Which elite runners drink coffee?

Kipketer_Pumpkin_Eater wrote:

and I am not a professional in the sciences.

Nooooooo really?

Well.... didn't realize this thread would create so much argument.

Looks like the general consensus is that coffee is definitely beneficial for distance running. Thanks for all the feedback!

It would be cool if an elite runner or coach could provide their opinions on this topic.

Ho Hum wrote:

joho wrote:

What are these 'cons' that you speak of?

Blood pressure spikes and heart palpitations in some people. Probably not an issue for elites, but for an older runner with high blood pressure it can be a problem.

Sounds like good healthy heart training to me.

Kipketer_Pumpkin_Eater wrote:

joho wrote:

What are these 'cons' that you speak of?

Seriously in bad faith, or trolls. Every idiot can at least surmise that drinking large amounts of black coffee daily also stains teeth. Unless you want to argue with the entire dental establishment.

In most of your replies you say LARGE amounts or EXCESSIVE consumption. I think everyone knows that going overboard with ANYTHING will have an ill effect on your health. Everything in moderation.

I've been drinking coffee for 25 years, probably at moderate intake levels, and my teeth are still very white. I brush them daily.

Caffeine enhances endurance, as research shows.

Caffeine is a legal performance-enhancer. It is not nutritious, except maybe in some twisted extreme circumstance.

I drink only decaf. In fact, I am running later & as usual am avoiding any coffee until then. If it is a good workout, I want it due to me, not any caffeine.

It's basically a legal and ethical (debatable I guess, but to most) PED if you:

1. Don't drink it regularly, and

2. Drink it right before a race

I'm pretty sure you lose the performance-enhancing effects if you drink coffee every day and build up a tolerance/dependence. So my guess is most elite runners don't drink it daily but drink it before races.

As far as cons go, coffee (with or without caffeine) inhibits iron absorption, so if you drink a lot of coffee, especially with your meals, that can have pretty obvious repercussions.

[quote]Beanz wrote:

I think it would honestly be easier to ask which pro/elite's DO NOT drink coffee....

/quote]

pro/elite's what?

Most runners drink caffeine in some form, many do so using coffee, others using tea or supplements.

Coffee tastes terrible. You do not need to resort to self-torture to get caffeine. Just drink soda or take a pill.

Caffeine is a legal PED and a training enhancing drug too, but like most PED's you'll develop a tolerance for it.

The east Africans use khat instead which is illegal in the west, and in-competition too, but I think their out of competition use gives them a big edge. If you really want to win, move to Ethiopia and take up khat chewing. I'm sure it tastes better than disgusting coffee.

Coffee is like someone with runny diarrhea crapped in a cup and then you drink it.

How do you know what diarrhea tastes like???

Bad Wigins wrote:

Coffee is like someone with runny diarrhea crapped in a cup and then you drink it.

Out of all IAC (http://www.iac-athletics.com/) clients I've spent time with or talked to, only Polat Kemboi Arikan drinks coffee, as he takes four cups of tea and one cup of coffee (with milk and sugar) per day.

YoSoyChicanoAmigo wrote:

How do you know what diarrhea tastes like???

Bad Wigins wrote:

Coffee is like someone with runny diarrhea crapped in a cup and then you drink it.

Logic. The senses of smell and taste are essentially the same, and I have smelled diarrhea, so I know it tastes similarly bad.

Also I know coffee smells like diarrhea, and I have tasted coffee, therefore I have the misfortune of knowing what diarrhea tastes like.

I love how you try to be the cool/smart guy and correct me. Only to then go on and completely make an ass of yourself by screwing up the quote. Top work!

teaman wrote:

black tea > coffee

black tea hydrates and is high enough in caffeine and doesn't bother the stomach.

I ran for a competitive NCAA team and I have experimented with coffee in various ways.

Coffee hydrates, too. And tastes delicious. And teaman sounds like an oxymoron. No offense.

Yes, Ethiopians by default. Coffee is ingrained in their culture. Kenyans grow coffee but drink tea.

Wilson Kipsang drinks coffee. I had that benefit to hang out a little bit with him, when he was In Skopje, Macedonia, like a promoter for Skopje Marathon 2014. He drank a cup of coffee with me. Actually me with him. He's a marathon World Record holder by the way.