Can caffeinated gum help you PB at parkrun?

Hoping to smash your 5K PB at your local parkrun event? A recent study published in the European Journal of Nutrition delves into the impact of caffeine gum on the performance of runners participating in parkrun. The results may help you speed to your goals.

Parkrun is the world’s largest free weekly 5K event, originating in the U.K., and attracts participants of all abilities to parks, trails and open spaces every Saturday morning.

Caffeine as a performance enhancer

Caffeine, known for its stimulating effects on the central nervous system, has long been recognized for its potential to enhance athletic performance. World Athletics even recommends it as a performance enhancer. In the past, most research on caffeine and performance was done on cyclists, with studies on sprinters and endurance runners only recently (with positive results).

In this context, the study focused on 36 recreational runners capable of completing a 5K run in under 25 minutes. The runners were part of a double-blind, placebo-controlled intervention, exploring whether chewing caffeine-infused gum could contribute to improved parkrun performance.

British runners create petition to bring back parkrun statistics

Chewing toward a PB

The runners, randomly assigned to either caffeine or placebo gum groups, engaged in a five-minute gum-chewing session 30 minutes before each parkrun, to allow the caffeine to take effect. The results revealed a noteworthy improvement in 5K performance, with an average time reduction of 17.28 seconds among those chewing the caffeine gum.

This enhancement in performance was further reflected in a decrease in the runners’ RPE (rate of perceived exertion) by 1.21 units compared to the placebo group. This aligns with research on caffeine and endurance athletes, where scientists observed that caffeine may “inhibit perceptual response during exercise,” meaning participants had an increased ability to tolerate discomfort associated with fatigue while running.

While more research needs to be done to determine the maximum best effective doses for runners, it’s clear that adding a caffeinated boost to your parkrun race prep may help you as you chase that PB.