Training of famous runners - Members Only

Benita Willis: Legends of Athletics Key Sessions By Mark Tucker Australia’s first World Cross Country Champion (winning in 2004; our only individual medallist to date), a 4 time Olympian and multiple Australian record holder (2000m, 3000m, 5000m, 10,000m and Marathon), Bronze medallist at the World Half Marathon Championships (2003) along with...

Training of Robert de Castella "To break the (Australian) record requires an athlete with a number of very specific attributes. Firstly, they need to have the right physiology and ability. Secondly, they need to avoid injuries. And thirdly, they need to be tough and committed enough to go overseas and...

© 2019 Runner’s Tribe, all rights reserved. “The average I run per day is 11-12 miles for six days a week. But it’s not easy miles” – Bernard Lagat If there is an athlete that epitomizes longevity, then five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat is that man. Lagat has been an elite athlete...

‘El Caballo’ The Training of Alberto Juantorena © 2021 Runner’s Tribe, all rights reserved “The secret to being a good runner is that you must sacrifice your life for it. You must train hard; eat well, with not too many parties and not too much sex. You must have a lot of...

In 2017 Runner’s Tribe published a book referred to as ‘The Bible of Australian Marathon Running’. This 347-page paperback publication interviews Australia’s 10 fastest ever female and male marathon runners, and dives deep into their training, race preparation, diet and much more. In this exclusive feature article for Runner’s Tribe Addict, we bring you some of the coolest snippets from the book; we take a look at some of these amazing athlete’s favourite sessions. Athletes studied: Lee Troop - Something to Prove Lisa Weightman - More than just a Marathoner Pat Carroll - The True Competitor Benita Willis - Our Fastest Ever Derek Clayton - Leading the Way Robert de Castella - ‘Deeks’ de Master                    Steve Moneghetti - The Inspiration of a Generation Lisa Ondieki - Track & Mileage: To the Extreme Brad Camp - Complete Dedication Jessica Trengove - Genuinely Inspiring

In February 2004, Lee Troop was a man on a mission. His goals for 2004 were to have a crack at the Australian Marathon Record (2:07.51 held by Robert de Castella) at the London Marathon and to finish in the top 10 at the Athen’s Olympic Marathon. To achieve these goals, Lee changed his training focus from the more traditional Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday ‘hard / quality sessions’ to the following, more ‘marathon specific’ training program.

A key workout for coach Colm and various Kenyan’s, is called ‘Diagonals’.  Performed  once or sometimes twice per week, the session is a form of fartlek training, a mix between speed and endurance.  The session is not intended to be a ‘max effort’ but more of a strong fartlek, that helps build both speed and endurance without overly flattening an athlete. The session is often completed not as a hard workout but is often done on an ‘in-between’ day.  It’s a way to build fitness and speed, while still keeping athletes fresh for upcoming harder workouts.

The Training of Steve Cram © 2017 Runner’s Tribe, all rights reserved. "Despite what some coaches might say, the majority of past successes were built on a sound endurance background forged by most on the mud and hills of strength-building cross-country events. Bypass this as an integral part of a competitive...

The first occasion I recall meeting Lee Troop was when Julian Paynter brought him along for a Sunday morning run at the 1993 national championships in Brisbane. ‘Troopy’ had finished sixth in the U20 5000 metres the night before, a race won by Andrew Letherby. By the time we got back from that run almost two hours later two things were apparent. Lee Troop could run – and he could talk. It’s no surprise, then, that over 20 years later Troop is still running and, one way or another, he is still talking, be it as a coach, a mentor, an advocate for the sport. He was, and is, passionate about his running and articulate in expressing that passion.

Steve Moneghetti is one of Australia’s greatest marathoners. World championships bronze medallist in Athens in 1997, fifth in an Olympic marathon, a personal best of 2:08.16, major marathon wins in Berlin and Tokyo plus a string of high placings. Moneghetti’s career highlight had to be his bronze medal in the...