Jessie Diggins is no stranger to the spotlight. It comes with the territory of being the most decorated U.S. cross-country skier of all time with a medal in every color. On a recent day in Bend, Oregon during her team’s training camp, all eyes were on her once again, as she checked off yet another bucket list item: getting her very own superhero muffin recipe.
No, the superhero muffin doesn’t wear a cape. It’s a muffin from the “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” cookbook series packed with carbohydrates, healthy fats and protein. “…You can’t drive your car without the right fuel in the tank, you can’t train, race and recover without the fuel to keep your body moving,” Diggins said. This mentality originally is what drew the Olympian to the nutrition movement, and later, to the special baked good. Both have become essential elements in keeping her fueled during rigorous training sessions over the years.
On May 17, Diggins teamed up with Elyse Kopecky to host a virtual cooking class called “Fuel Like a Champion.” Kopecky, a former competitive runner, co-authored the cookbook series with Olympian Shalane Flanagan. Hundreds of people fired up their ovens and tuned in from across the country to learn how to prepare nutritious meals alongside the Olympian and The New York Times best-selling author. Kopecky kicked off the class by cooking Jessie’s superhero muffins, which she specifically made for Diggins with banana and cardamom. Cardamom is an ode to the skier’s time spent racing in Scandinavia. “That’s a fun way to bring a little bit of race flavor on the road back home with me,” Diggins said. Her infectious smile said it all when she told the class how much she loves that the spice often is used in the region’s baking.
While the muffins baked, the class prepared another Diggins grab-and-go favorite: peppermint energy bites. “Energy bites are one of my go-tos in summer, especially on a long roller ski because you can put a number of them in your drink belt or in your running vest pockets,” Diggins said. She prefers the healthy snack over packaged protein bars that she has overly consumed during her years of ski training and traveling.
Kopecky said the “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” recipes are all about filling you up and keeping you nourished to take on the day—whether it includes Olympic training or not. Most of the meals are meant to be prepared in advance and contain a variety of different ingredients, cooking oils and spices. However, there’s one thing to notice that all of the recipes lack: nutritional numbers. “When you stop counting and tune into your body, you really can listen to your hunger signals and your cravings and what you need in the moment,” Kopecky said. By design, there are no calorie, carbohydrate, protein or macro totals in any of the recipes. Instead, the focus is on preparing and enjoying nutrient and vitamin-rich meals.
This sharp left turn away from fad diets and crunching numbers before chewing was exactly what drew Diggins to the nutrition philosophy in the first place. “I try to count almost nothing now and I think that’s really helpful…it feels good and it’s mentally freeing and I really like that,” Diggins said. In fact, the “Run Fast. Eat Slow.” methodology made such an impact on the Olympian when she first heard about it nine years ago that she pre-ordered the first cookbook in the series before it was released. Afterward, she sent Kopecky an email to thank the then-stranger, for writing it.
May 5, 2016Hello!I’m so excited to start cooking from your book! I’m a cross country skier on the US Ski Team and I love to cook. I think it’s so wonderful to have a cookbook for athletes, by athletes, with recipes that really pack a punch. Thank you for creating this cookbook!
Thanks,Jessie Diggins
This simple yet thoughtful note led to a lasting friendship between the two, who now say they go for runs together every spring when Diggins is in Bend training with the national team. “As I found a place of stable recovery from my eating disorder, rebuilding a fun and healthy relationship to food and cooking was a huge goal for me and her cookbooks helped me to do just that,” Diggins said. She not only loves to cook and eat Kopecky’s recipes but she also loves the style of cooking, which focuses on fueling rather than measuring.
Diggins first opened up about her struggle with disordered eating just months after making history at the 2018 Olympic Games. She, alongside teammate Kikkan Randall, won the first ever cross-country skiing gold medal for Team USA in the women's team sprint in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Shortly after, Diggins decided to use her platform to share her story. The gold medalist detailed her battle, ongoing recovery and her incredible support system in her 2020 memoir, “Brave Enough.” She serves as an ambassador for The Emily Program, where she sought treatment for her eating disorder in Minnesota.
Now, she continues to use her stature to encourage others fighting similar battles to ask for help. “Let the people close to you in and let them support you. That is the scariest first step but talking it out with them and then reaching out to experts for the care that you need is the best thing that you can do - and you’re absolutely worth it and worthy of receiving that love and support,” Diggins said. Though the cooking class with Kopecky didn’t mention or focus on eating disorders, she believes opportunities like this one are great ways to give back to the next generation and educate them on how to fuel their bodies for sport and for life.
Today, Diggins makes her mental and physical health the priority and she works with her care team year-round. “Even when things are going great, I keep those meetings going in order to keep building a super big safety net, should I ever need it again,” Diggins said. For the past year, she truly has been able to enjoy racing and being with her team and has “been in a wonderful place of recovery and loving being happy and healthy.”
After the training camp in Bend, Diggins' training goes full throttle — twice a day, six days a week until the racing season begins on Thanksgiving weekend. She uses her day off to meal prep and to take care of her body. Looking ahead toward the 2026 Winter Olympics, Diggins is excited to race the existing course in Val di Fiemme during the Games, where she knows and loves the trails.
(*If you or someone you know is struggling with an eating disorder, help is available by calling The Emily Program at 1-888-272-0827*)