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Exclusive interview with middle-distance runner on the attractiveness of the 1500m, love of British middle-distance running and ambitions for the 2024 outdoor season
Adel Mechaal is excited about this year for a number of reasons.
The Spaniard is aiming to represent his country at what would be a third Olympics, at Paris 2024.
Mechaal finished fifth in the 1500m at the Tokyo Games in 3:30.77 and wants to break the 3:30 mark this season.
Even if Mechaal manages that, there is no guarantee he’ll make the Olympic podium in the French capital due to the sheer strength in depth of global 1500m running right now.
Last year, 11 guys – representing countries over four continents – ran sub-3:30 in the distance, the most over a single season in history.
However, Mechaal is relishing that challenge. The Spaniard wants to build on his indoor season, where he finished sixth in both the 1500m and 3000m finals at the World Indoor Championships in Glasgow.
The 33-year-old will open up his outdoor season over 5km at the ASICS Paris Festival of Running on April 5.
AW chats exclusively to Mechaal below:
Adel MECHAAL in Paris (Albin Durand)
How do you reflect on your 2023 season?
I think the 2023 season was a very special and consistent one for me. I won national titles in the 1500m, indoor 3000m and over cross country. I got a European indoor 3000m silver medal in Istanbul and made the semi-finals of the 1500m at the World Championships. So it was a pretty good year but it’s now about building for the 2024 season which of course includes the main goal of the Paris Olympics.
How special was it to win silver over the 3000m at the European Indoors in Istanbul?
This was a competition that I prepared really well for and now I’ve got my set of medals at the European Indoors. I won gold in Belgrade (2017) and bronze in Torun (2021). In Istanbul, I was really happy to be competitive against Jakob Ingebrigtsen and I was really proud of my performance.
How do you view the landscape of global male middle distance running right now and the strength in depth of quality?
The system of training has changed a lot in the past few years. I cannot say it’s just the Ingebrigtsen/Norway [threshold training] system but I think people are now more focused on the aerobic side and not so much on the anaerobic phase of training.
Before, coaches focused on the aerobic side in base training but when a meeting got close, especially where we wanted to run a fast time, our mind turned to anaerobic training in the immediate build-up to that event.
Right now, that’s changed. Now, there is a focus on aerobic exercises in training throughout the entire season. I think it shows it’s [focus on aerobic training] worked and you don’t just get into shape more easily but you can keep that for a longer period of time.
Before, we weren’t implementing the lactic system but right now it’s about controlling the threshold and not overtraining. With threshold training, you can improve very quickly and having such a focus on the aerobic side, you can have more stamina for a greater length of time as well.
Adel Mechaal in Seville (Albin Durand)
Would you say you’re more of a 1500m/3000m runner? You also ran a European best of 45:37 for 10 miles last year.
If you see my six medals on the international stage, they are all in the longer distances, whether that be 3000m, 5000m or over cross country. I think I’m an athlete that when I put a lot of endurance in my body, it absorbs and assimilates it so I can run for a longer distance at a good speed.
However, you can’t replicate the butterflies in your stomach when running the 1500m. There’s so much adrenaline on the start line and there’s a huge amount of nervousness. You also see the ages of the competitors now and they’re so young. The natural movement over time in my career will be to focus more on the longer distance but I love the 1500m and it’s one distance that keeps you mentally on your toes.
What was your reaction when Josh Kerr beat Jakob Ingebrigtsen at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest?
I felt really happy when Josh [Kerr] beat Jakob in Budapest because I am a huge fan of the British system. I’ve worked with Steve Vernon before and I have a lot of appreciation for the British athletes. I am jealous because they have an incredible system over there and when Josh beat Jakob it reminded me of the party we had after the Tokyo Olympics!
One of the best parts of athletics is that you can have friends around the globe. The likes of Josh, Jake [Wightman], Neil [Gourley] and George [Mills] are so professional but they are also good friends and I am happy to see them on the global stage.
Josh Kerr beats Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Getty)
And Paris 2024?
I don’t know if Jakob will do the same mistake again [Paris 2024] as it’s happened twice now against both Jake and Josh in Oregon and Budapest. If Jakob is level with an athlete in the last 200m then he is beatable. They’ve both proved it.
As long as he doesn’t have pacemakers through an agreement with some athletes, then other athletes can have the opportunity to beat him. I think though, we have to be fair, and say that when Jakob has pacemakers he can run at a level that the rest of us probably can’t keep up with.
Middle-distance running is like this and that’s good. We all have strengths but if your competitors find your weakness then they will pounce on you!
How do you process the mind v body, especially in the middle-distance races when so many eventualities can occur?
The difference is that when you run a longer distance like 10 miles or half-marathon, you listen to your body and don’t overdo the pace you know. If you keep that simple rule, then you’ll be fine. With the 1500m you cannot think about the pace, it’s just you versus the other guys and it’s just going until your legs burn.
In the 1500m, you don’t know how the pacemaker is going to move, how the other guys will react and the certain tactics. You could get cut up in the last 200m and there are so many variables that you mentally have to process quickly. You have to read the track and that can be quite attractive for a lot of people.
What was your reaction when you ran 45:37 over 10 miles?
I think that the guys that beat me at Dam tot Damloop in Amsterdam – Mathew Kimeli and Vincent Kiprotich Kibet – have run 58 minutes over the half marathon. After the World Championships, I knew I had the potential to clock 59 minutes in the half-marathon and the 10 miles time just reaffirmed my self-belief. I was going at 2:50/km very easily and near the end of the race I produced 2:40/km as I had the strength to do it.
The longer distance is something that I just need to keep working on. It will take time. The middle distance on the other hand is something where to get the time you want, you need to get the balance correct. During the 2023 season, I felt I could’ve gone sub-3:30 over 1500m but I didn’t make it.
However, I feel I have the potential to run a 2:05/2:06 marathon. People have told me to go to the marathon but I still enjoy the track.
Could you run 3:28/3:29 over the 1500m in 2024?
I was tired when I ran 3:31.43 at last year’s London Diamond League but I was in 3:29 shape for that race. I clocked 3:37.36 a few days before and earlier that July won the Spanish 1500m title in 3:35.67. I had to peak for those championships otherwise I’d have been on the sofa at home watching Budapest.
When Josh claimed 1500m gold, I believe he was also in 3:27 shape, even though he ran 3:29.38. Find the race and find your day. That is the hard point of the 1500m as you need a perfect weather forecast, track and for you to also be in the best position.
How important has ASICS been for you?
I think ASICS is a game changer brand. They have an amazingly good product and with the revolution of technology in shoes, everything has changed. ASICS has stayed one step ahead of the curve and their GEL technology is known around the globe. They sponsor so many athletes now, help us make a living, and ASICS is one of the greatest brands in the athletics industry.
» Learn more about the ASICS Paris Festival of Running here
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