Van der Poel runs a half marathon at 3:52 min/km: "Tomorrow I will probably regret this"

Running on foot is part of the training for those who compete in cyclocross, but one thing is to do running workouts and another very different thing is the half marathon that Mathieu van der Poel marked in the company of his friend, mountain bike cyclist Freddy Ovett, with whom he is training these days in Javea where Van der Poel resides for much of the year.

Mathieu van der Poel competitive even in running training

Who hasn't experienced this at some point. You go out to train with a friend, on a day when you're supposed to do a long run, and things end up heating up and you end up pushing each other to the limit. That seems to have happened to Mathieu van der Poel and mountain biker Freddy Ovett, with whom he has been training these days in the Alicante region.

Both covered the distance of a half marathon, that is, a little over 21 kilometers in a spectacular 1 hour and 22 minutes, which means running at an average pace of 3:52 min/km. A pace that, obviously, is far from what the best specialized runners handle but is only within reach of popular runners of excellent level.

RECOMENDADO

Black Friday 2024 for cyclists

The Van Rysel NCR CF is a best-seller in carbon and is now discounted to a price few would imagine

Tips for safely mounting tubeless tires on hookless wheels

What is the winter bicycle and why is it disappearing

The importance of the saddle's setback

Tips for maintaining motivation in winter

We found out about this training session through Freddy Ovett's Strava account, since Van der Poel hasn't shared anything since January 2023. However, in the comments received on the Strava training, Van der Poel himself responds with a "I will probably regret this tomorrow," showing that he was also in that training session.

Freddy Ovett is much more accustomed to running and is even a regular in popular races, such as the Valencia Half Marathon where he set a very commendable time of 1 hour 18 minutes and 48 seconds. This indicates that the training for him was probably of medium intensity but what about Van der Poel? Given his comment, it is very likely that he pushed himself beyond his limits to keep up with the pace set by the Australian.