We catch up with Romain Adam, co-founder of RunMotion Coach, who is taking on a 3-marathon challenge in 2024. He kicks things off on March 17 at the Rome Marathon, before the Paris 2024 Marathon for All in August and the Valencia Marathon in December. Let’s find out how Romain’s race in Rome went 😉
Contents
How did your Rome Marathon go?
From the gun at the 2024 Rome Marathon, a lot of us realized it was going to be hot, with cloudless sunshine on a course with almost no shade, which took a real toll on plenty of runners. Thankfully, the many aid stations, with water and sponges, helped me limit the damage.
I finished just 1 minute off my personal best, in 2:35:40, good enough for 34th place in the overall standings (out of nearly 20,000 runners), after going through halfway in 1:17.
I had a tough start to the race, with a tendon feeling tight and pins and needles in one foot from as early as km 8. Thankfully, at km 16, as we passed St. Peter’s Square in the Vatican, the tingling started to fade! From halfway on, I really enjoyed myself, the course is beautiful and my legs kept feeling better and better.
This Rome Marathon is truly a superb race, one of the most beautiful marathons I’ve ever run! Sure, the cobblestones clearly add difficulty, but in terms of elevation it felt easier than Paris, for example.
How did you approach your Rome Marathon training?
I followed about a 12-week marathon training block, including cross-country skiing from December to mid-January (the snow wasn’t good enough after that), then it was 100% running.
My fitness kept building throughout the training block, with some very strong marathon-specific workouts.
What motivates you to run?
I have plenty of good reasons to run. But the marathon is just so special! On the start line of a marathon, I love that feeling of excitement, the chills through my body, the desire to perform, and the awareness of the suffering to come, it’s such a mix of conflicting emotions! I never feel more alive than I do at the start of a marathon!
How did you get involved with the RunMotion Coach app?
As co-founder of RunMotion Coach, I’m proud to see that the app helped so many runners prepare for the Rome Marathon, and I love sharing moments before and after the race with app users.
What do you like most about the RunMotion Coach app?
The app gives me the flexibility I need with a schedule that changes every week. And the S&C module is genuinely useful for the marathon! I didn’t have any hamstring pain either, which had sometimes happened to me in certain marathons.
What’s your next sporting challenge?
I can’t wait to be on the start line of the Paris 2024 Marathon for All in August! And to go after a big time at the Valencia Marathon, my first marathon that is truly flat and has a very deep field! In the meantime, I’ll do a few trail races to mix things up.
Congrats Romain, we wish you a smooth recovery so you can jump into your next marathon training blocks 😉