Dial in your race-day legs

Taper, race‑day performance and stronger finishes – from half marathon to ultra

As we head into the late‑spring and early‑summer race season, your big day is finally in sight. The long runs are banked, the taper is starting and now it’s about arriving on the start line with fresh, responsive legs and a plan to finish stronger, not fade. 

CurraNZ is designed to be your race‑week non‑negotiable: supporting endurance, pacing and repeat efforts so you can convert all that training into a performance you’re proud of. 

Why CurraNZ for race week?

Across multiple gold‑standard studies using the our proprietary New Zealand blackcurrant extract, researchers have shown that it can:

·      Improve endurance performance in running, cycling and climbing, with performance gains reported up to around 2.4%–16% in time‑trial and high‑intensity intermittent models.

·      Increase fat oxidation during exercise and at rest, and spare glycogen so you can hold pace for longer and rely more on fat as a fuel source. 

·      Support faster recovery and reduced muscle soreness, with up to three‑times faster recovery of muscle function and substantially lower soreness after strenuous exercise.

·      Improve blood flow and muscle oxygenation, supporting work capacity and repeat efforts, particularly in sports with high anaerobic demands.

In race‑week, that translates into:

·      More controlled pacing early on, with legs that still have something extra in the closing kilometres.

·      The ability to handle surges, climbs and headwinds without paying for it later.

·      Faster recovery post‑race so you can bounce back quicker for your next block.

Simple race‑week protocol

7 days out:

Take 2 capsules daily with food to load up before race day.

 Race day

 Take 2 capsules 2 hours before your start time with a light snack. 

For ultras and long triathlons, you may choose to take an additional capsule at regular 6-hour intervals during the event, in line with your usual nutrition strategy.

Post‑race

Continue with 2 capsules daily for 3–5 days to support post‑race recovery and soreness.

Always follow pack directions and any guidance from your healthcare professional.

Athlete examples:
Meet Mark Kleanthous – smashing sub‑90 half marathons at 65+

Arguably Britain's fittest 65-year-old, Mark Kleanthous (above) has competed in 1,300 events since 1981 and describes CurraNZ as 'transformative' in the last decade he's been using it. 

Mark has won his age-group more than 40 times in the last few years, often finishing in the top 10% of competitors. 

In March, the British triathlon coach and endurance veteran used CurraNZ in his build‑up to the London Marathon – and delivered a standout performance at the Cambridge Half Marathon.

In a field of more than 14,000 finishers, he won the 65+ age category by 3 minutes 45 seconds, finishing almost a kilometre ahead of second place and passing over 300 runners between 5km and the finish.

He finished almost four minutes faster than in 2025 and ran his first sub‑90‑minute half marathon in 16 years, clocking 1:29:35 at age 65. 

Mark didn’t just hang on – he closed harder than runners half his age, showing exactly the kind of late‑race resilience so many athletes are chasing.

He says, "CurraNZ has transformed me. Speedier recovery, competing faster for longer. I can sustain high intensity for longer - and that's confidence on race day. I load with 2 capsules in the week before big events. 

"I've tried many natural products in 45 years of endurance sport. This extract works really well for me and CurraNZ is here to stay."

Ultra focus: Laura Watts – huge PBs at the sharp end of ultra

British ultra‑marathoner Laura Watts (above, below) has stacked some enormous performances last season, crediting CurraNZ as a key part of her progress as she’s taken her career to a new level. 

A 100-Mile ‘regular’ in US ultras, she is the only four-time female finisher of Badwater135 and recorded multiple big PBs at iconic ultras in 2025, including at FKT around Barbados, taking three hours off the previous record.

She repeatedly clocked faster marathon and ultra times in the same season, and credited CurraNZ for the gains, in how it supported both back‑to‑back training blocks and race‑day execution.

Her ability to recover quickly enough to race frequently and keep moving her PBs in the right direction.

 Laura’s story shows what happens when you combine big training volume with a smart recovery and performance strategy: you don’t just survive ultras, you keep getting faster.

Laura says, “CurraNZ, is an incredible supplement. I almost want to keep it a secret, but the results truly speak for themselves. This is the only supplement I use - and I couldn’t imagine racing without it now – as well as the GI and performance benefits, the recovery effects are truly outstanding." 

Make CurraNZ your race‑week non‑negotiable

Race dates are almost here – don’t leave your finishing kick to chance.

Stock up now with our Race‑Ready Bundle – buy 3 packs, receive 15% off with discount RACEREADY (ideal for half marathon, marathon, triathlon and ultra race‑weeks). (Offer expires May 31, 2026. Not valid on subscriptions.)

Or start a subscription so you always have CurraNZ on hand for taper, race day and your next training block.

Shop the Race‑Ready Bundle HERE

*Only valid on CurraNZ Original. Offer expires May 31, 2026

Start a subscription HERE

References

– Cook et al. New Zealand blackcurrant extract improves cycling performance and fat oxidation in cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015.

– Perkins et al. New Zealand blackcurrant extract improves high‑intensity intermittent running. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015.

– Potter et al. New Zealand blackcurrant extract enhances sport climbing performance. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019. 

– Hunt et al. CurraNZ improves recovery from exercise‑induced muscle damage in non‑resistance‑trained men and women. Nutrients. 2021. 

– Strauss et al. New Zealand blackcurrant extract enhances fat oxidation during prolonged cycling in endurance‑trained females. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018.

 – Willems et al: Anthocyanin‑Rich Supplementation: Emerging Evidence of Strong Potential for Sport and Exercise Nutrition. Front Nutr. 2022.