I wish I could say that it was all about bananas and rye bread, avocados and lean meat. Think sugar and carbs, chocolate and gummi bears. When you plan your food intake before a long race it’s all about calories. How can you get enough calories to keep going. If you do a race that is long, 2-3 days or so you can still pack fresh foods and vegetables. When it’s 7 days, not really. Like a shorter race we packed 6h zip locks and then brought enough zip locks to last until the next TA. Let me just say that I failed a little bit. I apparently have a big fear of starving. I ate more or less all my food during the glacier walk so without knowing I packed food for 4 days or so for the next leg and that gave me some nice extra weight in my pack. And I kept doing that until Robin stole my pack and my food and repacked it to his pack.

Food feels complicated before you start the race but then it kind of just happens. You eat all the time, and it’s not the kind of food you would eat on a regular day. It’s the kind of food I would never touch on a regular day. It doesn’t taste anything really, you just know that you need to eat. It’s granola bars, fruit leathers, fruit cups and nuts that works and every once in a while some candy. Jerky and gels doesn’t work for me. Robin was desperate to make me move faster on the bike at the end of the race and I feel really queasy when I drink 5 hour energy (or Red Bull) and try to avoid it but felt desperate enough to try it. Three minutes later I am on my knees heaving by the side of the trail regretting it. But it somehow worked and we did speed up a bit. And you only live once, I tried again midnight paddling. And I almost enjoyed the next one I had.

Ramen noodles, still a bit crunchy, tasted divine after 40 hours without food. But, I will never drink unheated chicken noodle soup from a can. Seriously guys, so classy.

After race: Give me food! Anything works. I have developed an ability to inhale food. Hotdog, 3 seconds. I found myself inhaling a large burger and an ice cream when I got to the airport at midnight. And then another burger. I knew this race would make me grow personally.