“Beet” Marathon Fatigue

Recent studies find that nitrates in beet juice may improve endurance

As proud participating vendors in local-to-our-office races such as the Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon and Philadelphia Marathon, we love to chat about the athletic advantages to be  had by sipping on our beet juice.

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Preparing for a long distance race like a marathon, half marathon, or even a 10K, requires a consistently nutrient-dense diet plan along with the obvious physical training schedule. We love these pre-marathon tips from fellow Philly local, Lindsay Kane, MS, RD – this lady knows a thing or two about nourishing your body for optimal performance!

While she recommends our Organic Cooked Beets paired with roasted chickpeas as perfect pre-race fuel, we have to add that our beet juice is a super simple and tasty way to energize your body with natural carbohydrates and dietary nitrate.

Dietary nitrate (not to be confused with the no-no nitrates found in processed meats) is found in plenty of produce — think lettuce, spinach, celery, and arugula — and beets are one of the best sources. Beet juice is a brilliant way to reap the nutritional advantages of nitrate quickly. When dietary nitrate is consumed (i.e., when you take that first refreshing sip of beet juice), it turns into nitrite. This transformation allows your body’s plasma nitrate levels to help improve blood flow and oxygenation.

What does all of that mean? Boiled down to basics, drinking beet juice prior to a big race can help to reduce blood pressure and oxygen cost, resulting in more efficient muscle movement.

We certainly are not advocating for mass consumption of beet juice moments before you hit the starting line, and there is no scientific guarantee that drinking beet juice means you’ll sprint faster or be able to handle longer distances. Adding beet juice to your pre-race regime is a helpful step that research suggests can help improve endurance – so why not give it a taste?

Do you have a crazy marathon story you’re just dying to share? Want to find out where you can get your paws on our beet juice? We’re always here to chat!