The TriDoc Podcast, triathlon and health in one place · Dr. Jeff Sankoff

Ep. 187: SportsLegs & Air Quality: The Canary in the Coal Mine of Climate Change?

·56 min·3 clips

Two studies found no difference between SportLegs and placebo on VO2 peak, lactate threshold, or 20K cycling time.

1. The TriDoc Podcast episode centers on SportLegs and Running Up for Air, linking a pre-workout supplement question with air-quality advocacy. 2. Jux Ankoff hosts as an emergency physician, triathlete, triathlon coach, and multiple Ironman finisher, and Leslie Keener joins as director of the Running Up for Air race series. 3. The episode asks whether SportLegs works and why air quality has become the organizing issue for a race series tied to climate concerns. 4. Juliet Hockman describes SportLegs as a supplement from Longmont, Colorado, and says it claims to reduce lactic acid during workouts. 5. The supplement’s theory is that calcium lactate, magnesium lactate, and vitamin D can preload the body before exercise. 6. Jux explains that the company’s science page cites studies that do not actually test SportLegs itself. 7. Nina Takashima’s review includes a 2024 randomized crossover pilot clinical trial with 15 athletes in cycle ergometer exercise. 8. That 2024 study found no difference in VO2 peak, ventilatory threshold, or lactate threshold versus placebo. 9. The review also includes a 2012 double-blind placebo-controlled cycling study with nine recreational to competitive athletes. 10. That 2012 study found no difference in 20-kilometer time trial performance, power output, or heart rate. 11. Jux says oral lactate often does not reach the bloodstream at levels needed to support the product’s theory. 12. He also notes that high lactates in medicine do not stop further lactate production in shock or type two lactic acidosis. 13. The discussion separates lactate from delayed-onset muscle soreness and says soreness comes from microtears and muscle damage. 14. Juliet calls SportLegs a ridiculous product and questions the marketing behind its name and website. 15. She also notes the price: a 120-count pack costs $35 and may require four or five tablets before exercise. 16. Leslie Keener explains that Jared Campbell created Running Up for Air while training for the Barkley Marathons on Grandeur Peak in Salt Lake City. 17. Leslie describes the race format as a fundraiser that started with one-man laps and became a permitted event in 2017. 18. The conversation is direct and practical, with medical explanation on one side and an advocacy interview on the other. 19. Listeners interested in triathlon, sports supplements, and air-quality activism will likely get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners wanting a light entertainment episode without science or advocacy may skip it.

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