About this episode

Andreas Almgren discusses his marathon debut and training strategies following his European 10,000m Championship victory.

Andreas Almgren just won European gold by lapping half the field—and six days later, he announced he's stepping up to 26.2 miles for the first time. In this episode, recorded mid-marathon-buildup with the aches to prove it, Almgren breaks down the decision to make his marathon debut at the TCS New York City Marathon on November 1, and why he chose the toughest, slowest Major Marathon over a flat time-trial course like Valencia. He explains the front-running gamble that produced his historic 27:23.44 in the 10,000m in Birmingham—a 3:17 opening kilometer that forced him to take the race into his own hands from the third lap—and what it actually feels like to lap the field and win a championship by 19 seconds. Almgren gets into the mechanics of the buildup itself: mileage climbing toward 230K (142 miles) a week, fueling 120 grams of carbs an hour on long runs, testing new super-trainers versus carbon race shoes, and the durability work required to survive New York's bridges and hills. He also opens up on the "dark years" between 2016 and 2020, the 800m speed he's carrying into a marathon debut, and why he's not ruling out a 10,000m/marathon double at the 2028 Olympics…

People in this episode

Host: Dominic Schlueter

Guest: Andreas Almgren

Topics covered

• marathon debut
• European 10,000m Champion
• training regimen
• race strategy
• distance running
• athlete mindset

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: TCS New York City Marathon, Valencia, Marius Bakken

Places: Birmingham, Finland

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