And what extremes of weather! While runners in Vienna, Nantes and much of Europe were affected by high winds, in Boston they suffered from scorching temperatures that reached 30°C!
For ODLO the big interest was the Vienna city marathon, where Tanja Eberhart (below, right) was competing, and of course the ODLO sponsored Nantes marathon which saw thousands of competitors taking part.
Eberhart was happy after coming in ninth after posting a personal best time of 2:43:59.
“My time is not as good as I hoped but I’m still pleased,” she says. “It was very difficult circumstances – I ran more than half of the race all by myself, which is hard to believe with such a big running event!”
The athlete set out too fast in the first couple of kilometers which she regretted in the second half, and was unable to hold her pace.   
“But it was great to see so many people lining the course, considering the weather. It felt like people supported me at every corner which was a big mental help.”
Meanwhile in Nantes, the elite race may have been dominated by the Ethiopians but it was a day for thousands of ordinary runners taking part, many for the first time. ODLO was on hand at the finish to speak to many and hear their stories.
François Balad (below, left) spoke for many when asked what his favorite running moment was during the race.
“The end!” he replied.
For Véronique Jehanneau, who finished in 3:15, there wasn’t one special moment.
“All of the run was great,” she said.
For more running moments, check out our Share Your Moment page

Bunert had already known the ODLO brand from cross-country skiing and was impressed by the high quality and functionality of their products. When he met Odd Roar Lofterød, the son of ODLO’s founder, at the ISPO trade show in Munich, he suggested adding a runners’ collection to their lineup. Lofterød was immediately taken by Bunert’s idea and initiated ODLO’s new Running division – with Bunert as a consulting product developer and frequent visitor to the Swiss headquarters.

“All of my inputs were fully integrated into the collection,” he says. “Already back then, there were lots of great people working at ODLO and we were on the same wavelength right from the start.” Contrary to the predominant 90s trend of very colorful and garish sports clothes, Bunert recommended using more subdued colors. “I had the experience that customers in my shops were mainly asking for single-colored and black clothes.” ODLO’s first collection was an immediate success and also sold extremely well at Bunert’s own shops.

Many of Bunert’s successful ideas were born during running. “Running combines efficient training with the possibility to let your thoughts run free. I get the best ideas when I run. That’s probably because your brain is perfectly supplied with oxygen when you’re running and your head’s completely clear.”

Nowadays, the running expert organizes a variety of different running events, among them the “Lichterlauf” at Sportpark Wedau or the Ruhr Marathon. Also thanks to Jörg Bunert is the special running experience you can enjoy at Duisburg’s modernized, runner-friendly “Regattabahn”: the running track that was initiated by Bunert together with private investors is illuminated at night, allowing for some “enlightening” after-work running moments.

Fabian Jeker is more used to the demands of elite cycling than running. His successes over the years have included a 2nd and 3rd place in the Tour de Suisse and overall first place in the 2001 Volta a Portugal. 

But the Swiss national is to start blogging once a week on the ODLO Facebook fanpage about his new journey as a runner.

“Running is the purest type of sport for me,” he says. “It’s just about your own performance, there’s no drafting or anything like that. And that’s what I find exciting about the sport.”

Jeker will be posting on the site about the highs and lows of his new training regime as he tries to complete April’s Zurich marathon in 2:30.

“I completed the 2009 Zurich Marathon with a time of 2:45:40 without any special preparations,” he says. “At the moment I‘m also doing targeted speed training at a pace of under four minutes.”

His current training plan involves running between 70 and 150km a week and includes a mix of speed and strength work.On the Facebook wall, you can discover how he gets on and what exercises he’s doing to change his body from an efficient spinning machine into a marathon runner. 

“It’s the same muscles,” he says. “Just a different coordination. My heart and body are already fit to perform at a high level, but my legs still lack a bit of strength. The running motion is not yet as firmly ingrained in me as that of cycling!”

Check out the wall to see how he gets on, pick up some tips or even to offer him some advice of your own.
“I’d really appreciate comments and tips from your own experiences,” he says. 

Follow Jeker’s progress every Friday on Facebook. 

WATCH THE VIDEO:

How do you keep going? 
Being a professional sportsman and the having the privilege of training outdoors every day gives me a lot of motivation. The support I receive from my fans, both at races and on Facebook, is also amazing.

How do you stay in shape as you get older? 
I train more intelligently now and always adopt the latest techniques by listening to the experts! At the moment I train lightly between races and practise my shooting! 

Any tips? 
My advice is to listen to your body and train whenever you feel like it. Make sure you always wear the right clothes that keep you dry and warm.

The key to winning?
Staying focused and working hard to convert my weaknesses into strengths. That, and training, training, training… 

Ever consider other sports? 
I run to stay fit in summer. I also enjoy climbing and riding my bike (motorbike and cycle!). I have competed in a few mountain bike races but I have always been committed to biathlon.

How important is the right gear? 
There’s no doubt, it plays a very important part. 

What is your favourite item of ODLO clothing?
My Ole Einar signature line and the Evolution light underwear.

What’s next on your calendar?
The World Championships in Ruhpolding. Hope to see you there!

Your favourite motto?
To be able to defeat an opponent, you first need to be able to defeat yourself.

1. I try to keep my diet as varied and colorful as possible in order to avoid nutritional deficits. Fruit and vegetables are part of my daily diet, plus grain products (mostly whole-grain) and sometimes legumes. In addition, every main meal should contain a proper portion of proteins (dairy products, fish and sometimes meat), supplemented by vegetable oils and nuts.

2.  There’s no “golden rule” but runners should stick to a few general recommendations. Never do a race or training run on a full stomach – wait for three to four hours after a big meal or two to three hours after breakfast. What’s more, the food you eat before a run should be easy on the stomach and digestible. The more intense your training’s going to be, the more sense it makes to stick to these rules. Fatty, battered or fried food is far from ideal – neither before nor after training. Actually, you should avoid it when you’re not training as well – even fried vegetables! 

3. Don’t go crazy at the pasta party. Before a long race like a marathon, it’s tempting to eat as much pasta as possible the night before. Yes, it’s important that you start a race with full glycogen stores but this is not achieved by over-eating carbohydrates the previous evening! Instead, think about increasing the percentage of carbs you eat three days before a race from 50% to 70% of your diet. And it doesn’t have to be pasta. Try other cereal products like rice and millet or potatoes.

4. On race day my favourite breakfast is to have oat flakes and millet with soy milk or yoghurt and fruit. It provides just the right amount of energy. During a race I avoid sweets. Gummi bears and the like mostly consist of sugar and are a quick source of energy. But it only lasts for a short time. You’re better off using a proper sports drink.

5. After training, you should eat something pretty soon, preferably easily digestible carbohydrates and proteins like a banana and yoghurt, fruit bar, cereal products with steamed fish or meat. For two hours after training, your body can ingest nutrients particularly well and refill your glycogen stores. When I don’t feel like cooking after training, I simply mix oatmeal with some curd or yoghurt and add some dried fruit, nuts and spices like cinnamon and coriander.

6.  In my opinion, there’s no such thing as “superfoods”. There’s no one natural foodstuff that contains all essential nutrients! There are different sources for that and you should also make use of them. Of course, every athlete has his or her own “superfood”! 

7. Be careful about products that are recommended by commercials or even colleagues. Healthy athletes on a balanced diet don’t need any kind of dietary supplement!

8. I prefer three big meals a day in order to give my body time to digest. I wouldn’t recommend any fewer meals than that – it only leads to binge eating. One of the most important meals is a rich breakfast! Small snacks for in between are okay as long as they are not overly fatty or sugary. The important thing is that you eat them consciously. But during very intense training weeks, three meals a day can be too little.

9. If your diet is well balanced, it’s also okay to eat something sweet from time to time – as long as it’s not too often! 

10. Alcohol is an absolute no-go before, during and after exercise because it makes you fuzzy and dehydrated, which in turn has a negative effect on your regeneration.