What These 12 People Ate Before a Vegan Race

I'm a vegan media elite who writes things like "The Six Vegan Superfoods You Should Have Started Eating Yesterday." (Actually, I haven't written that yet, but I should.) It was time for me to engage with the veg-eating regulars. So I ventured to Manhattan's West Side (not far from the Meatpacking district, ironically), for the Farm Sanctuary's "Plant-Powered Run."

Farm Sanctuary was founded in 1986 as a rescue for animals abused by factory-farming and launched its first series of 5K and 10K races this year to help spread the message that plant-based diets can fuel healthy and active lives. I figured this race would have the highest density of vegan runners one could find outside of the supplement aisle of a Whole Foods.

My hunch that not all vegan runners fuel the same way was soon confirmed, but I was a little surprised to find out that not all vegan runners look the same the way either. I should know better than to discriminate against my own kind, but when I heard “Vegan 10K,” all I could picture was a starting line crammed with tattooed thirty-somethings. But the veg crowd was well-represented: I met a 61-year-old social worker, a 22-year-old recent college grad turned professional runner, and a self-described “vegan Joey-bag-a-donuts” who converts meat-eaters to his way of life in the sauna of his Long Island gym. It looked like any other Saturday morning race, save for the life-size cardboard cutout of a cow.

I asked Farm Sanctuary’s founder—and vegan marathoner/triathlete—Gene Baur about what he thinks draws so many runners these days to a plant-based diet. He credited the meditative nature of running with allowing people to think more about what they’re eating and where it comes from.

“Veganism still includes the hippies,” Baur said. “But it has transformed to include…more people who want to live well and want to have more meaningful lives.”

Baur told me that Farm Sanctuary tries to speak to people about the benefits of eating more plants regardless of whether they’re willing to go full-veg. So what advice does he have for our omnivorous running buddies?

“Even if someone isn’t ready to become a vegan, they can take steps towards eating fewer animals and more plant foods,” Baur said. “Get in tune with your food… Eat more whole foods… Try something new. You might find something you really like and that’s healthy, too.”

What I found on that Saturday was there are lots of ways runners use plant-based foods to fuel. And plant-based foods seem to be fueling lots of different runners. We vegans, it seems, contain multitudes.

Emily Ford, 38, La Fargeville, New York

Ford, a three-year vegan, prepped for her second-ever 10K with a cashew caramel Macrobar.

Chris and Nancy Smalley, 55 and 52, Smithtown, New York

Chris, the above-mentioned “Vegan Joey-Bag-a-Donuts,” and his wife Nancy started their day with a lemon, ginger, turmeric, tea with apple cider vinegar, a round of B, D, and C vitamins, and a green smoothie with kale, orange juice, cucumber, ginger, turmeric, and frozen pineapple. For a little pre-race boost, they drank a shake with plant protein powder, flax milk, banana, homegrown strawberries, and vegan amino acids.

Dave Blazer, 57, Manorville, New York

Blazer, one of Smalley’s 50-plus vegan converts, didn’t exactly follow in the footsteps of his vegan guru, opting just for green smoothie before his first 5K.

Sam Therrien, 28, Jersey City, New Jersey

Therrien, a 14-year vegan, drank a protein shake with bananas, almond milk, and vegan protein powder before her second 5k.

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Saiju Gangadharan, 45, Washington, D.C.

Gangadharan, a five-year vegan, doesn’t like to eat too much before a run. That morning he drank a mixture of Nuun tablets (two “Energy” and one “Vitamins”) and HumanN BeetElite powder. But the night before a race he relies a carb-heavy dinner. (This time he went to an Indian restaurant and loaded up on naan, chickpeas, and dal.) It’s a strategy that’s seen him through 15 marathons and two ultra-marathons.

Maddie Ivy, 22, Omaha, Nebraska

Ivy graduated from Creighton University in May and is now running professionally with the completely plant-based, Team House Theory. The pro went cold-tofurkey vegan two years ago when she moved off campus and was able to start cooking meatless meals for herself. To prep for this race, Maddie kept it simple and snacked on a couple of oranges.

Joe Vaughn, 37 and Lauren Walsh, Manhattan, New York

Joe, a six-year vegan, and Lauren, a four-year vegetarian, are transplants from Detroit. Joe has run four half-marathons and one full marathon, and fueled up race morning with a banana and coconut water. Lauren was running her first race on an empty stomach.

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Sharon Wise, 61, Brooklyn, New York

Wise was a vegetarian for 10 years before her son and her career as a social worker convinced her to go fully plant-based almost a year ago. She prepped for her return to racing with a breakfast of sprouted wheat bread and peanut butter.

Ryan Andrews, 31, Queens, New York

Andrews, who went vegan six months ago after being a vegetarian for 12 years, fasted on the morning of his third 5K.

Anagha Sreenivasan, 37, Lawrenceville, New Jersey

Sreenivasan ate nothing before the race, but sometimes snacks on an apple before her evening runs.