On Sunday, August 16, Matthias Kyburz will stand at the start line for the sixth time in his still young marathon career. This time, though, it isn’t about a personal best. At the European Athletics Championships in Birmingham, he’s fighting for a place among Europe’s elite, on a course that isn’t exactly typical marathon terrain.
When, where, how
The men’s marathon starts at 8.10am local time at Victoria Square in the center of Birmingham. Instead of a classic point-to-point course, the field runs 8 laps of 5 km through the city center, with start and finish both at Victoria Square. In total the course adds up to around 700 meters of elevation gain, well more than most city marathons. The loop is considered sharp and technical, with frequent changes of direction.
More climbing, more strength
Compared to earlier marathon build-ups, Kyburz changed one thing above all in his preparation for Birmingham. He built more climbing into his training. The goal was to reach around 2000 meters of elevation gain each week, spread across a running volume of 150 to 200 km.
His highest-volume week came in at 200 km, four weeks before the race. Because the extra elevation gain takes more time, his weekly running time ended up somewhat higher than in earlier build-ups. Something also changed in the weight room. “I adjusted the strength training again, partly because of the climbing. We went back to two strength sessions a week and really stuck with it right through to the end,” says Kyburz. On top of that came adjusted cycles for maximum and speed strength.
Another factor in the preparation was the heat. Summer 2026 has famously been unusually hot. Kyburz therefore consistently scheduled his intense sessions for the morning and did his second training session of the day in the shade along the Aare. “That really makes a huge difference,” he says.
The goal is placing, not a time
Unlike a city marathon with a flat, fast course, the personal best isn’t the focus in Birmingham. Kyburz expects a time around 2 hours 15 minutes, give or take two to three minutes. For comparison, in New York last year he ran around 2 hours 10 minutes, though on a considerably flatter course.
In terms of form, Kyburz feels better than in spring, though he can only compare that to a limited extent. “I was at altitude during this current build-up, trained a lot with climbing, and on top of that it’s been pretty hot. So I can’t really compare directly or make a clear statement.” Bigger problems with fatigue or muscular issues stayed away during this build-up, though he lacks direct tune-up races as a reference point. “It’s a bit of a black box,” he says. “But I’d have to seriously understate things if I wanted to say it was just an average build-up.”
His goal is a top ten finish. But he wouldn’t sign off on that in advance. “If you asked me right now whether I’d sign for a top ten finish, I’d probably turn that offer down.” His reasoning is based on his experience in New York, where the starting position looked very similar according to the rankings, and in the end more turned out to be possible. Based on personal bests from the qualification period, Kyburz sits in position 12, led by Germany’s Amanal Petros with 2 hours 4 minutes 3 seconds. But according to Kyburz himself, this ranking says little about how the race will actually play out. Depending on how the race unfolds, there’s still plenty possible further up.
Then there’s one aspect that actually plays to his advantage. On the technical, twisty loop course, Kyburz sees an edge from his earlier career as an orienteer. “On a loop like this, with this much climbing and this many corners, nobody has much experience. And I picked up good instinctive running skills back in orienteering,” he says. Unlike on a flat, straight course, pure race speed isn’t the only thing that counts here. The ability to react correctly in the moment matters too.
Race tactics
Kyburz makes his tactics depend on when a potential attack comes. Between kilometer 5 and 25 he sees the biggest tactical room to maneuver. “That’s more about who makes the attack, how sharp it is, who goes with it and who doesn’t.” If the decisive attack comes only after kilometer 25, though, things look different. “For me it’s clear, from around 25 to 30 km I’ll just try to go with it. From that point there’s not much tactical room left. This is a European Championships, so I’ll try to stay with the front,” says Kyburz.
Healthy at the start line for the sixth time
There’s one detail that barely shows up during the race itself, but it matters to Kyburz to mention it. Birmingham is already his sixth marathon in a row where he’s reached the start line healthy and on plan. What sounds unspectacular at first glance is anything but a given in marathon running. Injuries and setbacks during preparation are part of everyday life for many athletes. Kyburz credits his consistency to well thought out training management. “That shows the underlying structure built by running.COACH really works well,” he says.
This post is also available in ES.