Luis Enrique found success through marathon running

Enrique is the number 1 coach in the world right now.

In the world of football, fans often only see Luis Enrique as a top coach: he led Barcelona and PSG to historic trebles, and led the Spanish national team to play free-flowing football. However, besides his strategic talent on the coaching bench, Enrique also has an aspect that few can match: he is the best marathon coach in the world.

Hang up your shoes but still run

Many players after retirement often slack off on training, gain weight or live more comfortably after years of intense competition. Typical examples are "fat" Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney or Wesley Sneijder. Luis Enrique is the opposite. When he ended his football career, he still maintained the habit of daily training and especially sought out marathons as a way to maintain both physical and mental health.

Enrique has conquered the New York Marathon, the Amsterdam Marathon, the Florence Marathon, and even the Marathon des Sables - the world's most grueling race across the Sahara desert.

At the 2005 New York Marathon, Luis Enrique finished in 3 hours 14 minutes 9 seconds for the distance of 42.195 km. At the 2006 Amsterdam Marathon: The recorded time was about 3 hours 00 minutes 19 seconds - Luis Enrique shortened significantly compared to New York the year before.

Enrique running at the 2005 New York Marathon.

The Florence Marathon 2007 was a milestone when Luis Enrique broke the 3-hour mark, finishing in 2 hours 58 minutes and 8 seconds. The Marathon des Sables 2008 was a super-tough race in the Sahara Desert, with a total route of about 250-254 km over several days. Lui Enrique participated in extremely harsh conditions, had to wear a backpack containing enough supplies for the journey, and carried it himself throughout the stages.

Not only stopping at the 42km marathon, he also tried his hand at the Ironman Frankfurt 2007 competition - where athletes had to swim 3.8km, cycle 180km and run 42km consecutively. Luis Enrique also completed the Ironman - a triathlon competition including: swimming, cycling and running - in Germany with a total time of about 10 hours and 19 minutes. These achievements show that Luis Enrique is not simply "running for fun" but has truly reached a professional level in the world of long-distance running.

Endurance training helps Enrique overcome pressure

When he returned to coaching, the tight schedule, media pressure and performance requirements left Luis Enrique with no time to participate in official marathons. However, he still maintained his endurance training: long runs, cycling and swimming. This was not only a training habit but also a method to maintain alertness, emotional balance and mental energy recovery.

The modern football manager has a huge workload: tactical analysis, opposition observation, dressing room management and harsh criticism. Not many managers can keep their composure under such intense pressure. In Luis Enrique, one sees a calmness and determination – which most likely comes from the hours of hard training.

Enrique finds joy and relaxation on the running track.

In the marathon, success comes from the ability to control breathing, distribute energy and overcome mental limits. On the coaching bench, Luis Enrique applies the same: he knows how to rotate the squad, maintain discipline and most importantly, instill in the players the spirit of “never giving up”. In other words, the marathon has created a stronger, more courageous Luis Enrique in the coaching profession.

Enrique is the champion among coaches

For football coaches, maintaining training is difficult, conquering marathon is even rarer. That is why Luis Enrique is considered a rare “marathon coach” in the football world.

If one day the football world organizes a special marathon just for coaches, Enrique will almost certainly be the first to cross the finish line. Because he not only has a professional training background but has also conquered the most severe challenges in the world of endurance sports .

Who can be his rival? Perhaps only Jurgen Klopp - Liverpool's strategist with a long-standing passion for running. In addition, Thomas Tuchel, who maintains his fitness with daily endurance exercises. However, Enrique's experience conquering marathons and Ironman still puts him in a different class. If Klopp and Tuchel are considered serious "casual runners", then Luis Enrique deserves to be called a "professional marathoner" in the coaching world.

Source: https://znews.vn/luis-enrique-thanh-cong-nho-chay-marathon-post1590748.html