Let’s start at the very beginning … with so many caffeine and energy products already in the market it probably seems foolhardy to launch another, especially when the two biggest players are Red Bull – a multi-billion pound marketing machine and coffee. Despite this Caffeine Bullet originated from a very specific need that was not being met in sports nutrition.
Having being a Hash House Harrier as a child, it wasn’t until 2007 that I brushed off my trainers and started to run again. Within a year I was training for the London Marathon and my love affair with racing began. My aim of a sub 3 marathon fell apart as I hit the wall, despite my gels, so I started to read everything I could relating to marathon training and racing, which is where I discovered the power of caffeine.
Struggling after hitting ‘the wall’ in the 2007 London marathon
As my times continued to drop I experimented with nutrition and came to rely on large doses of caffeine as a turbo booster in races, powering me to the finish as others tired. Knowing that I had caffeine in my pocket was reassuring and also broke up the race. I was no longer fearful of feeling fatigued; it was inevitable and when it happened it was no longer a problem, as I’d just turn on the caffeine turbo boosters!
The optimal dose of caffeine for endurance sports is a whopping 3-6mgs per kilo of body weight – that’s huge! So I always struggled to find a convenient way of take it. For shorter distances two strong coffees at the start were an option, but it left me with a sloshing stomach or I started way too quickly, feeling invincible from the mix of adrenaline and caffeine before fading towards the end as I’d worn myself out. During longer races gels were starting to integrate caffeine, but mostly in low doses, requiring far too many to be used as a turbo booster and it still required me to take a gels just for the caffeine. In the latter stages of a race I was often sick of gels and sometimes I found I needed a boost, having just taken a normal gel and had to wait up to half an hour as I couldn’t stomach another.
Why do we tie our caffeine to our carbs? It limits our options and we need them in differing quantities at different times. Caffeine Bullet was born!
Some of the first trials were horrific – tasty for 5 seconds before the sweet flavour faded or overwhelmingly minty, but we tested them along the way often in races – using the prototypes to victory at the Bagan Marathon and I’ll be using them again on my longest ever run this Sunday at the Comrades marathon.
Trialling Caffeine Bullet during the Bagan marathon
Our intent was a convenient and pleasurable way to take caffeine mid-race, but I now find them a staple of my training in general. They help no end when I’m trying to add additional reps to my favourite tempo run the Bum Burner and they work miracles with a pint of water after a big night.
It has taken 18 months, but we’ve finally managed to develop a chew that can deliver 100mg caffeine and still taste nice and we’ve even added electrolytes to aid hydration. That’s just the start, clubbers, office workers, gym bunnies all utilise caffeine, but who wants to spend their life queuing in coffee shops or consuming high-calorie energy drinks? Now they don’t have to.
Developed for endurance, Caffeine Bullet is now for everyone. So join us in our mission – to help you perform at your best for longer!
Caffeine Bullet – Give Fatigue The Bullet!