Marathons

Q&A with ASICS athlete Abderrazak Charik

Marathon season has finally started! With the Paris marathon coming up in April, we spoke to French long-distance runner and Asics athlete Abderrazak Charik to learn more about his marathon training and preparation for Paris 2022, who influenced him in his career and what his plans are for after the marathon.

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Why did you choose to run the Paris Marathon over any others such as Milan or Berlin?

I made the choice to come back for my second marathon in Paris because running at home is always more pleasant.

I am attached to my Parisian club, Racing Multiathlon. And then, of course, we are also thinking about the Summer Games in Paris 2024, so to gain experience in the discipline to be even more efficient on a faster race because we know that Paris is very difficult at the end.

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How long have you been preparing for the Paris Marathon and what does that preparation involve?

I've been preparing for the Paris Marathon for a few months now, I've had some minor health problems that forced me to slow down my preparation but I've always been able to put in the effort.

In a marathon preparation the objective is to target the race pace. And then, when you say marathon, you inevitably say a lot of kilometres.

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Are there any marathon runners you admire or that have influenced you?

Let's take the best of the discipline directly, today we all know that Eluid Kipchoge is the best over marathon distance.

He is very strong and has a relaxed running style and no one can stand up to him.

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What kit have you been using in your training? And will you be using the same kit on race day?

I will be equipped with the new 2022 elite outfit from ASICS and I will wear Metaspeed Sky 2 which should be released soon.

As for hydration, I'm lucky enough to be accompanied by MAURTEN which is a brand most used in running, I find that its effects are very beneficial during the effort, at least that's my feeling.

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What is important to you when finding the right running shoe?

As far as running shoes are concerned, the question does not even arise today. Not being equipped with a carbon plate shoe is a handicap. The ideal shoe for competition is a carbon plate according to our respective sponsors.

For me it will be the Asics Metaspeed Sky

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Are you following any kind of diet plan? Are there any foods/drinks that you would recommend (or not recommend?)

No, food is my biggest problem. I have to be much more professional about it.

I allow myself a lot of deviation and I feel it sometimes. And then, as I said in the previous answer, the brand I recommend is MAURTEN. A drink that gives you what you need to perform well, without any undesirable effects and above all, easy to use.

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What are you hoping to achieve from running this marathon? How do you avoid burning out?

My goal is already to finish the race because the marathon is really not a gift. In terms of results, I hope to beat my personal best and run as close to 2h10 as possible.

The race plan is not to miss the refreshment stations every 5km. This will already allow me to make up for my first marathon where I could only drink twice.

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Do you listen to music when training? If so, what would you recommend?

I have a lot of music before the "hard" sessions. Otherwise when I have a fairly easy run I put on my playlist with generally a lot of French rap: Booba , JUL , Lestin and many others.

If you are looking for the perfect playlist for your runs, find the most popular running songs here.

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What are your recovery plans post-marathon?

My post marathon recovery is very simple for me. After 3 months of preparation and a fairly intense race I will stop training completely for 2 weeks. I find that this is the minimum to be able to be fresh when I start again and to be able to switch to the summer season.

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What are your plans after the marathon? Are you looking at any other races?

I will switch to the track season after my recovery. I will focus on 5km and 10km to improve my records. This will allow me to go faster and be comfortable on the longer distances.

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Want to find out more? We've been busy collecting all the latest tips & expert advice for marathon training and race days. Our Marathon category lets you experience real in-the-moment stories as we dive deeper into Q&A with athletes, kit reviews, nutritional advice and so much more!