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Why Would Someone Run 31 Miles While Eating Taco Bell?

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Jun 01, 2026
Why Would Someone Run 31 Miles While Eating Taco Bell?

Last year we got an email from a young woman named Eleanor Sigel that said: “I’m training for the Taco Bell 50k. With ten Taco Bell stops in thirty miles, it should be a fun run, so I thought I'd invite you to join me.” While Dan had absolutely no interest in running 31 miles, eating that much Taco Bell, or combining the two endeavors into one, we decided to follow Eleanor as she took on the challenge. How do you train for this race? Why would someone sign up for it in the first place? And most importantly: Was Eleanor able to make it to the finish line without puking?

The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell, with reporting help this week from Rae Solomon and editing help from Johanna Mayer.

Interstitial music in this episode by Black Label Music:

  • "Sun So Sunny" by Calvin Dashielle
  • "After Party" by Brannu
  • “I’m A Big Boy Now”
  • "Loud" by Bira
  • "Iced Coffee" by Josh Leininger
  • "Lucky Strike" by Erick Anderson

Photo courtesy of Eleanor Sigel

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