--- title: Zone Pushes Athletes To New Heights description: As an athlete, Dean Karnazes had experimented with all types of diets in hopes of improving performance. Then he read 'The Zone,' and it changed his life. image: https://www.zonediet.com/uploads/zone-athlete.jpg --- ##### Shop By Category - [ Best Seller ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/best-sellers) - [ Omega-3s ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/omega-3-fish-oil) - [ Polyphenols ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/polyphenols) - [ Zone Foods ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-foods) - [ Blood Tests ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/blood-tests) - [ Supplements ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/supplements) - [ Books ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/books) - [ Skin Care ](https://zoneliving.com/collections/skin-care-1) - [ Metabolic Engineering ](https://zoneliving.com/collections/metabolic-engineering) - Best Seller [ Shop All ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/all) ##### Shop By Zone Food - [ Zone Muffins ](https://zoneliving.com/collections/zone-muffins) - [ Zone Pasta ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-pasta) - [ Zone Shakes ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-shakes) - [ Zone Bars ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/zone-nutrition-bars) - [ Olive Oil ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/olive-oil) [ Shop All ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/collections/all) [![easy-to-make](https://blog.zoneliving.com/hubfs/Global_2023/easy-to-make.webp) ](https://zoneliving.myshopify.com/blogs/recipes) Easy-to-make recipes just for you. 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D | Creator of the Zone Diet # [Zone Pushes Athletes To New Heights](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/zone-pushes-athlete-to-new-heights) - ** - [**](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.zoneliving.com%2Fzoneliving%2Fzone-living-newsletter-articles%2Fzone-pushes-athlete-to-new-heights) - [**](https://www.twitter.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.zoneliving.com%2Fzoneliving%2Fzone-living-newsletter-articles%2Fzone-pushes-athlete-to-new-heights) - [**](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/zone-pushes-athlete-to-new-heights) - [**](https://plus.google.com/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.zoneliving.com%2Fzoneliving%2Fzone-living-newsletter-articles%2Fzone-pushes-athlete-to-new-heights) Written by Dean Karnazes on March 01, 2014   In 1999, I read a book called '[The Zone](http://www.zonediet.com/shop/more-products/books/the-zone/)' by Dr. Barry Sears. As an athlete, I had experimented with all types of diets in the past in hopes of improving my performance. A friend of mine recommended that I read 'The Zone,' so I did. That one book profoundly influenced my life. I adopted the[ Zone Diet](http://www.zonediet.com/the-zone-diet/) and found that not only was my performance improving, I was recovering more quickly and my overall energy levels were remaining much more stable throughout the course of the day. My body composition naturally shifted to a higher percentage of lean muscle tissue and lower overall body fat. All this was achieved through diet alone.   Dr. Sears and I have since developed a friendship, and I follow many of the dietary principles he recommends. This has helped me to attain some accomplishments that I am very proud of. TIME magazine named me as one of the 'Top 100 Most Influential People in the World.' Men's Fitness hailed me as one of the fittest men on the planet. Stan Lee called me, 'Super Human.' Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined such accolades would ever be bestowed upon me.   As an athlete, I've been able to push my body and mind to new heights. I've run 350 continuous miles, foregoing sleep for three nights. I've raced across the Sahara Desert in 120-degree temperatures and also ran a marathon to the South Pole at negative 40 degrees. On ten different occasions I've run a 200-mile relay race solo, racing alongside teams of 12. Beyond running, I've swam across the San Francisco Bay, scaled numerous mountains, bike raced for 24 hours straight, competed in long-distance Stand Up Paddleboard races, and surfed some of the gigantic waves off the coast of Hawaii and California.   Competitively, I've won both the world's toughest footrace, the Badwater Ultramarathon, and the world's toughest endurance event, the 4 Deserts Challenge. In 2006 I ran 50 marathons in all 50 US states in 50 consecutive days, something many said would be impossible.   All the while, I've been following the principles of The Zone diet. Thank you, Dr. Sears!   For more information about Dean, visit: [Ultramarathon.com](http://www.ultramarathon.com) and [Facebook.com/Ultramarathon](http://www.facebook.com/Ultramarathon) [Peak Performance ](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/topic/peak-performance), [Testimonial ](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/topic/testimonial) ### Popular stories [Easy Hearty And Healthy Chili Recipe](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/easy-hearty-and-healthy-chili-recipe) Nov 01, 2013 [Milk and Milk Substitutes—What You Need to Know](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/milk-many-types-liquid-nutrition) Apr 05, 2017 [Tasty Recipes in: The Mediterranean Zone](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/tasty-recipes) Oct 03, 2014 ### Posts by Tags - [Zone Diet (59)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/zone-diet) - [Zone Living (48)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/zone-living) - [Recipes (45)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/recipes) - [Peak Performance (41)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/peak-performance) - [Omega-3 Fish Oil (35)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/omega-3-fish-oil) - [Healthy Eating (30)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/healthy-eating) - [Testimonial (24)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/testimonial) - [Dr. Barry Sears (20)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/dr-barry-sears) - [Healthy Aging (17)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/healthy-aging) - [Polyphenols (17)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/polyphenols) - [Weight Loss (16)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/weight-loss) - [Newsletter Article (15)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/newsletter-article) - [Holidays (14)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/holidays) - [Evidence-Based Wellness (10)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/evidence-based-wellness) - [Childhood Nutrition (9)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/childhood-nutrition) - [Restaurants (8)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/restaurants) - [Zone Cruise (5)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/zone-cruise) - [Food & Nutrition (2)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/food-nutrition) - [Pro-Resolution Nutrition (2)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/pro-resolution-nutrition) - [Exercise (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/exercise) - [Fittness (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/fittness) - [Fruits & Vegetables (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/fruits-vegetables) - [Inflammation (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/inflammation) - [Strength Training (1)](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/tag/strength-training) [See all](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/zone-living-newsletter-articles/zone-pushes-athlete-to-new-heights#) ### Let Us Know What You Thought about this Post. Put your Comment Below. ### You may also like: [Peak Performance](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/topic/peak-performance) ## [A Zone Racing Story](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/azoneracingstory) Dr. Sears and Zone Athletes An important facet of Dr. Sears’ legacy has been working with athletes. For cycling, specifi... [Read More for Post](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/azoneracingstory) [Healthy Aging](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/topic/healthy-aging) [Peak Performance](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/topic/peak-performance) [Zone Diet](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/topic/zone-diet) ## [Race Training: 8 Tips For The Off Season](https://blog.zoneliving.com/zoneliving/race-training-8-tips-for-the-off-season) Lisa's Bio Lisa Bentley is a Zone Athlete who has raced for 20 years as a professional triathlete, winning 11 Ironman an... 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