Is Canadian 800m Olympic silver medallist Marco Arop making a daring transfer up in race distance? On Sunday, the 26-year-old shocked followers by successful the Rocket Metropolis Again Half Marathon in Huntsville, Ala., with a time of 1:11:15. With 110m of elevation achieve, the course was hillier than the standard half-marathon race, making Arop’s efficiency much more spectacular.
Transitioning from the explosive 800m to the strategic 21.1 km is not any small feat. Arop, an expert athlete for Adidas, executed a textbook half-marathon adverse break up–selecting up his tempo within the second half to clinch the victory. Adverse splits, whereas perfect in longer races, are much less beneficial in 800m occasion, the place going all out from the beginning is crucial for clocking quick occasions.
Apparently, of all 800m runners, Arop is perhaps probably the most skilled in tactical adverse splits–usually compelled to hold again early in 800m races as a consequence of his tall stature and lengthy stride to keep away from tripping. Within the 800m Olympic last, his splits of 51.1 and 50.1 seconds earned him the silver medal in 1:41.20–making him Canada’s first 800m Olympic medallist since 1964.
The Edmonton native’s willingness to up his distance is shocking; it’s not widespread to see 800m and 1,000m specialists racing 21 occasions their furthest occasion. The achievement confirms Arop’s vary as a runner–he’s already demonstrated his world-class potential over the 2 middle-distance occasions, and holds the North American report in each.
In October, Arop grew to become the first Canadian athlete to signal with Grand Slam Monitor. Arop will race within the males’s brief distance (800m/1,500m) division, towards 1,500m Olympic medallists Cole Hocker, Josh Kerr and Yared Nuguse.
In accordance with his world athletics profile, Arop’s longest official race earlier than Sunday was a mile. On the way in which to his half-marathon win, his Strava profile reveals private bests at 15K, 10 mile, and 20K. Whereas his weekly mileage sits at about 47 km per week, many runs are possible unlogged–unsurprising for a world champion guarding his coaching secrets and techniques.