After a successful Orienteering World Championships with two medals, Matthias Kyburz is now shifting his focus to the autumn marathon. This time, his choice of race was not about chasing personal bests, but about the chance to further develop tactically. How he’s preparing for it – and what’s currently keeping him up at night – you’ll find out in this text.
The Goal: New York!
Hardly had the World Orienteering Championships ended successfully with two medals when Matthias Kyburz was already looking ahead. His next big adventure: the New York Marathon.
Instead of focusing on criteria like course, profile, or race size like many other runners, Kyburz deliberately took a different approach. “I didn’t want to go hunting for another PB like in spring, but rather develop tactically,” he explains. A race without pacemakers and with a challenging course offered the perfect stage for that. What finally tipped the scales, however, was something else: the feedback from countless athletes who call New York the most atmospheric marathon in the world. For Kyburz, it quickly became clear that on November 2nd he wants to be on the start line in the American metropolis.
The Preparation
As with his previous marathon starts in Paris and Seville, Matthias Kyburz has again set aside about three months of specific preparation for New York. The foundation is built on three weekly key sessions – long run, threshold training, and intervals – complemented by numerous easy runs. The biggest difference compared to previous build-ups is that, because of the New York course, the runs aren’t done exclusively on flat terrain, but include more elevation.
What gives me restless nights is the fact that the tough weeks (up to 200 km) are still to come…
At the moment, Kyburz is running 160–170 kilometers per week plus two to three strength sessions. “With the three key workouts, the training already feels quite tough. What gives me restless nights is the fact that the hard weeks (up to 200 km) are still to come…” he says with a wink.
Preparatory Races
Like a mid-level on the way to the final boss in an old Super Mario classic, the preparatory races appear on Kyburz’s calendar. They bring variety to training and provide key advantages over normal sessions: having a bib number helps push to the limit and experience real race feeling.
For Kyburz, two aspects are particularly in focus: Can he maintain the pace in the second half of the race – and how well can his muscles handle the load? The planned test races are meant to provide answers: the Sarnerseelauf on September 7th (half marathon) and Morat–Fribourg over 17.17 kilometers on October 5th.
The Goal
A top-10 result in New York seems to me like a high, but realistic goal
While in Seville this spring the focus was on time, in New York it is now on placement. A glance at the start list shows that Kyburz currently has the ninth fastest PB among the registered participants (with more elite runners likely to follow). “A top-10 result in New York seems to me like a high, but realistic goal,” says the Swiss athlete.
In addition, it’s about the right tactics: finding his own pace at the crucial moment to enter Central Park with reserves. “So that I can get through those last hills suffering, but still with some punch in the legs,” is how Kyburz describes his vision.
Follow Matthias’ Road to New York
We’ll accompany Matthias on his journey to New York and keep you updated. Follow his progress here on the blog and via Instagram and let yourself be inspired to start your own marathon adventure – maybe even with running.COACH.
