31.10.2019
| Marathon outlook
The German record holder Arne Gabius will take part in the New York Marathon on Sunday. There where his road running career began in 2014 with his half marathon debut. This year the 38-year-old wants to qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo with a place in the top ten.
On Sunday, Arne Gabius will run for the first time in the marathon where his road running career really began: in New York. In March 2014 he made his debut over the half-marathon distance in the Big Apple and achieved a respectable success right away, finishing eighth. To this day, those 62:09 minutes are his personal best over “half the distance”.
“It was only through this race that I got the idea to try the marathon,” says Arne Gabius. Half a year later he made a perfect debut over the 42.195 kilometers in Frankfurt, and in 2015 he broke the German record on the Main with 2:08:33 hours. A place in the top ten at Sunday’s New York City Marathon would be a perfect result in several ways. No other German runner has managed this for almost 30 years. Above all, Arne Gabius would have qualified for the Olympic Games with such a result.
Normally the chances of such a placement for the German marathon record holder, who competes for the Therapy Reha Bottwartal association, would be very slim in one of the great marathon classics. But the breadth at the top of the New York elite field is quite modest this year, especially among the men. “It’s a great chance,” says Arne Gabius, looking at the start lists. There are just five athletes in the race who have a fastest time than the German record holder.
Qualification opportunity for the Olympic Games
Arne Gabius is probably not in a 2:08 hour form, but there are only eight competitors who have so far run under 2:10. The International Athletics Federation (IAAF) has determined a placement in the top ten at a race in the World Marathon Majors, which include New York, as one of the qualification options for the 2020 Olympics. The qualification via placement in the opaque world rankings and reaching the international standard time of 2:11:30 hours are the other ways that can lead to the Olympic marathon.
Arne Gabius has meticulously prepared for the New York Marathon. The undulating route is not suitable for chasing personal best times. The course is considered difficult. “I’ve incorporated quite a bit of hill training into my runs. I ran my 40-kilometer training run on a 5-kilometer lap, as this lap has an altitude difference of around 45 meters, ”says Arne Gabius, who simulated the various bridges and the hilly Central Park.
“I looked at a lot on YouTube regarding past races,” says the German record holder, who in 2016 had to forego the Olympic start in Rio (Brazil) due to an injury. “But you can’t plan New York,” says Arne Gabius. At the marathon spectacle, pacemakers are traditionally prohibited. So you never know exactly what will happen in advance.
Restrained initial pace on a demanding route
Nevertheless, there are always similar races in New York. The pace is often relatively slow during the first half and up to about 25 km on the Queensboro Bridge, so that a larger group can stay together. “A pace of 64:30 to 65:00 minutes for the first half I would go with the front. Then when it comes down Queenboro Bridge, I know I have to hold back. Many run too fast in this phase, ”explains Arne Gabius.
However, if the African favorites run fast from the start, he will join a second group. Athletes like Michel Butter from the Netherlands are certainly starting the race with similar goals in view of the Olympics. “It may be that we agree something when we meet over dinner in the hotel over the next few days,” says Arne Gabius, who has been on the marathon at home in Stuttgart over the past few weeks after two high altitude training camps in Pontresina (Switzerland) prepared in New York.
Looking forward to the running classic
“Once the race is over, I don’t think so much about the top ten finish or the 2:11:30 hours. Especially since you can barely know during the run which position you are currently in. ”For Arne Gabius, it’s simply about performing as best as possible. “There will certainly be tough phases in the race. But I hope that I still have some energy at the back. Because an Olympic qualification can also work over time. “
Arne Gabius has run marathons four times so far in autumn. The results could be a good omen for his race in New York, because three times he ran under 2:10 hours in Frankfurt. A year ago, Arne Gabius am Main crossed the finish line after 2:11:45 hours in very windy weather.
To experience the unique flair of the New York Marathon, that is also what Arne Gabius is about on Sunday. The 38-year-old appreciates the importance this race has had in the enormous development of running around the world. “New York is great,” says the German record holder, who took his wife and two-year-old son with him to the USA, also with regard to the social activities of the running organizer New York Road Runners. “I am also exemplary in what you do in charity initiatives.” The unique spectacle of the New York Marathon is something Arne Gabius is looking forward to. “I really wanted to experience that as a professional runner.”
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