A plant-based athlete's tips for surviving 24 Hour Racing in the desert

This past weekend was 24 Hours of Old Pueblo.   Fueling for a 24 Hour race in the desert can be tricky, especially for the plant-based athlete striving for nutrient dense foods.  This was especially made tricky as Shannon and I flew from Salt Lake to Phoenix so I couldn't prep meals for the weekend ahead of time.  Upon arriving to Phoenix, we hit-up Whole Foods and bought a few staples to get us through the weekend.

We stocked up on bananas, apples, and almonds but here are a few tricks I learned to get me through the weekend.

An easy and quick meal:  rice, hummus, avocado burrito.  I borrowed a stove and cooked up some brown rice that I used all weekend.  I slapped the rice, hummus, and avocado on an Ezekial sprouted grain tortilla and had a nutritious meal that kept me fueled throughout a weekend of racing.  In the future, I will add some pre-cut veggies to make this meal even more nutritious.

Breakfast:  Once again I borrowed the stove and whipped up some quick cook oatmeal.  I added some nuts and mixed in some unsweetened applesauce and cinnamon to give it a bit extra flavor.

While training and riding I try to stick to nutrient dense whole foods, however for racing I am a big CarboRocket and Honeystinger organic gel fan.

The best news about my weekend's nutrition was that I had no digestive issues post-race.  This is a notable feat as the post-chemo gut can be, well, sensitive and finicky:)

Fueling for long events definitely has a learning curve and I am still learning.  There is a fine line between eating nutrient dense and keeping your gut happy between hard race efforts.  I am always open to tips and suggestions.  Do you have any tricks for eating healthy at 24 Hour races?   If so, please share!