Speed for Marathoners with Joe Klecker

In our latest HAX Show episode, US Champion and Olympian Joe Klecker joined us fresh off his massive performance at the Boston Marathon. Joe recently clocked nearly a 5-minute personal best, running 2:05:56 in only his second ever marathon, proving that he’s here to stay on the elite road running scene.

Most runners associate marathon builds with lots of easy miles, hard long runs, and a steady diet of threshold work. When you're running high volume, "speed" is often the first thing to go. As Joe notes, there is a logic to that:

“When you're in these high-mileage marathon blocks, the work should be specific to the race—and the marathon is the race. There usually isn't much room to build your VO2 max.”

However, after his debut at the NYC Marathon last fall, Joe realized that he was missing that ‘pop’ in his legs from solely focusing on volume. By the end of that build, his legs felt heavy, and even goal marathon pace felt harder than it should.

“I was starting to just feel slow," Joe says. "Running much under five-minute pace never felt that great.”

For the Boston build, Joe and coach Dathan Ritzenhein tried something different. Recognizing that there isn’t room for high-intensity VO2 sessions in peak mileage blocks, they carved out a specific VO2-specific phase at the very start of the build.

By hitting more track-focused sessions while legs were still fresh and mileage was lower, Joe was able to push his aerobic ceiling before settling into the high-volume grind of marathon training.

But the ‘speed’ didn’t die off after those first few weeks. To prevent that "slow" feeling from creeping back in during the heavy training weeks, they integrated "speed maintenance" throughout the entire build. Whether it was a handful of short track reps or finishing a long fartlek with one-minute pickups, those small

“We put a lot more emphasis on speed this build,” Joe explains. “We were on the track doing shorter reps or ending fartleks with one-minute repeats… it really just made everything else feel better.”

Based on what Joe shared with us, here are three practical tips for how you can integrate speed into your next marathon build to become a more versatile runner:

1. Use The Early Part Of The Build To Run Fast

Before the heavy mileage of the peak marathon block sets in, spend 3–4 weeks focusing on VO2 max. This raises your "aerobic ceiling," making your eventual marathon goal pace feel much easier.*

• Pro-Level Example: Here’s an example of a session Joe did early in his build: 4x (1000m, 600m, 300m) + a closing 1000m. He was clicking off 2:33-2:45 for the kilometers, ~1:33 for the 600s, and ~45 seconds for the 300s (follow Joe on Strava to see more of these killer workouts)

• Practical Application: Needless to say, we don’t recommend copying Joe’s VO2 session! Here’s a couple workouts that you can try (or adapt to your experience level): 5–6 x 800m or 8–10 x 400m at 5k effort with equal recovery.

• *Important Note: This is for experienced runners looking to level up their marathon training, who already have a base of easy mileage beneath them before beginning the build. If you are new to the sport or have never done track work before, stick to gradual aerobic base building before adding higher-intensity intervals to your marathon training.

2. Make Strides A Staple

Don’t let your legs get stuck in “easy miles and threshold” mode. 1–2 times per week, incorporate 4–6 x 20 second strides at the end of an easy run. Keep them smooth and controlled, focusing on form and efficient turnover rather than an all-out sprint.

• Bonus: To mix things up, try these as short hill sprints!

• World Record Proof: Even the fastest in the world do this. Sebastian Sawe, who recently set the Marathon World Record, included 80m hill sprints in his build.

3. Finish Fartleks Fast

During the bulk of your marathon build, your workouts will be mostly long tempos or threshold intervals. Finish these workouts with faster pickups as a simple way to add speed.

• How To Implement: At the very end of a long tempo run or a sustained threshold session, add 4x 30–60 seconds of "hard" running (roughly 5k effort) with a 60-second jog recovery.

• Why: This reminds your body how to run fast when your legs are already fatigued…sounds like exactly what you want in the last 10K of a marathon!

Hear More Marathon Insights From Joe

A full race recap from Boston (including the moment he nearly dropped out at mile 9), plus a breakdown of what clicked, what was missing from this build, and why marathoners are rapidly reaching new levels. He also reflects on what a 2:05 in just his second marathon really means, and how much room there is to grow.

Don’t miss this one!

(Skip to 24:41 for the specifics of Joe’s marathon training)

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