We've known for a while that Mathieu van der Poel is a solid runner. But on Tuesday, his good friend Freddy Ovett’s Strava posts suggested that MVDP took it up a notch, as it looks like they ran a half marathon in 1 hour and 22 minutes in Denia, Spain. Ovett shared the achievement on Strava with the caption: "Matje sending it." Van der Poel, who hasn’t been posting his workouts on Strava for some time, jokingly commented on his Australian friend’s post: "I’m probably going to regret this tomorrow." Ovett’s reply was quick and witty: "All the best things in life come with next-morning regret."
After covering 21.1 kilometers at an average pace of 3:52 per kilometer, Greg Van Avermaet wondered if they managed to chat during the run or just ignored each other. Ovett humorously responded: "I had a flat white and told him my life story."
Running is in Ovett's DNA
Tuesday’s time was impressive, but it’s nothing compared to Ovett’s half marathon record. In mid-October, he ran a half marathon in Valencia in an incredible 1 hour, 8 minutes and 48 seconds, averaging a pace of 3:16 per kilometer!
Good running genes run in the family for Ovett. His father, Steve, won gold in the 800 meters at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and also took bronze in the 1500 meters. During that era, he held multiple world records in the 1500 meters and had famous showdowns with fellow Brit Sebastian Coe.