Regular small meals have been frequently recommended for a variety of diet reasons and is in no way tied to diabetes or other health issues, and is often times better then a glut of food in a single meal. In addition, people prone to hypoglycemia can benefit from gentle gnoshing through the day.

http://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/6_meals_a_day#1 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-53111/Why-eating-l...

Here's a meta-study that claims possible positive effects for small, frequent meals: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26024494

On the side bar there's a bunch more.

Can you handle a marathon on water and elecrolytes each day, every day, for most of your career?

Marathon runners eat during the race

Well, you're better able to digest when you're not constantly running, and you're less reliant on concentration for a marathon.

When I ran an ultramarathon (31 miles) I ate a lot of Oreos during the race. They have snack tables along the route.