Koen Naert: "Training in Kenya is like being a monk on a mountain"
Koen Naert, like so many before him, has trained out in Kenya to help prepare for the Olympics.
The Belgian runner has already secured the Olympic marathon qualification standard – he clocked a stunning personal best of 2:06:56 last April in Rotterdam – and is targeting a top eight finish in Paris.
To help him achieve that goal, he has spent time preparing for the Games in Kenya. Since 2021, Naert has trained in Iten – nicknamed 'The Home of Champions' – where he's practised meditation on top of the infamous long runs.
Naert, who claimed the European marathon title back in 2018, now hopes to be one of the leading Europeans over 26.2 miles in the French capital.
He finished 22nd over 26.2 miles at Rio 2016 and then improved that with a tenth placed finish at Tokyo 2020.
Now, ahead of Paris 2024, Naert feels he's in a great place. Having also worked as a nurse in a special burns care unit, the Belgian also understands the importance of a long-term career after athletics and is doing a masters in health promotion.
The 34-year-old will race over 10km at the ASICS Paris Festival of Running on April 5.
AW chats exclusively to Naert below:
How did it feel to run the Olympic qualifying standard in the marathon?
I feel excellent and for an athlete it's nice to get the Olympic standard [April 2023] well before the Games so we can really work towards it without chasing races. It gives you an advantage to other athletes who might have to run another marathon nearer the Games. A marathon always asks a lot of your body so it's always a risk to run one in late Spring. That's quite close to August.
If you get the standard you can then target a half marathon instead during that time, build your base and get prepared for what I hope will be an excellent Paris 2024 marathon.
Paris 2024 will be my third Olympics after Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. I was 22nd in Rio and 10th in Tokyo so my performance has got better and better! I hope I can keep going like that and it would be nice. The difference between Rio and Tokyo was huge and marathon running has now moved on once again.
Marathon standards are getting so high and I will do my absolute best to perform to my maximum in Paris. If I do that then I will be happy.
What would the definition of the success be at the Paris Olympics?
I think it's always difficult to put a time on an ultimate goal. Something very important for me is the Olympic diploma/motto and that's to be honest with myself. I know I need a little miracle to get on the podium.
However, sometimes miracles exist and you never know. It will be challenging with the weather and the course. I will prepare myself the best I can but top eight is my absolute goal. I was pretty close in Tokyo but we will see and every race/championships is different.
The course in Paris for the Olympics is not the route that the city's annual marathon takes and is much more hilly. How will you process that factor?
Sometimes I think it can be an advantage, in combination with the weather. It will be a battlefield. I believe there will be strange results in Paris. The fact that I've secured the qualification mark means I'm now preparing my body for a tough course and race.
Those preparations aren't always the most fun things to do but we are professional runners and if you have to train in 25/30 degrees with three layers of clothing then that's life. It's out of your comfort zone.
How does the dynamic/relationship between the mind and body work for you?
The 5km, 10km and the half marathon isn't the same as the marathon. I give the example of Chris Thompson who always ran consistent 61 minute half marathons but had a little bit of difficulty over 26.2 miles. It's a special distance. It demands a lot of you psychologically, physiologically and emotionally.
That's why marathon runners will only do two or three of them a year as you have to recover well. If you don't respect that then you will have injuries and a short career as a runner.
What does a normal training week look like for you?
It depends on the build-up. I think right now I'm doing 100km of running and 50/60km alternative on the Elliptical Machine. In-between my marathon blocks, I'll do a lot of alternative training like aqua jogging but during the marathon block itself – the 12 weeks preceding my marathon – I'll run 200km a week. Sometimes even 240km or 250km.
I don't think it's always necessary but, if I feel great and I'm in Kenya, I like to get the most out of it as I'm away from my family during that period.
The fact that I'm away from the family means I have a lot of time to rest, train and lot and even do a lot of meditation. I meditate at least twice a day and when I'm on camp at altitude I do a lot more sessions of meditation. That's one advantage of being in Kenya. I also like to train in the US and have been to train with Deena Kastor's group on occasions.
Since 2021 however, I've found my spot in Iten. I waited a long time to go to Kenya because I was a little bit afraid of the food and life there but once you are on the ground, there's no distraction and it's a bit like living like a monk on a mountain.
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Why choose the marathon as a distance?
I'm a decent 5km, 10km and half marathon runner but I already knew in my early 20's that I was made for the marathon. This was because of my lactic testing for example. I think I waited until I was 26/27 before going to the marathon and I had a good debut. In my second race over 26.2 miles I qualified for the Rio Olympics.
Then my career started and I got more mature and as I've got older, physiologically I've got better every year. I just have to treat my body very well. If I can keep my body healthy then I'm not planning to stop. Paris is around the corner and that will be interesting!
We also have the European Road Running Championships in Belgium in 2025 and that will also be exciting.
When you look back at your career so far, how do you reflect on that?
When I started running the marathon, I was still working as a nurse in the special burns care centre [Neder-Over-Heembeek, Belgium] and I combined both at the time. I'm also now doing my masters in health promotion.
Next to sports and running, my other passion is healthcare. I like to learn and with running I have a physical thing I want to achieve, while with my studies there's an intellectual goal. It's a good balance.
That's something I learned when I was younger. I grew up wanting to be a professional athlete and that was the only thing that mattered. Now I've got a family and that's the number one priority. I also have a hobby in my studies and people go 'are you crazy, your hobby is studying?!'
It's sometimes a heavy balance as my kids are seven and two and a half. My son is seven and if I go to training camps for a long period then he understands how long one month is and it's more and more difficult. If it gets too much then it's maybe a reason for me to start thinking about retirement. My family means more than running.
Now, it's still okay as running for me doesn't feel like a job and I'm fortunate I can work professionally and enjoy it so much. I meet people that I otherwise would never meet and I'm happy.
How important has ASICS been for you?
From the moment that I signed with ASICS, their number one priority is the athlete and you can feel that. It gives you such a good feeling. We can offer feedback during projects on products and I've never felt like that in any other brand.
Putting together events like the experiment in Seville – discovering the relationship between how athletes run and their perception of effort – was amazing, not just in making their products the best but their communication is phenomenal.
We also have psychological support if we want and 'Sound Mind, Sound Body' is not just a slogan but a way of life within the brand.
» Learn more about the ASICS Paris Festival of Running here
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