Sarah Funderburk, frontwoman of Dark Falls in Battersea, is a fan of salty potatoes. Brian Robb, leader of the overnight race, makes his way through 57 yogurt tubes, the type typically seen in a child’s lunchbox.
Samantha Hudson dos Santos Figueira (formerly Amend), a GB 24 Hour runner and British women’s 100-mile record holder, has taken it a step further in the past. “I’ve eaten baby food in races – because it’s easier to get into.”
In a 24-hour race, eating on the go takes on a very literal meaning. But getting food — or “fuel,” as many people call it — into your body isn’t easy, especially after eating binges for several hours.
“I had a lot of trouble chewing,” Funderburk, an American who lives in London, says after the race. “I made a lot of jam tortillas but I didn’t want to eat them.”
Stocks remembers “gagging when I even looked at food”, while Hudson dos Santos Figueira eats raw ginger to deal with nausea. “I just eat it – it’s disgusting.”
The Briton, who trains some of the world’s best ultra-runners, says: “I eat mostly gels. It’s painful but you’re going in as far as you can. They taste fine, but does it matter? I’m not eating to enjoy it.”
According to Fields, 37, every long training run is an exercise in eating. “I did one where I ate a pot of noodles and a tin of rice pudding.”
He stopped for only 26 minutes in his record-breaking run. Britton was leading for all but his 23.
Although there are portaloos along the track, those few extra footsteps may seem like an unnecessary diversion. In the 2018 race infamous for its brutal season, the Stocks seem to have abandoned social etiquette. “It was late, it was raining heavily, so why should I bother stopping? I will pee in my pants.”
Lined up along the track are the support crew – usually a partner or friend who has sacrificed their weekend to pull an all-nighter.
Some runners arrive with little more than a plastic bag of snacks and a camping chair. Others work from the boot of their car. The best preparation comes with a gazebo, fridge, and a spreadsheet with scientific nutrition and hydration strategies.