Following a four-month stint on the opposite side of the globe, Australia’s top middle-distance runner and King Island’s son, Stewart McSweyn is hitting the tan in Melbourne before daybreak and plans to be home for Christmas.
“I rarely train that early, so it was rather nice,” he said.
“The [Albert] lake was serene, devoid of anyone else, creating a calming atmosphere.
“It’s an opportunity to plan my day and even sketch out the week ahead,” Stewart recounted to Australian Olympic Team for Athletics Australia.
After a two-week break, Stewart initiated his preparation for what he aspires to be his second Olympic Games with a leisurely 7km run.
“It was a gentle, slow start, merely to reawaken the muscles,” he explained.
Reflecting on the frustrations of running, Stewart acknowledged the paradox where a few weeks off can feel like significant setbacks despite training rigorously for months.
“Getting back into the rhythm takes time. Mentally, you need the break during the season to reset,” he noted.
Yet, he acknowledged the downside in a sport where prolonged breaks put athletes behind the global competition.
Looking back at the 2023 season, Stewart felt he finished in good form despite enduring his first significant injury setback.
He battled a tibialis anterior issue that interrupted his training and later faced a hamstring strain while trying to compensate for lost time.
Stewart rebounded with a personal best in the 5000m and secured a bronze at the World Cross Country Championships.
He is among the few runners to participate in all three major world championship events (track, road and cross country).
The Olympic experience in Tokyo, where he finished seventh in the 1500m final, remains a source of pride.
“I was pleased with the performance. If you had told my younger self that I’d finish seventh in an Olympic final, I would’ve been elated,” Stewart said.
Despite aiming for a medal, he recognised the challenge at the highest level of competition.
Gearing up for the Paris Olympics, Stewart remains motivated, eagerly preparing for upcoming races and maintaining a relentless focus on his training.
With the intent to qualify in both the 1500m and 5000m, Athletics Australia reports Stewart is aiming to strategically decide which event might offer the best opportunity for a podium finish, navigating the challenges of scheduling in multi-discipline competitions.
Eagerly driven by the prospect of returning to the grandest stage of athletic competition, Stewart remains dedicated to his training regimen, eager to face off against the world’s best and etch his mark in Olympic history once more.
Stewart plans to get home to King Island for two weeks over Christmas where his training will consist of undulating laps around the family’s farm, beaches and the island’s backroads.