Race-day caffeine without the gels
One chew, 100mg of caffeine, kicking in around 5 minutes. No sticky sachet, nothing to wash down, nothing to carry but a packet the size of a matchbox.
60p a chew. Two chews a race: £1.20 (most caffeine gels are £1.50 to £2.50 each)
Free UK delivery on every order. A bag of 40 covers about 20 races or long runs.
How runners use it
Ten minutes before the start
One chew on the start line. Caffeine starts absorbing in your mouth, so you are not waiting 45 minutes for a gel to work through your stomach.
When it gets hard
Another chew at the point you usually fade: mile 18 of a marathon, the last 5k of a half, the night section of an ultra. Five minutes later it has kicked.
Keep your gels for carbs
Caffeine Bullet is not a carb gel. Take your usual fuel and let the chew do the caffeine, so you choose when and how much, not the gel brand.
Up to 200mg in one go and 400mg a day is generally considered safe for healthy adults. Each Mint chew is 100mg, each Chocolate Orange chew 85mg.
Chew versus caffeine gel
| Caffeine Bullet | Caffeine gel | |
|---|---|---|
| Time to kick in | Around 5 minutes | 30 to 45 minutes |
| Caffeine | 100mg (Mint) or 85mg (Choc Orange), measured | Usually 25 to 100mg, mixed with 20 to 25g of sugar |
| Cost per hit | 60p (48p on subscription) | £1.50 to £2.50 |
| Carrying it | Individually wrapped sweets, 7g each | Sachets of 30 to 60g, plus the empty wrapper |
| Needs water | No | Usually |
| Hands afterwards | Clean | Sticky |
Gel figures are typical of leading UK caffeine gels. Caffeine Bullet kicks around three times faster than drinks, gels or pills because absorption starts in the mouth.
Proof, not promises
Made by David Hellard, ultra runner and host of the Bad Boy Running podcast, because he was fed up with gels that took 40 minutes to do anything and left his hands sticky.
Stock up for the season
Crafted in a UK sweet factory to a traditional family recipe that is over 30 years old. Soft chews like a proper toffee, with the dose measured into every one.
Most popular with runners
Mintense, Mint
A strong cup of coffee in one chew. Clean taste when your mouth is dry and sweet from gels.
ChocoLIT, Chocolate Orange
Slightly gentler dose. A treat at mile 20.
Save £15.90
Sports Performance bundle
Mint, Chocolate Orange and Ginger Roars (33mg, with real ginger for queasy stomachs on long runs).
Subscribe and Save 20% is on each product page. Set it to arrive before your long-run weekends and pause after race day.
Made by athletes, for athletes
Hi, I'm David. I have run for 30 years, from 16-minute 5Ks to 2:52 marathons and backyard ultras, and spent ten of them interviewing elite athletes, coaches and sports scientists on the Bad Boy Running podcast.
Caffeine Bullet started when I dropped a caffeine tablet in the sand mid-race. Chewing caffeine turned out to absorb far faster than swallowing it, so in 2016 I made the first 100mg chew. It tasted awful. Seven flavour trials with a food scientist later, it did not. Kickstarter funded the first run in 2018 and Dragons' Den backed us in 2022.
- Editor's Choice for race nutrition, Women's Running Awards 2020 and 2022.
- Over 450,000 personal bests set on Caffeine Bullet so far.
- Crafted in a UK sweet factory to a traditional family recipe that is over 30 years old. Individually wrapped so a packet lives in any pocket.
Runners' questions
Will it upset my stomach?
A chew is 7g and 27 calories, with no sugar syrup or sweeteners, so there is far less for your gut to deal with than a gel. Ginger Roars adds real ginger for people who get queasy late in a race.
When should I take it in a marathon?
A common pattern is one chew on the start line and one around mile 16 to 18. It kicks in around 5 minutes, so you can wait until you feel the fade rather than guessing 45 minutes ahead.
How much caffeine is too much?
Keep single doses at or below 200mg and the day at or below 400mg. Two Mint chews in a marathon is 200mg. If you drink coffee on race morning, count that too.
Does it have carbs?
Not enough to fuel on: 27 calories a chew. Keep your usual carb gels, drinks or chews and use Caffeine Bullet for the caffeine, so the two are not tied together.
Is it legal for racing and drug tested events?
Caffeine is permitted by WADA and UK Anti-Doping for competition. Ingredients are listed in full on every pack.
Do you ship to race hotels or clubs?
We deliver free anywhere in the UK, no minimum spend, usually 2 to 3 working days. Order a week before race day to be safe.
Your next PB starts on the start line
100mg of caffeine, five minutes to kick, 60p a chew. Free UK delivery.