There’s nothing quite like hot, fresh pasta smothered in thick tomato sauce.
The runners of the Boston Marathon had the pleasure of eating more than one ton of it Sunday at the 2001 Boston Marathon Ronzoni Pasta Party.
More than 10,000 entrants and their families sat down to load up on the carbohydrate-rich food before yesterday’s 26.2 mile trek from Hopkinton to downtown Boston.
Nancy Clark, the official nutritionist of the pasta party and a nutritional consultant to the Boston Red Sox and several runners and other athletes, said carbohydrates provide the energy needed to maintain strength throughout such a grueling race.
According to Clark, the carbohydrates are stored in the muscles of each runner, providing a long-lasting energy source.
“So many runners ask, ‘How can I have the energy to run the distance?’” she said.
The answer, she added, is a base of carbohydrates complemented with proteins before the race and a steady supply of fluids ingested throughout the race.
While she said it is important for runners to replenish their energy throughout the race — the average competitor burns 2,600 calories during the day — pre-race fueling is most important.
Clark debunked the recently created myth that carbohydrates are fattening, saying the true culprit behind fat is calories. Excess calories of any kind of food are fattening, she said.
Because carbohydrates are so important, Clark said, it is a great idea on the part of the Ronzoni and the Boston Athletic Association to provide the runners with pasta the day before the Marathon.
Firefighters from towns along the Marathon route chipped in by creating pasta dishes to serve at the party. Four recipes were chosen by voters at Copley Plaza on March 21.
Patrick Gross, of Hopkinton Station One, was awarded the grand prize and an $8,000 donation in his name for the Hopkinton firefighter assistance fund.
Gross said he got lucky.
“It’s amazing what you can turn leftovers into,” he said.
Gary Lauerman, director of marketing for Ronzoni, praised the contributions of the firefighters, not only to the Marathon, but to their communities as well.
“These guys run a marathon every working day,” he said.
Mayor Thomas Menino said the Boston Athletic Association has done excellent work preparing for this year’s race, but said the runners are key.
“It takes all you runners to make a great race,” he said.
Colman Byrne, a 21-year-old first-time competitor from Ireland, said he was nervous before the race. Having never run a race anywhere near marathon distance, he anticipated a difficult run.
“This one I’ve trained pretty seriously for. It’s going to be rough,” he said, adding he would “give it 110 percent.”
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