Creatine and Running

Question
Hello,

I'm a 5k runner for my high school. I have been taking creatine for a week now, and i have a race three days. Does creatine make you run worse? or better?

Sincerely,

Gumildo

Answer
Creatine has no real benefit for runners.  For one, it is known to add water weight to the body, which is detrimental for a runner's performance.  Extra weight to carry around will only have the chance of slowing down your performance, I believe.  For a runner, the more weight you have, the more energy it takes for your body to move that weight across a distance.  For example, a typical 150 pound athlete burns about 100 calories/mile.  A typical 180 pound athlete would take 140 calories/mile.  If one took creatine and initially weighed 150 pounds, and within 2 weeks, had a realistic gain of 8 to 10 pounds, It would take almost 110 calories to cover a mile, versus the previous 100.  Over 3 miles, now you are taking 10% more energy overall to finish a race.  

That's why I believe that creatine isn't needed for runners.

Rick Karboviak