A Hardy Norwegian Marathon

BY KEVIN PAUL

After spending a spring and summer in Northern Europe and training in Norway, particularly with Yngvar Bryhildsen, I learned through that running odyssey that the Norwegians, especially Yngvar, know a thing or two about preparing for marathons. Bryhildsen, age 45, finished second in the 1994 New York Marathon with a time of 2:14:32 and has also recorded a personal record of 2:10:23 at Oslo. His training methods, however, differ markedly from those of the American running culture, which focuses on interval training and high-intensity track work.

Recently Bryhildsen told me that he believes that the real secret to marathon success lies in high total mileage and in what he calls “steady pace” running. Bryhildsen ran the 1995 Oslo Marathon in 2:13:46—faster than his New York finishing time by approximately one minute, which is all the more impressive since his age had advanced from 44 to 45—and accomplished this feat while sticking with the training regimen discussed in this article.