Running a marathon isn’t just a physical test.  It’s also a full-blown mental and emotional adventure. You plan for months, carefully balance long runs with rest days, battle blisters, and swear off that third pint (well, most of the time). Then, on race day, you push your body to its absolute limit, powered by sheer determination and the occasional jelly baby.

To reach your marathon goals, you need everything working in your favour: solid training, smart recovery, sensible nutrition, and a little help from something new. Enter blackcurrant powder. Specifically, the kind made from New Zealand blackcurrants, which are packed with natural compounds that support endurance, cardiovascular function and recovery. It may not be as well-known as caffeine gels or electrolytes (yet), but this dark purple powder might just become your secret weapon come race day. Here’s why.

Eases Inflammation

Anyone who’s trained for a marathon knows that getting stronger also means getting sore. Each long run leaves your muscles and connective tissues with micro-damage that triggers inflammation. While this is a natural process, left unchecked, it can slow recovery and lead to injury. 

This is where blackcurrant powder steps in. Blackcurrants are rich in anthocyanins, a type of antioxidant with anti-inflammatory powers, and they also contain gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a rare omega-6 fatty acid found in blackcurrant seed oil that has been shown to help reduce joint stiffness, ease muscle soreness, and promote tissue repair. In other words, it helps keep your body ticking along nicely while you rack up the kilometres.

By supporting a balanced inflammatory response, blackcurrant powder could help reduce the wear and tear from training and keep you moving forward during the race.

Improves Blood Flow and Performance

During a long run, one of your biggest allies is efficient blood flow. The more oxygen-rich blood that reaches your muscles, the better they perform and the longer they’ll keep going. Blackcurrants support this process by promoting vasodilation, which is the term for when your blood vessels widen to allow more flow.

Research has shown that anthocyanins in blackcurrants help improve arterial function and relax blood vessels. This improved circulation not only boosts oxygen delivery but also helps shuttle away waste products like lactic acid more efficiently. The result? You don’t feel you’ve run into a brick wall at kilometre thirty.

There’s also evidence from studies involving endurance athletes indicating that blackcurrant powder can reduce the build-up of lactic acid produced during intense sessions. What this means is less soreness and faster recovery between runs, ultimately helping you perform when it matters most.

Fuels Endurance

Every marathon runner knows about “the wall”—that brutal moment when your glycogen stores run dry and your body seems to stop cooperating. You can train to avoid it and fuel mid-race with gels and drinks, but there’s another strategy that’s gaining interest: improving fat metabolism.

This is where blackcurrant powder may shine again. Studies suggest that it can increase fat oxidation during endurance activity, meaning your body becomes more efficient at using fat as fuel. This helps conserve precious glycogen for when you really need it, like that final uphill section when your legs are screaming but the finish line is in sight.

Remarkably, this fat-burning benefit can be noticeable in just a few days of supplementation, even in athletes who haven’t spent years fine-tuning their metabolic efficiency. That’s good news if you’re training for your first marathon or trying to knock a few minutes off your PB without drastically overhauling your entire diet.

Supports Resilience

High mileage can take a toll on your immune system, joints, and even your mental focus. Fortunately, blackcurrants, with their antioxidant richness, help combat oxidative stress, which can wear you down over time and leave you more vulnerable to injury or illness. Less muscle damage means quicker recovery, which leads to more consistent training. Better cardiovascular function also means you can push harder during intervals or tempo runs. Finally, fewer days feeling wrecked after long runs means more time for strength work, mobility, or simply living your life without waddling up the stairs.

Go the Distance, and Then Some

Marathon running is as much about strategy as it is about sheer effort. So, every advantage you can gain adds up. Blackcurrant powder won’t do the running for you, but it might just help you run further, recover faster, and feel stronger while you’re at it. Let’s be clear: blackcurrant powder isn’t going to turn you into Kipchoge overnight, but it can be a valuable addition to your toolbox all the same.

So, how should you use it? Research suggests that the benefits start to appear after four days of consistent intake, with optimal effects showing up after around a week. For best results, aim to start supplementing during your final heavy training block and continue through your taper. That way, you arrive on race day with your system primed and ready to smash your marathon goals.