Sour Candy and Solo Miles: How Paige Foote Ran Her First Marathon and Founded Noogs

Paige Foote didn’t expect to run her first marathon on a half-mile loop at an Air Force base, but like a lot of runners in 2020, she made do with what she had. After getting into the NYC Marathon lottery, the race was canceled—so instead of deferring, she decided to do it anyway.

She pieced together a solo race day: snacks, water, bathrooms, and a loop she knew well. Her husband dropped her off, gave her a quick send-off, and she started her watch. Just a minute in, the NYC Marathon app pumped in fake crowd noise and start-line audio, and that’s when the emotion hit her. It wasn’t the race she had planned, but it still meant something.

The Candy That Sparked an Idea

As the miles ticked by, so did the thoughts. Paige is a registered dietitian, and she'd been fueling with sour gummy candy during long runs—fun, but not ideal. Too chewy, too sticky, not exactly designed for mid-run chewing. That’s when the idea hit her: what if this candy was designed for running?

That moment on the track would eventually become Noogs, the fuel brand Paige now co-owns with her husband. And while the marathon itself didn’t come with crowds or medals or course-side cheering, it ended with balloons, a streamer finish line, and In-N-Out. She got it done. And the thing she built from it is now helping thousands of other runners get it done too.

NYC, Take Two

She went on to run the NYC Marathon for real in 2021. This time, she had a community around her. She made friends at the start line, saw her parents cheering on the sidelines, and got the poncho she’d been eyeing since signing up the first time. The marathon hit hard but so did the meaning behind it.

Lessons Learned

• Training alone doesn’t mean you have to feel alone

• Sometimes the “wrong” first marathon ends up being the right one

• Fueling with candy is fun until it sticks to your teeth for 10 miles

• Every mile is a gift, even the dizzy ones on a half-mile loop

Want to hear Paige tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: Sour Candy, Solo Miles, and the Making of Noogs w/ Paige Foote— available wherever you get your podcasts.

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