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ultrarunning. Indeed, the ranks of ultrarunners likely include a higher proportion of vegetarians and vegans than does the general population. As someone who’s been vegetarian (or extremely low meat) through most of my ultrarunning career, I’ve never felt my diet was a detriment to my ultrarunning. More important, numerous ultrarunning elites have eaten a vegetarian or even more restrictive meat-free diet while running at the top of their game. For example, Scott Jurek (vegan) won seven Western States 100 titles and set the American 24-hour record, Ellie Greenwood (vegetarian) won the 2010 100k World Championships, Michael Wardian (vegetarian) earned numerous USATF ultradistance national championships, and Michael Arnstein (fruitarian) ran the fourth fastest time in the long history of the JFK 50 mile. All of that said, even with careful dietary monitoring, a small number of meat-free ultrarunners have been unable balance their nutritional needs with intense training and racing schedules.

Vegetarian or not, many of us take dietary supplements. Some take particular vitamin or mineral supplements to address a known deficiency, while the majority of us take vitamin and mineral supplements as a general precautionary measure. I fall into the latter camp, taking a multivitamin daily as well as iron and B-complex supplements a few times each week. So long as you are taking a standard dosage, such vitamin and mineral supplementation may or may not be helpful, but it’s unlikely to do harm.

Beyond vital nutrient supplementation, conduct your own research before purchasing other dietary supplements.* All dietary supplements are regulated in the United States; however, enforcement of these regulations is extremely lax. While claims for supplements are required to have scientific substantiation, in reality that substantiation can be minimal to nonexistent. Limited funding generally restricts regulatory enforcement actions to supplements claiming to cure a significant disease or lead to extreme weight loss, those with millions of dollars in annual sales, or those that pose a real public health risk. That’s not to say there aren’t useful dietary supplements out there. There are. Do your homework to find them. The good news is that, at recommended dosages, the vast majority of dietary supplements will do nothing worse than hurt your pocketbook.

* By other dietary supplements, I do not mean to include energy gels or sports drinks, which are labeled as dietary supplements. Nor do I include electrolyte supplements, mentioned in chapter 8.

Feed the Habit: Long Run and Race Day Nutrition

In-race marathon nutrition does not necessarily cut it in an ultra or in some preparatory long runs. In a marathon you rely primarily on your body’s limited carbohydrate (glycogen) stores** for energy, with fat being the secondary energy source. Eating two or three gels along the way allows you maintain a slightly harder effort, as racing at that harder effort increases the ratio of carbohydrates to fat you burn. However, there are quickly diminishing returns on eating during marathons due, in part, due to blood diversion to deal with digestion.

** Glycogen stores can be increased by carbo loading. Primitive carbo loading (say, simply eating a big bowl of pasta the night before a race) is less effective than more sophisticated methods that first call for carbohydrate depletion of up to seven days. The psychological costs (feeling sluggish and unenergetic) of depletion-based carbo loading are likely greater than the benefits. What’s more, the positive effects of carbo loading are further minimized in ultras—carbo loading has only been shown to increase performance when carbohydrates are not consumed during the race. As this chapter suggests, failing to consume in-race carbohydrates is a bad choice.

When you move up from a road marathon to an ultra, even a trail 50k, three important things happen. First, your caloric requirements quickly increase with no increase in your available glycogen stores. This means you need to obtain additional calories