Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Low-Carb Athletes: World-Record Ultra-Runner Zach Bitter

Hold your hats: World Record: ran 101.66 miles in 12 hours; American record: 100 miles in 11:47:13. The world record he broke was Greek God (that's not ironic, it's literal) Yiannis Kourus's* record.
That's a 7:04 pace (minutes per mile), for more than 100 miles. Wow.

And, just to make it extra cool, he did it wearing minimalist shoes and eating a low-carb paleoish diet.

He has a recent post on his blog describing his diet:

8 comments:

  1. You did your homework :) I can't say you misquoted or misinterpreted anything on this overview. I would like to clarify that when I discuss macronutrient percentages I am speaking in terms of everything. I don't go back and subtract non-starchy carbs/fiber carbs from the total. So when I say "30%" carb intake that includes all the non-starchy fiber in my diet. I know a lot of people will subtract that when they count their carbs.

    Thanks for the well written overview!!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Also, the beer thing. I can count on one hand the number of days in a year I consume alcohol, so that makes up a very small portion of my intake throughout the year. Ultrarunner podcast does a thing where they ask interviewees about their favorite beer. I didn't want to cramp their style :)

      Delete
  2. Hi Tuck and Zach,

    Very impressive record! Good to the low carb being embraced by more and more.

    Out of sheer curiosity, how much calories/grams of fat do you consume on average on a daily basis?


    Best,

    Thomas Hemming

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Like Tucker mentioned, it really varies at where my training cycle is at. When I am recovering my carb intake gets as low as 5%, protein about 20%; leaving fat at around 70-75%. I am also eating less in recovery, because I am not training as hard or at all. When I hit peak training (up to 150mpw, and at times up near 190) I will up my carb intake to between 20-30% (this is without subtracting fiber, and non starchy carb sources). In training weeks like this I am probably consuming between 4-5000 cal. (rough estimate). This would mean roughly 50-60% of my intake is fat (2000-3000 cal).

      Delete
    2. Recently read this:

      http://www.meandmydiabetes.com/2012/08/11/western-states-100-low-carber-wins-ultramarathon-steve-phinney-and-jeff-volek-study/

      I understand that Tom Olson won it by a large margin and took like 20 minutes or so off the course record - on what is a very demanding course.

      And that Olson had converted to LCHF just over a year earlier (pretty strict LCHF with some higher CHO consumption during the race, but a fraction of what "high carbers" we're consuming.

      Any information on that race or Olson's activities since then?

      Delete
    3. It's Tim Olson. Yes, his approach is pretty similar to Zach's from a dietary perspective.

      His blog's here:

      http://www.timothyallenolson.com/

      I've done a few other posts that mention him:

      http://yelling-stop.blogspot.com/search?q=olson

      And he's done a bunch of podcast interviews if you're interested in learning more about him:

      https://www.google.com/search?q=tim+olsen+podcast+interview

      Delete
  3. Really nice info! Ive started on trails this year and will be doin my first marathon this year. I see everyone around me crazy about foot protection,compression socks, hydration and fuel intake! Im never thirsty or hungry while i run, i never feel tired and i feel just fine on any terrain on my thin 5fingers, but because ive never done more than 17km i have no saying in the matter. It was great to hear that there are record breakers doing the same thing i do! Means all i need now is more miles! Lol

    ReplyDelete

Please don't comment here. Go to https://tuckergoodrich.substack.com.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.