Sofico Marathon Ambassador Program

I still can’t believe it, I ran a marathon 😀 What an achievement. But how did I experience my race day?

Before the race

The last week before the race, I really started to feel the effects of the tapering. My legs felt fresh, and my confidence was growing. On Friday, two days before the race, it was time for carb loading! Finally, an excuse to eat all the pasta and rice I wanted 😋. On Saturday, the day before the race, I prepped some isotonic drinks and handed them to a few friends who would be cheering me on and resupplying me along the way. And then, off to bed early, this was the night the clocks moved forward for daylight saving time, meaning one hour less sleep. Not ideal, and definitely a bit stressful!

Race day - part 1

6:30 AM: Alarm goes off. Still a bit sleepy, but I actually slept well. Time to change, do some quick mobility exercises, and force down some food—why is eating so hard this early? 😅

7:00 AM: My awesome colleague (also running the marathon) picked me up, so I didn’t have to worry about driving back later. Chatting on the way helped calm the nerves, and gave me extra time to finish my overnight oats.

8:00 AM: Arrived at the Sofico VIP zone. Got my BIB, prepped a bit, socialized with fellow ambassadors, and soaked up the good vibes.

8:45 AM: Final warm-up. Off to the starting block. It’s happening.

9:15 AM: GO! 🚀

Race Day – Part 2

The first 2 km, I ran with two fellow ambassadors, but then I decided to pick up the pace and continue on my own. The atmosphere along the course was incredible: so many people cheering, plenty of power-up signs, and lots of high fives to give. It really kept the energy high! 😃

At 13 km, I saw my friends for the first time, which was a huge motivation boost. My legs still felt super fresh, and I was having a great time.

By 21 km, the first signs of fatigue started to show—nothing unusual at this point in a marathon. But I knew I had my friends waiting again at 24 km with extra drinks. Or at least, that was the plan… Because the city center was so crowded, they missed our meeting point. To make things worse, phone reception was terrible, so I could only reach them after 29 km. Not ideal! As I started to stress and curse, I lost focus on doing my race. But right at that point I also saw my coach, Aron, cheering along the course. This made me flick the switch in my mind and adjust my strategy, grabbing more water at the official supply stations and luckily, I had an extra gel with me.

At 30 km, I was still maintaining my pace and spotted my brother near the KAA Gent Stadium, so an extra motivating boost. But as soon as I left the stadium, I felt the first signs of cramping.

By 33 km, I had to slow down a bit, but I knew I was going to finish. The cramps weren’t severe enough to force me to stop or walk, and by then, we were re-entering the city center. The crowd was insane, so many people cheering and calling my name! That feeling is unbelievable, and it pushes you forward, even when your legs are screaming.

At 40 km, the final stretch was in sight. The finish line was getting closer, but first, I had to battle through the long straight at the Watersportbaan… with a lot of wind, of course.

Wow, time really flies! In my last update, my long run was 13 km, and now that’s just a casual jog. 😅 Back in January, I was running around 30 km per week. Now? A solid 55 km. That’s almost double! This marathon journey has been a rollercoaster—ups, downs, and sore legs—but what an adventure it is!

What does a marathon training week look like?

Monday – “Rest” Day (But Not Really)
You’d think rest means lying on the couch, but nope! On my “rest” days, I do strength and stability exercises.

Tuesday – Tempo Run
Tuesdays are for tempo runs — 45 to 55 minutes of pushing my limits at my aerobic threshold. For me, that means a heart rate of 162-170 bpm and running around 5:00 min/km. Sounds fun, right? (Narrator: It was not.)

Wednesday – Another "Rest" Day (Still Not Resting)
More strengthening exercises.

Thursday – The Anaerobic Beast Mode
Until March, Thursdays were all about interval training—20-minute warm-up, followed by multiple reps of 6 to 8 minutes at my anaerobic threshold. That means heart rates between 170-180 bpm and an average pace of 4:40 min/km. Basically, running like I stole something, then taking short recoveries before doing it all over again. Now, with race day approaching, this has turned into another long run, a bit shorter than the weekend’s long run.

Friday – Physiotherapy (a.k.a. No Pain, No Gain)
Together with my trainer from Golazo Energy we decided to keep following physiotherapy sessions. This time with a physiotherapist specialized in sport injuries and injury prevention. Thus, no more nice muscle massages like last time, but 1.5 hours doing core workouts, calf strengthening, and stability exercises.

Saturday – Recovery Run (But It’s Still Running)
Just a light 30-minute jog to shake out the legs.

Sunday – The Big One: Long Run
What started as a 1h10min, 13 km jog in January has now become a 2h30min, 28 km mission.

Looking at This Packed Agenda...
No wonder my team is used to me saying, “I’m going to be AFK for a while, going for a run.” 😅 Combine that with stretching and warm-ups before and after every session, and you quickly realize that free time is... well, nonexistent.

Final preparations

The marathon is just two weeks away! This is my last big training week before tapering begins. That means easing up on the mileage so my legs can recover and be fresh for race day.

To make sure I’m in top shape, I also treated myself to two sports massages. Gotta keep those muscles happy (or at least, less angry).

I can’t wait for this final push—and, of course, the marathon itself! Hope to see many of you there, because trust me, I’ll need all the support I can get. 😉

Where I left of last time

I ended my last blog with a lot of doubt if I will be able to run the full marathon because of injuries. I wasn’t able to run for 7 weeks and the marathon was getting closer and closer. But I was still motivated, was doing the exercises that I could, and followed physiotherapy.

Progression

Then, about a week after my last update, things changed—big time. My physio suggested I get an ultrasound of my calf, and guess what? The muscle tear had completely healed. Amazing, right? Except… I still had calf pain. 😑
Who could have known that my lack of hip mobility would lead to calf issues 😅 But the positive thing was, I could finally run again.

Where am I know

Fast forward six weeks, and I’m officially back into training. Every week, my running volume has been going up, and my longest run so far is 13km. Sure, that’s still a bit shy of marathon distance, but wow, does it feel good to be out there again.

Of course, my body’s not 100% happy about it. I still get some calf and Achilles pains, so stretching has basically become my new part-time job. I’m stretching 2–3 times a day, which feels like a lot, but hey, it’s working. The pains are slowly easing up, and that’s what matters.

The second effort test

On January 16^th we had a second effort test, the moment we could see how much progress we made since October. This test helps measure progress and adjust training zones. Before going to this second test I was quite nervous. After all, I’d only been back to running for five weeks. Would I see any progress? Or would this test just confirm how much I’d been struggling?

Thankfully, the numbers told a good story. My aerobic threshold improved significantly, from 10.7 km/h in October to 11.9 km/h now in January. Thankfully the cycling and crosstrainer trainings during my injury helped to not lose too much condition.

Moving forward

With these results, my trainer is still confident that I can run the full marathon in March. And with my newly adjusted training zones, things are about to get a little more intense. Starting this week, I’ll be running three times a week and adding an extra session on the bike or crosstrainer.

It’s going to be tough, but honestly? I’m excited. I’ve come so far already, and with every run, I feel closer to my goal. Here’s to keeping the momentum going (and stretching those hips)!

Stay tuned for the next update, hopefully with even fewer injuries and more kilometers under my belt.

How it began

Last summer, a few of my friends decided to take on the “Dodentocht,” a 100km hike. To prepare, they thought it’d be a good idea to try a shorter hike of 42km first—at night. Naturally, I thought, why not join them? After all, I hike often enough, so how hard could it be? Famous last words.

In late June, we participated in “De Nacht van Vlaanderen,” a hike that kicked off at 9 PM. By 5:30 AM, we’d finished, and while I crossed the finish line, it was not pretty. My legs felt like lead, and my condition wasn’t as solid as I’d imagined. It was a wake-up call: I needed to do more than casually stroll around on weekends.

So in July, I laced up my running shoes and started running three to four times a week. Things were looking good—my stamina was improving, my confidence was growing, and then August rolled around. That’s when I saw the call for new marathon ambassadors. Interesting, I thought, but not something I seriously considered at first. I’d run a half marathon before, so this felt like a huge leap. But after some encouragement from previous ambassadors, I decided, why not? (Again, famous last words.)

Kick-Off day: a mixed bag of awesomeness and reality checks

The week before kick-off day, when the journey would officially begin, I noticed something in my right calf. Uh-oh. To play it safe, I didn’t run for a few days, hoping it’d magically go away. Spoiler: it didn’t.

Kick-off day itself was incredible, though. I got to meet my fellow ambassadors, the amazing trainers from Golazo, and—best of all—do a bunch of tests. These tests taught me some valuable lessons:

Got my correct heart rate zones.
My core strength and hip mobility? Let's just say I’ve got room for improvement. 😅
The DEXA scan? A gentle reminder that I’ve still got some “energy reserves” to work with. 😉

Start of the training

I’d already warned my coach I wouldn’t run during the first week because I was attending Devoxx, a Java conference. Running and attending this conference was not really combinable. Plus, that nagging calf pain was still there.

The week after the conference, it hadn’t improved. So, off to the doctor I went. Diagnosis? A muscle tear.

After consulting my coach and doctor, we decided on a plan: two weeks of complete rest followed by physiotherapy. My marathon journey wasn’t exactly off to a flying start, but hey, if marathons were easy, everyone would do them, right?

Adjusted training schedule

Now, I’ve got my own little “dream team” of supporters: my doctor, a physiotherapist, and my coach from Golazo. Each week, I check in with my physiotherapist to see what training I’m allowed to do and then coordinate with the coach from Golazo, who tailors my schedule and provides additional suggestions.

When I was cleared to exercise again, I started with swimming, which thankfully didn’t hurt. Next came indoor cycling. Since I don’t own a bike, I joined Basic-Fit and became that person pedaling furiously in the corner. After a week of cycling, I tried the elliptical. Progress, right? Not quite—my calf wasn’t a fan, so it was back to the bike for me.

Current situation

It’s been seven weeks since I last ran, so by now, my injury should be healing. I’m still sticking to physiotherapy and doing everything I can to maintain my fitness. Whether I’ll tackle the full marathon in March or pivot to a half marathon remains to be seen.

What keeps me going is the incredible support from everyone around me. I’m still motivated, but let’s be real—I’m itching to run again. Until then, I’ll keep swimming, cycling, and building strength (and hopefully some patience).

Stay tuned—this journey is far from over.

| Meet the Ambassadors 2025

Matthias Hoffman

| Training updates

Follow Matthias' journey

I did it

Last miles

What does a marathon training week look like?

Final preparations

I can run again

My rough start