Training with faster athletes, marathon simulations: Inside Sawan Barwal’s two historic marathons in five months

Sawan Barwal has accomplished a remarkable feat by winning two marathons in just five months, breaking national records and earning India its first Asian Games medal in the event in 44 years. Barwal, a former middle distance runner, trained rigorously under coach Scott Simmons in Colorado Springs, where he learned to train alongside faster athletes, including Zouhair Talbi, Yemane Haileselassie, and Hillary Bor, all of whom are five to six minutes quicker than him over the distance.

These training sessions proved invaluable, pushing Barwal to new heights and honing his resilience for the grueling marathon distance. The Asian Games race in Nagoya was run in damp conditions, with the start list featuring 20 athletes, eleven of whom had faster personal bests than Barwal. Despite being an underdog, Barwal executed his training plan flawlessly.

By halfway through the race, he was leading the pack alongside eventual gold medallist Ichitaka Yamashita. With a strategy to stay with the group until the end, Barwal's fitness and work ethic paid off, securing him the podium finish. Simmons believes Barwal has the potential to run even faster in future marathons, with a target of breaking the national record again and possibly qualifying for the World Championships and Olympics.