TFTV Rat Race ft. Stefan Deane-Smith & Sam Jones

Sam catches up with Sam Jones & Stefan Deane-Smith ahead of the Ballarat Marathon weekend, where both are lining up in the Half Marathon with similar goals — and likely to push each other all the way.

Sam Jones is coming in hot off a strong start to the season, clocking two big PBs: dropping his 1500m from 4:03 to 3:56, and running 14:44 for 5000m at State Champs. His preparation for Ballarat has been very targeted, with plenty of threshold work under JT Running and alongside Greg Frost. He also recaps a lighter race week heading into the Wollongong Fitness 5, where he cracked the top 10 in a stacked field.

Stefan Deane-Smith reflects on a solid block that included a 2:36 at Valencia Marathon. He’s confident there’s more to come over the marathon distance but has shifted focus toward Ballarat with some serious sessions: a Mona Fartlek (6.2km), a 3k tempo, and a tough 10 x 1k set averaging 3:15/km off one-minute recovery.

Sam also breaks down another big training week: 10 miles at marathon effort (4:05/km), a demanding track session (4k @ 3:32, 4 x 400m in 77s, plus 10 minutes at 3:48/km), capped off with a 34km long run.

Café Kit of the Week

• Nike Vaporfly 4s
• Vicks Shower Drops
• Bandit Split Shorts

News & Events

• Wollongong Running Festival is coming up on June 7
• Use code SAMH20 for a discount
• Plus, a quick recap of Run Wollongong from the past weekend