If you’re like most runners I know, you’ve probably dismissed creatine as “that bodybuilder supplement” that has nothing to do with endurance performance.

But, recent research indicates you may be very wrong and it could be costing you significant gains in training adaptation, recovery, and race-day performance.

So, in this article, we’re going to dig deep into…

• What creatine is and how our updated understanding of how it works has debunked the myth that it’s only for bodybuilders
• The research on the specific benefits of creatine for endurance athletes
• The simple 3-5g daily protocol that enhances recovery without weight gain
• Which runners benefit most (and who should skip it entirely)

What Creatine Actually Is (And Why Everything You Thought You Knew Is Wrong)

Despite the common misconception, creatine isn’t some synthetic chemical cooked up in a lab to make people bulky.

The reality is that your body produces creatine naturally every single day.

Basically what happens is your liver, kidneys, and pancreas manufacture this compound from three simple amino acids: arginine, glycine, and methionine [1].

You also get creatine from food—red meat, fish, and chicken all contain significant amounts.

But here’s what’s interesting: even if you eat meat regularly, you’re only getting 1-2 grams daily from your diet (and as we’ll details later, you need at least 3-5 grams to see benefits).

Unfortunately, your body also loses about 1-3 grams of creatine every day through normal cellular processes. Even more challenging, your natural production can’t keep up with optimal levels, especially if you’re training hard.

The practical takeaway: most athletes are operating with suboptimal creatine stores without even knowing it.

Creatine’s role in energy production

The myth about creatine only being for weight lifters and not endurance athletes stemmed from our misunderstanding of how creatine contributes to energy production.

Researchers initially thought creatine only supplied energy for short, explosive bursts. While this is true, it doesn’t take into account all the “downstream” effects this can have.

And it’s these cascade of benefits that extend far beyond just ATP production that is making scientist understand just how beneficial creatine can be for endurance athletes.

So, what does creatine actually do?

Your muscles store creatine as phosphocreatine. Phosphocreatine is a form of stored energy in the cells. It helps your body produce more of a high energy molecule called ATP

ATP is the energy source we use for immediate power like when surging, running uphill, and lifting weights.

So you can see what we initially thought creatine wouldn’t be a huge benefit to endurance athletes.

Sure, more energy for your kick or when surging is great, but these are minuscule elements of endurance performance.

The ATP Connection You’re Missing

We are now understanding that ATP use isn’t just limited to these small bursts of energy when exercising.

The same ATP that powers your muscles during exercise also fuels the recovery processes afterward.

Your cells don’t just need to clear metabolic waste. They rebuild damaged proteins, repair cellular structures, and restore glycogen stores.

This all requires energy. And creatine supplementation enhances your cells’ ability to regenerate ATP during the recovery window

Furthermore, when your phosphocreatine stores are optimized, you can maintain better form and generate more force during the final reps for interval workouts and strength training.

The final element we need to address is how energy availability affects the microscopic processes that determine your progress.

Muscle protein synthesis and cellular repair are highly energy-dependent processes. Even more challenging, these processes compete with other cellular functions for available ATP.

Creatine supplementation provides additional energy specifically where it’s needed most—inside your muscle cells.

The Research on How Creatine Helps Endurance Athletes

So now that we have a much better understanding of what creatine is, how it works, and the role ATP can play in a myriad of processes, what does the actual research say about the benefits in can provide for endurance athletes?

Improved recovery

Recovery is probably one of the most critical (and under appreciated) aspects of training.

You can schedule the most optimal, sophisticated workouts in your training build-up, but if you don’t properly recover between these sessions then there is no benefit.

Luckily, there is compelling evidence that creatine helps mitigate muscle cell damage and decrease markers of inflammation, such as creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), following prolonged efforts.

Specifically…

• Research shows creatine supplementation reduces muscle cell damage and inflammation following marathon-distance efforts [2].
• Additional studies demonstrate reduced pro-inflammatory markers and muscle soreness after 30km races [3].
• Creatine has been shown in multiple studies to increase the energy stores available to aid in recovery directly after hard sessions.
• Likewise, studies have shown that creatine can enhance cellular repair and protein synthesis [7].
• Finally, creatine enhances the hydration in your muscles, which supports optimal cellular function and may contribute to improved recovery [8].

The practical outcome is that you’ll perceive less delayed onset muscle soreness, quicker return to training, and enhanced tissue repair.

Enhance Muscle Strength Even as You Get Older

Improve Endurance & Stamina

Beyond ATP, creatine plays a direct and powerful role in sustaining high-effort performance, improving aerobic and anaerobic efficiency, and helping athletes train longer with less fatigue.

Specifically…

• Newer studies suggest creatine enhances aerobic metabolism by improving mitochondrial efficiency and biogenesis (creation of new mitochondria), especially when combined with endurance training [1].
• Research shows creatine increases mitochondrial efficiency and increased the production of new mitochondria [2] which can improve aerobic performance.
• Creatine acts as a buffer, helping neutralize hydrogen ions, which are the reason we get that burning feeling (often misattributed to lactic acid) at the end of workouts and races [4].
• Research indicates creatine supplementation attenuated lactate accumulation and improved fatigue resistance during repeated effort [5].
• Finally, studies show creatine may improve ventilatory threshold—the point where breathing increases significantly during exercise [6].

The practical outcome is better stamina, improved energy utilization during long efforts, the ability to maintain pace longer during tempo efforts and threshold workouts, and less bonking during races.

Should you try creatine (and if so, how?)

In looking at the research, I think almost every runner will benefit from supplementing with creatine.

Not only are the performance and health benefits well-supported across multiple studies, but there are very few, if any, contraindications or safety concerns.

That said, if you fall into one of these two groups, creatine supplementation is probably one of the most effective things you can do…

Vegetarian and vegan runners should prioritize it most. Plant-based diets provide zero dietary creatine, leaving you with suboptimal muscle stores [13]. You’re essentially running with a partially empty gas tank.

Masters athletes (40+) are particularly good candidates. Research shows creatine supports recovery, bone health, and cognitive function—all declining with age [14].

How to take creatine

As for how to take creatine, here are the most important points…

• Start with 3-5g daily of creatine monohydrate. Research shows this dose effectively saturates muscle stores when used consistently [18].
• You don’t need a loading phase. The research has shown 3-5g consistently is enough to get the benefits.
• Take it consistently. Creatine works best when the muscles are saturated and occasional doses won’t fully saturate muscles.

What kind of creatine works best

Micronized creatine monohydrate is the most highly studied and validated form of creatine on the market.

Nothing else has consistently produced better results, and in many cases, other “fancier” forms have actually performed worse.

Don’t be fooled by marketing gimmicks touting the other types of creatine that can be better absorbed or that are more effective.

The research shows they aren’t any better and just more expensive [12]

My recommendation is MAS Creatine.

They make a creatine gummy that uses micronized creatine monohydrate specifically designed for runners.

It’s formulated to be absorbed quickly so it’s gentle on the stomach, eliminates water retention, and doesn’t give you the bloated feeling you may have experienced with traditional creatine powders.

Moreover, they taste delicious and the gummy form makes them easy to travel with. Plus, you don’t have to mix it with anything so it’s much easier to stay consistent.

Here’s the link to check them out: https://masedge.com/creatine-for-runners/

As a note, MAS Edge is a long-time partner of Runner’s Connect. We partnered with them specifically because all of the products are designed specifically for endurance athletes and because they are on the cutting-edge when it comes to the latest research.

The Bottom Line

Here’s what the data tells us: creatine provides measurable benefits for the aspects of endurance performance that actually determine race outcomes.

For time-constrained runners, this means better recovery between quality sessions, preserved speed during aerobic development, and enhanced power output during race-defining moments.

The question isn’t whether creatine works for endurance athletes—the research clearly shows it does.

The question is whether you’re ready to stop leaving performance gains on the table.

With the right approach—consistent daily dosing, patience for results, and realistic expectations—creatine becomes the missing piece in your performance puzzle.