Kipchoge's Diet And Calories: What Does The Fastest Marathon Runner In The World Eat?

Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and is regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time. He follows a simple diet that consists mainly of rice, potatoes, porridge, beans, and ugali, a dense maize-flour porridge. He also eats homemade bread, local fruits and vegetables, some meat, and Kenyan tea with extra sugar. He drinks a lot of water (three litres) each day and avoids indulgent foods like steak, poultry, sausages, or French fries. He sometimes takes mursik, a fermented milk, to aid digestion. Before his historic sub-two-hour marathon run in 2019, he had oatmeal for breakfast.

His diet is mostly plant-based and high in carbohydrates and low in fat. He eats at specific times during the day and sources most of his food locally from the Eldoret region, where he trains. He likes to have ugali with lean beef and some managu, an indigenous spinach-like vegetable, or with beans and potatoes. He also likes rice and red beans, or chapati, an unleavened flatbread. When he is travelling, he prefers pasta as his carbohydrate source.

He works closely with his longtime coach, Patrick Sang, who understands the importance of nutrition in achieving peak performance. His nutritionist Armand Bettonviel explained the importance of carbo-loading and why marathon runners need to avoid whole grain products. Kipchoge’s diet played a critical role in his record-breaking marathon runs, including his sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna in 2019, sponsored by INEOS, and his gold medal-winning performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

According to one source, Kipchoge eats around 2,300 calories on a non-race day. This is far fewer than one might think for a marathon runner who trains at high intensity and volume. However, he also consumes over 100 grams of carbohydrates per hour during his race, which is a very high amount. He uses a combination of drink mixes and gels that contain easily digestible carbohydrates and hydrogel technology. This helps him maximize his energy production and performance.

It’s interesting to see that he eats a mainly plant based diet but still includes beef. I’m also surprised by the high amount of carbohydrates. I’m currently experimenting with a lower carb diet so that my body will tend to run more on fat while I’m running, but I’m intruiged by the fact that the world’s fastest marathon runner is basically fueled on carbohydrates. It’s even more surprising that he only eats around 2300 calories a day.