The vegetarian and vegan diets and lifestyles have been around for some time, but as a runner have we considered the potential benefits of adopting a vegetable-based diet in conjunction with our running routine? Is it a wise choice? What impact will it have on our overall well-being and performance? Can runners thrive on a vegetarian diet?

Many runners would have big questions such as this: will a vegetarian diet affect my performance? Am I getting enough protein from a plant-based diet? Will I be healthier? Are there any important nutrients I will miss out on? Do I need to supplement? How will going vegan help the environment? I am concerned about animal welfare. Can I live this way forever?

There have been many famous athletes who profess to following a vegetarian or vegan diet, such as:

Over the years, there have been many highly successful vegetarian and vegan athletes, let’s now take a look at a few of them.

● Scott Jurek. Ultra-marathoner. Famous and highly successful long distance runner. Winner of 16 ultra-marathon titles. Vegan since college.

● Venus Williams. Tennis player. World number one tennis player with four Olympic gold medals and five Wimbledon titles. Vegan since 2011.

● Novak Djokovic. Tennis player. World number one and Wimbledon champion. Vegan since 2010.

● Lewis Hamilton. Formula One racing driver. Four time Formula One world champion. Vegan since 2017.

● Morgan Mitchell. Australian sprinter. Olympian in 2016. Vegan since 2014.

● Carl Lewis. Athlete and world-famous track runner. Vegan since 1991.

● Dotsie Bausch. Pro cyclist. Silver at the 2012 Olympics. Vegan since 2009.

● Bill Walton. One of the greatest players in NBA history. Vegetarian for entire
career.

● Mike Tyson. Retired US boxer. Switched to a vegan diet later in life to help
alleviate problems in his joints and to help control his weight.

● Fiona Oakes. World record marathon runner. Vegan since age 6.

As you can see there are a number of long distance runners in there who have achieved un-beet-able feats on a vegetarian or vegan diet.

But let us look to science instead of anecdotal evidence in case you don’t be-leaf us!

From one recent study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, several groups of runners undertaking different diets were compared to observe if there was a difference in the quality of life experienced by having different diets.

123 subjects followed an omnivorous diet and 158 adhered to a vegetarian/vegan diet. These subjects were all runners, among them 103 half-marathoners and 70 marathoners and ultramarathoners, as well as 108 10-km runners as the control group. Quality of life was measured by four key factors: physical health, psychological well being, social relationships and environmental indicators.

Overall, the results revealed that endurance runners had a high quality of life regardless of the race distance or diet choice. Adhering to an omnivorous diet affected environmental scores for women and social relationships scores for men; whereas a minor effect concerning race distance was observed in women, where half-marathoners had a higher environmental score than 10-km runners. These findings support the notion that adhering to a vegetarian or vegan diet can be an appropriate and equal alternative to an omnivorous diet.

So far so good - vegetarian and vegan runners did not fare too differently from other runners, at least on a general level. But what about in terms of running performance?

Another study focused on the exercise capacity of vegan, lacto-ovo-vegetarian and omnivorous recreational runners. This study was published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition and measured the influence of plant-based diets, especially veganism, on exercise capacity in runners.

In this study, the training habits of the three runner groups were observed and measured. Their blood was measured during physical endurance tests for glucose levels, and their running distances and power outputs were compared to detect differences.

The study found that each examined diet has neither advantages nor disadvantages with regard to exercise capacity. These results suggest that a vegan diet can be a suitable alternative for ambitious recreational runners.
So from a scientific standpoint there appears to be no significant difference in vegetarian and vegan diets, and overall you help the environment and save money!

So what are you waiting for?

Isn’t it about time for you to test (and torture) yourself by registering for our Vegan themed run event?

Come join the Veganlife Charity Fun Run this July 2023!

There are tons of opportunities you can seize upon riding the wave of event popularity. Join us at Howei today if you’re keen to start your own journey.

References: Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition