How veganism supercharged my running endurance

I ran my first marathon when I was 19 years old. At that point in my life, I ate an omnivorous diet and relied on meat products for my protein. Although my calorie intake was sufficient, I always felt exhausted following my runs, and I could not complete a long run without side cramps or having to stop multiple times. I altered my pace, sleep schedule, shoes, and anything I thought could be an issue, except my diet.

Following the marathon, I took a break from running races and tried to understand how to become a stronger and more efficient runner. When I returned to running six months later, I had the goal of completing an ultra-marathon, and in order to do so, I needed to seriously change a key component in my training. I began researching different diets and decided to become a vegan to benefit my physical health.

Following my transition to a vegan diet, I felt myself become a stronger runner; my stamina, along with my pace, increased, and my recovery time decreased. I began waking up in the morning energized and ready for a 15-mile run with no physical or mental crash in the mid-afternoon. I no longer experienced stomach issues or painful side cramps.

Aside from athletic benefits, there were changes that I did not anticipate; I found myself sleeping better at night, my brain fog disappeared, my skin cleared, and I lost a considerable amount of weight. In fact, research conducted by the International Journal of Sports and Exercise Medicine on the benefits of vegan diets for endurance athletes found that vegan diets result in less time spent in rehabilitation, a lower rate of illness, fewer injuries, and lower rates of inflammation, all of which I experienced as a vegan athlete.

While transitioning to veganism, I also discovered the profound environmental impact, incalculable animal suffering, and severe health complications that arise from the production and consumption of animal products, a grim reality that has further instilled the importance of veganism in my life. I continue to enjoy the benefits of a vegan lifestyle while I train for two ultra-marathons, a 50K in the spring and a 50-mile race in October.

You, too, can enjoy the stunning health benefits of a well planned plant-based diet. Don’t believe me? Take advice from elite athletes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and world record-holding strongman, Patrik Baboumian, by watching The Game Changers—a revolutionary documentary about plant-based eating, protein, strength—on Netflix today!

—Article submitted by Megan Stevermer, an intern on our Campaigns and Communications Committee