“Take the Potato Challenge”: 30 Days of Athletes Fueling with Potatoes

In September, Potatoes USA invited athletes at every level to make potatoes their go-to fuel with “Take the Potato Challenge.” This 30-day campaign encouraged runners, cyclists, and everyday exercisers to train on potatoes and share their results. It wrapped with the Potassium Power-Up challenge on Strava, where more than 78,000 athletes signed up to log workouts in honor of the 620 mg of potassium in a medium potato.

• Why it matters: Consumers increasingly see potatoes as performance fuel, but not everyone uses them that way. In the 2026 Consumer Attitudes and Usage online survey, just 14% of exercisers fuel workouts with potatoes, compared with 36% for protein bars. Getting potatoes into athletes’ actual training routines is how that belief turns into purchases.

Launched September 1, 2026 — on the heels of ultrarunner Rachel Entrekin’s mashed potato-fueled Cocodona 250 win — the challenge invited everyone from weekend joggers to elite competitors to put potatoes to work in their own training.

A half marathon on potatoes: Runner and content creator Jess Klinger (@jessklinger_) led the way, fueling an entire 13.1-mile race with mashed potatoes, salted baby potatoes, and chips at the finish. “Thirteen-point-one miles later, I can officially say field testing was a smashing success!” she shared. In her recap post, Klinger said potatoes were “easy on the stomach, provided steady energy, and proved to be surprisingly versatile before, during, and after running.”

Other creators joined in: Nutrition and fitness content creators posted inspiration for athletes on Instagram, including Amy Goblirsch (@the_running_dietitian), Elizabeth Beck (@runlikebeck), and Erica LaGarde (@happydancingyogi).

The campaign culminated in the Potassium Power-Up challenge on Strava (September 17–30), asking athletes to complete six 20-minute workouts — a nod to the 620 mg of potassium in a medium potato.

• Results: 78,614 athletes logged 746,396 hours of workouts in the challenge, traveling a combined distance of more than 4.5 million miles!

Explore the Take the Potato Challenge and follow @potatogoodness for recipes and athlete stories.