Yaseen Abdalla: The fastest American half marathoner ever: he started out trying to break 4:40 in the mile by posting on the LetsRun.com forums

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Yaseen Abdalla's path to the top of American distance running is unconventional. He went from posting on the LetsRun.com forums about how to break 4:40 in the mile in high school to running 59:12 at the Valencia half marathon, the fastest time ever by an American. However, his time doesn't count as the American record as he represents Sudan internationally.

He's unsponsored, self-coached, does a ton of treadmill training in Texas, ran a 2:11 marathon at the Olympics on 2 hours sleep and a pre-race pizza. He's got his own online coaching business and his own apparel company Kairos.

Yaseen talks about his unconventional rise to the top, states his case on why we should be the American record holder, breaks down his training philosophy, and comparisons to Vinnie Mauri, plus his goal of going under 2:03 at the Valencia Marathon on December 6th.

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LINKS

• Breaking 4:40 Before Junior Year (LetsRun Forum Post)
• Yaseen's apparel business: Kairos Running
• Yaseen's coaching businesS: RunPlusCoaching
• Yaseen Abdalla's YouTube Channel
• The Full Marius Bakken Interview: The Norwegian Method, Double Threshold, and Raising the Aerobic Ceiling

Timestamps

• 00:00 Afterslide a better way to recover (sponsor)
• 01:40 Start
• 06:44 Valencia Half Marathon Race Day Details
• 12:54 Olympic Marathon Experience
• 14:37 Representing Sudan
• 19:25 No Shoe Sponsor and Building a Brand
• 25:03 Training Philosophy and Treadmill Sessions
• 31:31 Treadmill Benefits and Conversion Paces
• 38:27 Comparing Training With Vinnie Mauri
• 41:08 NCAA Comparison and Progression
• 43:15 Valencia Marathon Goals and Future Allegiance
• 45:53 A LetsRun Forum Post Come Full Circle
• 47:26 Afterslide: an easier way to recover (sponsor)
• 47:38 Join our club