Anyone else knock out as many miles per week as this man? On a bike, even? I saw one of his recent workouts on Strava. 31 mile run at 5:34 pace. Says he won’t hire a coach because no American coach would agree with his weekly mileage target. Excited to see how he runs at the Olympic trials in Atlanta at the end of this month.
https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a30858395/jim-walmsley-olympic-marathon-trials/
Currently, not many guys are running those kind of miles. Jim does serious vertical as well.
Historically, there are a few guys who have run those kinds of miles. Gerry Lindgren always comes to mind.
To my knowledge, Jim never really looked into a coach. (We have a very close mutual friend and Jim’s slept on my couch a few times) I have coached an American to a UTMB podium. But we’ve never talked training. Jim enjoys getting out and seeing cool shit. And, challenges. He loves a good challenge. His training is built around those two things. And I think it serves him well.
Jim is a thoughtful and intelligent guy. He might over reach now and then, but it’s a calculated risk.
I’m excited for the Trials as well. I hear that Comrades is the bigger goal.
There is also a good piece in the NY Times on Walmsley:
Pretty impressive / motivating
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I agree that it is motivating. How in the world does one eat enough to replace the calories lost for this high volume of running?
I agree that it is motivating. How in the world does one eat enough to replace the calories lost for this high volume of running?
Yeah his nutrition is something I’d like to know more about. He must be a very efficient low cal burning runner. But still, with all that volume, he’s probably eating all the time.
I agree that it is motivating. How in the world does one eat enough to replace the calories lost for this high volume of running?
Oh I can do the eating half of this equation 🙄… just not the running half of it 🤣
** agree that it is motivating. How in the world does one eat enough to replace the calories lost for this high volume of running? //**
Well from the article, those 175 weeks were the biggest, and it looks like he averages just under a 100mpw for the year. So in hours, it is probably from about 20 to a high of 30 hours a week, so less than most ironman pro triathletes. They all seem to get enough calories, so imagine runners who have such an incentive to stay on the low line of body fat, have no problem getting enough to eat. To me, just the pounding of all those miles and staying injury free is the real talent. Looking forward to him unleashing whatever secret training has done in the trials coming up…
Ron Hill.
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David Bedford springs to mind. I used to do c. 100mpw. Certainly kept the weight down.
I agree that it is motivating. How in the world does one eat enough to replace the calories lost for this high volume of running?
Yeah his nutrition is something I’d like to know more about. He must be a very efficient low cal burning runner. But still, with all that volume, he’s probably eating all the time.
Here’s a bit more about his diet: https://www.si.com/edge/2020/02/06/jim-walmsley-ultrarunner-diet-nutrition
Pizza and beer most days? That I could stick too, but I think I tried that diet and it didn’t work out well for me when I wasn’t 20 anymore.
His Strava shows 700 hours/year or almost 14 hours / week for 2019 and 2018, from what I read I think he posts all his runs there.
There seems a runner like this every 4 years, only to fall straight down a cliff from the mountain they climbed. anton krupicka, etc. I am cheering for Jim as he will be the only athlete so far not to use carbon stack bouncy shoes
He did use the Hoka Carbon X to set the 50 mile world record.
I don’t know the make up of that shoe, but name implies it might have carbon plate. No idea how it compares to the Nike/Adidas/Asics/Brooks versions.
I love the pizza and beer post runs. I don’t always drink that much beer but I love pizza.
The pizza and beer at the Augusta 70.3 finish is always a highlight for me.
Wonder if he used that shoe when he hit OTQ with a 1:04:00 half. He also ran that pace at RnR AZ
He had a prototype for all of his focused training leading into 50 mile World record.
I don’t know the exact timeline, but he would have had the shoes right around his 1:04. My guess is he did not use them in the 1:04. If he did, they would have asked him to tell people about it.
He certainly had the shoes for the more recent 1:02:14 (short course by 280 meters)
Wonder if he used that shoe when he hit OTQ with a 1:04:00 half. He also ran that pace at RnR AZ
Hello,
for his RnR Arizona half marathon he used the Hoka Carbon Rocket (carbon plate, but not much cushion), as seen in pictures.
For most of his tempo work he was using this shoes (as Fauble do also). Now apparently they both test the new Hoka race model.
This new Hoka model (there is a specific thread about that) can be seen in video from Scott Fauble and the photo on Jim Strava from Pemberton 50k few day ago. Apparently it is an evolution of the carbon rocket… as per Ben Rosario.
He’s right…and the Japanese don’t get nearly enough credit for how deep they are in men’s marathon.
This is spot on, I’ve followed Ultramarathons since 2012, the only names you still hear about in the top 5 from then is Kilian Jornet, but he rarely races anymore. Jim is easily the most talented Ultrarunner in regards to the times he put up in College so it will be very interesting to see how he does.