Marathon meals

The inaugural New York City Marathon in 1971 featured a little over 100 runners pacing a continuous loop round Central Park. Little could they have imagined that today the event would be one of the biggest of it's kind, with over 40,000 people pounding the pavement over five boroughs on race day. 

Routine, as any seasoned runner will tell you, is one of the most important elements of pre-race preparation, and that includes the final meal before the main event. To celebrate this Sunday's NYC Marathon, NOWNESS asked five top athletes - including retired American football legend and Super Bowl winner Amani Toomer, and professional marathon runner Mara Yamauchi - to detail the pre-race meals that will be propelling them over 26.2 miles, and commissioned photographer (and avid marathon runner) Jonathan de Villiers to capture each individual’s chosen menu.

Follow the link to NOWNESS's pre-marathon special