The Australian talks through her expectations over 25 laps in Tokyo, setting multiple road national records in Japan and the importance of a sound mind in a sound body

Izzi Batt-Doyle cannot wait to represent Australia at a major global championships once again.

This weekend [September 13] the 29-year-old will don her nation’s green and gold colours as she competes over 10,000m at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.

Batt-Doyle is a regular to Japan – this will be her 11th time visiting – and has fond memories of previous trips.

The delayed Tokyo Olympics was the first time that Batt-Doyle ran for Australia on the world stage and, more recently, she’s set two national records in the country.

Back in February, Batt-Doyle broke Kerryn McCann’s 25-year-old Australian half-marathon mark of 67:48 with 67:17 at the Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon.

Two months later she then took apart her own national 10km record of 31:12 with 30:44 at this ASICS Tokyo Speed Race.

Batt-Doyle qualified for both the marathon and the 10,000m for the upcoming World Athletics Championships but decided to do the latter as she wants to compete over 26.2 miles in Valencia in December.

At last year’s edition, Batt-Doyle ran her personal best of 2:22:59 and has eyes on Sinead Diver’s national record of 2:21:34 later this year.

For now though, Tokyo is the priority. Ahead of her 10,000m, AW caught up with the ASICS athlete on her definition of success over 25 laps, balancing up the distances and the importance of a sound mind in a sound body.

Why the 10,000m over the marathon and how are you feeling for it?

I think the big decision for me is that I’ve got a decade ahead of running marathons ahead of me. That's where my future is going to go. I can see myself running the marathon at the 2027 World Athletics Championships and LA 2028 Olympics.

When I saw I was able to qualify in the rankings for the 10,000m, I just decided I'd like to do that this time around, as I’d like the opportunity to compete in Tokyo in the National Stadium with a full crowd. The 10,000m is also a straight final so I felt like I had to grab the opportunity with both hands.

I’ve competed in the 5000m at both Olympics (Tokyo and Paris) but in a championships it can be more like a 1500m or 3000m race. So the 10,000m plays into my strength in that sense as well. It’s also pretty cool to be in a race where medals are up for grabs.

Given you have set 10km and half-marathon records in Japan this season, how excited are you to compete in the country again?

I’ve always really enjoyed my time in Japan. The Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon was a mixed race so I had the opportunity to chase down the guys in the last half of it, which really helped me.

I finished third but to run 67:17 was something that, yeah, even I didn't expect to happen. It was a record that had stood for a quarter of a century so it was a big one to break. It meant a lot to me, and probably I think it's my best race to date.

The 10km [30:44] really played into my hands as it was a flat course, had white lights and male pacemakers. It was pretty perfect and I felt like I had to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Going forward, I’d love to break 67 minutes in the half-marathon and I think it’s the perfect distance as it’s a blend of both strength and speed.

How are you feeling for the 10,000m and what’s the definition of success for you in Tokyo?

I hope it’s not a race that’s too hard where I’m out the equation early on. Running a 10,000m is hard because there are women who are two minutes faster than me and would lap me in an all-out fast race.

But I think with the hot and humid conditions it’s going to be more of a game and just staying composed in the race. If I could just be competitive, of course, I'd love a top eight finish. But really it's more of a feeling, I think, knowing that you’ve given your all.

You’re doing the Valencia Marathon once again this December – what’s the target over 26.2 miles?

I haven’t done a marathon since March [2:23:29 in Nagoya] so I’m really excited to do one again soon. Obviously, the Australian record of 2:21:34 is something I'd like to target but, even more than that, I'd love to be looking towards the 2:20 barrier.

It’s a big ask but we've seen the likes of Emily Sisson and Keira D’Amato from the US in recent years do it. I'd like to put myself in that mix. Whether or not that's something that I feel is within reach at the end of this year or in the coming years.

What does Sound Mind, Sound Body mean to you?

Being an ASICS athlete, there's a big focus on the mental as well as the physical side. I actually have a psychology degree, so I think it really ties in well! I really believe that when you are in a sound place in your mind, your body follows and vice versa. So it’s awesome that ASICS is really involved in promoting that lifestyle.

I really have to work on my mindset in the marathon for example so that when you get those tough moments and you're 28km into the race with no one else around you, what do you think about?

How do you get yourself going? What is your why? Why are you pushing yourself every inch further? Like I don't meditate or work with a sports psychologist every week necessarily but I do find that the mindset stuff is naturally something that I think about in day-to-day life.

For example, last year’s Valencia Marathon was really hard for me because I'd had a close friend pass away the week that I left Australia. And I was really unsure whether I could make the start line. I was pretty upset, you know, in the days and weeks leading in. The fact that I felt I was doing it for someone definitely spurred me on a lot.

Finally, where does your inner strength and motivation come from?

My mum. She’s 66 and finished her sixth marathon major in Tokyo earlier this year. New York is coming up now and she’s training for that. I actually coach her and say she’s my ‘star athlete’.

The people who are big motivators for me are those who are training for races and fit it in around kids, life, work and everything else. I’m just training every day and working towards goals but I'm fortunate to be doing it as a job.