Dude Wins Inaugural San Diego 50K Taco Bell Ultra Marathon And Captures Everlasting Glory Along The Way

The ultra marathon running community is thriving in ways the traditional road running world could never fathom. They keep things weird and fun while putting in unimaginable miles each week. Case in point: the Taco Bell Ultra Marathon.

Runner Aiden Baker won the first-ever San Diego 50K Taco Bell Ultra Marathon which was held this past weekend. It is a Southern California riff on the popular Taco Bell Ultra Marathon in Denver and just as challenging.

Inaugural San Diego 50K Taco Bell Ultra Marathon

Let me just say that for anyone out there who wants to argue over whether a 50K race is truly an ‘ultra’ you are barking up the wrong tree. The phrase ‘ultra marathon’ applies to any race longer than a traditional 26.2 mile marathon. Did you run 27 miles? That’s an ultra. 50 kilometers is just a hair longer than 31 miles and thus a true ultra marathon by the literal definition.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s discuss the inaugural race. Aiden Baker won it on the men’s side and I came across his video from the race over the weekend on TikTok.

The rules are as follows:

1. Visit each of the 8 Taco Bell stops along the race course. Saying ‘thank you’ to the employees at each location is mandatory.
2. At least one entree item must be eaten at each of the locations and runners bring a plastic bag to provide their wrappers at the finish line as proof.
3. By Taco Bell stop #3, runners must have eaten at least 1 Chalupa / Crunchwrap Supreme.
4. By Taco Bell stop #6, runners must have eaten at least 1 Burrito Supreme, Nach Bell Grande, or whichever item was not consumed between the Crunchwrap and the Chalupa.
5. Runners must finish the race course by 7pm (10 hours)
6. Drinks and sides do not count as food items for the race, only entrees.

Here are the rules provided to the runners:

The Winners

On the men’s side, Aiden Baker won the inaugural San Diego 50K Taco Bell Ultra Marathon. Over on the women’s side, Claire Marion won and then raced in the Carlsbad 5000 the following day.

Here is Aiden Baker’s video from the race, documenting his Taco Bell exploits along the way:

Fueling properly is a key component to any successful race. At the marathon level, carbohydrate-dense gels and electrolytes are the most popular race-day options.

Things are a little different in ultra marathons. Runners are regularly consuming huge meals at aid stations. They will take down sandwiches, soup, broth, sodas, candy, sushi, and the list goes on and on and on.

In a race like this, the Taco Bell locations serve as ‘aid stations’ for the runners. They have bathrooms, provide the runners a chance to fill up on depleted calories, and then send them on their way.

This was the first year in San Diego but a sizable crew turned out:

I have a feeling this race will explode in popularity next year as word gets out that there’s now a Taco Bell Ultra Marathon in San Diego, albeit an unofficial one with no proper affiliation with Taco Bell.