For the casual athlete, venturing out on a routine run usually doesn’t require constant fuel. Perhaps you eat a hearty breakfast or grab a granola bar before pounding the pavement, but most of us aren’t calculating our consumption by the minute. But that’s because most of us aren’t ultrarunners like Jim Walmsley, who logs thousands of miles per year through daily feats of extreme endurance.
The sport of ultrarunning is reserved for athletes who are dedicated to long-distance running that goes far beyond the 26.2-mile marathon distance, and fueling is absolutely crucial to an athlete’s performance and race strategy.