Name: Kurt Stolberg

Sex: Male

Age (at the time of first BQ): 33

Height (at the time of first BQ):  6’5″

Weight (at the time of first BQ): 199 lbs

At which marathon did you get your first BQ? Mississauga Marathon (Canada)

Tell us a little about the race. 21st marathon, 20th BQ attempt. 2 key changes:

1. Finally diagnosed with an allergy to ‘the environment’, so proper drugs helped me not breathe through a straw for the last 2-15km of the past few marathons. Couple that with a decent mileage base and #2,
2. Improved my cadence over 14 months preceding, from 158spm to 170spm. tip: whatever cadence you have, don’t let it slip as you get tired.

How long had you been running when you ran your first BQ? 14 years

Did you run in college or high school? No

What was your approximate lifetime mileage at the time of your first BQ? 11,000 miles

How many miles did you run in the year before your first BQ? 1,185 miles

Approximately how many races did you run in that year?  2

Did you follow a canned program? If so, which one? If not, can you give us an idea of what your training philosophy was? No, Loosely based on Hal Higdon Adv 1, but adapted for run-commuting (lots of 8 milers)

Did you run with a running club or utilize a coach? No

Did cross training play a role in your training? If so, how? No – it just gets in the way (hockey, canoeing, hiking)

Did speed work play a role in your training? If so, how? Yes – got my vo2max up 4 pts in 3 months preceding the race

Any other thoughts you would like to share with those of working towards a BQ? Never quit! If you love running, just keep enjoying it, keep tweaking things, reading, researching, improving, rehabilitating after injuries, etc and with enough drive, anyone can get there if this late-in-range (33 year old, so sub-3) heavyweight (2.6lbs per inch) with 3 knee surgeries and many failed BQ attempts can.