creatine supplementation. While it may not seem like a lot, it may mean that you meet the time qualifications for a larger race or break your PR (personal record).

How does it work? By increasing the overall pool of cellular phosphocreatine, creatine supplementation can accelerate the recycling of ADP into ATP, which frees up more energy for high-intensity exercise. This increased energy availability can promote improvements in strength and power output.

Creatine may benefit runners in the following ways:

• Increased muscle mass and strength: Creatine may help runners increase their muscle mass and strength, helping them achieve more speed and energy. This can be particularly helpful during the explosive moments of running or during high-intensity activities.

• Increases muscular glycogen and ATP synthesis: This increases the available energy for endurance exercise.

• Reduces inflammation and soreness: This helps with better and faster recovery.

• Creatine may increase lactate threshold: The lactate threshold, or aerobic threshold, is the point of exercise intensity at which the levels of lactic acid in your blood increase more rapidly than they can be removed. Creatine may increase the intensity you can sustain for longer periods of time without fatigue.

• May reduce the risk of injury.
  

Dosage: 

Loading dose: 20 grams per day, split into four 5-gram daily doses for five to seven consecutive days.
Maintenance dose: 2 to 5 grams per day, or 0.03 grams per kilogram of body weight daily.

Some studies suggest taking a loading dose of creatine for five to seven days, followed by a maintenance dose for three to four weeks. They then recommend taking one to two weeks off creatine (called a wash-out period), followed by repeating the cycle. However, this is not necessarily needed, and some people do well by simply starting with the maintenance dose.

My favorite:  Klean Creatine

Beetroot

Beetroot is a source of dietary nitrate. Dietary nitrates convert to nitric oxide (NO) during periods of low oxygen availability, such as during exercise. 

NO is a signaling molecule involved in numerous cellular processes, such as cellular respiration (when your cells turn the food you eat into energy), vasodilation, and blood vessel formation. Dietary nitrates help optimize the body’s ability to use oxygen during exercise.

During exercise, nitrates can help:

• Increase blood flow to active tissues: This allows oxygen and nutrients (i.e., energy!) to reach a runner’s muscles quickly.

• Reduce the oxygen and ATP cost of muscle exertion: Nitrates reduce oxygen and ATP (cellular energy) consumption by approximately 3% during high-intensity exercise or anaerobic exercise.

• Increases vasodilation: Vasodilation is when blood vessels widen to promote increased blood flow. This increases blood flow to active tissues and helps regulate blood pressure during exercise.

Nitrates are effective both as a pre-workout supplement and to improve recovery.

Dosage: About 400 milligrams of nitrate taken 2 to 3 hours before exercise for at least five days.

My favorite: BEET IT Sport Pro-Elite shots (drink one bottle per day for five days leading up to a race or long run in your training program. Then drink one or two bottles on race day or the day of your long run).

iron

Iron is one of the best supplements for runners because many runners are iron deficient. Research shows that between 30 and 50% of endurance athletes have iron deficiency. What’s more, over half of adolescent females are iron deficient. 

Iron is important to endurance athletes and runners of all types because it’s a key component of:

• Red blood cell production.

• Transporting oxygen from the lungs to the muscles and other tissues.

• Myoglobin production, which is important for storing, transporting, and releasing oxygen in the muscles.

• Energy metabolism.

• pH balance (when pH balance is off, it may inhibit recovery and prolong lactic acid buildup in the muscles).

Without enough iron in our bodies, we can’t produce enough red blood cells, which means our muscles don’t receive enough oxygen, leading to a decrease in performance.

When it comes to iron supplements for runners, there are a few things to consider. First, it’s important to consider the form of iron. A chelated form (bound to another molecule) of iron, such as ferrous sulfate or iron bisglycinate, is best tolerated by the digestive tract and is better absorbed by the body.

In addition, heme iron, which is almost exclusively found in foods and supplements derived from animal sources, tends to be the most bioavailable and absorbable.

Dosage: Dosage depends on your age and sex. The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iron is 8 milligrams per day for men and postmenopausal women and 18 milligrams per day for women who haven’t gone through menopause. However, if you’re iron deficient, you may need to take in more than this. It’s best to work with a dietitian who can provide tailored iron recommendations based on your iron levels and health status.

Here are a few notes on how to take iron for maximal absorption:

• Hepcidin is a hormone that prevents the absorption of iron. It is least active in the morning, making the morning hours the best time to take iron supplements for optimal absorption.

• Vitamin C helps increase iron absorption. Aim to pair foods high in vitamin C with foods high in iron at the same meal or snack or take supplements of both nutrients at the same time.

• Calcium competes with iron for the same absorption receptors, which reduces iron absorption. Avoid pairing calcium-rich foods with iron-rich foods or taking an iron supplement at the same time as a calcium-containing supplement.

Overall, it’s important to consult with a qualified healthcare provider regarding your individual iron needs since the dosage, form, and administration of iron vary greatly for each individual. In addition, taking too much iron can be harmful, so it’s important to ensure you’re getting the right amount.

vitamin b12

Vitamin B12 is an important supplement to include in your routine as a runner. This nutrient is a key player in energy metabolism and helps keep our nerves and blood cells healthy - both vital to a runner’s performance.

Another common deficiency among runners is vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to both mental and physical fatigue. This can cause runners to feel an extreme lack of energy (due to low energy stores and compromised energy metabolism), muscle weakness, tingling sensations in the muscles, and depression. Getting enough vitamin B12 also helps reduce the risk of pernicious anemia, which also causes tiredness and weakness.

Since vitamin B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, it is excreted in sweat, heavy breathing, urine, and fecal waste and must be replenished daily.

Dosage: The RDA for vitamin B12 for adults is 2.4 micrograms daily. 

Check with your healthcare provider for further guidance on which administration method is best for you. If you have compromised gut function or can’t absorb vitamin B12 sufficiently through your digestive tract, you may need a sublingual (under the tongue) version or vitamin B12 shots.

zinc

Zinc is another common nutrient deficiency among runners because zinc is lost when you sweat. This essential nutrient is involved in a wide range of bodily functions, such as protein synthesis, wound healing, immune function, and growth and development.

For runners, a zinc deficiency could mean frequent colds and illnesses that disrupt training and competitions, as well as fatigue, decreased endurance, and a higher risk for bone fractures and/or compromised bone health.

Dosage: The RDA for zinc for adults is 8 milligrams daily for women and 11 milligrams daily for men. The best forms of zinc are zinc citrate or zinc gluconate, as these forms have been shown to have higher absorbability than other forms.

It’s important to note that high doses of zinc compromise the body’s ability to absorb copper. This can lead to a copper deficiency, which weakens bones. For this reason, it’s not recommended to take high doses of zinc (over 25 milligrams per day) for long periods of time unless advised to do so by a doctor.

Tissue and Bone Support Supplements

While supplements for performance are obviously important for runners, it’s just as important to include supplements that support tissue and bone health. Some of the best supplements for runners may seem simple (like protein powder), but are in fact a key component of a nutrition plan for runners.

protein powder

When it comes to the best protein powder for runners, it’s important to note that complete proteins, either from food or protein powder, are preferred to branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) or single amino acid supplements. This is because protein from food and protein powders typically contain a complete amino acid profile containing all nine essential amino acids that the body cannot produce on its own.

Why is getting enough protein so important for runners? Meeting your daily protein needs is essential for avoiding muscle and lean tissue breakdown. This includes ligaments and tendons, which are particularly important for runners. It’s also important to promote the synthesis of lean tissue.

While getting enough protein through your diet is possible, protein powders offer a convenient way to meet your increased protein needs as a runner more easily. They can be consumed on the go, which provides a quick way to get a protein boost. Plus, sometimes it’s easier to consume protein as a shake or liquid meal instead of adding another solid meal to your diet.

In addition, it’s best to consume protein with carbohydrates immediately after training or a race to replenish your body’s glycogen stores. Having a protein powder handy to mix up and drink within 30 minutes post-workout helps to jumpstart the muscle recovery process.

Dosage: 20 to 40 grams of protein per sitting (or every three hours) from food-derived or supplement-derived protein

Animal-based protein powders derived from dairy (whey or casein) or egg whites are naturally complete and contain all of the essential and non-essential amino acids.

My favorite: SFH PURE Whey Protein (use code LAUREN10 for 10% off).

Plant-based protein powders derived from soy or a pea and rice blend are also complete and are the most bioavailable and absorbable of the plant-based protein powders available. 

While quinoa and buckwheat are also complete plant-based proteins, attempts to create protein powders using these ingredients have been shown to contain lower levels of certain essential amino acids, so I don’t recommend quinoa— or buckwheat-based protein powders at this time.

My favorite: Metagenics Ultrameal Advanced

A newer alternative to animal-based protein powders and plant-based protein powders is yeast protein biomass, or single cell protein (SCP), which is sustainably sourced because it’s derived from the fermentation of various yeast strains. This is environmentally friendly, low cost, and has low land and water requirements. Research has shown it to be comparable to animal– and plant-based protein powders in terms of bioavailability and absorbability.

My favorite: RNWY Complete Protein (use code LAURENC15 for 15% off)

I love RNWY Complete Protein especially because it’s a fermented food and Monash University Low FODMAP Certified™, making it a gut-friendly protein option for runners with digestive challenges. It’s also Informed Sport Certified ensuring safety for competitive athletes.

collagen

Another of the best supplements for runners is collagen. There are two types of supplemental collagen: beauty collagen and athlete’s collagen. Athlete’s collagen is formulated to suit the needs of active individuals and has a slightly different amino acid profile. It may also contain additional ingredients focused on enhancing the connective tissue.

Collagen is a major component of our ligaments, tendons, and cartilage. Tendons are primarily made of collagen, which represents between 60 and 85% of the tissue. Cartilage cushions and supports the joints, while tendons and ligaments connect our muscles to our bones and help us move and maintain stability. All are crucial for strength, flexibility, and stability during running.

Collagen may benefit runners in several ways, including:

• Injury prevention and recovery: Collagen helps protect soft tissues and joints while running, which may help runners recover faster from injuries. This means less time away from training for those wishing to run multiple races in a short period of time.

• Joint health: Collagen improves the integrity of cartilage, which may reduce joint pain and stiffness. This is particularly important for runners prone to osteoarthritis, joint pain, or older runners to help mitigate reduced collagen levels, which is a side effect of aging.

• Flexibility and mobility: Collagen may improve flexibility and mobility, both of which help reduce injury risk.

• Post-workout digestive issues: Collagen may also support gut health by supporting the integrity of the gut lining to optimize nutrient absorption and help maintain healthy digestion. This may stave off runner’s diarrhea and mid-run abdominal pain.

In addition, prolonged collagen supplementation of 10 to 20 grams of collagen per day over six to nine months may improve joint pain in middle-aged active adults. This makes collagen one of the best joint supplements for runners.

Dosage: Take 5 to 20 grams of collagen daily for at least three months. For best results, take collagen one hour before exercise. Taking collagen with 50 milligrams of vitamin C promotes collagen synthesis in the body.  

My favorite: RNWY Foundation (use code LAURENC15 for 15% off)

vitamin d

Vitamin D, which helps strengthen bones and muscles, is another common nutrient deficiency among runners. Vitamin D is essential for bone health because it helps regulate the levels of calcium and phosphorus in the body. These are the two main minerals used to make and repair our bones.

Vitamin D also helps support immune health and regulates hormone and mood balance, which is important during a runner’s rigorous training schedules and on event day.

Dosage: The RDA for vitamin D is 600 IU daily for those younger than 70 and 800 IU daily for those older than 70. However, the RDA for runners is much higher — between 2,000 and 6,000 IU daily. Dose recommendations differ greatly for those with a confirmed vitamin D deficiency or low vitamin D levels, so it’s important to work with a healthcare provider when determining the proper vitamin D dosage.

calcium

While calcium is a key mineral our bodies use to make and repair our bones (along with phosphorus, copper, and magnesium), many people forget that calcium is also an electrolyte that helps maintain heart function and blood pressure.

Calcium is lost in sweat, so runners are at a higher risk of calcium deficiency and compromised bone health. Since calcium deficiency can increase the risk of stress fractures, which are common among runners, ensuring you get enough calcium is important for preventing injury.

Dosage: The RDA for calcium is 1,000 milligrams daily for those under 50, and 1,200 milligrams daily for those over 50. Some research suggests that female athletes and active military personnel should consume 1,500 to 2,000 milligrams of calcium daily.

magnesium

While magnesium as a mineral is vital for bone health, it’s also an important electrolyte that plays a key role in muscle contraction and relaxation and proper heart function.

Magnesium may also help regulate blood sugar levels and improve insulin sensitivity. Insulin is the hormone that tells our cells to take up sugar from the blood for energy. This is important for runners who depend on insulin sensitivity to get the energy they need to train and compete. It’s also important because runners often take in high amounts of glucose via endurance supplements. Insulin sensitivity ensures the body can effectively use this glucose.

We lose a lot of magnesium in our sweat. With the repeated muscle contractions and releases needed for running, runners are at a higher risk of magnesium deficiency. A bonus to supplementing with magnesium? It also helps promote regular bowel movements and sleep, which is especially important to runners for optimum recovery.

Dosage: The RDA for magnesium is 310 to 320 milligrams daily for women and 400 to 420 milligrams daily for men.

turmeric

Many studies have shown that curcumin, the primary compound in turmeric, has anti-inflammatory properties. For runners, a good turmeric supplement that meets or exceeds the minimum effective dose may help relieve inflammation in the joints and muscles, reducing injury risk, recovery time, and soreness after long or intense runs.

For those with inflammatory bowel disease and other inflammatory conditions, curcumin may reduce clinical markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and interleukin-6 (IL-6). If you’re a runner trying to manage an inflammatory condition, turmeric could be a great addition to your nutrition regimen.

Finally, turmeric has been shown to prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), which is particularly prevalent among runners.

Dosage: 250 to 1,500 milligrams per day of curcumin for 8 to 12 weeks. Note that the turmeric extract used in supplements has a much higher concentration of curcumin than turmeric as a spice. While there’s no harm in using turmeric during cooking, doing so won’t get you to the dose you need to see a benefit for inflammation. 

My favorite: Metagenics Inflavonoid IC 

the bottom line

Incorporating the best supplements for runners into your routine can significantly improve your performance, aid in recovery, and help prevent injuries. However, it’s important to approach supplementation with knowledge and care. Every runner is unique, and what works for one person may not be appropriate for another. That’s why I recommend consulting with a sports dietitian to tailor your supplement plan to your specific needs and goals.

Remember, supplements should complement a well-rounded diet and training program, not replace them. Prioritize whole, nutrient-dense foods as the foundation of your nutrition plan and use supplements to fill any gaps and support your body’s needs. 

If you’re ready to take your running to the next level, consider our Nutrition for Runners program. With personalized nutrition plans and expert guidance, you can ensure you’re fueling your body correctly and effectively. Whether you need help with supplements, meal planning, or a race day nutrition strategy, we have tiered options to meet the needs of every runner. Don’t leave your performance to chance – join us today and run your best race tomorrow! Learn more here.