When Andy MacLeod lined up for the Mid State Massive Ultra Trail in western Massachusetts, he wasn’t thinking about setting a record. The 39-year-old from Norwood just wanted to see if he could cover 100 miles through the woods, and do it powered entirely by leftover bar pizza from Town Spa in Stoughton.
At 10 a.m. on October 11, he started running. Twenty-seven hours later, after crossing nearly the entire state and climbing through fall-colored ridgelines, he stopped his watch at 27 hours, 6 minutes, and 9 seconds, good for 22nd place out of 75 finishers.
Over that day and night, he ate nine cold slices of pizza and nothing else.
“The bar pizza was leftover from the night before,” he told The Enterprise. “It was perfect fuel. I just kept it in my vest, it gets a little squished, but it fits perfectly.” His wife met him at several of the race’s 15 aid stations with more slices, each one tucked into plastic bags and passed off like energy gels.
Most ultrarunners rely on engineered fuel, things like bars, gels, or maple syrup packets.
Pizza doesn’t exactly top any sports nutritionist’s list. But MacLeod’s stomach handled it fine. “It digested. It didn’t go through me quickly,” he said. “It provided the nutrition I needed to get through the next few miles.”
And it turns out he isn’t completely crazy.
Pizza actually hits several key points for long-distance energy: carbs from the crust, fat from the cheese for sustained calories, and sodium to keep electrolytes balanced. It’s just not ideal for everyone’s digestion when you’re jostling for 27 hours straight.
MacLeod’s background isn’t in competitive running but in hiking.
“I was a hiker at first, then I just got faster and faster,” he said.
Eventually he started entering races like the Laurel Highlands Ultra in Pennsylvania, 70 miles, before taking on the Mid State Massive. The jump to 100 miles was huge, but he seemed to relish it.
“There were times when I sat down, but I didn’t sleep at all during those 27 hours,” he said. “I took a three-hour nap when I got home and slept like a baby that night.”
Whether pizza belongs in an ultrarunner’s nutrition plan is debatable, but the story clearly resonates. In a sport where people obsess over electrolyte ratios and fueling windows, MacLeod’s simplicity stands out.
He found what worked, and he stuck with it, a reminder that endurance isn’t always about precision. Sometimes, it’s about joy, stubbornness, and a cold slice of bar pie stuffed into a running vest.
