A big bowl of spaghetti and lots of protein is the popular image conjured up when thinking about the diet of a runner. In fact, many runners have said that the night before a big run, they normally get a nice meal of carbohydrates and protein for fuel. However, contrary to that conventional thought, author Scott Jurek, an ultramarathoner claims that a vegan diet is what's helped him win several 100-plus-mile races. 

He writes in Huffington Post how much he loved meat. "I loved roast pork, baked chicken and broiled steak. During high school I worked as a short order cook at a place called the Dry Dock Bar. My specialty was a kick ass Philadelphia Cheese Steak. In college, my roommate and I spent many a night on our back porch, feet on the banister, barbecued brats or burgers in our mitts, downing a tin of Planter Cheese Balls and a box of Malted Milk Balls in a single sitting. My nickname was the Grill Master."

Meat, he says was in his blood thanks to a hunter father.  It was a family treat to eat the meat his father killed.

"It wasn't just meat. I loved fast food. I grew up in the country, and there were times when we had to shop with food stamps, and I ate government cheese. Restaurants were for birthdays. So being able to buy a burger--or chicken sandwich--whenever I wanted felt like freedom."

But he began to change his eating habits while in physical therapy school. He writes of learning that three of the most common deaths in the U.S.--cancer, heart disease and stroke--are caused in part by the Western diet. So after dabbling with the idea of quitting meat all together, he took the plunge into the world of fruits, vegetables and grains and became a vegan.

He surprises himself by doing better in his training and winning several of his races. "So it turns out, an athlete, even one who trains up to eight hours a day, can do just fine with a plant-based diet.