The 116th edition of the Millrose Games on February 11 saw a packed house and an exciting mix of up-and-coming athletes and record-chasing Olympians. The highly anticipated men’s Wanamaker mile saw fierce competition between 20-year-old American star Hobbs Kessler and reigning champion Yared Nuguse.

Following the match, Kessler explained the planned preparation he and his coach, Ron Warhurst, had devised for the event. Their approach allowed him to take on Nuguse’s overwhelming middle-distance force, and their clash turned into one of the most memorable scenes of the Games.

Millrose Games continues to add dramatic insights

A tweet from @jgault13 recently gave details on Kessler’s modified training schedule. It read, “Hobbs Kessler gave an intriguing interview after his 3:48 mile at Millrose, explaining how he and coach Ron Warhurst have overhauled his training and largely eliminated runs of 7+ miles. He said it’s “a little bit bro science, but it’s been working.” The modified 2024 training emphasizes steady doubles and sets a 7-miles limit he told letsrun.com.

Kessler explained, “… I’m going to split up my runs and get more volume without ever having to get that bonk feeling.” Then added, “All the mileage goes down easy and with the energy I’ve saved from that, I’ve been able to reallocate in either more mileage or more quality work.”

In the Wanamaker Mile, Nuguse established his mettle finishing in an astounding 3:47.83 to become the only man to run a mile indoors in under 3:48 twice. Kessler finished second with a time of 3:48.86, closely followed by George Mills in third place with a time of 3:48.93. The strategy might be working well for the champion since he earned a gold medal against another formidable rival in a previous track and field event this year.

Winning against top-tier rivals

At the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix Meet, Kessler won against the 2022 world champion Jake Wightman. He won the 1500m event with a personal best time of 3:33.66, securing this year’s first gold medal. Last year, Kessler also won the one-mile event in the 2023 World Road Running Championships.

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Despite having a slim portfolio, Hobbs has improved his status ahead of the road to Paris. It’s hard to argue against this strategy’s efficacy right now as Hobbs rightfully stated, “It’s been working.”  However, the real test will be to see how durable it is during the 2024 Paris Olympics when the best of the track community will assemble.

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