Marathon swimmers around the world eat a wide variety of foods during their long hours in the water. While English Channel swimmers swear by Maxim, the scope of foods used is also interesting to learn about. What is normal and nutritious for a Japanese swimmer may not be agreeable to a Brazilian swimmer.
But chocolate seems to be one popular food group across borders and cultures. Whether the water is salt or fresh, warm or cold, open water swimmers enjoy the deep, throaty, tasty feel of chocolate before, after and during their swims.
It is the one universal constant among the aquatic foodies.
Bruckner Chase ate Oreo cookies during his sweet-water 20-mile swim across Lake Tahoe, high up in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. “I dipped the Oreos in the [cold] lake water to help them go down. It made the swim so much more enjoyable. They melted in your mouth like Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. Nutritionists have their place, but when success [in the open water] is 90% mental, how the food makes you feel is as important as how your body feels about the food. “
Southern California native, born 1962, is the creator of the WOWSA Awards, Oceans Seven, Openwaterpedia, Citrus Corps, World Open Water Swimming Association, Daily News of Open Water Swimming, Global Open Water Swimming Conference. He is Chief Executive Officer of KAATSU Global and KAATSU Research Institute. Inductee in the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Swimmer, Class of 2001) and Ice Swimming Hall of Fame (Honor Contributor - Media, Class of 2019), recipient of the International Swimming Hall of Fame's Poseidon Award (2016), International Swimming Hall of Fame's Irving Davids-Captain Roger Wheeler Memorial Award (2010), USA Swimming's Glen S. Hummer Award (2007, 2010) and Harvard University's John B. Imrie Award (1984). Served on the FINA Technical Open Water Swimming Committee and as Technical Delegate with the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games, and 9-time USA Swimming coaching staff. Note: WOWSA only recommends products or services used or recommended by the community. WOWSA does not receive compensation for links or products mentioned on this site or in blog posts. If it does, it will be indicated clearly on that specific post. See WOWSA's privacy policy for more information.