In a historic milestone, Matthias Kyburz, a renowned eight-time world orienteering champion, earned his ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games last April in his first foray into a marathon. Kyburz, a legend in the world of the map and compass, made his debut in the 42-kilometer distance at the Paris 2024 Marathon, achieving the Olympic minimum of 02:08:10, after adapting his training over the last few months to tackle the top event in athletics.

First Olympic marathon runner trained with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

The Swiss athlete, known for his orienteering prowess and endurance, once again demonstrated his ability to excel in demanding challenges. His transition from the sport of orienteering to the marathon has been a testament to his dedication and versatility as an elite athlete.

Adapting to marathon-specific training has been crucial in his preparation, allowing him to compete at the highest level in a new discipline.

Matthias used the algorithm of our running.COACH app, which created his training based on adaptive and personalized AI. In addition, Matthias had the support and expertise of running.COACH ambassador Viktor Röthlin achieved exceptional results and a unique milestone in elite training.

Recently, we had the opportunity to have an exclusive interview with Matthias Kyburz.

The beginning of a dream

Matthias grew up in a family of athletes. He recalls that “for as long as I can remember,” my family and I have been immersed in nature, doing sports such as hiking and climbing, among others. “Sport has always been a passion in my life.”

Matthias is no stranger. He is a legendary figure in Orienteering, a sport that requires traveling long distances on foot to navigate unknown terrain using only a compass and a map.

But how and when did the Olympic dream begin? He tells us himself:

When and how did this Olympic dream begin? Was the sport love at first sight, or was it a passion that gradually developed?

It was never a big dream of mine to start in the Olympics. My main sport is orienteering, a non-Olympic sport, so it was clear that I would never compete in a Games.

In December 2023, I set out to run a marathon in the spring of 2024. In January 2024, my team and I decided to go “all out” and try to beat the Olympic record 2.08.10. So, it was a short-term project and not a long-term goal.

To adjust, Mathias Kyburz modified his training to track and field. This led him to become Switzerland’s champion in cross country.

In addition, we witnessed what he is capable of when, during the pandemic, he broke the world record for the 50-kilometer treadmill run by completing the distance in 2:56:35 seconds, setting a record for the longest treadmill run.

We asked him for more details about what this experience was like, and this is what he answered:

-I don’t have this record anymore… I might have had it for a few days, but at least I had it once! The preparation for that challenge was also very short-term. Because of the pandemic, all the races were canceled, so we tried to find a new target, and it gave us about one (1) month of preparation.

I did about three longer runs, and it was never treadmill training. So, I focused on the good form I had from the winter.

Of course, mentally, it was an adamant project, as it’s quite a mental game to run almost 3 hours on a treadmill and fight the pace. But if I think about it, it wasn’t crazy.

A European champion

For those who don’t know, Matthias has eight world and seven European titles in different disciplines, such as sprint, middle distance, or relays. However, this 34-year-old Swiss athlete was clear that it was not through these sports or orienteering that he achieved the most, which would allow him to achieve the dream of every athlete: to represent his country at the Olympic Games.

How has the transition from Orienteering to marathon running been in this long road of preparation, from training in the forest to moving to the asphalt? What challenges have arisen during this transfer?

I trained for about the same running hours as a marathoner or orienteer. The terrain (flat and asphalt versus lots of uphill on small trails or even terrain) and the critical interval sessions (long runs, longer intervals) changed. I was afraid of getting injured with such a drastic change in training. But to be honest, the preparation went smoothly. I was able to train every day as scheduled in my program, and I didn’t have any health problems.

As I said, we didn’t have much time, so the transition was really fast, and we made it smooth. Of course, it was a risk. Luckily, my body was able to tolerate the load. I have to admit that I did 4 hours of strength training every week to help the body tolerate the load.

In 2023, the meeting between running.COACH, you and Viktor Röthlin, Swiss national legend and master for any Swiss and European runner, took place. This resulted in Viktor becoming your coach, guided by the running.COACH algorithm of the running.COACH plan. How was that approach, and how has the journey together been in your preparation for the Olympic marathon?

Viktor was very motivated to coach me. He saw a lot of potential, that I am at a very good level, and that I have 15 years of professional elite sport behind me.

He used his experience, which he also put into the running.COACH algorithm to train me. This was a great help, as I lack experience in marathon training. I didn’t know what the key sessions were and how I had to approach them. Viktor helped me set up a training plan that was very much aligned with running.COACH app generated.

So, our preparation together has only been four months, and now we are starting to plan the journey towards the Olympic marathon. I’m curious to see what key session you will focus on this time.

About the previous question, the Paris marathon, is there any reason you chose to qualify for the Olympic Games?

I was motivated to run in Paris because it is a nice city, the train ride from Switzerland is easy, and I wanted to participate in a big marathon. It was my first marathon, so I had no idea how I would react after 30 km.

Do you have a mantra when training to push yourself to do more, push yourself further, and get out of your comfort zone?

No, not really. I think, apart from training, I’m a pretty laid-back person. It’s hard to know why I can push myself so hard in training and push myself to the limit. Maybe because I’m the youngest of three brothers, and I always wanted to be at their level when we were little…

How do you see yourself in a few years? Do you see Matthias Kyburz making his mark on racing in your country?

I don’t know yet. Maybe the Olympic marathon will be my last marathon. I will decide this autumn whether to continue running. My big goal is next year’s world-orienteering championships in Finland. Orienteering is my passion, so we’ll see if I continue running in the fall.

QUICK QUESTIONS, ARE YOU READY?

Long runs or speed work? Long runs in the mountains
Recurring thoughts while running? Left-right-left-left-right-left-right-left-right
Any superstitions as a runner? Chocolate makes me fast
Do you train alone or in a group? At the moment, mostly alone
When do you allow yourself to deviate from your training plan? If I think about it, I think it doesn’t make sense.
How competitive are you on a scale of 1 to 10? On the big days and on the home stretch: 10.
And lastly, if you had to describe yourself in 3 words, what would they be? Competitive, patient, fun.

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