How Olympic Marathoner Ryan Hall is Training the Next Generation of Athletes
American long-distance runner Ryan Hall holds the U.S. record for the fastest marathon and half marathon in history. He was the first U.S. runner to break the one-hour barrier in the 2007 USA Half Marathon event with a record time of 59:43. Hall has competed in two Olympic Games: he won the marathon at the 2008 United States Olympic Trials and placed tenth in the Olympic marathon in Beijing. Now a retired athlete, Hall is bringing his running knowledge and strength training tips to his new fitness app.
“I love coaching athletes, but I can only reach so many people [face-to-face]. This allows me to work with a lot more people than I could otherwise,” Hall says of his app.
Hall may be a world-class marathon runner and athlete, but his programs are designed for athletes of all fitness levels — no matter their background or sport — and provide a unique glimpse into the training that led Hall to his best performances. “This is an opportunity for me to share exactly what I want the training to be and I’m just excited to broaden my reach,” Hall says.
Hall attributes his successful running career and accomplishments to his coaches. He believes that his coaches helped him develop his talent and pushed him to be the best he could possibly be. “Now it is fun for me to get into the coaching space and share with athletes some of those mistakes that I made to help them avoid making the same mistakes,” he says.
In order for any athlete to grow in their sport, they must learn from the athletes who went before them, Hall says, adding that he hopes the next generation of athletes can learn from his experiences.
“Every generation is building off the previous generations’ ceiling,” Hall says. “I want my ceiling to be the floor of the next generation.”
Hall’s programming caters to three different types of athletes:
Those who want to get bigger and stronger
Runners
Hybrid athletes, who want a little bit of both
Since retiring as a marathon runner, Hall focuses heavily on strength training and gaining muscle, but he says he still loves to mix in endurance training.
“People will feel at home who are trying to find that sweet spot of combining strength training and running,” Hall says of his app’s target audience. “Then the people who are just focused on running will find that programming built off my career and the people who came before me.”
Hall believes consistency is everything and says above all, fitness should be fun.
“Switching things up in such a way that’s fun for you is how [you’re going to be] consistent. If you’re actually looking forward to your workout, then it’s not hard to do it,” Hall says. “Consistency is a lot easier to achieve if you actually enjoy what you are doing.”
Download Hall’s new fitness app if you are ready to put on muscle, break your personal best in running, or want to learn how to stay consistent in your fitness journey.