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Marathon man training in the home of champions

German international and HOKA elite athlete, Frank Schauer, has been training at high altitude in Iten, Kenya in preparation for a spring marathon. Find out what training Frank has been up to over the last few weeks, what it’s like to train at altitude and why it is such an inspiring environment.

It’s the third time that I’ve been to Iten, Kenya as part of my marathon preparation. Iten is the stronghold of running. You see hundreds of Kenyans as well as athletes from all over the world training here every day. Among them are Olympic medallists, world champions and national record holders. It’s a very inspiring environment.

I choose to come to Iten as it is at high altitude, around 2,400m above sea level. It’s a great place to build the aerobic base for the marathon. There are not many places in the world where you can train at this altitude. It’s also very tough terrain but the environment is varied. It’s hilly and is filled with difficult trails. Back home in Magdeburg, Germany, I run a lot of my kilometres on the streets and the only climbs are bridges!

I’m in Kenya with some of the best marathon runners from Germany and sometimes we train with marathon runners from Switzerland too. My day starts at 6:00am. Usually, we start training around 7:00am, depending on which workout is planned. We train for around two hours, then at 10am, I have some breakfast and afterwards take a nap. Lunchtime is around 12:30pm. I then go to get a massage before training starts again at 4:30pm. At 7:00pm, we’ll have dinner at the hotel restaurant before having a chat and playing some cards. I tend to go to bed around 10:00pm.

I’m doing a lot of ground work in Kenya, running between 200-230km every week. There haven’t been any special workouts, although tomorrow morning I will go on the track to do intervals. The workout is: 8x1000m (faster) alternating with 7x1000m (slightly easier). I’ll aim to run the faster ones at 3.15/km and the slower, recovery ones between 3.50-4.00/km. Last week I did it in 3:18s and 4:05s. Now I have to go a bit faster.

It’s tough to do the quality workouts on a dirt track. The ground isn’t even and it has stones and potholes. You have to concentrate on how you set your foot the whole time, and get more tired because of it. I have never felt very good while training at such high altitude. But I know that I am getting some good work done – and usually it has paid off in the end.

In my downtime here, I don’t do much besides sleeping. Training is hard and there is not too much to do. Sometimes I just enjoy the view. It’s good to concentrate, but sometimes it can get a bit boring. Some athletes have problems with their stomach because of the different food and lower hygiene standards than we’re used to in Europe. If you are in Europe, you can’t believe how good it is for us and how fortunate we are in comparison.

The kids are so inspiring in Kenya. They come running with you if you pass them and they are happy. Every kid asks “how are you?”. It is a bit annoying after a while, but also adorable. Even if you run past their home, the children run to the fence and ask you. I think that must be the first sentence they learn in English at school. Sometimes they also just call us “Mzungo”, which means “white men”. Truly, Kenya is another world.

Photo credits: Frank Schauer

HOKA ambassador Kilian dreams big and conquers Kona

Kilian Limmer achieved his dream and conquered IRONMAN Kona last month. But his journey hasn’t been without its setbacks. Read Kilian’s story below and find out why he proves that anything in life is possible if you dream big.

Saturday 23 June 2007. This day changed my life forever.

I am the guy in the middle of the front row in the image below. As you can see, my left eye is closed. What you can’t see is that my left orbital floor – or eye socket – is fractured and that I suffered a traumatic brain injury and concussion while playing football. I was hit by the elbow of an opponent.

After this accident, I wasn’t allowed to move my head too quickly. I was in the hospital for one week and had to use a wheelchair for the next two weeks. At home, I couldn’t read anything or watch TV because it was too exhausting for my eye and my brain. I wasn’t allowed to do any kind of sport for the next four months.

Dreaming big

I started to gain a lot of weight. As a motivation to start running and to lose weight again, I decided to register for the local 10k race in my hometown at the end of September 2009. I did about five training runs before the race and finished in a time of 54 minutes. Not so bad.

One month later, I watched IRONMAN Hawaii for the first time. I thought that the efforts of all the athletes were unreal and that this race was unattainable for me. But I started to dream of it. The race was in my head almost every day. No joke. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, so I registered for my first triathlon race in June 2011.

I watched IRONMAN Hawaii for the first time. I thought that the efforts of all the athletes were unreal and that this race was unattainable for me. But I started to dream of it. Kilian Limmer

But by the end of 2010, I learned that I had a congenital heart defect and needed to undergo heart surgery. My heart rate was going crazy high, up to 230 beats-per-minute, and not even during training, but during my lunch or homework. I had surgery in April 2011 and received the all-clear from the doctors to start training for my first triathlon race three months later.

Road to recovery

I finished third in my age category in my first triathlon. That was cool! It certainly gave me the motivation to carry on. I loved this feeling of suffering and getting rewarded for it. I did my first Olympic-distance race in 2012 and my first middle-distance race to next year. This was when I decided to stop playing football and to concentrate on triathlon.

I increased my training and gave it more structure. I was lucky to become a HOKA Flyer at the end of 2016, which was an extra boost as I felt a bit more professional. My journey with HOKA began and I am so thankful for that.

My next goal was to go ‘all-in’ for the Kona slot and so I registered for IRONMAN Austria 2017. The preparation went really well and I was feeling fit like never before. The race was good, I had good legs and the run of my life ,with a time of 3 hours and 9 minutes for the marathon. But that wasn’t enough. I finished second and missed the slot by about six minutes.

But the fire was still burning.

Completing the journey

I registered again the following year and this time, came out on top. I took the lead on the run with still 21 kilometres to go and pain in my entire body. I didn’t know if there was still a guy behind me. I focused on the nutrition and the technique and finally reached the finish line with the Kona slot in my pocket.

I was so overwhelmed by my emotions. I was sitting in the finish area and cried for about 15 minutes. My parents and friends were waiting for me and I was so happy to give them something back.

“Kona was really just the icing on the cake. I wanted to feel the mystery of the island. Because Kona was the place where the sport was born – and where my journey started. Kilian Limmer

After one month of recovery, I started training for the IRONMAN World Championship in Kona. Training went really well. My goals were to finish the race in under 10 hours and to run the whole marathon without walking. I achieved both of these goals.

But the race was really just the icing on the cake. I wanted to feel the mystery of the island. Because Kona was the place where the sport was born – and where my journey started.

Kilian finished 15th in the 18-24 age category in Kona. Kilian raced in the HOKA Hupana Slip and is already looking forward to returning to the island and racing faster in 2019. Follow Kilian on Instagram.

Hit the trail with Friederike Franze

No matter where you are, there are new paths to run and trails to discover. Join HOKA fan Friederike Franze as she takes us for a run along her favourite trail route in Wandlitz, Germany.

I’m a passionate travel and lifestyle blogger living in Berlin, Germany. One of my great passions is fitness, which I follow in adventures all over the world.

You’ll often find me hiking through new terrains, from the forests of Germany to the glaciers of Iceland, exploring new landscapes and capturing my journeys on camera.

Finding freedom in new locations

Nothing is more liberating, beautiful or exciting than exploring a new and unknown trail. Every route we run for the first time is something unique. Our senses are heightened and everything we see, smell and feel on that path is exhilarating.

Whenever I travel, I pack my running shoes and get out on those roads to discover somewhere new. It could be in the morning at dawn when you’re the first one on the trail, or at night with a headlight switched on, when the whole road is yours.

What I love about this run

This trail run takes you about 8km around Lake Liebnitz near Berlin. The area is idyllic. From muddy paths to stony roads, and dense forest to lake-side views, the trail offers almost every terrain. It will take you uphill and downhill, but you’ll be rewarded with stunning views over the lake. Even if you are a beginner, there is so much to see and explore that you’ll forget all about how far you’ve run.

“I realised I was avoiding tricky terrains in my old running shoes and was limiting myself so much. In the Speedgoat 2, even when running up and downhill, I feel stable and protected.” Friederike Franze

The route is the perfect place to run without your phone to distract you. Listen to the sounds of the forest and lake, and all paths are so well signposted you’ll stay on track.

If you want to run further, there are so many more routes between Bernau and Wandlitz. The mixed woodlands of pines, beeches, oaks and alders is the perfect place to explore just outside of the city.

Why the Speedgoat 2 is perfect for long distances

The Speedgoat 2 has a cushioned midsole made to absorb hard impact and give you a more stable running base. The open mesh construction keeps my feet cool and the wide toe area gives my feet lots of freedom, so they don’t crush your toes when you run downhill. Also they are so lightweight, making them perfect for long distances.

I realised I was avoiding tricky terrains in my old running shoes and was limiting myself so much. In these shoes, even when running up and downhill, I feel stable and protected. At the end of my run, I dipped my feet in the lake to cool down and even with wet feet and socks the shoe fit fantastically and brought me safely to the car park without slipping.

Learn more about the SPEEDGOAT 2 SHOES Friederike wears.