TFTV ft. Matt Johnsen

Sam and Mitch catch up with Matt Johnsen, an impressive runner who grew up in Broulee. After winning numerous national medals in the steeplechase, Matt made the choice to move down to Melbourne to pursue running. Once in Melbourne, Matt's teammates began going to college, and he felt he had the potential to do the same. He achieved remarkable personal bests, including 14:14 for the 5000m and 29:25 for the 10,000m.

After college, Matt returned to Melbourne and was coached by Brad Croker, achieving times of 1:05 for the half marathon and 2:23 for the marathon. Shortly after these successes, he moved back to Broulee, coinciding with the onset of the COVID lockdown, which made it challenging to stay competitive without races. Since then, Matt has shifted his focus to enjoying running and has adjusted his goals while still believing he can shave a couple of minutes off his marathon time. Additionally, he coaches local kids once a week and participates in community running groups to promote the sport in the area.

In training, Sam tackles chaotic K repetitions in the Bali heat, contending with scooters and dogs on the roads of Canggu, but soon falls victim to Bali Belly. Meanwhile, Mitch takes his session from lane 8 to the Unanderra criterium track, logging 24km on Tuesday and setting up for a 129km week. Matt reintroduces sessions into his training, including 8 x 3 minutes on Wednesday, and pushes through a hot, hungover long run over hills on Sunday, totaling 87km for the week.

Café Kit of the Week:

• Trigger Point Ball
• Nike Air Zoom 5’s
• Winners Gels
• Coles Perform Gels

Round the Club Shoutouts:

• Sam Sprowles – Culburra Beach Trotters
• Monty Lloyd-Jones – Bankstown Athletics Club
• Liam Henderson – Wollongong Track Club