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A vegan athlete has completed one of the toughest footraces on Earth – in hellish weather conditions.
Ariel Rosenfeld took part in Spartathon for the third time this year – a 153 mile (246km) event which typically deals with daytime heat, rapidly falling temperatures and mountainous terrain, including a climb of the 1200 meter (3900 ft) Sangas mountain pass.
“Out of the three Spartathlons I’ve completed, this was my slowest time and lowest rank, although this is the one I’m most proud of,” Rosenfeld told Great Vegan Athletes.
Out of the 381 runners who started the race, 238 finished, with Rosenfeld finishing 105th in 33 hours 29 minutes.
Weather conditions
The region is known for difficult running conditions with some high temperatures, although this year cyclone Zorbas brought something new.
“After 10 hours of running in light rain, we faced extreme weather conditions – including heavy rain and powerful winds – during most of the race. Storm Zorbas [that ravaged areas of Greece] was near us on race days,” he added.
“I needed to change plans during the race in order not to get hypothermia (like others did), so I changed my clothing and walked much more than initially planned, in order not to put more stress on my body.
“I was very well prepared for the race, which helped me to build a nice buffer over the cut-off times for the first half, when the weather was still good.”
The race is notoriously tough
Vegan
Rosenfeld turned vegan in 2012. It was a small transition, as he had given up meat in 2011, and had already dropped cow’s milk.
The changes were influenced by the ethical arguments highlighted by Gary Yourofsky.
For his Spartathlon preparation, he’s continued to eat his regular diet. “I’ve been eating the same as I have over the last years, focusing on a variety of fruits and vegetables. The rest is nuts, seeds, legumes, and cereals.”
