Running 100 miles in 5 days with no food or calories!

That main title of this article sounds rather far fetched right? Is it really possible to run 100 miles, across 5 days without consuming any calories at all? 

Well, the 8 strong team of runners at Zero Five 100 - set out on a mission to show that it is! Running from Henley to Bristol between the 19th and 23rd September 2020.

The event was well planned and the health of the volunteers was meticulously monitored by experts and health professionals. The team consisted of Olympic Athlete, James Cracknell, Jon Furniss (Type 1 Diabetic), Dr Ian Lake (Gp & Type 1 Diabetic), Dr Trudi Deakin, Dr Ali Ibrahim, Gayle Gerry, Steve Bennett & Jake Thompson.  

They wanted to show that not only is it possible, but that by preparing by going on a low carb lifestyle and converting your fuel source from glucose to fat via Ketones (whilst being in Ketosis), you could not only complete 100 miles over 5 days in a fasted state, but that it could show that ketosis may also be beneficial for those with Diabetes.

This furthers previous studies which have noted that a state of Ketosis has been demonstrated to help stabilise blood glucose levels and reduce the reliance on insulin for those with diabetes - very interesting. I know that for us personally we feel much more "level" and avoid the sugar highs and low's by watching our carbohydrate and total sugar intake, so it makes sense! 

As some of you may know, we are really interested in how Ketosis and fasting can support Optimal Health, so we were very excited when one of the team at Zero Five 100 said they would be happy for us to share their thoughts around the event they completed. We was even more excited to learn that our products had helped them in the preparation stage for the run - where they completed a 2-4 weeks preparation phase of eating less than 50g of carbs per day to enter ketosis before the event, which of course our products are perfect for. 

"Having just completed the Zerofive100 event I was really pleased to see Hunter & Gather had picked it up and mentioned it in their weekly newsletter (dated: 28th Sept). 

Getting the word out on ketogenic metabolism, our team feels is crucially important information to share with medics and patients alike. There appear to be significant blockers getting in the way of offering this as an effective treatment in diabetes and other chronic illnesses caused by poor metabolic health.

I (Jon) work with a charity Public Health Collaboration to share this information with patients up and down the country to illustrate how a well formulated real food (not high or ultra processed) diet that is lower in carbs can be a highly effective method of reversing type 2 diabetes. David Unwin now has 50% of his patients in clinical remission.

We learnt so much about the impact fasting and ketosis has on the body, especially when it comes to blood glucose levels and insulin requirements for this with diabetes. You can read all about our results of the study here. 

So where do companies like Hunter & Gather fit into this? As a Type 1 Diabetic I recognise that I have an auto-immune problem and an intolerance to dietary carbohydrate. I therefore want to focus on nutrient density, very low or zero processed carbs and fats in my diet. I try to stay as close as possible to an Auto-immune Paleo/Keto protocol.

I obtain healthy fat from H&G avocado oil and mayonnaise. I was gobsmacked after embarking on a ketogenic diet and researching how to increase my fat consumption and discovering the damage done by industrial seed oils (e.g. margarine and sunflower oil), and when I turned the jar around to look at the ingredients for 'Real egg mayonnaise' I found it was mostly rapeseed oil despite the plentiful egg imagery on the packaging.

I have been really impressed at the versatility of H&G collagen peptides, which I add to bone broth. I also sneak it into the kids yoghurt! A swap that I am delighted and eager to put in place will be the new sauces that H&G just launched: our children seem addicted to big name brand ketchup with many artificial ingredients and even though we choose the 50% sugar version. I would much rather no added sugar. 

I am also looking forward to trying out the new marine collagen and MCT oil ro further improve the nutrient density of my diet and prevent nutrient hunger. There are 3 hungers: energy, hedonistic and nutrient.

H&G products have helped me for a year or so to formulate a ketogenic diet that hits all essential nutrient demands and certainly played a role in helping my safely apply this approach to eating while preparing to run 100 miles over five days with no food.

The reason I was able to do this was purely and simply because for a year I ate a ketogenic diet with all my essential nutrients. Remaining in ketosis through not over eating due to Nutrient hunger meant I could easily tap into my fat stores for 5 days without any cravings or ill effects.

I also didn't suffer the gastro-intestinal discomfort that comes with fuelling on simple sugar gels etc and there was no need to recover from muscle pain after having run 4 marathons in 5 days.

So thank you H&G for playing your part in giving me this super power!

You can follow the event and read our detailed blogs and metabolic measurements here: Zerofive100.com

Jon Furniss

https://twitter.com/furniss_jon?s=09"

Thanks Jon for sharing your thoughts, we are really pleased to hear the continued work that you, the team at Zero Five 100 and the Public Health Collaboration are doing to help educate our health professionals and the wider public. 

So there you go, not only is it possible for the human body to run 100 miles over 5 days without any calories, but it could also provide some useful knowledge in relation to diabetes management.

When you think back, our ancestors would not have always had an abundance of food, so sometimes, they would need to go out and run or hunt, in a fasted state.

Have we evolved to flourish through fasting we wonder? 

All information provided on our website and within our articles is simply information, opinion, anecdotal thoughts and experiences to provide you with the tools to thrive.

It is not intended to treat or diagnose symptoms and is definitely not intended to be misconstrued for medical advice. We always advise you seek the advice of a trained professional when implementing any changes to your lifestyle and dietary habits.

We do however recommend seeking the services of a trained professional who questions the conventional wisdom to enable you to become the best version of yourself.