SUPPLEMENTS
Creatine for running and cycling: does it make sense?
Creatine can be relevant for some runners and cyclists, but it is not a universal endurance supplement. Whether it makes sense depends mainly on your discipline, your strength training, and your tolerance for a possible weight increase.
Key takeaways
- Creatine is not documented to reliably improve overall endurance performance.
- It may be more relevant for repeated, intense efforts and concurrent strength training.
- A possible weight increase is especially worth weighing for runners.
Does creatine improve ordinary endurance?
A systematic review and meta-analysis of trained individuals found no significant improvement in overall endurance performance with creatine monohydrate. It is not a safe bet if your only goal is a faster, steady effort over a longer duration.
That does not mean creatine is never relevant. Running and cycling often include short, intense efforts — hills, accelerations, sprints, or strength training on the side — where the energy demand differs from a calm, steady pace. Judge the supplement by the specific discipline and your own goal, not just by being a runner or cyclist.
When might creatine be more relevant?
The evidence is strongest for short, intense, and repeated efforts. A meta-analysis of repeated sprints found improved average power output, but not a reliable improvement across every sprint metric or fatigue measure.
That can make creatine more interesting for track cycling, mountain biking with frequent accelerations, running with a finishing sprint, or a training block where you are also building strength. It is still not the same as evidence for better marathon or time-trial results — for cyclists specifically, a review found no statistically significant effect of creatine alone on cycling performance, so keep expectations modest.
What do weight gain and dosing mean in practice?
Creatine can increase body mass, especially at first, partly through more water in the muscles. For weight-bearing running that can be a real downside, even if your strength training is going well.
If you choose to try creatine, 3–5 g of creatine monohydrate daily is a simple routine. A loading phase is optional and can produce a faster change; it is not required to test whether the supplement suits you. Do not test a new supplement right before an important race — instead track body weight, stomach comfort, strength training, and your relevant training data over several weeks, and speak with a health professional if you are ill, pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking medication.