GUEST BLOG: Joe Klecker's NYC Marathon Report
Owen Hoeft: First off, thanks for taking the time to chat with me! You recently came off a 2:10 marathon debut, for 10th at the NYC Marathon. People that know you know this was many many years in the making, did it live up to your expectations?
Joe Klecker: I can honestly say it did. This is a race I am really proud of, not just because of the result but because I went into the 12 week build fully admitting that I knew nothing about how to run a marathon. I leaned on my teammates and coaches every day to teach me how to approach both the training and race day. Everything they taught me I took to heart, and I used it to prepare the right way and to shape my race plan.
The NYC Marathon is such a unique race from both an athletic perspective, but also a culture perspective. What were some moments from the weekend, and the race itself that you’ll take with you?
The starting line was the first moment when everything really began to sink in. I was lined up next to Bekele and Kipchoge, and there is not much more that needs to be said about that. The grand marshal that year was CC Sabathia, someone I grew up watching dominate the Twins, and now he was riding on the lead vehicle for my debut marathon.
As for the race itself, there was a moment on 1st Avenue when I was catching Kipchoge as he was fading. I tried to encourage him to work with me so we could chase down the runners ahead. I had a similar exchange with the defending champion Abdi Nageeye, but neither of them were able to come along.
For those of you who want a full recap on Joe’s NYC Marathon build and race experience, he wrote an awesome newsletter about it here, check it out (and sign up for his newsletter, it rocks). Talk to me a little bit about your preparation for NYC. Favorite parts? Least favorite parts?
In training I tried not to think in terms of one specific workout leading to one specific result. This is an area where I have learned the roads are very different from the track. Throughout the entire training block, I genuinely had no idea what I might run in New York. On days when I felt bad, I wondered if I could even break 2:15, and on days when I felt good, I wondered if something like 2:08 was possible. My approach was simply to focus on being better than I was the day before, and when we got to New York, to race the race that presented itself.
You’ve mentioned some insane fueling stats, 175g of carbs per hour. How did you get to this level of fueling? There’s so much research coming out that says hi-carb is the way to go, but it seems like there's less context about how athletes are actually getting their bodies to take in this much.
Fueling was a huge part of this build. To be honest, the first time I took in 175 grams per hour, I did not even realize it until I got home and did the math. I knew the concentration of the carb mix I was using and I drank all seven of my 400 milliliter bottles, and I was a bit shocked when it came out to 175 grams per hour. It felt like I was taking in a lot of carbs, but I never felt like I was forcing anything down. I have seen many people struggle with fueling in marathons, and fortunately that has never been an issue for me.
One day we were doing a session that lasted about fifty minutes with some standing rest, so I decided to see how much I could drink without getting sick. I think I ended up taking in about 250 grams of carbs during that fifty minute session. I felt full, but I did not puke or cramp. I am sure that is far too many carbs, but it was basically a little science experiment on myself which gave me confidence I could do 175 grams per hour on race day.
So where are you at now? Back into training a little bit? One thing I want to delve into a little is the recovery process AFTER the marathon itself. What was your recovery like in the immediate days to week after the race?
I’m now about six weeks post marathon and training at roughly 75 percent of my full load. Dathan and Laura generally prioritize extra rest after a marathon rather than jumping back into heavy training quickly. If the build and race went well, you should be physically and mentally spent, and you need time to fully reset.
For us, that means about two weeks completely off or just doing light jogging. Over the next three weeks, we gradually rebuild volume, both weekly mileage and workouts, up to about 75 percent of what we hit at the peak of the marathon cycle. Once we reach that level, Dathan likes to hold it for around four weeks, or longer if there is no upcoming race on the calendar. During this phase, the workouts reach a similar intensity to marathon build sessions, but because they are shorter, you avoid digging too deep.
Another key focus during this “in between” 75 percent training period is higher quality VO₂ work, hill sessions, and a bit more speed, like 200s on the track. This is crucial for marathoners because if you stop training these systems, you lose them, and they are extremely hard to rebuild when you are back at 100 percent volume. At that point, the best you can usually do is maintain those adaptations.
I think one thing that people underestimate is how much a marathon build takes out of you physically, but also emotionally. What were some things you did to physically recover, but also to emotionally step back for a little bit?
Now that I am more of a veteran in the sport, I think this is one of the biggest lessons you learn and come to expect is that after a really big high, whether it is the Olympics, World Championships, or a marathon in this case, there is always an emotional comedown. That comedown is usually even harder because you are taking time off, so you lose the usual social circles that come with daily training and being around the team.
Since I know this feeling is coming, I try to plan a vacation, a house project, or something I am excited for that maybe I wouldn’t be able to do during a training block. This is also a time when I try not to say no to anything involving family or friends, because during periods of hard training my ability to do many things is very limited.
More on the macro sense, how has your recovery and return to training process been over the course of the weeks?
Because of my injury in 2024, this break was my first real rest period in about fifteen months, which made it even more important to take time to recover. Getting back into running, though, was rough for about ten days. I felt injured or borderline injured almost every day, and it was not very enjoyable. In the future, I think I will try to stay a bit more active during my time off to make the transition back into running smoother. That probably means spending some time in the weight room even when I am not running.
Once I settled back into my routine, my body started to come around again fairly quickly, maybe three to four weeks after the marathon.
What are your eyes on next? What are some things you’ll carry from this last block, or race into your next block?
This past year I raced nine times, with the shortest being a couple of road 10Ks, so what comes next will definitely involve less racing in 2026. The plan is to run a spring marathon, although I am still not sure where that will be. I am excited to run another marathon and to prepare for the specific demands of the course we choose with the same focus I had for New York. Watching old race videos and studying the course daily is something I will definitely do once I am back in the twelve week window before the race.
Before that spring marathon, I will probably add something to the calendar in the winter, but for now I am enjoying training with nothing scheduled.
Huge thanks to Joe for taking the time to chat, and provide some great insights on all things marathoning! Hope you guys learned a thing or two, and as always, reach out with ideas, questions, thoughts to owen@afterhoursathletics.com!
