Canned. Salted. Mashed into a zip-top bag. For ultrarunners (and anyone) logging long hours across track or trails, potatoes are making a comeback, and not just on dinner plates.
As reported in The Washington Post, professional ultrarunner Tara Dower, known for her blistering fast Appalachian Trail record, swore by canned potatoes while preparing for the brutal Hardrock 100 in Colorado. That race includes over 33,000 feet of climbing and can take more than 39 hours to complete. To survive her 20-mile training runs, Dower packed her vest with salted, smashed spuds, and devoured a whole can’s worth mid-run. “By that point, they’re like mashed potatoes,” she said. “It’s a great fuel source, but maybe it doesn’t look the most appetizing in the moment.”
From couch potato to course MVP
Potatoes are having a moment in endurance sports, and it’s not by accident. Potatoes USA, the marketing board for American potato farmers, has spent the last few years rebranding the humble tuber as a performance food. In 2019, it became the official “performance vegetable” of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, even offering cups of salted potatoes to runners at mile 10 on the Las Vegas Strip.
The campaign worked. Athletes started posting their own potato hacks, and “Team Potato” now boasts 1,700 Facebook members and millions of logged miles on Strava. There’s even an annual “Speedy Spud” ambassador who races in a potato costume.
Why potatoes beat gels (sometimes)
Unlike overly sweet gels and chews, potatoes are savory, comforting, and surprisingly effective. One medium potato offers 34 grams of carbs, plus more potassium than a banana. That’s a major win for ultrarunners, who burn through calories fast and need a steady stream of fuel, ideally a mix of simple sugars and slower-digesting starches.
According to sports dietitian Yasi Ansari, variety matters. “Not everyone can keep fueling off of gels, chews, fruit cups or fruit squeezes,” she said to the The Washington Post. “Potatoes can do the trick when it comes to tolerance and keeping athletes satisfied for a longer period of time.”
Souped-up spuds at mile 60
By the time an ultrarunner has been out for 60 miles or more, chewing can feel like a chore. Enter: potato soup. Sports nutrition chef Kelly Newlon often whips up instant mashed potatoes with broth to give runners something salty, drinkable and calorically dense. It’s not glamorous, but it works.
Potatoes aren’t flashy. That’s the point. For athletes like Dower, they’re reliable fuel that tastes like real food, even after 20 hours on the trail. Spuds may not win any Instagram awards, but on race day, they’re often the unsung hero in a runner’s vest.
