Mohamed Reda El Aaraby desires to observe within the footsteps of Moroccan athletics greats by creating extra historical past at subsequent month’s World Championships [August 19-27].
The 33-year-old, who’s an ASICS athlete, is focusing on a spot on the marathon podium, the occasion which closes the athletics programme in Budapest.
If Reda El Aaraby achieves that feat then he would be the first Moroccan to land a medal on the championships since Jaouad Gharib turned a respective back-to-back world marathon champion at Paris 2003 and Helsinki 2005.
Impressed by ending eleventh within the warmth and humidity of the final Olympic marathon, held in sweltering Sapporo, and second on the a lot cooler and hillier 2021 New York Marathon, Reda El Aaraby believes something is feasible within the Hungarian capital.
AW caught up with Reda El Aaraby out at ASICS’s Chojo Camp Europe, the model’s first European pro-athlete coaching centre in Font-Romeu.
Mohamed Reda El Aaraby in Font-Romeu (Albin Durand)
“I really feel good each bodily and mentally,” Reda El Aaraby tells AW. “I hope that I can proceed with none accidents or issues and that I can put my identify in amongst the large athletes within the marathon. I wish to be with the main pack and end on the rostrum. For now it’s time to work and prepare exhausting to get that.
“I achieved an enormous end in ending second on the New York Marathon and eleventh on the Olympics. That gave me the boldness to work and prepare exhausting and the purpose is to get a medal in Budapest.”
Reda El Aaraby has a marathon private greatest of two:06:55 from Paris final 12 months and clocked 2:09:06 to complete solely behind Kenya’s Albert Korir within the Huge Apple two years in the past.
He was additionally simply 9 seconds off from being inside the highest ten on the Olympics when he ran 2:12:22 in Japan.
Such experiences on utterly totally different programs is motivation for Reda El Aaraby.
The Moroccan’s excessive altitude coaching in Font-Romeu has additionally proved the right setting forward of Budapest with lengthy runs across the lake (Lac de Matemale) and woods in Bolquère.
“For Sapporo and New York me and my group created particular programmes for every of these occasions, factoring within the course and climate,” he says. “That began within the coaching camp earlier than and we wished to ensure that I had the perfect preparation for these marathons.
Mohamed Reda El Aaraby at 2021 New York Marathon (Getty)
The chance to coach in Font-Romeu may be very particular and it’s wonderful to satisfy athletes from totally different nations and disciplines. All of us prepare in the identical place and ASICS have helped give us this chance to enhance our degree and assist our confidence and preparation forward of massive occasions.
“ASICS have helped me prepare at trendy amenities right here and so they work to help us in order that we are able to obtain the absolute best end result. That offers me the boldness to do one thing particular sooner or later.”
Morocco achieved one medal ultimately 12 months’s World Championships in Oregon, courtesy of Soufiane El Bakkali’s unbelievable gold within the 3000m steeplechase. El Bakkali was given a hero’s welcome on return to his dwelling nation and Reda El Aaraby is aware of what a spot on the rostrum would imply for these watching again in Morocco.
“We wish to make ourselves proud and ensure our nationality is recognised as one of many high operating nations on this planet,” he provides.
“For us, in Morocco, El Bakkali has helped give us the boldness that we are able to prepare exhausting, characterize our nation in the perfect image and produce good outcomes. We wish to encourage the younger youngsters to get into the game in order that they will dream about acting at a excessive degree sooner or later.”
» Subscribe to AW journal right here
