Frederic Funk - an athlete with a clear goal in mind

Triathlete, coffee lover and, above all, always on the lookout for new challenges. Frederic Funk has been competing as a professional triathlete since 2018 and made a huge mark in the very first year of his professional career. Four middle distances with four podium successes. But that's not all, as his career continues to gather pace, with a victory at Ironman 70.3 Lanzarote in 2019 and first place at Challenge Mallorca and St. Pölten in 2021. Frederic also won the title of European Champion 70.3 at the Ironman race in Walchsee this year. Over the next few years, he wants to establish himself as one of the world's top middle-distance athletes and, in the long term, make his big dream of winning the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii come true.

Frederic Funk makes the treadmill glow

After a successful but long 2021 season, Frederic is using the offseason and training break to do a running analysis. He is curious and wants to find out what he can still achieve in the 3rd and final discipline of running.

Frederic is well aware that almost no one can currently beat him on the bike, but that he still has hidden potential when it comes to running. We are therefore conducting a running style analysis with him on our 5-D LAB at our headquarters in Hamburg. We have drawn some exciting conclusions from this analysis that we don't want to withhold from you.

"The results have shown that there is still something to be gained and that there is further potential - I am pleased about that."

More power for more peace and economy

The focus of strength training is now on the lower abdominal and hamstring muscles. Strong muscles ensure that the entire torso is calm and that no unnecessary strength and work is required. This saves energy and makes the running style more economical. Frederic pays attention to functional exercises and focuses on eccentric strength training (e.g. Jefferson Curl, Nordic Hamstring Curl, Reverse Nordic Hamstring Curl).

It's the beat that counts

An optimisation of the stride frequency is also on the plan. Frederic's stride frequency has to be raised especially during the long and slow endurance runs - this consolidates a strong and fast coordination ability, which is necessary later on during fast tempos in order to generate short contact times without tiring too quickly. In order to increase the frequency, among other things the arm work is improved, i.e. an acute elbow angle is realised over the entire stride cycle, which can increase the frequency of the arms and legs.

The small adjusting screws make the difference

Frederic relies on the RUNPRO in training - we were able to prove this in the 5-D LAB. The running analysis in the 5-D LAB was definitely motivating for Frederic to start the 2022 season at full throttle and with a concrete plan.

Frederic's favourites when running:

"Especially in times of carbon running shoes, which also have a high sole structure, it's great to have insoles that give me stability and better contact with the shoe and the ground. I rely on the RUNPROfor my training."