Arne Dumez: Unlocking the next level

Originally from Leuven in Belgium, Arne has only lived in Saltburn for a few years. He moved up here from London where he was part of a tight-knit training group that gathered in the iconic Battersea Park. Since his arrival in the North East, he has worked hard to push his running forward as a core member of the Middlesbrough (Mandale) AC team. Working remotely as a Communications Consultant within an agency, he spends his free time training, competing and walking local heartthrob Jasper, the Irish Red Setter.

Arne is extremely proud of what he has achieved alongside his Mandale teammates in recent years. From a county title at the Royal Signal Relays and a dominant win at the iconic Good Friday Relays earlier this year, to a top 10 finish at the hyper-competitive North of England Road Relay Championships, there is no doubt the Sky Blue is on the up. Individually, he boasts PBs of 15:16 in the 5km, 31:44 in the 10km and a bittersweet 70:00 in the half marathon.

Most recently, he clocked 2:33:36 at the Amsterdam Marathon in October: a 4-min improvement on his 42.2km debut in York last year. While pleased with his progress, Arne is determined to go faster next year, with his eyes trained firmly on the 2:30 barrier. His Vo2 max test at The Outpost marked the end of his offseason break: and the beginning of his journey to the next level.

This was Arne's second Vo2 max test, so he only had one point of reference. He was slightly apprehensive before we started, however, as he was all-too-aware that his previous test was done in the middle of a training block, with several key sessions and races already under his belt. The engine was running hot, the legs were conditioned and the pain threshold was high.

This time, however, the test would be the first intense effort he'd done in a weeks. His legs hadn't run fast since he crossed the finish line in Amsterdam, and his heart rate hadn't touched LT2 since then, either. He knew the outcome of the test were likely to be less flattering, but he was determined to put his ego aside to get an honest picture of his fitness. After all, he credits a significant portion of his successful season to how he implemented the findings of that first test, so he knew it was would be worth the discomfort.

The headline results look promising. With a rolling 30s rolling peak Vo2 of 73.4, Arne sits comfortably in the top 1% of men aged 30-39.

Interestingly, Arne's aerobic threshold - where he shifts from a fully fat-burning intensity to something more glycolic - sits relatively low in relation to his Vo2 and his maximum heart rate. This will be a crucial opportunity for him to tap into as he looks to improve his marathon performance.

His anaerobic threshold (LT2), however, sits a 96% of maximum heart rate. In other words, Arne can push very close to his maximum heart rate without tipping over into the anaerobic system that would see him drown in lactate. This tends to indicate a high potential for the shorter distance events - from 5k to half marathon - which would match Arne's background and history. He should absolutely look to maintain this threshold where it is.

Arne has an elite-level Vo2 max to be sure, but even more interesting is his unique ability to steady his breathing.

Over the course of a +20-minute test, he crossed both thresholds and went from zone 2 to zone 5. As the effort ramped up from very easy to his limit, Arne had to move more through his body, and so the volume of his breaths increased from 2.2 litres to 3.7 litres. However, his breathing rate stayed at about 40-44 breaths a minute until only the final 45 seconds. In other words, as the intensity increases and the discomfort rises, Arne breaths deeper, not faster. We can honestly say we've never seen a breathing chart that looks as stable as Arne's.

It's hard to say whether or not this has played a part in Arne's successes in endurance sport, but what this does confirm is that, at 194cm and 77kg, Arne has a big 5.66 litre/minute engine - and he knows how to use.

Now that we've had a 'peak under the hood', what can Arne take away from this test? Which actionable findings should he be building his training around over the next few months?

Arne has been self-coached for the past few years. He is confident he knows what he's doing and that he can apply the learnings from this test and his most recently experiences to his training.

What these numbers tell us is that Arne is already very fit and conditioned, and that his body is ready to pick up the hard work again when he's ready. Already adept at minding his training load and his heart rate during runs, he'll have no trouble navigating the training zones we've outlined for him here. Our recommendation to him would be to continue doing what he's been doing so far - but even more accurately.

Arne's next marathon block won't start until the summer of 2027. In the meantime, he's got plenty of other races to keep him busy. From cross-country championships and road relays with the club to his own dips into the trail running world, Arne has an exciting year ahead of him. Our advice would be to focus on those events and his training and not to get too obsessed with the sub 2:30 marathon goal. A watched pot never boils, after all.

We already have a follow-up test booked for Arne in February 2027. This will be a great opportunity for him to check whether he's been able to move the needle on his LT1 and how his body has responded to the return to high-volume training.