Scenes from Denver’s taco-fueled ultramarathon
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DENVER — Over this last weekend, more than 700 runners participated in the 8th International Taco Bell 50k.
Founded by Jason Romero and Dan Zolnikov, the free ultramarathon spans 31 miles of Denver streets. Participants run — and eat — their way through the city. The course features 10 Taco Bell locations and runners must complete food challenges at 9 out of the 10 locations over the course of the race.
From Chalupa Supremes to Nachos BellGrande, runners fuel themselves with all types of fast food items as they run through 80-degree weather.
“There is absolutely no Mylanta, no Pepto-Bismol, nothing like that. We have zero tolerance for that type of thing,” said Romero. “If you puke, you're out of the race.”
Video: Cormac McCrimmon, Rocky Mountain PBS
Historically, the race has a higher “did not finish” rate than the renowned Leadville 100k — largely due to the Taco Bell 50k’s gastrointestinal demands, Romero said.
Many runners quit the race due to stomach issues, such as bloating, vomiting and excessive bowel movements.
“I don’t think [the Taco Bell 50k] is a great idea,” said Nicole Strob, who teaches nutrition for health and performance at the University of Colorado Boulder. “But food should be fun, and you’re also walking or running 31 miles — so at least there’s that.”
Participants have 11 hours to finish the ultramarathon.
At every stop, dozens of runners packed the Taco Bell locations to order and use the bathroom.
“I just ran the Berlin Marathon two weeks ago,” said Felix Wong as he sat at the seventh Taco Bell location. “This is feeling quite a bit harder.”
Once across the finish line, finishers received their medals: Taco Bell sauce packets taped to ribbons. Romero’s mom, Cindy, made the medals.
Romero is trying to find ways to make logistical changes to better accommodate the ever-growing crowd, like encouraging runners to order in advance and communicating with local Taco Bells about foot traffic. In 2024, there were 170 runners.
Through all of this, he’s still dead set on making the race free of charge. To him, it’s all about camaraderie.
“You inevitably have highs and lows. Throw in 10 Taco Bell stops, and you're guaranteed a low,” Romero said.
“But what I’ve learned through running and this ultramarathon is that when you suffer together, you bond together.”
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.