February 2008

Special Patch Sprint Edition

KOBAK REVEALS HIS TRAINING SECRETS! Five-Time Champion says "I'm not the best athlete in the race!"

He's won the Patch Sprint a record five times!      And speaking of records, Jim Kobak also holds the course mark (2:09:34) as well as the fastest split interval for every mountain.      How does he do it?  "It's hard," said Kobak, adding that "going up Pok-O is the hardest part.  "Trekking is much easier, but it also takes longer."      Kobak will turn 39 prior to this year's event and maybe he is mellowing:  He has granted us an exclusive interview in which he outlines his revered, grueling and highly-successful training program.                         (To Learn more about training for the Patch Sprint, CLICK HERE)

"If you want to train for the Patch Sprint, you must commit to the following: 1. Start training seriously by April 1. 2. Training on uphills will help more than running on the roads. Go uphill a lot during training. Fast hikers do better than fast runners. I can't break 40 minutes for a 10 k, but I can get up Poko under 20 minutes. You just have to run fast enough.

3. Make sure to do some easy distance training and some short interval training. You do not have to train as hard as you can for 3 hours a day to get ready. Like everyone else, I have to work, so training sessions are rarely more than an hour and a half. And you can't go seven days a week, you have to recover well from training, too. On the days you train hard, keep it shorter. I would reccomend to anyone who is serious about improving in the Patch Sprint to buy a heart rate monitor and learn their lactate threshold. Research training zones and plans, I just continue the same plan that I use during ski season, only the workouts are on foot. Keep the hard efforts in the LT zone, and the easy workouts in level one zone. Make a plan and stick to it during April and May. There are a lot of people who do the Patch Sprint who are naturally much better athletes than I am. If they learned how to train, they would be able to win the race.

4. Stay fit all year round, then it is easier to start an effective training program.

5. Start Cross Country Ski Racing in December; then when you are ready to go in April, you are already in pretty good shape. 6. Listen to nothing but SLAYER as you prepare for the race. That will keep you in the right mindset.

Some other racers find that other training methods- such as carrying weight or performing yoga- work best. What's your secret?

Kobak is a member of the world famous PERU NORDIC MASTERS ski team.

REGISTER for the 2008 Patch Sprint

CORRECTION:  In a past news article, Jason Metakis was incorrectly identified as Marc Metakis.  Furthermore, Marc Metakis was incorrectly identified as Jason Metakis.  We apologize for this egregious error.