The athlete from the Canton of Neuchâtel began his sport career as an orienteering runner and was twice runner-up World Champion on the long distance. He then took up running where he was able to celebrate impressive victories in Germany and abroad.  

You have been able to celebrate success in major traditional races. What is your key to success?  

Since I stepped down from the international orienteering stage in 2012, I’m not training as much. However, I am certainly benefiting from my high level of physical fitness, which I built up over the decades as a top orienteering athlete. Thanks to my considerable experience in competitions, I know exactly what I need in order to be in top form on the day of the competition without having to put in too much effort.

Another key to success is the fact that I no longer participate in many competitions, which in turn helps me to line up for the start of each race feeling extremely motivated and fresh.

As a dentist, you have your own practice near the city of Neuchâtel. How do you arrange it so there is still enough time left for training after work?  

I am no longer able to manage great amounts of training throughout the year, and don’t really want to either. My family and my job are too important. I think I would only feel jaded in everyday life if I were always to do lots of training day after day. Nevertheless, there are periods during which I train really long and hard. It starts around February where I do targeted blocks of 2 to 5 days, during which I try to reach my physical limits. Here I often train very early in the morning, during my lunch break and also late in the evening. Afterwards, I am not only really exhausted, but also need to devote more time and energy to my surroundings again. I also then allow myself several days of very relaxed training or even none at all.

After around 2 months of such a training schedule, I know I am in pretty good form again in order to step into the competition arena.

Ultra runs are popular with many runners at present. What are your three most important tips in order to be successful on these long distances?  

My competition experience is limited to 4-hour runs. Nowadays, these are no longer ultra runs. But I am convinced that too little importance is often placed on intensive training, especially flat interval units. They teach the body to run economically, even if you never run at this speed in a competition. On the other hand, I am often surprised by how badly even top runners fuel themselves. It is not complicated to do the right thing. My recipe, for example, is drinking an 0.8 litre isotonic drink every hour. I plan this fluid intake on the basis of the available catering facilities.

What runs through your head during a race? How do you respond to any negative thoughts that pop up?  

I always try to catch any negative thoughts before they develop. However, I have not yet run a long race run without having to overcome one or several crises! They are simply part of it. If you accept these crises, but have also experienced how they pass, then they don’t bother you so much. I make sure that I remain well nourished, set myself short-term goals on the route and try to motivate myself with a “head down and run” mentality.

Foto: ZVG