Sam & Katie catch up with Stefan Deane-Smith. Stefan boasts PBs ranging from 1:53 for 800m through to a 70 minutes flat for the half marathon on a hilly Auckland course to come 3rd in the NZ Half Marathon Champs. Growing up in New Zealand, he ran competitively after starting out in a variety of sports through school. At his peak, he logged 160–200 km per week before stepping away from the sport for a time. After moving to Australia, Stefan gradually returned to high-level running and is now focused on the marathon—with the Gold Coast Marathon on the horizon and Valencia later this year.

Training Highlights Katie hit the track for a 7 x 1k session, progressing from the high 3:30s down to 3:15/km, then backed it up with a tough threshold session in windy conditions later in the week—totaling 125 km. Sam struggled through sessions with a sinus infection but took confidence from an effortless 2-hour long run at 4:26/km pace, finishing the week with 95 km. Stefan recovered from last week’s Ballarat Half Marathon with steady running and a strong hilly tempo around Lake Illawarra, clocking 103 km for the week.

Café Kit of the Week

• Nike Vomero 18

• BlackSheep Running Tee

• Clif Bloks Energy Chews

Round the Club Shoutouts

• Craig Turner – Kiama Running Club

• Phoebe Adams – Narooma Run Club

• Georgia Deane-Smith – Wollongong Track Club