Diet History

Where it started

I grew up on what I’d call a better-than-average Standard American Diet. When I started running in high school, I followed my older brother and sister’s lead and cut out red meat and fried foods. I was 15. Over the next ten years I kept giving things up, usually as a New Year’s resolution: fish one year, cheese another, then dairy, then eggs. By the time I was 26 or 27 I was a strict vegan. Then I tried the typical raw food diet, heavy on nut butters, avocados and dehydrated crackers. From there I kept simplifying.

The fruit years

In January 2008 I started eating mostly raw fruit. I have never claimed to eat only fruit, but for my peak running years I came close. Most days were built around raw fruit, and lots of it: bananas, dates, melons, whatever was ripe and in season, with a big salad of raw vegetables at night.

Those were my best years as a runner. I ran 2:28 at the NYC Marathon and 12 hours 57 minutes for 100 miles on the track, and I raced Badwater, the Spartathlon and Western States. I wrote about eating this way a lot, and people started calling me “The Fruitarian.” I understand why, and I’m still proud of those years. If you’re young and athletic and want to see how far your body can go, I still think eating close to all raw fruit is worth a real try.

What changed

Here’s what I’ve learned since: age outruns any diet. No way of eating is going to make you live forever, and I don’t believe anyone who says it will. In my 40s my body started to change. Recovery took longer, and cellular aging is real. After years of hard racing and strict eating I was also burned out, and I wanted to try new things.

How I eat now

So I moderated. I still eat a lot of fruit and I still love it. I also enjoy sitting down with family and friends and sharing a meal. I don’t eat beef. If I had to put a label on it, I’d call myself a compassionate eater.

I’m not a super-athlete anymore, and I’m fine with that. In 2024 I summited Mount Everest on my first attempt, and I turn 50 in 2027. I still run, I still love fruit, and I still like a good adventure.