Is Canadian 800m Olympic silver medallist Marco Arop making a daring transfer up in race distance? On Sunday, the 26-year-old stunned followers by profitable the Rocket Metropolis Again Half Marathon in Huntsville, Ala., with a time of 1:11:15. With 110m of elevation achieve, the course was hillier than the standard half-marathon race, making Arop’s efficiency much more spectacular.
Transitioning from the explosive 800m to the strategic 21.1 km is not any small feat. Arop, an expert athlete for Adidas, executed a textbook half-marathon unfavourable cut up–choosing up his tempo within the second half to clinch the victory. Unfavorable splits, whereas splendid in longer races, are much less beneficial in 800m occasion, the place going all out from the beginning is crucial for clocking quick occasions.
Apparently, of all 800m runners, Arop could be essentially the most skilled in tactical unfavourable splits–typically compelled to hold again early in 800m races as a result of his tall stature and lengthy stride to keep away from tripping. Within the 800m Olympic last, his splits of 51.1 and 50.1 seconds earned him the silver medal in 1:41.20–making him Canada’s first 800m Olympic medallist since 1964.
The Edmonton native’s willingness to up his distance is shocking; it’s not frequent to see 800m and 1,000m specialists racing 21 occasions their furthest occasion. The achievement confirms Arop’s vary as a runner–he’s already demonstrated his world-class means over the 2 middle-distance occasions, and holds the North American report in each.
Arop advised Canadian Working that his coaching group in Starkville, Miss., normally does 10-12 mile lengthy runs on Sundays this time of 12 months. “My coach gave me the inexperienced gentle so as to add an additional mile and run slightly bit sooner,” Arop mentioned on the choice to race the half. “I didn’t count on an excessive amount of with the time; I figured something below 1:15 could be good.”
In October, Arop turned the first Canadian athlete to signal with Grand Slam Monitor. Arop will race within the males’s quick distance (800m/1,500m) division, towards 1,500m Olympic medallists Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse.
In keeping with his world athletics profile, Arop’s longest official race earlier than Sunday was a mile. On the way in which to his half-marathon win, his Strava profile reveals private bests at 15K, 10 mile, and 20K. Whereas his weekly mileage sits at about 47 km per week, many runs are possible unlogged–unsurprising for a world champion guarding his coaching secrets and techniques.
