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| much[/i] slower than a flat run, and I would say closer to what our hunter-ancestor evolved to do... the terrain will be so varying and steep that they act as a safety mechanism...unlike fast repetitive motion on asphalt for 3-4 hours in a city mara.
At these speeds (and generous feed breaks), I could easily eat and digest and not go into an energy deficit. I heard the front runners barely paused to eat; in contrast we at the tail-end used to sit and eat for 15-20 mins and enjoy the meal  That is one reason perhaps, that I recover very fast after the races I have done (e.g. I was back in the trails doing my local hill just the day after my Inferno HM)...
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Your comments could equally apply to a road marathon. You could take it easy, have a rest at the drink/food stops and walk some bits.
A lot of people do this - those that either just want to finish or those who aer unable to go any faster.
It's difficult for the Swiss road marathons as they have (relatively) low maximum time limits but at other races around the world people come in many hours after the furst runners.
Lets, face it, most of us are running these races for personal satisfaction - either to beat PBs, enjoy the atmosphere or as a means of getting motivation for general fitness.
We're not going to win but when we run a race, unless using it as a training run for another goal, we tend to run as fast as we bl***dy well can.