WTC #22

Andrii Zablodskyi

Andrii Zablodskyi joins What The Crew! to talk about running, racing, pacing, and how a casual Facebook discovery eventually turned into years of running with the Utrecht Running Project.

Originally from Ukraine, Andrii started running in high school with shorter distances like 400m and 800m, but later came back to the sport more seriously after moving to Utrecht. What started as a simple way to stay active slowly became a structured part of his life, with races, training goals, and a love for road running.

In this conversation, Andrii talks about his first half marathon, the fear and uncertainty that came with it, and how experience helped him understand what his body could handle. He also shares what it feels like to push for fast times, why a few seconds per kilometer can make a huge difference, and why races often become a mental battle as much as a physical one.

The episode also touches on his sub-3-hour Amsterdam Marathon, his goals for future races like Berlin, Boston, and Chicago, and why social running still has a place in his training even when he is focused on performance.

A relaxed conversation about speed, consistency, motivation, running communities, and the quiet suffering behind chasing faster times.