Goals are there to be pursued, limits to be pushed and good intentions … they are too often there to end up in the trash after three weeks. Not this time. Tom was inspired to run a half marathon. A year later, he inspires you.
6 metropolitan cities, 60 months
Running half marathons in Lisbon, Prague, Copenhagen, Cardiff, Berlin and Valencia in 60 months is a short summary of the “SuperHalfs. Let’s say, it’s the more accessible and all-European brother of the six World Marathon Majors.
There’s no shame if you’ve never heard of the “SuperHalfs” before. Although the concept has been in the pipeline since 2019, it didn’t actually go into effect until April 2022 – you can imagine the reason for the delay.
The power of goal setting
Tom Schippers, operations director at Runners’ lab, pitched the 6-part event to us for the first time. It motivated him to run more.
“I want to go off all six of them.”
“I need a goal to run structurally,” Tom told me. Otherwise, I might run once a week, certainly no more than that. Therefore, in January 2022, I resolved to train for a half marathon. As an ex-sprinter and tennis player, that seemed like a great challenge.”
Tom followed two 15-week Keep on Running schedules and competed in the Valencia half marathon on Oct. 23. After 1:37:49, he could call himself a half marathon runner. Whether his running shoes still saw the light of day after ticking off his goal?
“Yes, definitely. In Valencia, I was introduced to the “SuperHalfs”. That concept appealed to me so much that I immediately made the other five half marathons a goal. I want to go off them all.”
Why the ‘SuperHalfs’ deserve a place on your bucket list
So for the next two years, Tom knows why he’s working up a sweat. Are you still looking for a sports goal to draw motivation from? Then these “SuperHalfs” present a nice challenge. And here’s why:
“A half marathon is an accessible distancein many ways,” Tom explained his choice. “Your workouts never last very long so they are usually easy to schedule . I trained three times a week, giving me room to shift if a day didn’t work out. Because of the flexibility , it never felt like an obligation. I would probably experience that differently with marathon training.”
“A half marathon is an accessible distance in many ways. You can be flexible with the training sessions.”
“There is a tendency among many that it always has to go further. As an ex-sprinter, I especially want to run faster. With the fast courses of the “SuperHalfs,” plenty of opportunities follow. The current men’s world record was run in Lisbon, the women’s in Valencia. The other cities have also held European and world records in the past. That I can link a nice city trip to it afterwards is of course a nice bonus.”
“Last but not least, just like the World Marathon Majors, you will receive a special medal if you finish all five of them within the predetermined time frame. This may also be a motivation for some.”
For now, no Belgian is in the Hall of Fame, so if you’re quick….
