Philadelphia Marathon Edition: Limitless Looks Like Michael Koval

Marathon season, like the Zensah Community is still going strong! For the Chicago Marathon, we had the opportunity to speak with amazing ambassadors and collaborate with runners on a City Guide. Fast forward to November 6, the NYC Marathon reunited 50,000 runners; from Zensah's ambassadors to Ashton Kutcher and other celebrities. Now we are ready to shift focuses to another historic race in an iconic city: The Philadelphia Marathon!

Alongside building our a Philadelphia City Guide for runners, we of course wanted to highlight a few inspiring runners and share their stories with you! We had the pleasure to chat with Michael Koval, a passionate, goal driven- achiever. Koval will be running in the Philadelphia Marathon this Sunday! Read about his journey with running and why his advice is "Trust your training!"

 ZS: How did you get into running? Why do you run?

MK: Honestly, it seemed like everyone else was running, so why not? I still remember how horrible that 1st 1 mile run was. I still can't believe I went running for the second time. 

ZS: Why are you running in the Philadelphia Marathon this year? What does it mean to you?

MK: I'm running Philly because it's a perfect ending to my 2022 race calendar. I've had an amazing year, several PRs, new types of races (I did my 1st relay!), and new distances. 

ZS: How was your training? What motivates you?

MK: Overall, training was great! Of course there were bad runs, but that happens. The best part of training has been building what I've called Team Michael, a group of my closest friends who've encourages, pushed,  shamed (when needed), and just generally made me a stronger runner. I wish they could all be with me in Philly!

ZS: What advice do you have for fellow runners or those working towards marathon goals?

MK: Trust your training!

ZS: What is your favorite place to run?

MK: I love running the areas surrounding Syracuse University. Nothing but hills!
What other hobbies do you love (in addition to running of course): Who has time for nonzrunning hobbies? Haha I live live theater and concerts. Long dinners with friends with great conversation. But mostly, just binging something on Hulu
Where can people find you? (on social media and at upcoming races in addition to Philly!) On social, I'm @MyInstaIsDropping on IG For race weekend, I think I'm. Ost excited to visit Reading Terminal Market and you'll definitely find me there. On race day, I'm running on Team Hylands, so look for the orange singlet and beard.

ZS: Zensah’s motto is #withoutlimitz meaning we want you to feel limitless in everything you do. We have a campaign called “Limitless Looks Like This” because limitlessness can look different for every person. Limitless might look like finding balance, reaching goals, acing the race you have coming up, or manifesting your future. What does limitless look like for you?