Finish A Half-Marathon Faster

Training improves athletic performance, and supplements can also make a difference. A study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition suggests consuming 480 mg of powdered tart cherries daily can quicken your pace during a 21.1 km half-marathon.
 
Researchers had 27 endurance runners supplement with tart cherry powder for 10 days, including the day of the race and 2 days afterward. Some got a placebo. Runners who got the supplement finished the race an average of 13% faster. Also, 24 to 48 hours after racing, subjects in the supplement group showed greater antioxidant activity and lower levels of muscle damage than runners in the placebo group.