Yaseen Abdalla: The fastest American half marathoner ever: he started out trying to break 4:40 in the mile by posting on the LetsRun.com forums
Episode 47 min 56s

Yaseen Abdalla: The fastest American half marathoner ever: he started out trying to break 4:40 in the mile by posting on the LetsRun.com forums

πŸƒ(Sponsor) Get the only recovery slide with hot & cold therapy and compression Afterslide is the only recovery slide combining compression with hot or cold therapy and fully customizable pressure zones. Founded by an orthopedic surgeon who is a huge LetsRun fan. Use code Letsrun26 for 5% off one pair or Letsrun26-2 for 10% off two pairs. Check out a better way to recover here (sponsor)

Yaseen Abdalla's path to the top of American distance running is unconventional. He went from posting on the LetsRun.com forums about how to break 4:40 in the mile in high school to running 59:12 at the Valencia half marathon, the fastest time ever by an American. However, his time doesn't count as the American record as he represents Sudan internationally.

He's unsponsored, self-coached, does a ton of treadmill training in Texas, ran a 2:11 marathon at the Olympics on 2 hours sleep and a pre-race pizza. He's got his own online coaching business and his own apparel company Kairos.

Yaseen talks about his unconventional rise to the top, states his case on why we should be the American record holder, breaks down his training philosophy, and comparisons to Vinnie Mauri, plus his goal of going under 2:03 at the Valencia Marathon on December 6th.

🎁 🎧 Get a 2nd LetsRun podcast every week + bonus content: Join the Supporters Club β€” https://www.letsrun.com/subscribe

LINKS

Timestamps

  • 00:00 Afterslide a better way to recover (sponsor)
  • 01:40 Start
  • 06:44 Valencia Half Marathon Race Day Details
  • 12:54 Olympic Marathon Experience
  • 14:37 Representing Sudan
  • 19:25 No Shoe Sponsor and Building a Brand
  • 25:03 Training Philosophy and Treadmill Sessions
  • 31:31 Treadmill Benefits and Conversion Paces
  • 38:27 Comparing Training With Vinnie Mauri
  • 41:08 NCAA Comparison and Progression
  • 43:15 Valencia Marathon Goals and Future Allegiance
  • 45:53 A LetsRun Forum Post Come Full Circle
  • 47:26 Afterslide: an easier way to recover (sponsor)
  • 47:38 Join our club

Community discussion