“We’re kind of on this journey to the marathon. The next logical step is a half marathon. That will be in the new year. We don’t know exactly where yet but we want to go attack a half marathon. That’s what all the training is focused on and that’s why it’s been so fun. Not that the training is easy but it’s the training that comes the most naturally to me.”

My guest for today's episode is U.S. Olympian Joe Klecker of the On Athletics Club. He joins us with some news that he’s gearing up for his half marathon debut in early 2025 after a challenging comeback from injury.

Joe is back and looking to tackle a new distance with a keen eye on Ryan Hall's American record in the half marathon. While his 2024 outdoor season was sidelined by a torn abductor, he's now fully focused on the 13.1 mile distance. He doesn't say it, but I think all signs point that it will likely be at the Houston Half Marathon in January, which is traditionally perfect weather and very fast. And while he's not quite ready to step away from the track just yet, Joe is already embracing the marathon mindset and this is one step forward to getting to the full distance with a personal best of 12:54 for 5K and 27:07 for 10K. 

Joe's incredible speed and dedication are setting him up for a strong entry into the longer distance. So in this episode, we'll hear about his approach to injury recovery, his plans for that debut, all with the guidance of his coach Dathan Ritzenhein and the support of his training partner and Olympic medalist, Hellen Obiri. He also shares why he's hoping for one more team on the track. 

Many thanks to New York Road Runners for allowing us to host this conversation in front of an audience at the Citizens Bank stage at the TCS New York City Marathon Expo.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠

Guest: Joe Klecker | ⁠@joe_klecker on Instagram ⁠

Time stamps:

3:43 - Getting to ride on the lead vehicle at the NYC Marathon 

5:21 - Thoughts on racing the marathon himself in the future. 

5:19 - Thoughts on teammate Hellen Obiri’s build leading into NYC 

7:09 - Details on Hellen’s workouts

9:30 - Coming back from injury this summer 

11:04 - How his training has evolved since graduating college 

12:16 - Future races on the calendar 

15:03 - Going after the half marathon American record 

17:14 - OAC’s team culture 

22:30 - What keeps training exciting 

23:37 - How he approaches his future career in the marathon 

24:34 - Why track and the marathon feel like different sports 

25:48 - Overrated/underrated: training methods

32:51 - Goals for 2025

34:29 - Why now is a good time to shift to the marathon 

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