Over 12,000 people signed up for the inaugural Zwift Academy Run. All those that completed the program’s 8 workouts and 2 races graduated with a chance to make the final team selection process. The six member team is comprised of runners from a variety of different backgrounds, each with an interesting story to tell.
The Zwift Academy Run team 2021:
- Ivan Alonso, USA: lives in Texas and through his athletic journey has lost over 85lbs (38kg). He went from running a 4:30 marathon to 2:57 and getting his Boston Qualifier.
- Naomi Feder, Australia: a Chiropractor and mother of twin girls. As an ultramarathoner she looks to inspire and encourage women of all ages and abilities to run.
- Max Rahm, Germany: a carpenter at his family business who will soon be starting architecture school. He is a focused runner with Berlin being his marathon debut.Â
- Katie Sloane, England: another experienced runner, hoping to run 2:45 in Berlin. She can usually be found running the trails of the Peak District with her labrador Billy.
- Deb Zelisko, Canada: President & CEO of an audiology company. An avid cyclist and a committed Zwifter with level 50 on the bike, she started Zwift running during Covid and is now a level 20 runner. Berlin will be her first marathon.
- Youiti Kado, Japan: an AI research engineer who started running after signing up for the Tokyo marathon 7 years ago.
Athletes will receive coaching and mentorship throughout the year in the build-up towards the Berlin Marathon from both Terrence Mahon and Jen Rhines. Runners will also receive support from team sponsors:
- Adidas is supplying all athletes with top-of-the-line training apparel and run footwear
- Woodway will be providing treadmills
- Garmin will provide GPS smartwatches, heart rate monitors, and cadence sensors
- Maurten will provide products based on their hydrogel technology
- Hyperice will provide a full suite of warm-up and recovery tools
Follow along the Zwift Academy Run team’s journey as the team balances everyday life while trying to train to be their best for the Berlin Marathon.
2021 will be the first racing for some of the team in over a year and for some members of the team this will be the first time building up to a marathon. The team is mixed, with some trying to run under 2 hours 30 minutes while others are looking to break 4 hours with their first marathon.
We wish the 2021 Run Team the best of luck in their training as they prep for Berlin!
