This Taco Bell ultramarathon has one unique condition: You must eat 9 meals in 31 miles

Most marathons are strictly about getting from start to finish as fast as humanly possible, with nothing but water and energy gels to sustain you. But the International Taco Bell 50K Ultramarathon, which is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with Taco Bell corporate, takes place every year in Denver, Colorado, completely tears up the traditional playbook. It has turned a grueling footrace into a chaotic gauntlet where runners must eat nine full fast-food meals across the 31-mile-long circuit, as reported by the New York Post on October 2, 2025. 

The Event's origins

This unique and crazy event's roots trace back to 2016, when two running buddies, Dan Zolnikov and Michael Oliva, were training for a 50-mile run. One day, while they were out for a standard run, they stopped at a local Taco Bell spot for an emergency bathroom break. Upon stepping back outside, the duo began to joke about the worst possible food to consume during a long-distance race. That casual conversation stuck with them, and ultimately, one of their other running friend Jason Romero, urged Zolnikov to act on it. 

Zolnikov obliged

Soon, Zolnikov drew up the map for the Taco Bell 50k within the 31-mile-long circuit consisting of 10 stops. He borrowed some rules from more established races, such as the Hard Rock 100, which changes the direction from counterclockwise to clockwise every year. He also took inspiration from the Barkley Marathons, which require participants to tear out pages from planted books. In the Taco Bell 50K, you need to keep the receipts. There it was, the most insane race ever. While Zolnikov kept the registrations free, the runners must pay for their meals.

Humble start to now a full-fledged event

The first race, held in 2018, had only seven participants, with only five being able to finish the grueling course. One of them was Romero, the same man who prompted Zolnikov to start this race. "Within that first year, we already had this great diversity of folks who finished," he said. However, soon more and more people heard about the race and numbers started to increase. In 2024, about 1,200 from over 40 states RSVP'd for the race.

The 9th edition awaits

That said, the Taco Bell 50K is set for its 9th edition later this year on October 3, 2026. It will be interesting to see how many people, influencers, and athletes show up this time around, with the race claiming to have a higher DNF rate than the famous Leadville 100 Trail Race, which reportedly has 50%. Nonetheless, the rules remain pretty much unchanged, with drinks not counting as food, finishing the race in 11 hours, keeping receipts, being present at all 10 Taco Bell stops along the course, and more. 

One of the most fun experiences

As it turns out, despite the challenges, people love this event. In fact, one of them (u/nerdjnerdbird) even detailed their experience on Reddit through a detailed post, and others shared their experiences. u/graingeem noted, " Also ran this this weekend. Maybe the most fun I've ever had running. Treated it much more as a long run, linked up with some folks, and just took it easy. I'd really recommend people look into this race next year as a fun way to spend a Saturday. Didn't find the eating part hard at all (but again, I was taking it super easy). Fun atmosphere, good people."

Meanwhile, u/uppermiddlepack commented, "We did one of these Taco Bell runs, but it ended probably 5 years ago. It was a similar distance, but it only had 5 Taco Bells, and we had maybe 20 in the biggest year. Can’t imagine 150 runners rolling into a Taco Bell." Nonetheless, since its first race, the Taco Bell 50k has become an Urban Legend, so much so that it has started raising funds for the Denver chapter of Achilles International, a local running, walking, and rolling club that employs people with disabilities in mainstream athletics. 

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