Authors preface: The topic of ergogenic aids in endurance sports always carries some degree of controversy as the line between legal ergogenic aids, such as caffeine, and the illegal use of performance enhancing drugs can be a fine one. Given that many (if not most) endurance athletes use caffeine during racing and training, it is our opinion that performance augmentation through the legal and safe use of ergogenic aids is a topic that must be considered by all serious endurance athletes. We do not encourage caffeine abuse or doping in any form. We are strong supporters of doping controls in all endurance sports including paddling .

80% of American adults consume caffeine daily. Caffeine delivery mechanisms, including sodas, coffee,  energy shots, dissolving strips, gum, energy drinks, headache medicine, and other pills and potions surround us at the supermarket and convenience stores every day.

In 2004 WADA removed caffeine from the banned substance list. Currently, caffeine is widely used as a stimulant before and during workouts and in competitions and is found in numerous sports drinks, gels, and tablets.

Although there is some debate on whether caffeine should be classified as an addictive drug ,  in our experience, the fact that withdrawal symptoms such as headaches and malaise reliably occur with cessation of caffeine use, and the fact that caffeine abuse is not uncommon in endurance athletes, we feel that caffeine should be considered to be an addictive drug requiring special consideration by athletes in order to avoid caffeine abuse.  For anyone who has seen someone at the start of a race scream at another athlete, get in a fight during an event, or smack another paddler with a paddle,  you may have seen the adverse effects of excessive caffeine use firsthand. We are also, unfortunately,  aware of athletes who use powdered caffeine in their sports drinks to obtain levels of caffeine in excess of the levels that can be ingested by other means and then taking narcotics after a race to “come down.” Clearly these athletes are abusing caffeine in an effort to improve their performance.

In this article we will very briefly touch upon the mechanism that caffeine uses to improve performance, discuss caffeine levels that are known to improve and inhibit performance, and discuss sample “caffeine strategies” for paddlers paddling races of varying distances.

How caffeine improves performance.

Caffeine improves performance in three ways . First, caffeine acts directly on the central nervous system increasing mental alertness and reducing the perception of effort.  In short, caffeine works on the central nervos system to prevent fatigue by  preventing us from knowing when we are tired.  Second, caffeine encourages the body to use fat for energy. Thirdly, caffeine acts directly on muscle to enhance its capacity for exercise.    These three mechanisms  work together to make hard efforts, such as paddle racing, seem easier while improving performance by sparing glycogen and enhancing muscular contractions.

The effect on performance can be substantial. In a recent review of the literature, researchers found consistent and substantial improvements in performance of up to 3%.  Although it is outside the scope of this article to delve into the intracacies of caffeine research, paddle athletes, particularly athletes who are performing ultra-distance races such as Catalina or Molokai, should be aware that these studies may not have direct application to their event as these studies, generally, evaluate activities that are of a much shorter duration than ultra-distance events.

Nonetheless, a 3% improvement is substantial. Assuming the results of these studies can be extrapolated to paddle racing, a 3% improvement would mean a 9-minute boost in a 5-hour race. Given that only a few minutes’ separates the winners in most endurance races caffeine could make or break your race.

The optimal caffeine dose for performance enhancement

As a general rule, research has shown that about 3-6 milligrams per kilogram of bodyweight is the dose that will optimally improve performance. Above 6 mg/kg caffeine may be detrimental to performance because the  negative side effects of caffeine use such as increased anxiety, inability to focus, and increased heart rate may obviate the benefits of caffeine use.

There are two inherent problems with the 3-6mg/kg  recommendation:

1) That is a lot of caffeine. It may be difficult to ingest that much caffeine during your event. Maintaining that level of caffeine in your system during a long race may not be practical or beneficial. Remember – the research on caffeine in sport was largely done in shorter duration efforts than a long or ultra distance paddle race.

2) that is a very wide range. As will be discussed below, the individual response to caffeine varies widely.

To put things in perspective the following is a list of caffeine levels in common caffeine delivery mechanisms:

• Red bull can: 75mg
• One shot of espresso: 75mg
• 8 oz. of coffee 95 mg
• One GU espresso packet 40 mg
• Double strength power shot 50mg
• 5-hour energy 207 mg

Getting back to our recommendation of 3-6mg/kg of caffeine, at the high end of the range, an 80-kilo (176-pound) athlete taking six milligrams per kilogram would need 480 milligrams of caffeine. This is equivalent to about 4 cups of coffee or 12 Gu packets.

Before you go out and down 4 cups of coffee before each race, keep in mind that everyone responds to caffeine differently. The optimal dose for one paddle racer may be half (or less) of another.  Therefore, it can be very difficult to make general recommendations regarding a caffeine strategy on race day.

Our recommendation with caffeine is to experiement prior to race day and, in all cases, be conservative and shoot for the lower end of the dose range.

When to take caffeine during your race

The trick with caffeine with endurance events is to prevent yourself from overdoing it by timing your caffeine intake appropriately.   Caffeine typically takes up to 60 minutes to reach peak concentrations in the blood stream. This delay means that you need to time your caffeine BEFORE you need it. If you wait until you are cracked and feeling the effects of fatigue you may not be maximizing the effects of your caffeine intake.

Caffeine strategies for paddle racing

Many athletes will use caffeine in their pre race strategy, consuming it 60 minutes prior to the start of a race. Although some athletes find that use of caffeine for the duration of the race is beneficial, many athletes find that in long and ultra distance races, reserving additional caffeine use for the middle or end of the race is optimal as the boost provided at the end of the race can be hugely beneficial.  For the latter strategy, consuming caffeine at least 60 minutes before the boost is needed is  ideal.

In endurance sports other than paddling, we have had success with Motivator Tablets .  Tablet based caffeine delivery, however, is not practical for water sports. The makers of Carbo Pro are  working on a caffeinated version of their popular Hydra C5 endurance mix that should be available soon.

Short distance races: less than 5 miles.

In short distance races, athletes will generally consume caffeine in the form of coffee during their race preparation 60-90 minutes before the race. 30 minutes prior to the race, athletes may ingest a caffeinated gel. The number of gel packets m(and the concentration 1x or 2x)  will vary depending on the weight of the racer and their tolerance to caffeine.  During these short distance races, additional caffeine is not generally recommended or warranted during the race.

Longer races – expecially ultra distance races

During longer races, such as Molokai or Catalina, athletes who choose to use caffeine should consider doing to as early as half way through the race. Remember, it takes about an hour to see the maximum response to your caffeine dose so dose early so the caffeine is solidly in your system for the last 2 hours of your race.

Although there may not be science to prove or disprove the following, it is the experience of the athletes that we have worked with over the years that they are able to tolerate more caffeine thany they would during ordinary life when they are not racing. The theory is that because they are working out and the heartrate and metabolism is cranking the caffeine is metabolized faster.

All athletes taking caffeine with a  goal to peak their dose near the end of the race should remember that the caffeine does not wear off when your race ends. Be prepared to be up all night after a caffeine driven ultra distance race. For many athletes, a lost night of sleep is a small price to pay for a boost in race performance.

Middle distance races 5-12 miles.

For middle distance races, if you are going to use caffeine when you race, consider dosing almost immediately so that you get a boost in the last hour of your race.

Full disclosure : The makers of Carbo Pro, Robust Systems Solutions, LLC. are a sponsor of Riding Bumps.