Canned. Salted. Mashed right into a zip-top bag. For ultrarunners (and anybody) logging lengthy hours throughout monitor or trails, potatoes are making a comeback, and never simply on dinner plates.
As reported in The Washington Publish, skilled ultrarunner Tara Dower, identified for her blistering quick Appalachian Path file, swore by canned potatoes whereas making ready for the brutal Hardrock 100 in Colorado. That race consists of over 33,000 toes of climbing and may take greater than 39 hours to finish. To outlive her 20-mile coaching runs, Dower packed her vest with salted, smashed spuds, and devoured an entire can’s price mid-run. “By that time, they’re like mashed potatoes,” she stated. “It’s an important gas supply, however possibly it doesn’t look probably the most appetizing within the second.”
From sofa potato to course MVP
Potatoes are having a second in endurance sports activities, and it’s not by chance. Potatoes USA, the advertising and marketing board for American potato farmers, has spent the previous few years rebranding the standard tuber as a efficiency meals. In 2019, it grew to become the official “efficiency vegetable” of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Sequence, even providing cups of salted potatoes to runners at mile 10 on the Las Vegas Strip.
The marketing campaign labored. Athletes began posting their very own potato hacks, and “Crew Potato” now boasts 1,700 Fb members and thousands and thousands of logged miles on Strava. There’s even an annual “Speedy Spud” ambassador who races in a potato costume.
Why potatoes beat gels (typically)
In contrast to overly candy gels and chews, potatoes are savory, comforting, and surprisingly efficient. One medium potato gives 34 grams of carbs, plus extra potassium than a banana. That’s a significant win for ultrarunners, who burn by energy quick and want a gradual stream of gas, ideally a mixture of easy sugars and slower-digesting starches.
In accordance with sports activities dietitian Yasi Ansari, selection issues. “Not everybody can preserve fueling off of gels, chews, fruit cups or fruit squeezes,” she stated to the The Washington Publish. “Potatoes can do the trick with regards to tolerance and preserving athletes glad for an extended time period.”
Souped-up spuds at mile 60
By the point an ultrarunner has been out for 60 miles or extra, chewing can really feel like a chore. Enter: potato soup. Sports activities vitamin chef Kelly Newlon usually whips up prompt mashed potatoes with broth to offer runners one thing salty, drinkable and calorically dense. It’s not glamorous, nevertheless it works.
Potatoes aren’t flashy. That’s the purpose. For athletes like Dower, they’re dependable gas that tastes like actual meals, even after 20 hours on the path. Spuds could not win any Instagram awards, however on race day, they’re usually the unsung hero in a runner’s vest.