Train Eat Repeat - The endurance cookbook

Already 20 years of nutritional advice – crazy.«Time flies when you’re having fun». It is at least as important for me that my joy and passion at work ignites a spark in the other person: Rethinking, trying things out, forming habits; whatever it takes to be successful! This is exactly what happened to Fabian Häfeli (ultra trail runner and photographer). Inspired by our collaboration on a crazy trail running project, he came up with the idea for a joint book project.

I think it was 2022 – a short WhatsApp: «Would you like to make a book?» Fabian Häfeli, a successful food photographer, contacted me some time after he had successfully completed an ultra trail run, for which I supported him with nutritional advice during the build-up and on day X. At first I was skeptical because there is an inflationary amount of literature on the market – from academic textbooks to popular fitness cookbooks. But never underestimate an ultra runner and his passion for an idea. When Fabian told me that he wanted to realize the never-before-seen combination of theory, practice, insights from the «edge of the track», recipes and the whole thing beautifully packaged in an emotional visual world, I pricked up my ears.

And then it happened quite quickly. We brought reinforcements on board from Fabian’s network: Feride Dogum (recipe author, food stylist) and Daria Loetscher (graphic designer, experienced bookmaker). The vibes were good in our quartet and we were soon able to approach publishers with a dummy chapter. The potentially arduous pitch phase was surprisingly short. The first attempt, at Dorling-Kindersley in Munich, led to a contract being signed straight away. DK are experienced food professionals (cookery & non-fiction) and a great match for our project. We were allowed to implement our clear style vision (in the literal and creative sense) with a lot of freedom and so «Train Eat Repeat» – The Endurance Cookbook will be published on December 18, 2025.

I can’t say what I enjoyed the most. The great collaboration in our team and with the experts from DK (shout-out to our project managers Carmen Brand and editor Bettina Snowdon), the actual writing of the nutrition theory, input for Feride’s recipe design or standing in front of Fabian’s lens for images (which was a little easier for me in the competition than with posed shots). The creative process taught me a lot and broadened my horizons when working directly with athletes.

I am curious to see how the book is received and hope that we will achieve our goal – to awaken a desire for exercise and a sporty diet – in many readers. The book will be available from well-stocked bookshops (or online) from December 18.

I can recommend it and think it’s worth it – but I may not be entirely objective. I’m always happy to receive your unvarnished feedback here. Have fun, thank you for your interest and, above all, bon appétit with the great dishes!