“I am making a very special thing. It is a juice made of carrots and apples. It is full of vitamins and it is very good for runners.”
Klara says this with such enthusiasm and warmth that I almost think for a moment that I have stepped out of the every day world and entered a sweet, wonderful, new reality. Like Nirjharini herself, who has crewed the kitchen at the 3100 mile race for 11 years, this little kitchen I just walked into is like nothing most of us have ever seen before. And yes the food is divine.
It is not the stoves, sinks, and refrigerators that separates it from the from the mundane every day kitchen. What makes me feel that I have entered some bright portion of heaven, is instead the warmth and love and patience, that permeates the spotless room. It is a consciousness, for lack of a better word, that also seems to be part and parcel of every single aspect of the race.The 5 girls who make up the core team of cooks work astonishing hours and create dozens of unique individualized portions. Keeping the runners charged and fulfilled for all the 18 hours they are on the course. This all means that there has to be a very strict schedule from 5am and than on until 9:30 pm. The runners themselves each have such unique needs and restrictions.
