OAC Europe hunting high and low for success

07/07/2024 04:00 AM

We visit “the top of the world” to spend time with an athlete group growing in strength and to chat to George Mills, a man on a distance running mission

“This is our summer," jokes Sebastian Frey, the Austrian distance runner's tongue planted firmly in his cheek as he surveys the early May Alpine scene of low, grey cloud, drizzle and temperatures barely clearing zero.

Compared to the heat of Dullstroom in South Africa, where On Athletics Club (OAC) Europe spent much of the winter, it is easy to see why there might be a reluctance in having to don more layers and dig out the hats and gloves once more before the warmth really starts to embrace this corner of Switzerland.

But St Moritz, as the sign next to the athletics track that sits right in the middle of town states, is "the top of the world". When the clouds do part, the true beauty of this place becomes immediately apparent. At 1856m above sea level, it's the perfect spot for altitude training, while the trails that hug the shores of the crystal clear lakes and wind through pine forests thick with a scent that simultaneously both heightens and calms the senses are a picture perfect running playground.

"Just look around," says OAC head coach Thomas Dreißigacker, standing on the side of the track as his group heads off on a long run. "It's not the worst place in the world, I would say.

"200m in one direction is the swimming pool, we have the gym 200m away in the other direction, our accommodation for all the athletes is 200m away, as well. It's super easy for training, it's often quite sunny, it’s also easy to go down to sea level to Chiavenna in Italy. We have everything we need here."

Life as part of OAC Europe does indeed seem to have plenty of perks. AW visited Switzerland not just to speak to a number of the athletes from this truly international set-up but also to hear about the work the brand is doing for the sportspeople they sponsor.

Part of it is to get good PR, of course, but the launch of a "360 athlete support programme" points to an organisation thinking deeply as well as differently. The programme is overseen by former pro athletes and offers assistance not only in the more obvious aspects of being physically and mentally ready to perform, but also in health and recovery, financial planning, personal branding and media plus personal and career development beyond the days of competing. The members of the group, hailing from Austria, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Spain are Switzerland, are quick to vouch for how useful and helpful it all is.

One man who has benefited very much from the first two strands of the programme – and is keen to keep the focus much more on the here and now – is George Mills, an athlete intent on making an impact on the 1500m and 5000m in 2024.

"It’s a really awesome thing that On have put together but actually, for me, I find it really hard to step out of the sport," he says when asked if he has explored his career options beyond the track yet. "I want to be locked in all the time, fully focused on what I'm doing. For how I like to go about it, I don’t think there’s much energy for me to focus on other things right now. I honestly need to just throw the kitchen sink at being the best athlete I can. Later on in my career, I will really touch into the 360 programme. I’ve had conversations with the different people involved but right now it’s very much like: 'Olympic year, tunnel vision'."

Mills is indeed a man of focus. Since failing in his primary objective of making it to last year's World Championships in Budapest, the 25-year-old has set about making improvements with a zeal and ferocity that began to pay off at the tail end of the summer with impressive 1500m and mile PBs.

Then, only a few days after sitting down with AW, he began his 2024 outdoor season very much on the front foot, clocking 3:33.47 and bagging the Olympic qualifying standard in coming second over 1500m at the Marrakech/Rabat Diamond League. (Since this interview took place Mills finished runner-up in the UK Champs 1500m and has been selected to run 1500m and 5000m at the Paris Olympics).

As he nestles into a large armchair in the foyer of a St Moritz hotel to talk about his set-up and his ambitions for the coming months, he is a man at ease with his surroundings and very clear in what he wants to do. There is a sense of forward motion, buoyed by the changes he can see in the On group.

"I think when we first started back in January 2022, it was a group of five or six people and now it's 13 athletes, so it’s amazing to see how it’s grown and how everybody developed into their roles," says Mills. "I think as time goes on the set-up will just keep getting better and better and better. Because you’ll realise what you need more of and what you need less of. In my personal opinion, this is probably one of the best set-ups in the world and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to be here and be an athlete within this team.

"I definitely wouldn’t be the athlete I am without the opportunity from On. It’s very clear, especially looking at how I’ve progressed into being a bit more of a 5000m runner. I don’t think that was ever something that I’d even thought about or considered prior to being with the group, so that’s cool. But they’ve given us every tool to see what our potential is, see where our ceiling is and how good we can be."

In Dreißigacker, Mills has a mentor who is driven by data but not at the expense of listening to his athletes. An Ingebrigtsen-esque approach of high volume (Mills has been hitting 200km/125 miles per week in training) and threshold work is on the menu and the 2020 British 1500m champion is more than happy to consume every morsel.

"I guess at the start the coach is feeling you out as an athlete and you’re feeling them out as a coach, you’re learning to work together and trying to find out what works best. Now, I’d say me and Thomas have a really good relationship in terms of training and also outside of it," he says.

"With regards to training, we’re regularly talking about tweaking things if there’s something I feel I need, or he feels I need. We just have conversations, and it’s very open. We primarily go by the data and the numbers are very important, though I always joke that the most important number is the kilometres covered by the end of the week.

"But then, with the threshold stuff, there are specific workouts where the numbers are important. I mean, it’s a sport where you’re either faster or slower, right? It’s very, very clear so I think it’s smart to be driven by the data.

"You also do have to go off feeling and I think that’s where we have a really nice balance. If the numbers are good, but I’m feeling a bit tired, I’ll talk to Thomas, or if I’m feeling really good but the numbers aren’t great then he'll maybe rein me in a bit. We do have a holistic approach to it."

Where the pair do disagree slightly is on the progress Mills made last year. Having narrowly missed a place in Budapest, coming third at the trials, he went on to clock that 1500m PB of 3:30.95 before running a 3:47.65 mile in Eugene that was the fastest time for a Briton since 1985 and put him third on the UK all-time lists.

"He was just progressing the whole season," says Dreißigacker. "It was normal progress because he’s still a young athlete and I think he’s still progressing. I think it was still a good year. Of course the target was to participate at the World Championships but the UK is the strongest country in middle distance running, especially the 1500m men, so it wasn't a catastrophe not to be part of it in the end. That's part of the reason why we're also doing the 5000m, so that we have two chances.

"At the trials it was tough as well. He was quite close to Neil [Gourley] and Elliot [Giles] but that’s life, right? Of course there were some tough days for him but at the end he said: 'Okay, I'll start to train harder and to try to make everything even better to be in better shape next year'."

Mills adds: "[Thomas] says it was very good, I’d say it was all right. We know what the main goals are, and that's to make teams and perform at the championships. Last year, I wasn’t able to do that so that’s the big focus this year and that’s why we really, really stepped up on the training side of things. I’ve really, really tried to push the limits of what I can do. We’ve been close to the edge a few times, but I’m comfortable, I enjoy being there.

"I’m very driven, very focused, very disciplined, but when I made a bit of a jump at the end of last year, it’s like: 'Okay, we are doing the right things. Even though it didn’t come at the right time, we have the right processes in place, and we just need to fine tune that and continue it and then next year we’ll be in a better place'."

As Dreißigacker states, Mills could barely have a tougher task on his hands than trying to break into a 1500m scene of incredibly high standards. World champion Josh Kerr and Olympic champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen are an obvious focal point but Jake Wightman's comeback from injury has gathered pace and that's before you take into account the myriad threats from across the globe, including On athletes Yared Nuguse and Olli Hoare.

"I think it’s great that everybody is at such a high level across the sport," says Mills. "The bar keeps getting raised so you really have to push the limits of your training and really try to get everything out of yourself as an athlete. I only see it as a positive. You are seeing what your limits are as an athlete to really fulfil your potential."

He adds: "I think we’re in a sport and events where everything’s in the preparation. It’s not like you can just turn up and you’re going to be good – there are months, years of preparation. I really find a lot of enjoyment and reward in the consistent weeks and months of doing lots of training and just trying to repeat really good consistency week in week out. Once we get on the track, we’re all competitors. Then it's: 'Okay, let’s see who’s brought the best tools to this battle and we’ll see who can come out on top'."

Training at the top of the world to become one of the best in the world. Mills certainly seems to be in the right place at the right time.

This article first appeared in the June issue of AW magazine which you can buy here

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