Caffeine Periodization in the Sub-2 Hour Marathon

The Legal Performance Enhancer

Caffeine is the most widely consumed, legally sanctioned performance-enhancing drug in global sports. It is universally accepted across the peloton, the track, and the marathon major circuits. Yet, despite its ubiquity, 80% of amateur marathon runners time their dosage completely incorrectly.

The standard amateur protocol is to consume a heavily caffeinated gel on the starting line, followed by sporadic doses whenever they feel "tired." This scattergun approach not only fails to maximize the drug's potential but often leads directly to gastrointestinal catastrophe and late-race crashes.