“He watches the kids while I’m out there pound-ing
the pavement,” Dieffenbauch says. “He never
complains and encourages me daily. I’m pretty lucky.”
Copeland Perkins, also a mother, credits her
husband’s patience. He is “on board with my lofty
goals, listens to me plan all day every day around
running, and puts up with me when I’m exhausted
and hangry,” she says.
Dietary recommendations have evolved signifi-cantly
over the years. From the 1970s through the
early 2000s, coaches and nutritionists preached carbs,
carbs, carbs. Recent trends have made an about-face,
Top: Pam Dieffenbauch joins the Without Limits team in early morning training on the John T. Hoggard High School
track. She says she runs to set an example for her children. ‘I want them to understand that hard work beats talent
when talent doesn’t work hard.’ Above, from left: Dieffenbauch shows her results in the 2017 Wicked Half Marathon in
Salem, Mass.; representing Asthma UK at the 2017 London Marathon; and at the 2016 New York City Marathon expo.
march 2019 24
WBM
demanding avoidance of sugars and other refined
carbs like pasta and white bread, focusing now on
high-quality, clean, whole foods with regimens
designed to maximize the body’s ability to utilize
fat for energy.
Maltby espouses low-carb, high-fat diets, but
bodies differ, and diets can confuse even sea-soned
athletes wishing to maintain proper body
composition while maximizing performance.
Marathoners often engage professional dieticians,
specializing in the needs of endurance athletes,
to fine-tune their diets.
COURTESY OF PAM DIEFFENBAUCH
ALLISON POTTER
COURTESY OF PAM DIEFFENBAUCH
CHRIS DIEFFENBAUCH