James Cunnama’s Go-To Fartlek Run
“I do it whenever I need to boost my running and inject a little pace to open up the stride."
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James Cunnama is widely recognized for his running prowess, due to performances such as Challenge Roth 2012, where a 2:40:06 marathon helped him successfully crack the eight-hour iron-distance barrier. He also ran his way to a fourth-place finish at this year’s Ironman World Championship. Here he shares his favorite fartlek workout, credited to Australian Olympic marathoner and coach Steve Moneghetti.
“This is a great session to get the legs turning over,” Cunnama says. “I do it whenever I need to boost my running and inject a little pace to open up the stride. You can also do it anywhere, which is useful when traveling.”
One set takes 20 minutes; Cunnama recommends tackling 1–3 sets, depending on the workout’s purpose.
The Workout
– 15 seconds hard/15 seconds easy x 2
- 30 seconds hard/30 seconds easy x 2
– 60 seconds hard/60 seconds easy x 2
- 90 seconds hard/90 seconds easy x 2
– 60 seconds hard/60 seconds easy x 2
- 30 seconds hard/30 seconds easy x 2
- 15 seconds hard/15 seconds easy x 2
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