Adam in Apeldoorn: Adam Fogg’s Indoor Season

In total, nineteen men have run a sub-3:50 mile indoors. Of those, only six have done it twice. One of them is Adam Fogg. Taking to the famed Boston University track, last month, his 3:49.85 saw him became the first British athlete to achieve that feat.

He might be most frequently seen racing over 1500m (or 109m extra), but next week Adam will step up to the 3000m at his debut European Indoor Championships. It is not the only indoor competition on his mind for March. He spoke to James Rhodes about the year ahead and his goals for the remainder of the indoor season.

When Adam steps onto the track in Apeldoorn, it won’t be his Great Britain debut. He competed over 1500m at last year’s European Championships and World Indoor Championships, more on those later. However, Adam is relishing the opportunity to don the Great Britain vest once more after a strong start to 2025.

“This indoor season has been off to a pretty good start. The big goals for the season were to make both the European and World Indoor Championships. One of them is now ticked off! Hopefully I’ll also be selected for the World Indoors.

Describing the start of the year as ‘a pretty good start’ feels like a small understatement. A 3:53.49 season opener was followed by 3:49.85 at Boston University’s famed track. There have been 26 sub-3:50 indoor miles run in history. Of those, 85% were at The Armory – home of the Millrose Games – or Boston. Adam became the second person after (now former) World Record holder Yomif Kejelcha to do it at both venues.

Photo: Jan Figueroa

Millrose Magic

After earlier struggling to get into the Wanamaker Mile, that performance unlocked a lane in the Millrose Games 3000m. A race etched in history, after Grant Fisher and Cole Hocker duked it out for the World Record. Adam clocked 7:40.84 and finished eighth. European Indoor standard secured.

“I ran pretty well but I think the race was too quick for me! I think I can go a couple of seconds faster, but not in a race that’s won in 7:22. From pretty early on, I knew I was going a little too quick and I paid for it in the second half”.

The race may not have been absolutely perfect, but the experience was something Adam enjoyed being part of.

“It was such a cool race to be a part of. After running 3:49 in Boston, they gave me a spot in the 3000m which I was pretty thankful for. I wanted to go out there and give it a really good crack.

It was such a great experience, I could hear the crowd the whole time – in particular on the final lap. I was on the back straight when [Cole] Hocker and [Grant] Fisher were going at it down the home straight.

For me, where I’m at right now, the race was just a little too quick from the start. I think I went through 1600m in 4:01, I was definitely working pretty hard at that point. I was hanging on for dear life in the last kilometre!”.

Easy Decisions

With the European Indoor standard, the decision was set. He would race the 3000m at the British Indoor Championships and target selection over fifteen laps in Apeldoorn. It was an easy decision with standards secured in both.

“Going into the indoor season, I wanted to focus on the 3000m at the European Indoors. The goal all along was the 3000m at the Europeans and hopefully get picked in the 1500m at the Worlds. I’ve got both standards ticked off and just have to wait and see about China”.

Illness in the week prior threatened to derail the plan, with Adam finishing fourth (7:50.65). However, with the third spot being decided solely by fastest time in 2025, Adam was confident of his selection.

“I gave it 100% and got everything out of myself that I possibly could. I felt like I was working so hard from the gun. If I was not under the weather, I’d probably have felt a little more relaxed for at least a couple more minutes of the race.

Anything can happen, but I was thankful to get that spot. You never know for sure!

I’m feeling pretty good now. The illness was pretty poorly timed! I don’t think I was quite at my best last weekend, but thankfully I got selected. My body has definitely come around, I’ve had a good couple of sessions since. I’m looking forward to being in the mix with a really strong group of contenders”.

Photo: James Rhodes

Race Goals

Adam’s championship appearances last year didn’t exactly go to plan. A home World Indoor Championships in Glasgow preceded the European Championships in Rome. Both involved trips and falls, and (in his own words) having nothing left to give in the respective finals.

“The whole experience of Glasgow was a little bit dampened by what happened in my heat. It was completely out of my control and definitely impacted me for the final. It was a really cool team to make, but the racing was almost a right off after being tripped and having nothing for the final.

My shoulder was sore for weeks, months after. Sometimes it still actually comes back”.

Photo: James Rhodes

He has clear goals for Apeldoorn after these two experiences. One of these, of course, is said in jest.

“Try and stay on my feet! I really want to be in the final, I think I am capable of doing that. I need to have a clear run in the heats, I’m well aware of how strong the field will be. In my heat it’s just going to be about running smart and not wasting too much energy early on. Trying to find a nice spot on the rail, not run too much extra distance. See if I can get myself through and give it a real crack in the final.

Once you’re in the final, anything can happen. I’d like to see how close I can go to getting a medal. I know that is an extremely hard thing to do, and there’ll be so many guys who are more likely to medal than me. But by putting yourself in there, anything can happen. There are often guys on the podium who I could see myself beating at some point”.

Looking Beyond

Two weeks later, the World Indoor Championships take place in Nanjing (China). With the standard on his resume, selection is one of Adam’s goals.

“We’ve heard a lot of the top guys aren’t going to go to China, because of the travel or training for outdoors. I’m not in that kind of position; I want to make every team I can.

Even though some of the top guys will be missing, it’s still a World Indoor Championships. If it opens the door to getting a bit closer to the top, then brilliant. I’d love to make the most of that opportunity. We’ll have to wait and see, but if I get the call up, I’ll definitely be on the plane and raring to go”.

Towards Tokyo

Notably for later this year, Adam’s 3:49.85 is inside the qualifying standard for September’s World Championships in Tokyo. It removes the need to chase a time early in the outdoor season and allows flexibility in race decisions. Certainly, it is a welcome position for an athlete.

“It’s huge. It’s good to have got it done at the start of the year. We can now focus on choosing races fairly selectively. Although, we’re not blessed with being from a country where running the standard means you’re guaranteed a trip to the World Championships!”.

The plan for the outdoor season is not set in stone. However, the flexibility on offer opens the door to 12.5 laps of the track. It is something Adam did twice in the latter end of last summer, running 13:17.08 in Copenhagen in summer. The standard for Tokyo (13:01.00) is a tough ask, but sits in the back of Adam’s mind.

“I’m definitely not going to shy away from the 5000m after trying it a couple of times last year. I’ve only run two of them properly, and got down to 13:17. By that point in the season I was pretty tired and ready for a break, so I think there’s definitely more in the tank.

The standard is obviously really tough, but I would like to see how close I can go to it. It would be nice to be able to pick and choose which event to actually run, depending on how training is going”.

The possibility of doubling up is off the table, for this year at least.

“Where I’m at, I would prefer to put all my eggs in one basket and just focus on doing really well in one. To try and make a final, so no doubling… yet!”.

European Indoor Championships

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Source: fastrunning.com