Chloé, it’s great to have you here. When did you realise that the marathon suits you best as an athlete – and what does it take to succeed: physical preparation or mental strength? I think I like the marathon distance because you work a lot with your mindset. I enjoy being able to talk to myself throughout the entire race and to focus not only on the physical side, but also on the mental side.

I think you need both. The distance requires a lot of training mileage, and you can’t build that volume without a certain risk of injury. But in the race itself, you need mental strength to sustain your effort over the full distance. Sometimes you can be physically ready for a half marathon, but not mentally ready for a full marathon. That’s why mental strength is so important for the marathon.

What does a typical training week look like for you in the build-up to a big race – and what role does race strategy play? It’s mainly about volume. You need a high weekly mileage, and the long run is very important. At the same time, you need to go to the track once a week to work on speed, because speed is also important for the marathon distance. This combination of long runs and speed work is, for me, the foundation of a good marathon. 

When a race is about achieving a qualifying time, I don’t take too many risks, because I want to finish the race and run a good time. But when I can run freely, I take more risks, start faster and try to hold a better pace – even if it becomes more difficult towards the end. It’s simply a different approach. 

At the Berlin Half Marathon, you set a new personal best and broke the Belgian national record. What came together for you on that day – and how do you deal mentally with difficult moments during a race? It was a mix of different things. I had a good preparation, I was at a training camp in the U.S., and I already had strong times over 10K and in the marathon, but not yet in the half marathon. So I wanted to take that next step at that distance as well and achieve a similar level of performance.

Mentally, it’s very important for me to remind myself that I’ve trained for this and that I’m ready. When I stand on the start line, I feel ready – and if I don’t feel ready, I don’t start. When it gets tough during the race, I tell myself: you can do this, because you’ve already done it in training.

You‘re part of the PUMA Elite Team in North Carolina and regularly train there. The group is considered one of the strongest distance squads in the sport. What makes that environment so special for you? I really enjoy being part of the PUMA Elite Team in North Carolina because it is very professional. It makes me feel like a true professional athlete, because you know that this is your job and that you have to perform.

In that kind of environment, I can work with a lot of focus – and that gives me the confidence after training that I am ready.

What defines a good marathon shoe for you – and what role do different models, technologies and your collaboration with PUMA play? I feel very comfortable in PUMA shoes because they help me run more efficiently. I feel less fatigue in my legs, and they give me a good energy return.
For me, racing shoes and training shoes are not the same. When I put on my racing shoes, it feels like I have extra support. In training, I prefer to work harder and put in more effort, but in races the shoes give me that extra help.

For racing, I prefer the FAST-R3 trainer. For training and workouts, I like the Deviate series because it offers more stability. You have to put in more energy, and that’s good for training. The carbon plate is a big help for the marathon distance. I think it’s easier to run fast today than it used to be, because there is more technology.

My collaboration with PUMA is very important to me. I like the exchange, because they ask how the shoes feel and what can be improved for the next generation. For me, that kind of exchange is very important, and I feel supported in finding what works best for me in competition. 

What does your 2026 season look like – where will you race and what are your goals? My next goal is to compete at the World Road Championships in the half marathon. In preparation for that, I would like to run the 10,000 metres at the European Championships on the track.

And maybe at the end of the year, another marathon – for example in Chicago or New York. So for me, it’s about 10K, half marathon and marathon.