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Ultrarunning is basically a glorified eating contest, is a phrase you’ve probably heard 37 times this year. It’s true that the sport is undergoing a carbs race to the top, with some elites reportedly consuming upwards of 140 grams an hour during races. But despite their otherworldly performances, what ultrarunners eat in their daily lives is pretty, well, normal.
Take Courtney Dauwalter. She’s also known for winning the world’s biggest races, sometimes all in the same year, with baggy shorts, a smile, and a giant mountain of nachos and a cold beer on deck. But even Dauwalter’s nutrition on and off the race course is more dialed than that. Gone are the days when she’d treat aid stations like all-you-can-eat buffets. Her mid-race nutrition is a science. Nachos remain her post-run meal of choice, but you’re just as likely to find her snacking on fruit, veggies, and hummus.
The feats of the world’s best ultrarunners like Dauwalter may seem otherworldly. But their ultrarunning diets are surprisingly not. To quell your curiosity, we asked some of the best ultrarunners in the world what they eat on a daily basis—breakfast, lunch, snacks, mid-run fuel, and dessert.
Obviously, they’ve each honed their dietary preferences through lots of trial and error. Because like with ultrarunning itself, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution for ultrarunning nutrition.
Ultrarunning Nutrition from Courtney Dauwalter, Leadville, Colorado
About her: Indisputably one of the greatest ultrarunners ever, Courtney Dauwalter, 40, boasts a never-ending palmares that includes course records at the Western States 100, the Hardrock 100, and Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. She’s also the first person to win all three iconic races in one year. But, impossibly, she’s just as much for her charisma as for her running prowess. Dauwalter famously doesn’t have a coach, instead electing to pepper in speedwork and very long days in the Rockies outside her home as she sees fit.
She seems to genuinely love running, or as she would say “playing in the mountains.” But don’t mistake her passion for complacency. She works very hard, and she and her husband Kevin, who serves as her crew chief, show up to the start line with a gameplan. Her attitude towards food looks similar.
“I want to eat what tastes good and what sounds good in the moment,” she said. “I tune into cravings and simplicity. If it’s in front of me, it’s the perfect thing to be eating because it’s there and ready. Making it more complicated than that gives me no joy. I don’t put much thought into it, because it gives me more happiness to not stress about it.”
Breakfast:
“I start with two large cups of coffee with flavored creamer. I kind of go in phases of Greek yogurt with granola, or cereal with dairy milk (Honey Bunches of Oats or Chex), or oatmeal, or Kodiak pancake cups.”
Lunch:
“The rest of the day is usually not very much stopping. Whether I’m out in the mountains all day, doing smaller trainings, or jumping in and out of calls, the majority of my lunch is more like multiple bouts of snacks. Things that are quick and convenient. Fruit, veggies and hummus, cheese and almonds, hard boiled eggs, or goldfish crackers. It’s a lot of grab-and-go, because I’m out training for most of those hours. A typical lunch hour passes by and I’m eating snacks out of my pack instead of eating at a table. And I always have snacks—in the car, in pockets, in luggage–snacks are crucial.”
Dinner:
“Kevin and I always eat together. It goes with the seasons, whether we want to grill or make something hot like chili or pasta. We usually make some big batch of something during the week—pasta, rice, veggies, meat—and then we’ll eat that as leftovers as many nights as we can. That’s more predictable. Lunch is up in the air, but for dinner we sit down and have a real dinner and I get to enjoy that.”
Dessert:
“I always have something sweet after. Candy, all kinds. I love fruity candy. Or, in the summer, we have ice cream, any that have a ton of chunks and swirls in them. If it comes with cookie dough or brownie bites, that’s what I want. Or popsicles.”
Mid-run and race fuel:
“I’ve definitely zeroed in on figuring out what are the things that work for me. In life, I eat and drink whatever sounds good whenever it sounds good, but during training and racing, I keep a narrow focus on the products I know I can rely on. I have Tailwind mix—Dauwaltermelon—in my bottles, then gels, waffles, and chews.”
One meal or food that screams “Courtney”:
“A giant mountain of nachos with all of the toppings in massive quantities, teetering on a plate.”
Rod Farvard, Mammoth Lakes, California
About him: Over the last few years, former triathlete Rod Farvard, 29, has gone from an ultrarunning dark horse to one of the top dogs in the sport. In 2024, he decisively won the Canyons 100K, a Golden Ticket race into Western States in April, before giving Jim Walmsley a run for his money at Western States in June. Walmsely ultimately triumphed for a fourth time, but Farvard finished not far behind in second. He balances his job as a professional ultrarunner with his job as a senior account executive at Elevation Health, a healthcare technology company.
Nutrition, Farvard says, is one of the biggest changes he made that led to this big breakthrough. He started working with dietitian Vic Johnson after a disappointing race at the Black Canyon 100K last February, and a sweat test revealed he was losing a lot more fluids than he was replacing. Drinking more, and consuming more liquid calories, became priorities. It paid off. And yet, Farvard cautions that nutrition is a never-ending equation to be solved.
“I don’t think you ever really nail your nutrition. I think it’s course and weather dependent,” he said. “I have nailed it at times, the way I trained and raced, and it worked out. But there have been times recently where I was training one way, and during the race, the terrain and conditions were really different, so the nutrition didn’t pan out as well. So these days I’m trying to have different nutrition plans for different kinds of races. I still need a little bit of work around that.”
Breakfast:
“I go for super packed smoothies for breakfast. What that would look like would be bananas, berries, kale, oat or soy milk, nut butter, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and creatine. It keeps me full through the morning and doesn’t make me feel like I have a log in my stomach, so if I want to, I can go for a run or train.”
Lunch:
“Leftovers from dinner. Some type of protein, chicken, maybe some eggs. Toast, avocado toast. Some sort of fruit. Chicken is pretty plain. Some salt, garlic, pepper, chicken thighs over chicken breast. Sometimes I’ll make it into a sandwich. Meat and bread. I cook at night, and typically make enough for the next day.”
Snacks:
“I don’t snack a ton. I like eating a lot at once in my meals. If I were to reach for something, it would be cashews or almonds. Maybe a piece of toast. Always sourdough.”
Dinner:
“I take my time with dinner. It’s hard because I come home at 7:30 P.M. and it takes about an hour, hour and a half to make dinner, but I like to do it well. It’s usually pretty simple. I rotate between chicken, fish (usually salmon), and ground turkey. Then I’ll make something with those meats at the center with rice, quinoa, pasta, or orzo. I make the meat in the air fryer—I absolutely love the air fryer. Then I’ll make a salad or stir fry some veggies alongside it. Usually broccoli or bell peppers. My salad is typically made of tomato, cucumber, or lettuce.
I’m definitely not a good cook. It’s a combination of I don’t have the time or mental capacity to make this more complicated than it has to be. If I’m meal-prepping for the next day, too, I don’t want to make it too extravagant because if I’m having leftovers for lunch, I like to eat as plain food as possible before training.”
Mid-run and race fuel:
“Neversecond C30 gels and Neversecond C90 High Carb Drink Mix.”
One meal or food that screams “Rod”:
“Burrito packed with all the fixings. I totally could eat one on the trail if the opportunity came, but also, if a friend asks me where I want to go to eat, it’s Mexican.”
Rachel Drake, Salt Lake City, Utah
Rachel Drake, 33, is one of the best American ultrarunners right now. Her 2024 campaign included a commanding win at the Black Canyon 100K, eighth at a stacked Western States, and a course-record-setting win at the JFK 50-miler in November. She’s also an anesthesiology resident, mom to Lewis, who was born in September of 2022, and partner to fellow professional ultrarunner Tyler Green.
Needless to say, she’s very busy. But she also knows how to not overcomplicate things, including meals with a toddler.
“It’s been pretty much the same [since having Lewis]. I think there’s something in each one of our meals that he can have,” she said. “Maybe he won’t eat the spicy curry, but he’ll have rice and vegetables. We don’t make him special things, he’ll just have some component of what we’re having.”
Breakfast:
“My favorite thing is Scottish oatmeal. It’s like steel-cut oats but more fine. I add butter and maple syrup. I have liked coffee in the past, but lately I’ve been liking jasmine tea. I always make a smoothie that I bring to work with me. It has banana, frozen berries, pea protein, yogurt, nut butter, and oat milk.”
Lunch:
“I love sandwiches. I often have lunch at the hospital, and will get a tuna sandwich from the cafeteria. It’s so good, and made up of sourdough bread, mustard, provolone cheese, tuna, spinach, jalapenos, banana peppers, and jalapeno chips on the side.”
Snacks:
“I’m a huge snacker. I like pretzels and hummus, cheese and apples. I like a strong cheese with honey crisp apples. My first job was at an orchard in Minnesota! Chocolate covered pretzels, mango Naked Juice, or a bowl of cheerios with whole milk.”
Dinner:
“Tyler usually cooks. We have a few things in our usual rotation that we love, and it’s often seasonal. Soups and hot things in the winter, more hearty salads in the summer. Some of my favorites for the current cold season are:
Palak paneer, an Indian dish made of paneer, a soft non-melting cheese (similar to cottage cheese), pasta, onions, and spinach sauce. (Recipe from the Vij’s at Home cookbook.) We love this with pickled limes!
Flu fighter chicken rice soup, made of carrots, yellow onion, ginger, chicken broth, boneless, skinless chicken breasts and thighs, brown rice, spinach, and lots of herbs and spices. (Recipe from the Run Fast Eat Slow cookbook.)”
Mid-run and race fuel:
“I love Precision original flavored PF30 chews, they taste like little Turkish delights. For high intensity sessions, I stick to more ‘sports nutrition’ like the chews and (also Precision) P90 gels. For long adventure days, I love to bring meat sticks (Epic Chicken Sriracha bars), chips (dill pickle kettle chips or cool ranch Doritos), Albanese gummy bears and sour patch watermelons.”
One meal or food that screams “Rachel”:
“I love mashed potatoes! I also will get a craving for something and spend several hours cooking whatever I’m craving to make my dreams come true.”
Tyler Green, Salt Lake City, Utah
Known for taking prisoners in the back half of hundred-mile races, Tyler Green, 41, has raced Western States four times. All of four of those ended in top-10 performances, with two landing him in the runner-up spot. He’s a former middle school teacher who you’ll now find coaching, running, and parenting alongside Drake. Given Drake’s busy and schedule at the hospital, Green shoulders much of the cooking.
“I’m more of a ‘let’s make a bunch of this and eat it for four days’ rather than needing something different everyday,” he said. “I could have the same thing most days. Rachel needs to eat a variety, though. And when she’s craving something, she needs it now.”
Breakfast:
“First I have a glass of water with apple cider vinegar to get some probiotics going. Then it’s coffee with heavy cream. Usually decaf these days. For breakfast I have three eggs and a piece of toast: sourdough with butter.”
Lunch:
“I rotate through a few things: one is a pretty basic sandwich (sourdough, mustard/mayo, cheese, spinach, tomato, pickle). Or, Shin Gold ramen with an egg dropped in and some veggies, or leftovers from dinner the night before. Lunch must have fruit, usually one or two pieces, and some chocolate or cookies for dessert.”
Snacks:
“Always lots of fruit. I eat apples all year long, and the rest I eat depending on what’s in season. If I’m being honest, I snack on a lot of candy and sweets as well. My main way to combat this is to not have much of it in the house, but if we do have it, I’m usually indulging.”
Pre- and Post-Run:
“I’m much less picky about my normal easy runs, but if I’m tackling a workout or long run, I’ll be sure my meals prior are more carby and not too exotic where I’d risk burping up something spicy. After a big training session, I always down a protein recovery drink and make sure I’m getting a meal in within 30 to 40 minutes. I’m not picky about what that meal looks like, but I’m really intentional about this, because sometimes I’m an hour away from home at a trailhead and need food soon, so I pack lots of food for after the run. I think this is something we really have to do as athletes and not delay having a meal post-run.”
Dinner:
“I have a list of probably 20 or so meals we make on the regular, and naturally cycle through them. There’s some seasonality to this as well: many soups and stews in the winter and ‘everything salads’ and pasta salad in the summer. Since Rachel is working in the hospital most days, I’m usually the one cooking the meals and planning it out. I’ll make a list of a few meals and consult Rachel to see what she’s hankering for and put a sticky note on our fridge to remember what we’re planning to cook. Then I make a grocery list, pick up our son, and we go shopping together! He’s a great helper and pushes the cart for me.”
Mid-run and race fuel:
“Precision gels, chews, and electrolyte mix make up the backbone of my runs. They make it easy for me to keep track of what I’m consuming each hour and are, frankly, the best tasting sports nutrition products on the market. Considering how much of this stuff I’m eating, it amazes me that I’m actually liking it more and more. I know nutrition products are expensive, so if I want to mix it up with cheaper foods, I’ll bring along s’mores Pop-Tarts, Snickers, or Nerds Clusters.”
One meal or food that screams “Tyler”:
“Nectarines are my favorite food. In season, I probably eat five a day because I love them so much. Peaches are a close second, but the right freestone nectarine just can’t be beat. And everyone I know knows this about me.”
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