Spain’s José Antonio Requejo took third at the IAU 100k World Championships. In the following interview, José Antonio talks about his training before the race, his running history, and how his race unfolded. Get to know a runner you may not know!
For more on the 2014 IAU 100k World Championships, check out our results article.
[Editor’s Note: Thanks to Miguel Angel for the translation!]
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José Antonio Requejo Post-2014 IAU 100k World Championships Interview Transcript
iRunFar: Bryon Powell of iRunFar here with José Antonio Requejo after his third-place finish at the 2014 IAU 100k World Championships here in Qatar. Congratulations.
Jose Antonio Requejo: Thank you very much.
iRunFar: Could you imagine coming into this race finishing so well?
Requejo: No, because I couldn’t do a good preparation for this race, so I didn’t think I was going to get this place in the race.
iRunFar: Why could you not prepare well?
Requejo: Four weeks ago I felt so tired that I must stop training for one or two weeks completely. Maybe because I was overtraining I had to stop for two weeks.
iRunFar: But you had time to recover?
Requejo: The past two weeks I only did a week of good training because I didn’t exactly know how my performance would be here.
iRunFar: How was your training before you were tired?
Requejo: I did a lot of weeks of 200k but maybe the mistake was I ran in marathon competitions as my main preparation for this race.
iRunFar: What was your best time in the marathon this year?
Requejo: I have run marathons this year in 2:25, but I didn’t run the best performance because I was always trying to keep a reserve in order to run the next one.
iRunFar: So the marathons you ran were not to do your best, they were to train for…
Translator: But hard training.
iRunFar: They’re workouts, yes.
Requejo: That’s right.
iRunFar: Your best marathon ever?
Requejo: 2:23.
iRunFar: So you come into a race like this and there are runners with personal bests at 2:10. How do you imagine to compete?
Requejo: I feel a big respite for this, but I know that I am very strong in my muscles. This race is very different from a marathon. I’m confident in my preparation and personal characteristics. I’ve never prepared specifically for a marathon, so I feel I could get a better result in the marathon.
iRunFar: Why do you choose 100k or ultramarathons instead of the marathon?
Requejo: Because I think my personal characteristics are better for this kind of race. My schedule is running two or three marathons per month in 2:25 or 2:26, but I could run faster than 2:20.
iRunFar: Can you tell us about your history with endurance sports? When did you become a runner?
Requejo: I liked a girl, so I ran for distance that year. She had just started to practice athletics and I wanted to follow her.
iRunFar: You fell in love?
Requejo: Yes. At the end I broke up with her.
iRunFar: But you still love running?
Requejo: Yes. She helped me to know this sport.
iRunFar: Have you been running for many years?
Requejo: I started at 18 years and I’m now 33 years old.
iRunFar: You have much experience.
Requejo: Yes.
iRunFar: In the race yesterday for much of the beginning of the race there was a very large pack that you ran with. Did you enjoy running with the large group?
Requejo: I started one minute behind the main group. At around 10k, I decided to go to the first group and joined to the group.
iRunFar: For a very long time.
Requejo: Yes. Also I was the leader of this group for too many kilometers.
iRunFar: Did you find it helpful to be with them?
Requejo: Yes, I felt good there.
iRunFar: After the group broke apart, you ran with your teammate, [Asier] Cuevas.
Requejo: Yes, I was running with Asier Cuevas, my teammate, but [Asier] had stomach problems and had to stop. At that point I felt I would lose the race with the main group.
iRunFar: You held on. When you were running there and you were in fourth place, were you scared or excited to move up?
Requejo: When I was in fourth position, I felt that I had to capture the bronze medal. That was my motivation.
iRunFar: Then you moved into third place.
Requejo: I rode the rhythm and went ahead of the third man.
iRunFar: You crossed the line in third. What did you feel?
Requejo: It was incredible. I was very, very happy because I didn’t expect it. That’s why I felt very, very good.
iRunFar: Have you run the 100k World Championships before?
Requejo: Yes, twice.
iRunFar: What was your best position before this year?
Requejo: 15th position.
iRunFar: 15th! And you were third!
Requejo: Yes.
iRunFar: Wow! It must have been a dream.
Requejo: Yes.
iRunFar: Do you also run on the trails?
Requejo: Yes.
iRunFar: Do you run races on them?
Requejo: Yes. I run trails, too.
iRunFar: Next year, do you have goals? Now that you’ve have finished third at this race, what do you look forward to next year?
Requejo: I would like to be in the world championships to get a better place.
iRunFar: Best of luck!
