Whether at the Sydney-Marathon or the UTMB in the Alps: Extreme endurance performances show how closely body and mind are connected on the course.
When the body can't go on, the real work in your head is just beginning. Recent events at the Sydney-Marathon and the UTMB ultra-races in the Alps impressively show how top athletes push the limits of what is possible. It is not just about physical fitness, but above all about mental strength, tactics and dealing with unforeseen obstacles.
At the TCS Sydney-Marathon, which was held as a World Marathon Major, records tumbled. According to reports from Athletics Weekly and Runner's World, the only 21-year-old Ethiopian Addisu Gobena improved the men's course record to 2:04:42 hours. He prevailed in a gripping finish against his compatriot Chimdessa Debele. In the women's race, Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir dominated in 2:18:31 hours, although she found the hilly first half of the course extremely tough. How close triumph and physical collapse are was shown by runner-up Irine Cheptai, who had to throw up right behind the finish line.
At the same time, the UTMB (Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc) demanded everything from the athletes. Despite thunderstorms, a delayed start and course changes, historic times were achieved. The American Ben Dhiman won the legendary 100-mile race in 18:16 hours, becoming the first person to break the 19-hour barrier on this course. In the women's race, the Frenchwoman Blandine L’Hirondel crowned herself champion, although she fell heavily shortly before the finish and thought her dream was over.
The reports make it clear that success in endurance sports is rarely a straight line. Often, the ability to deal with pain and setbacks is the deciding factor. An extreme example was provided by the Chinese runner Miao Yao during the CCC race of the UTMB weekend: she started with a knee injury and, according to Trail Runner Magazine, numbed the pain with massive amounts of caffeine to fight her way to third place.
In addition to pain tolerance, patience is key. Both at the marathon in Sydney and in the alpine ultra-races, it became clear that pushing forward too early is often punished. The 46-year-old Priscah Cherono led the women's field in Sydney for a long time at an extremely fast pace, had to pay the price and fell back to sixth place in the end. In the men's CCC race, the 42-year-old Italian Cristian Minoggio also showed that waiting pays off: he held back for a long time, caught the leader in the final third and took the victory.
Even if you don't run 100 miles around Mont Blanc or aim for a marathon in record time, the strategies of the pros can be applied to your own training. When things get tough in training or competition, conscious pacing and mental flexibility help.
Your takeaway: Pace yourself wisely from the start and use mental strength to patiently overcome dry spells in training.
This article was generated automatically with AI from the sources listed above and has not been editorially reviewed.