Arne Gabius: “My backwind has the strength of a hurricane”
The German running-star Arne Gabius says, about the power of a bad breakfast before the start, the birthday of his first child on the day of the marathon and other aspects along the Frankfurt course.
Why kind of picture do you have in front of you when you think about the 29th of October?
The pictures that I think about that I collected in Frankfurt from 2014 and 2015 were: jammed packed city, nice weather, motivated runner, and a top organization. Especially, the itching feeling, this early excitement, the nervousness and the stage fright on the start. I trained for the moment for weeks now.
Are you along on the course in a tunnel- or do you keep the eyes wide opened to take in everything?
I focus especially point on the course that I know extremely good. That’s a homefield advantage.
Do you concentrate on the kilometer markers or most on things of the city?
The first 5 kilometers, it’s about getting into the swing of things in the race. On the other side of the start on the Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage and then on the nutrition stations on the Bremer Straße by kilometer 9 are points that are easily recognized. Also, the 2.5-kilometer-long segment along the Main and the old bridge, I take in deeply. At the half marathon point in the jammed packed enthusiastic center is the Schwanheimer bridge, then the Mainzer Landstraße with the tracks in the middle, the race-hotel, where the top athletes are staying by kilometer 35 – I always keep an eye out for these.
2014 was a very impressive marathon debut for you in Frankfurt, in 2015 followed the joyous German record – what’s new for your third start in Frankfurt in 2017?
The motto is: comeback. From this standpoint I had a little problem in the record year of 2015, which after numerous injuries costed me my chance by the Olympics in Rio. I could barely walk and had to take a pause from May of 2016 to January 2017. Also, in this summer there were times, when I noticed, somethings not right: Then I changed things up radically.
What for example?
I avoided certain food, that I thought didn’t do me good. Most of them things that tasted very good to me – and that was very hard. But that’s how it is now. The payout: I feel like a new person, this because I don’t have any more pain. I had pain something and the muscles never seemed to get enough rest. In the meantime, I have a really good insight into my training and the main focus is on Frankfurt. In short: I don’t have to fight anymore, it’s just flows. And that’s how marathon should be.
How much slipstream did the best test run by a half marathon in Copenhagen (62:31 min.) in September have?
That is very important. The slipstream had almost the strength of a hurricane. When Copenhagen didn’t work out, my head would start to turn around in circles. The time was good, but the main thing was the feeling I had while running. It was actually really fun.
Do you have a specific finishing time for your run in Frankfurt set? I will be in the second group, that will probably run the half marathon in 64:15 to 64:30. First, it would be nice to be in the area around the time for the German record. I hope for a good mix of pacemakers and ambitious competition. According to past experience, the technical meeting at the end of the race is then still quiet annoying. I am quite confident that I can run between 2:08 and 2:10 – it would be quite nice when it’s under 2:10.
You have felt the hardships of the marathon business around 2 years now on your own. Don’t you sometimes wish to be a better soccer player?
No, I have a mind of my own and am pretty much independent. I love my freedom – running is the ideal sport for it. My first trainer in Hamburg laid a lot on, that I always know exactly, when and why I make a specific type of training. This is because, he didn’t want me to just train without a solid plan. With all that joy and excitement from this team thinking, I couldn’t imagine, to do everything is a determined plan to make a team even happier.
Are you following your old trainings plan that you had by your first 2 Frankfurt marathon success experience?
Marathon preparation are never identical with another. I have chosen about the same amount of burdens with about the same amount of intensive sessions. A fast, 30-kilometer run is a part of it, also, a longer distance of 46 kilometer with intervals built in. In total, new influences and new ideas leads more often to a new type of trainings session. In addition, there part of my training sessions that are spontaneous and my body has to adjust to this. I am very optimistic, that I will be in top form when starting.
At the beginning, you mentioned the nervousness and a little stress at the start, is this something that you let nature take its course or do you do something about it?
Stage fright holds a big fear factor in it – including the question: Will everything be okay today? Why are you doing this to yourself today? And this is exactly what you have to do, let nature take its course so everything will be good. My experience is: Always, when I start the races with a cool head, the run will be bad. When I shovel everything in my mouth by breakfast, then my wife knows, it won’t be a good competition. But if I have to force-feed myself by breakfast, then she knows, it we be a good race.
How does the couple Gabius, go on with the birthday of the first child, since it is on the day of the Mainova Frankfurt Marathon?
In the Gabius family, the countdown is ticking for 2 events. We will be prepared for both. Of course, she cannot be on the bike and reaching drinks over to me. The odds, that my first child has a birthday on this exact day is so small – statistically only 4 percent. No stress. We have so little hands, just as the weather in Frankfurt.
