Tag: frank schauer

Time to get together at our elite athlete weekend

HOKA athlete Thibat Garrivier runs across the beach

It was a case of sun, sea and all things HOKA ONE ONE last weekend as more than 50 of our elite athletes came together at our annual training camp in Mallorca.

HOKA athletes run across the beach

Our annual HOKA elite athlete weekend is the one opportunity in the year when our athletes from across road, trail and triathlon can come together to learn more about the brand and each other.

HOKA athlete Sam Proctor dives into the pool

Hotel Viva Blue on the north-east coast of the Balearic Island was the choice of venue for the third year in a row as the HOKA family took advantage of familiar trails, good weather and fantastic opportunities to train.

HOKA athletes out on a group run

The weekend kicked off with a group run by the lake, with trail specialist Marie Perrier leading the way alongside HOKA legend Ludo Pommeret and German marathoner Frank Schauer.

HOKA athlete Lucie Lerebourg sprints round the bend

Our athletes learned more about Time To and the inspiring stories behind the people featured, including Sam Holness and Sophie Power. As well as learning about the patented elements that go into every shoe we build, the entire team was introduced to the latest HOKA products and exciting innovations.

HOKA athletes enjoy a drink

New athletes, including triathletes Anne Reischmann, Thomas Davis and Elliot Smales, were exposed to the story behind HOKA ONE ONE. They heard how radical change often comes about in trying to solve a simple problem – and how redesigning a shoe that helps an athlete tackle 100 miles in challenging conditions can actually help all runners perform.

HOKA athletes Manon Genet and Arnaud Guilloux at the athletics track

Breaking out of the classroom – and on to the track. Some of our athletes, including Manon Genet, Arnaud Guilloux and Lucie Lerebourg, headed down to the local track on Saturday afternoon to put in the kilometres before settling down to watch the US Olympic Marathon Trials and HOKA NAZ Elite athlete Aliphine Tuliamuk’s success.

null

Teamwork makes the HOKA dream work. It’s Time to Fly.

Photo credit: James Poole

Marathon man training in the home of champions

HOKA athlete Frank Schauer training on the trails in Kenya

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.

HOKA athlete Frank Schauer trains on the track in Kenya

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!

HOKA athlete Frank Schauer trains with teammates in Kenya

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.

HOKA athlete Frank schauer with his training group in Kenya

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.

HOKA athlete Frank Schauer trains on the roads following a car

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.

The view in Kenya

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.

Dinner time HOKA athlete Frank Schauer

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