In an impressive catch-up race, the 30-year-old eventually won the 100 km Biel run in style and became Swiss Champion. The Büsserach resident’s achievement is even more significant in the light of the fact that he actually wanted to give up after 6 kilometres.  

100 kilometres is a distance many only manage by bike or by car. You do it on foot and at a pace of 4:13 min/km - simply impressive. Which of your training principles make you so fast?  

While I approach the distance as a whole with respect, the 100 km can be divided into sections (milestones). I focus on the respective section. Once it is behind me, I am motivated to tackle the unique characteristics of the next one, with each section bringing me closer to the finish.

The training has a similar structure to that of a marathon, however, the "long runs" are more frequent and longer. It is the accumulation of "long runs" over a period of 2-3 days, often the weekend, which contributes substantially to the endurance capacity. At the end of the unit, I particularly try to increase my speed now and again in order to provide a stimulus. The same applies to the recovery: after a hard weekend of 3 runs the body usually needs 2-3 days of relaxation and recovery. This can be accelerated by biking/spinning or light running units. The head also need to recover from these training units, which sometimes last as long as 5 hours.

On your way to the 100 km Swiss Championships, you competed in a marathon and an ultra run of 50 kilometres. With regards to competition training and preparation, what do you recommend to all those wanting the once-in-a-lifetime experience of participating in an ultra run in Biel or elsewhere?

• In my opinion, it is important to create a plan over a longer period of time. For Biel, I created a rough plan spanning at least 6 months together with Mega-joule.ch. Ideally, I book the most important dates early on and register myself where necessary. In doing so, I not only think about the dates of the competitions but also make thoughts about massages, holidays, and training camps, etc.
• Approach the competition distance slowly and gradually. For example, start with a half marathon as your goal, then a marathon, then the 100 km.
• Long training units also help to pull you mentally through the competition. If these can be completed together with friends, the time/distance goes much faster.

As an ultra runner, you notch up a lot of running kilometres. You also work full-time as a financial accounting expert. Can you give us an overview of how much time you spent running, alternative training, weight lifting, and recovering in 2015?  

In 2015, I ran in excess of 5000 km and cycled around 900 km. I did weekly strength exercises using my own body weight. And I certainly invested a lot of days in recovery. On average, I was in the salt water bath every 2 to 3 weeks and had a massage once a month. Practically all my holidays were invested in training.

A former Olympic marathon champion once said that during a marathon you have plenty of time to think. This must be all the more extreme during an ultra run. What runs through your head during a race? How do you respond to any negative thoughts that pop up?  

I always try to enjoy the competitions. These are not only voluntary but I trained for them. The glass is always half full instead of half empty. Those who divide their race reasonably well will benefit in the second half of the run. Negative thoughts and crises are part of the competition. They come sooner or later to everyone, especially in the long distances. The better these are accepted, the easier they are to shake off.

I have to admit that as a numbers man, I continuously analyse the competition, whereby my thoughts are partially torn between the lead, competition, tempo, etc. - and then it helps to consistently ignore everything, think ahead, and simply continue to move with ease and not lose any energy on these thoughts - because they often won’t change anything anyway.

Foto: ZVG