It’s a muggy August night in Portland, Oregon. Award-winning Haitian American chef Gregory Gourdet is closing up his restaurant, Kann, for the evening. He’s scheduled to run his first leg (out of three) of the 2024 Hood to Coast relay marathon at 4 a.m. the subsequent day.
The relay, also referred to as the “Mom of All Relays,” begins from the highest of Mount Hood and ends on Oregon’s breezy Seaside Seashore, which lies on the state’s Pacific coast. As a result of Mount Hood is a two-hour drive away, he should depart Portland by midnight on the newest.
After locking up Kann’s doorways, he rushes dwelling to pack a bag. He’s hoping that by the point he arrives at Mount Hood, he’ll have some spare moments to stretch and hype himself up earlier than hitting the beginning line.
Gourdet will likely be becoming a member of his six-person relay crew, together with 1000’s of other people from throughout the globe, to embark on this iconic race that spans 198 miles. The race is made up of 36 legs which are every round three to eight miles lengthy. Groups should full the course inside 36 hours; the common end time is 29 hours.
Gourdet Found His Pleasure for Operating within the Throes of Dependancy
It’s no secret that working in eating places will be extraordinarily worrying. The meals service and hospitality trade has the best charges of substance use dysfunction in comparison with all main employment sectors, in response to a 2015 examine by the Substance Abuse and Psychological Well being Companies Administration.
Within the early 2000s, Gourdet began working as a chef at high-profile eating places. To deal with the stress, he turned to alcohol and cocaine. His dependancy to each rapidly took a toll on his well being. “I noticed I wanted to fully change my way of life, and I used to be very prepared to take action,” Gourdet says.
He entered outpatient rehab in 2007 and acquired sober two years later. “I began working once I was in rehab as a result of I actually had nothing else to do,” Gourdet says.
What began as fast jogs remodeled into 24-mile marathons. “Operating permits me to spend so much of time exterior and clear my head,” he says.
In 2022, Gourdet fulfilled his lifelong dream of opening his personal restaurant. Kann, which serves Haitian delicacies, gained a James Beard award in 2023. Gourdet additionally runs a bar beneath Kann referred to as Sousòl, which affords all kinds of non-alcoholic drinks along with conventional wine and spirits.
The Meals (and Snacks) Gourdet Ate Earlier than Race Day
The day earlier than the race, Gourdet prioritized relaxation and crammed up on nutrient-dense meals. Outdoors spoke with Gourdet to get a glimpse of his meal plan.
Fast-Fueling Fruits for Breakfast
“I wasn’t craving lots of protein the day earlier than the race, and I simply wished to guarantee that I had sufficient fiber consumption prior, so I didn’t get all backed up,” says Gourdet. Fiber kickstarts muscle contractions within the intestine, which helps meals transfer easily by way of the digestive tract.
He opted for ripe peaches and candy berries to stop any pre-race constipation. On common, a peach accommodates a bit of over two grams of fiber, whereas a cup of combined berries has practically six. He packed a couple of extra to snack on throughout breaks between relay legs.
Fruits are nice as a result of they’re filled with advanced carbohydrates, too, says Rhyan Geiger, a registered dietician and founding father of Phoenix Vegan Dietitian. “They break down slower, so you should utilize that as gasoline to your run.”
Though espresso is a morning staple for many, Gregory opted to skip it. As a result of the Hood to Coast race can take as much as three days, the runners should discover moments to snooze between legs in a sleeping bag on designated grounds or of their crew’s van. “I prevented caffeine as a result of I wished to sleep as a lot as attainable earlier than and throughout the race,” he mentioned.
A Sunflower Butter and Jelly Sandwich for Lunch
Gourdet stays booked and busy. Between working service at Kann, growing drink menus at Sousòl, writing cookbooks, and most not too long ago launching a Haitian chocolate bar in partnership with Ranger Chocolate Co., the chance to sit down down and revel in a connoisseur lunch, particularly the day earlier than a race, is uncommon.
So, he stored it easy: He lathered a couple of items of gluten-free seven-grain bread (untoasted) with sunflower butter and strawberry jelly.
Not solely is that this sandwich a protein powerhouse—two tablespoons of sunflower butter accommodates over seven grams of protein—but it surely’s additionally stacked with carbs, making it fairly energizing. “Carbs break down into glucose, which is what we use for gasoline,” says Geiger. “We are able to retailer it in our physique as glycogen.”
Glycogen will get saved in your liver and muscle tissues while you eat carbs; your physique then makes use of this vitality to energy a exercise. That feeling you get while you hit a wall and immediately don’t have the energy to proceed could also be brought on by not consuming sufficient carbs, Geiger says.
Hydrating, Protein-Packed, and Salty Snacks
Gourdet didn’t draw back from snacking between meals. He savored bites of watermelon, creamy hummus, and salty potato chips.
“Consuming watermelon can help hydration wants,” says Geiger. Runners can lose upwards of 1.5 quarts of water per hour, so saturating the physique with liquids prematurely helps.
Since sweating results in a loss in sodium, says Geiger, salted chips can replenish misplaced vitamins as a result of salt is made up of the electrolytes, sodium, and chloride, which assist to usher vitamins to your cells and steadiness the water content material in your physique.
A batch of hummus fabricated from legumes like chickpeas or black beans can assist you meet your restoration wants, too, says Geiger. A half cup of hummus accommodates about eight grams of protein. Should you run lengthy distances, protein helps with repairing elements of your physique, she says.
Hearty Curry for Dinner
For dinner, Gourdet decides to play it secure and chooses a meal he is aware of gained’t mess along with his digestion. He opts for a wealthy, creamy rooster curry dish garnished with veggies and ginger, plus a aspect of buttery coconut rice from his favourite native Burmese restaurant, High Burmese.
Not solely does this meal pack in all of the macros wanted to energy by way of a race, however its heat, savory heartiness makes it really feel like a consolation meals. “I’m not afraid of spice; I like meals full of taste, and my physique can deal with it actually, very well,” he says.
Not everybody can deal with numerous spice, although. “You may take ten marathon runners doing the identical race, and their meals will look vastly completely different,” Geiger says. It’s necessary to take heed to your physique and lean on the meals that be just right for you, she emphasizes. You would possibly notice mid-stride that an excessive amount of spice doesn’t agree with you.
“The largest factor I’d say to athletes is don’t attempt one thing new earlier than race day,” says Kristen Konkol, an affiliate educating professor of train science at Syracuse College. You might expertise digestive discomfort like stomachaches or sudden urges to make use of the toilet if you happen to experiment with meals that you simply’ve by no means eaten whereas coaching, she says.
Operating Has a Particular Place in Gourdet’s Life
“I liked [the relay] as a result of traditionally staying up all evening for me was by no means a wholesome expertise, but it surely was unimaginable to see 1000’s of oldsters working 24 hours a day for 2 days,” says Gourdet. Through the race, he discovered that this relay demanded a excessive stage of “psychological group,” which he totally loved.
“Operating takes lots of dedication,” says Gourdet. “You’re consistently checking in with your self. Am I hungry? Am I thirsty? Does my again damage? It affords a time to be there inside your physique, pushing your self. And that feeling is extraordinarily highly effective.”