South Dakota State University conducted an independent study on PreRace to determine its effectiveness on cycling endurance. The yet to be published, double-blind placebo, controlled study used seven trained cyclists in a 40K time trial. Each cyclist performed two 40K time trials. On the first TT the cyclist consumed either a placebo or PreRace mixed with one serving of EFS 30 minutes prior to doing a 40K TT. One week later each cyclist would switch the protocol and receive the opposite of what he/she received the previous week.*
THE PRERACE GROUP, ON AVERAGE, HAD THE FOLLOWING RESULTS:
-Time trial was 3′ 17″ faster than with the placebo
-Watts increased by 15
-Work output increased
-Percent of Lactate Threshold increased
-No significant change in heart rate
-No significant increase in RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)
Further details of this study will be available once the study has been published.
Discussion: These results, though surprising in their magnitude, are precisely what we would expect from PreRace. The ingredients in PreRace have been studied extensively for their ability to improve cardiac output, stimulate nitric oxide and stimulate the central nervous system in addition to improving mental acuity.
Nitric Oxide stimulation causes the blood vessels to dilate which, as expected, allows more blood to pass through. L-Taurine improves cardiac output so more blood can be pumped through blood vessels. The caffeine, theobromine and quercetin stimulate the central nervous system so the athlete is mentally and physically prepared to go harder. It stands to reason that this clinical study demonstrated improvements in performance, watts and work output even though there was no increase in perceived exertion or heart rate.
*Note: Preliminary Results
“Since I started to use Optygen and PreRace in 2007, I’ve captured all three Grand Tour titles. Based on these results, Opytgen and PreRace will certainly continue to be part of my daily racing and training routine.” –Alberto Contador
“I started using PreRace in the 2007 Tour de France take it in time trials. I don’t drink coffee so when I take PreRace, I really feel it, it’s a huge boost. I find even half a scoop is enough for me.”
- Levi Leipheimer
July 1st, 2009 at 1:23 pm
I’m going to use it for my next run!
July 1st, 2009 at 1:27 pm
I was just wondering if cyclists in the study were able to tell the difference btw the placebo and prerace/efs mix? also because EFS was mixed in, can you conclude it was the prerace and not efs? One more question – were the riders controlled for exercise, diet, etc.between TT’s?
I do a short TT biweekly and it has been basically impossible for me to reach my goal pace which is .3mph faster than my fastest and based on this study looks like with the prerace/efs riders are hitting that for a distance 3x’s the distance i am doing. so obviously curious about this study.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:34 pm
Chris,
Great questions and yes all these variables were addressed in the study. We will make all the detail available once the study is published.
Riders were asked to consume the same diet for the 24 hours prior to the TT, they were also given a questionnaire to assure this happened. On the morning of the TT they were asked not to consume caffeine (coffee or soda..etc) or any food, they could however consume one small energy bar that simply delivered calories. This assured they went into the TT with the same glycogen content and under no influence of caffeine or other stimulants. Because the EFS is simply a fuel used for endurance exercise which delivers carbohydrates electrolytes and amino acids and because in both trials the EFS was used there is no indication nor any reason why EFS would illicit this performance gain. To clarify PreRace and the placebo (explained below) were each mixed into the EFS.
Since PreRace is not sweetened & flavored and has a strong off taste when mixed in drinks it was critical that our placebo also had a strong off taste so riders did not know if they were consuming a placebo or PreRace. The placebo used was a liquid consumable Aloe drink.
Riders used themselves as a control and did not know if they were on PreRace mixed in EFS in Trial #1 or Placebo (Aloe) mixed in EFS. Its also important to note that riders using them selves as a control makes for a very strong study design since it helps eliminate many extraneous variables.
All athletes in the study were trained cyclists ranging from category 2-4.
July 1st, 2009 at 3:53 pm
What were the weather conditions for the TT’s (e.g., temp, humidity, wind – speed/direction relative to course, etc)? Also, what was the range of TT results (sub-60 to ? I assume)? For example, if 60-min result in placebo condition (24.8 mph) the result indicates that PreRace increased avg speed by 1.5 mph. This is a pretty substantial performance difference (i.e., 6%).
July 1st, 2009 at 4:23 pm
More great questions..I love it!
In order to eliminate variables the TT was done on a cycle ergometer in the lab. This is both good and bad. If you have ever sat on one they feel nothing like your road bike or a trainer, so you no doubt lose considerable amount of power do to the positioning, pedals..etc. I have sat on one and can tell you that going 20mph is hard! So the times were commensurate with this inefficient bike. Because of this times ranged between 70-80 minutes.
In the lab temperature, humidity..etc were all constant. And yes the performance improvement is substantial.
July 6th, 2009 at 10:28 am
well I could have told you that!
July 6th, 2009 at 11:26 am
I skeptically tried PreRace and the result was a significant change in power or at least willingness to suffer. Afterwards, I thought since PreRace is legal and its that good, the illegal stuff must be awesome! Seriously, I wondered how much faster could I go since PreRace seemed to give me another gear. I will definately be packing PreRace for Leadville in a month and I am wondering how often I should use it during an 8-9hr event.
Cheers,
Blair
July 7th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Great questions Blair. We are still learning how stimulants like caffeine affect races lasting more than about five hours. In fact we dedicated a research site looking specifically at this. http://team.firstendurance.com/page/caffeine-1
Based on anecdotal and data from our team.firstendurance.com site we are beginning to question the efficacy of using caffeine throughout a long endurance event since a fair number of people can develop gastric distress.
So for an event of this length, where easy steady pacing at the onset is important, our recommendation is to introduce PreRace for the ladder half of the race. Unless, of course you have enough experience with PreRace to know that you can use if for the entire 8-9 hours. Many of our Ironman athletes do use several doses of PreRace for their 9-12 hours of Ironman racing with no stomach issues.
July 7th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
I am both a cyclist and swimming coach – I am curious about the effects on a competitive swimmer – woudl you expect similar results for other endurance athletes such as swimmers – one other question I know that a number of the First Endurance products are endorsed by pro cyclists and triathletes – are there any ingrediants that could be deemed illegal under some the other sporting organization rules(NCAA, USA swimming, track etc)
July 7th, 2009 at 1:56 pm
It looks like there is a good amount of caffeine in PreRace. I am curious if most or all of the positive effects noted in this soon to be published study could be attributed to that one ingredient? Seems like there is good research showing how caffeine can improve TT performance. I would be curious to see PreRace compared to caffeine alone.
July 7th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Duane,
Extrapolating the data to other sports will always occur and you can certainly postulate that a benefit will be experienced. We have had many elite swimmers use PreRace and offer very positive feedback, though it is not a clinical study. The best is to simply try it.
All of our products are legal to use per NCAA, USA Swimming and numerous other regulating bodies. Olympic swimmers Randal Ball and Jason Lezak used PreRace and the other FE products during this past Olympic games. Maybe it was the PreRace that catapulted Lezak in the relay keeping Michael Phelps streak in-tact?
July 7th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Duane,
Each clincal study done on caffeine was done under different variables, so its nearly impossible to determine if its solely the caffeine or the entire formula. I can tell you that the magnitude of the results found in this clinical look to be considerably more powerful than any caffeine study I have seen. And as discussed, we believe its due to the supporting ingredients that improve cardiac output, vaso-dilate blood vessels and increase mental acuity.
Many athletes that have used caffeine in the past try the PreRace and immediately tell us it is much more powerful than the 200mg caffeine indicate. This is why we recommend you start with only 1/2 dose.
A follow up study looking at PreRace vs straight caffeine would no doubt be interesting.
July 8th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Mike why do we not see big time changes at Salt Air TT using or not using pre race? I’m do use it most of the time but when I have forgotten it my times were not that much different. Am I taking the right amount or would you recommend something a different amount for such a short TT.
July 9th, 2009 at 8:07 am
Drew,
That is a great question that can only really be answered with a blinded study. Its important to understand that exercise physiology is still evolving. We do not clearly understand exactly what causes fatigue since there are numerous mechanisms in place all of which are inter-related, like ATP, glycogen stores, cardiac output, lactate threshold, VO2max..etc. Further complicating this is the fact that fatigue for a 15 minute race is different than for an hour race, two hour race, five hour race and 10++ hour race. Meaning at each distance a different physiological system likely plays a greater roll in determining fatigue. So with the Salt Air TT being 1/5th the time of the clinical it may be that a different mechanism is dominating performance. Below are some variables that may explain why you are not seeing improved results.
1) Its possible that the Salt Air TT is simply too short. With top times coming in around 14 minutes this distance is 1/5 the distance of the PreRace clinical study. Its possible that at this short distance a product like PreRace cannot fully show its effects.
2) Individual results can vary greatly. One subject in the PreRace clinical showed NO improvements. This suggests that a % of people may be non-responders.
3)Outdoor races have to account for varying environmental changes like wind and heat. This is not the case when a study is done indoors in a cycle ergometer.
Feel free to e-mail directly to discuss the amount you are taking and/or how we can eliminate some variables to test PreRace on yourself. rkunz@firstendurance.com
August 18th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
what about using PRERACE for an IRONMAN , i mean during the race maybe before the run or its better to use ULTRAGEN?
August 19th, 2009 at 8:26 am
Christian,
Many have done this with great success. Others found it too powerful for such a long event. Two variables which you need to consider are. 1) How well do I react to stimulants 2) when and how much of this should I use.
IF you find you react positively to stimulants, then you are on the right track. I must urge you to use PreRace at least once per week for all the weeks leading up to your race. This will allow you to feel the effects and have a good understanding how you will react.
Also, the fact that you are already thinking about using it in the ladder half of the race is a great idea. Using stimulants like PreRace for an entire race of this magnitude lends the risk of pushing too much and hence another physiological system will crash..typically your stomach/digestion. Waiting until T2 is probably a good idea.
Ultragen can be used, but if its dense calories you are looking for, consider the EFS liquid shot as this was specifically designed for this kind of racing.
You can use the EFS liquid shot for the entire Ironman race. Carrying a flask or two on the run assures you get the easily assimilated carbohydrates, all five electrolytes and the necessary amino acids.
January 26th, 2010 at 10:00 pm
I have taken Pre-Race since roughly 3 months. The results are overwhelming. The interesting effect is that training is way easier while keeping the heart rate under control. My wife was very sceptical. But on trial basis she started using it for Marathon training. Now she relies at least the same way on it as I do.