Derek Yorek: Athlete Spotlight Interview - National Guard Marathon Team

Continuing on with the athlete spotlight trend, I got a chance to ask some questions to Derek Yorek. Derek is a Jack of all trades when it comes to endurance sports. He does OCR, crossfit, and long distance running. Check out the interview.

Paul: Start off by telling us a little about yourself? What part of the country do you live in? Are you married? Kids?

Derek: Hey Paul! First off, thanks for doing these! It's awesome to learn more about the people that make up this amazing team.

I live in the Northwest corner of Arkansas in Bentonville, the home of Walmart HQ. I have been married to Theresa for almost 10 years now. We have two little girls. Aspen, 10, and Rhys is 8.

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Paul: You are on the National Guard Marathon Team. How long have you been with the team? Tell us a little about how the program works and what it means for you? What's your favorite event that you have done with the team?

Derek: This is my 2nd year on the Marathon team. We take the top runners from the marathon trials and travel the country to run races and speak to the athletes about the many benefits of joining the Guard. This team has given me an added motivation to continue running and I can't put into words about how honored I am to be a part of this team. Some really great athletes and even better people. My favorite events have been the Spartan race at West Point and the trip to Baton Rouge was awesome.

Paul: Tell us about your equipment- Running Shoe of choice? Any other running gear you would recommend?

Derek: I wear the Nike pegasus for most training runs and race in the Next %, and I wear Lululemon for all of training. It's simply the best!

Paul: How long have you been a runner? When was your first marathon?

Derek: I've been a runner since high school and my first marathon was the Cowtown marathon in 2014.

Paul: Tell us about what you do when you are not running? Job? Other hobbies?

Derek: So, I do quite a bit of training outside of running and that takes up my "hobbies", haha. I do crossfit, triathlon training, Obstacle race training, weightlifting and pretty much anything else I can to make myself a better all around athlete. I am a CrossFit coach, personal triathlon and run coach, and help the Guard with fitness programs as well.

Paul: Tell us about your personal Records? Marathon PR? Half Marathon PR? Etc..

Derek: Well, back in college I ran 14:22 for 5k and 29:37 for 10k. At the time it was pretty disappointing. My half marathon PR is 1:10 and my marathon PR is a heart breaking 2:30:01 from Lincoln last year.

Paul: Tell us about your love of the sport! What makes you continue to strive to be a better athlete and runner?

Derek: I compete in SO many different athletic endeavors that I always feel like I'm falling behind. I hate that feeling, so I have trained pretty hard, mostly twice a day, for the last 20 years to simply try and keep up. Also, I HATE losing...so there's that.

Paul: How do you approach your training? Do you follow a strict training schedule? How do you balance your training with work, family, etc...?

Derek: My training is always changing, which is both good and bad. I'm always ready to be ok at just about anything, but never really great at anything either. I've been able to balance things by not getting too stuck on things. If I can't get a run in, then I ride the bike or work out in my garage. I try to work out when there's not much going on in the day that will interfere with family time. When it comes to family time or working out, family comes first, always.

Paul: Do you have a coach? Would you recommend readers hire a coach?

Derek: I have people that I bounce ideas off of, but I tend to coach myself as I have devoted my entire life to the achievements of human performance. I would ABSOLUTELY recommend finding a coach if you are even thinking of taking up a fitness related endeavor.

Paul: As a running/triathlon coach, I focus hard on managing the athlete's race day fueling and pre race nutrition. Do you feel this is an important element to your race performance? How do you approach fueling during your training and racing? Are there any products that you recommend to the readers?

Derek: So, most of nutrition tends to be trial and error for each individual athlete. You simply can't go wrong with eating more veggies and less sugar, so start there. That said, I'm a sucker for pizza and beer, so find balance. When it comes to race day nutrition, the longer the race, the more important it is. One thing I always like to have is Himalayan salt in a tube and take a bit every half hour or so. Sodium and hydration is vital.

Paul: Do you watch my food review channel? Which one of my food reviews is your favorite? Shameless plug :-)

Derek: I do, but honestly for entertainment purposes. I think the way you present stuff is awesome.

Paul’s favorite food reviews:
Thanksgiving special w Harvey
Burritos with mom
Poor Richards with Dad

Paul: Where can the readers learn more about you?
Derek: Lol, Google has some good stuff, there's some fun stories that pop up. Outside of that, just my Instagram @yorekfit.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Paul Duncan is a full time military recruiter, USAT Certified Coach, QT2 Systems Level 1 Coach, and OutRival Racing Level 3 coach. For coaching inquires, click HERE.

Paul also competes in triathlon and running events in his spare time.