- November 22, 2024
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Angelika Grubel executes a tempo run workout at the Riverwalk Park in Port Orange. Photo by Michele Meyers
Marathoner Angelika Grubel holds her four major marathon metals from Berlin, New York City, Boston and Chicago. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach resident and marathoner Angelika Grubel holds her four major marathon metals from Berlin, New York City, Boston and Chicago. Photo by Michele Meyers
Marathoner Angelika Grubel holds her four major marathon metals from Berlin, New York City, Boston and Chicago. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach resident Angelika Grubel warms up for a strength training workout at Maxwell's Fitness Programs in Port Orange. Photo by Michele Meyers
Angelika Grubel is currently the top overall female runner in the Daytona Running Series for the 2022-2023 season. She is also the number one Masters 40 plus and Grandmasters 50 plus top female runner. Photo by Michele Meyers
Angelika Grubel is on a quest to do six major marathons. She has completed four - Boston, New York City, Berlin and Chicago. Her last two are London and Tokyo. Photo by Michele Meyers
Traveling the world to run six major marathons takes money. Angelika Grubel was able to get sponsors to offset the cost - Daytona Investments/7-Eleven, ICI Homes, Chanfrau & Chanfrau, Revive Fitness & Lifestyle Management and Maxwell's Fitness Programs along with private donors. Photo by Michele Meyers
Owner of Maxwell's Fitness Programs, Rob Maxwell, trains marathon runner Angelika Grubel at Riverwalk Park in Port Orange. Photo by Michele Meyers
Ormond Beach resident and marathoner Angelika Grubel trains at Riverwalk Park in Port Orange, preparing for the upcoming London Marathon. Photo by Michele Meyers
Angelika Grubel stretches at Riverwalk Park in Port Orange. Stretching helps athletes avoid injuries and is an important component of running marathons. Photo by Michele Meyers
Angelika Grubel checks her form in the mirror as she does a strength training workout at Maxwell's Fitness Programs in Port Orange. Photo by Michele Meyers
Marathoner Angelika Grubel stretches after a workout at Maxwell's Fitness Programs. Photo by Michele Meyers
Marathoner Angelika Grubel plays the piano in her down time. She hired musician and fellow triathlete Natalie Wright as her piano teacher. She is currently learning Für Elise, Lean On Me and Let It Be.
Phenomenal endurance, mental strength and a competitive edge make Angelika Grubel a marathon machine.
At the age of 52, Grubel will be running in the 43rd annual London Marathon on Sunday, April 23. It's her fifth marathon in the Abbott World Marathon Majors series. Her ultimate goal is to earn the Six Star Medal by running all six major marathons — Boston, New York City, Chicago, Berlin, London and Tokyo. She has two more to go with Tokyo being the grand finale.
Abbott introduced the special medal in 2016 to “honor the runners who complete all six of the major marathons.” They are inducted into the Six Star Hall of Fame. As of this year, there have been 2,517 runners from the United States who have run the six major marathons.
Grubel was raised in Bielefeld, Germany where she played handball in high school until she started nursing school. She worked as a registered nurse in the intensive care unit before she moved to Boston at the age of 22. She does not remember watching the marathon —ever.
“I lived in Boston for 10 years,” she said. “Never really cared about the Boston Marathon at all. I had absolutely zero interest in running. I saw the finish line — painted. We lived about a mile away from Boston College. Two of my kids were baptized at Boston College. The marathon goes right by Boston College. I never saw it.”
I am amazed all the time that her endurance is just so phenomenal. But I also think from a psychological standpoint, she is really, really tough. So I think what makes her great is a combination of having the DNA, the mental toughness and the competitiveness. - Rob Maxwell, owner Maxwell's Fitness Programs
Grubel continued to focus on her career. She went back to school and got her respiratory therapy degree at North Shore Community College then got her bachelor's in healthcare administration at Emmanuel College. She worked as a respiratory therapist at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Boston for many years.
With two boys in tow, the family moved to Ormond Beach where Grubel had her third son. They were all under the age of 4, making it easy for Grubel to put her career on hold and stay home with them.
At 39, Grubel saw a picture of herself and was shocked to discover she was out of shape.
“You’re fat,” she said. “You’re just plain fat. This is just not working — it’s not working.”
The answer to her dilemma arrived in the form of an invitation to Revive Fitness & Lifestyle Management’s grand opening in April 2010. She was excited and brought her entire family. She and her friend Erin Clark returned a couple days later and became the first two clients to sign up for bootcamps at the new facility.
The friends started running after Clark expressed interest in participating in the Our Lady of Lourdes 5K where they would be serving mimosas. Grubel was surprised when she found out she placed in her age group. Rob Maxwell gave her the award at her very first 5K which, she said, she ran in 25 or 26 minutes.
In 2012, Grubel was training with Danny Legault at Revive and was experiencing nagging knee injuries due to running. He referred her to Maxwell, the owner of Maxwell’s Fitness Programs, who helped her rehabilitate her knee and became her running trainer. The same year, Maxwell encouraged her to become a personal trainer.
“I think because of her specialty, she was attracted to what I was doing in that area,” he said. “My message has always been quality over quantity so, for the most part, they don’t get hurt which is very different than what a lot of running coaches do. I don’t believe in pounding miles for the sake of pounding miles. I’m a big fan of three, maximum four days a week of quality running. Run with a purpose — don’t just get up and do miles.”
Maxwell was working on his master's degree in exercise physiology in the early 1990s and had just finished a bodybuilding show when his University of Central Florida professors challenged him to compete in some endurance events. He has since run five marathons, won a few triathlon series and did a multitude of running competitions.
...I think the fun part about Ormond Beach was how supportive people were. To have these sponsors just come up and say, ‘yes, I’m in, I’ll help you’ is amazing. — Angelika Grubel
After graduating, Maxwell opened his business for a wide variety of clients whose fitness levels and goals ranged from the elite college athlete to the 60-year-old running in their first 5K.
He uses a minimalist approach when training Grubel.
“She does a long run on the weekend, an interval day one day a week and a tempo run so the mileage stays down,” he said. “She’s been successful because she trains just at the level of threshold that’s going to overload her and push her but I am not going to have her do garbage miles.”
She is currently the Daytona Running Series’ No. 1 overall, master 40 plus and grandmaster 50 plus female runner this season. Her personal best for a 5K with the series is 19:44.
“I am amazed all the time that her endurance is just so phenomenal,” Maxwell said. “But I also think from a psychological standpoint, she is really, really tough. So I think what makes her great is a combination of having the DNA, the mental toughness and the competitiveness.”
Grubel is a trainer at Maxwell’s and also Revive Fitness. Clients Nepal Singh, owner of Daytona Investments which owns multiple 7-Eleven convenient stores, and Ali Kargar, corporate vice president and sales manager of ICI Homes, sponsored her trek to the London Marathon along with Chanfrau & Chanfrau, Maxwell’s Fitness Programs and Revive Fitness & Lifestyle Management.
“I think the biggest thing is if you go on a journey like this, for most people, it is a long one of 10 years or maybe 12 years to get all six marathons done,” she said. “You can’t do it alone. You need friends, a support team, a running group. You’re going to have a coach, family and sponsors. You’re going to have work to help you with scheduling so you get your runs in. I think the fun part about Ormond Beach was how supportive people were. To have these sponsors just come up and say, ‘yes, I’m in, I’ll help you’ is amazing.”
Sons Sebastian and Alex Grubel are flying to England to cheer their mom on at the London Marathon. They have been her biggest supporters along with her youngest, Nick Grubel, and her rock — trainer Rob Maxwell.
“Training was good,” Grubel said. “Then you get into traveling 11 hours. Five hour time difference. Different food and staying at a hotel. You hope that the travel goes right. There are a lot of unknowns to going to a different continent and running. But I’m going to have Alex and Sebastian and his girlfriend Gabby there. I have my support team that are going to bring me my blankets, shirts and whatever I need afterward. Should be good. That’s the fifth one then I have Tokyo next year.”
