German ultrarunner sets treadmill 50K record
Florian Neuschwander ran 50K in 2:57:25, beating the previous record by a minute and a half
Running at the Red Bull Athletes Performance Center in Thalgau, Austria, on Thursday morning, Germany’s Florian Neuschwander set a new 50K treadmill world record in a time of 2:57:25. The 38-year-old ultra runner improved on Mario Mendoza‘s record, which he set just last month in Oregon.
Neuschwander ran an incredible average pace of 3:33 per kilometre over the 50K. After he broke the record, he spoke to the Red Bull media team about his result, saying that the last 10K was a struggle, but he managed to hold on.
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“I am overwhelmed that I managed to break the 50K world treadmill record,” he said. “Despite muscular problems in the end, I kept to my schedule and increased my pace constantly.”
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Neuschwander said that he knew the final stretch would be difficult, but that he “had to go through with it relentlessly.” He pointed to his family, who were on-site for the attempt, and the team at the Athletes Performance Center as his motivation to persevere when it started to get tough.
“There was no turning back,” he said.
Five runners are left after ITA, Florian Neuschwander was caught ??? #WorldRun #WingsForLife #AppRun pic.twitter.com/Fg4AIy7RPc
— Wings for Life World Run (@WFLWorldRun) May 7, 2017
Neuschwander has seen success off the treadmill as well. He won the 2018 Sean O’Brien 100K ultra in Malibu, Calif., finished fourth overall at the 2015 XTERRA Trail Run World Championships in Oahu, Hawaii, and won the TransRockies 120-miler in Colorado in 2015.
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Neuschwander also won the Wings for Life World Run in Germany in 2015 and 2016, running 75.5 kilometres and 63.66 kilometres, respectively. In 2019, he placed third overall globally, covering 61.59 kilometres on the day. He plans to compete in the event this year on May 3, and hopes to take the global win for the first time.
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