Most 50Ks ask runners to think about gels, electrolytes, and whether they packed enough anti-chafe. At the International Taco Bell 50K, runners also have to figure out how much fast food their stomachs can handle before mile 31. The unsanctioned Denver ultramarathon returned Oct. 3 for its ninth edition, and completing it requires considerably more than covering the distance.
Runners have to visit 11 Taco Bell stops (this year upped the ante by one location), eat at least one menu item at 10 of them, finish under 11 hours, and keep their wrappers and receipts as proof. A Chalupa Supreme or Crunchwrap Supreme has to be consumed by stop four, followed by a Burrito Supreme or Nachos BellGrande by stop eight. Pepto Bismol, Alka-Seltzer, Pepcid AC, and Mylanta are banned on course, and for anyone who reads all of that and thinks not difficult enough, there are optional Diablo Sauce and two-liter Baja Blast challenges.
Organizers Dan Zolnikov and Mike Oliva dreamed up the idea while running with Achilles Denver, a running group that supports athletes with disabilities by providing volunteer guides. They initially joked about setting off from Oliva’s house and hitting as many Taco Bells as possible over roughly 30 miles, with ongoing talks for about two years, until fellow runner Jason Romero finally pushed them to turn the hypothetical bad decision into a real one. Course design, at least initially, was less about runner convenience than making his friends suffer a little.
Zolnikov told Runner’s World that his main concern was finding a Taco Bell that opened early enough for a 7 a.m. start, with things like bathroom access and the distance between restaurants barely entering the equation. The first two editions started at 7 a.m. from a location serving breakfast. The race reversed direction each year—clockwise in 2018, counterclockwise in 2019—as one of its homages to what Zolnikov calls “more serious and reputable ultramarathons.” That tradition eventually became a casualty of success.
With hundreds of runners now involved, organizers decided changing directions each year created more opportunity for confusion than it was worth. The rulebook, meanwhile, has stayed almost completely intact. Those first races were organized through Facebook invites to a small circle of runners.
Last year, more than 700 people showed up. That has required an increasingly large volunteer operation to handle everything from intersections and the Taco Bell stops to signs, course sweeping, and the finish. And while the first of those has required considerably more manpower, he’s protective of the other three—especially the free part.
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