Spanish long-distance runner Fernando Carro is stepping away from the 3,000-meter steeplechase to make a transition to the marathon, navigating physical toll, past injury hurdles, and a grueling new training regimen with the support of his lifelong neighborhood friends from San Blas-Canillejas in Madrid.
From the Steeplechase to the Marathon Route
Fernando Carro, born in Madrid in 1992, has shifted his athletic focus to the marathon under the guidance of coach Antonio Serrano. The transition marks a major pivot for the Spanish athlete, who earned a silver medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin and established a Spanish national record of 8:05.69 in 2019. Reflecting on the physical demands of his new discipline, Carro described the reality of road racing preparation. «Preparar la maratón es entrenar cansado, fatigado», Carro explained.
The Security Net of San Blas-Canillejas
During exhausting training sessions at the Centro de Alto Rendimiento (CAR) or along the dirt tracks of Paracuellos near the airport—where he frequently encounters local wildlife like wild boars, foxes, and rabbits—Carro admits he occasionally questions whether the severe physical suffering is worthwhile. When doubts arise, the 2018 European silver medalist relies on what he terms his security environment: his family and his childhood friends from the San Blas-Canillejas neighborhood in Madrid. His core circle includes professionals such as gardeners, wildland firefighters, welders, locksmiths, electricians, and real estate investors who have known him since childhood. Que te estoy esperando aquí, valiente’», Carro said.”
Injuries, Setbacks, and the Road to Paris
Carro’s path to the marathon was paved through a series of significant competitive obstacles following the peak of his steeplechase career. After competing at the 2016 European Championships in Amsterdam and the Rio Olympics, and subsequently setting his national record in 2019, he faced major disruptions. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the Tokyo 2020 Olympics by a year, during which Carro felt immense pressure to race frequently across various distances. At the Tokyo Games, he sustained a muscle injury, which led to surgeries on both Achilles tendons to address chronic issues originating in 2016. Though initially tempted by early offers to transition to road running after Tokyo, Carro remained committed to ending his steeplechase career at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
That ambition was repeatedly derailed by illness and injury. After contracting COVID-19 ahead of the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest and again prior to the 2024 European Athletics Championships in Rome, Carro suffered a severe open wound to his left tibia during the semifinals in Rome. Ultimately, management informed him he could not race in a subsequent event in Turku, Finland, because it threatened a rival country’s ranking spot, leaving him out of the French capital’s Olympic delegation.
Adapting Mechanics and Preparing for Birmingham
Under coach Antonio Serrano, the marathon training block has forced a fundamental shift in Carro’s running mechanics, heart rate management, and physiological profile. High-velocity, injury-prone sessions like 1,000-meter repetitions at a three-minute pace have been replaced by sustained, high-volume efforts lasting up to an hour and forty-five minutes. Furthermore, his running posture has organically adapted from an upright, horizontal style designed for clearing barriers to a more compact, ground-hugging stride reminiscent of Spanish distance-running greats like Javi Guerra, Prieto, and Mariano Haro. Having secured his qualifying standard during his marathon debut in Valencia last December, Carro’s next major milestone is competing in the marathon at the upcoming European Athletics Championships in Birmingham on Sunday, 16 at 9:10 local time, broadcast via Teledeporte, where he will also target a team medal.
