In seventh grade, Mike Bialick did something that arguably changed his life: He joined the cross-country running team.
Seventeen years later, Bialick is still running, averaging 70 miles a week. In January, he took home first place in the Polar Night Half Marathon in Tromso, Norway. Bialick, who’s half Norwegian, says he was looking for a unique and challenging race, and this candle-lit course of ice and snow was an “amazing experience.”
Growing up, Bialick had a passion for fitness. “I always wanted to get somewhere in the realm of teaching or athletics,” he says. After graduating from Hopkins High School, he earned his Bachelor’s degree in kinesiology at the University of Minnesota, where he also got a minor in coaching and a Master’s in sports management.
During his junior year of undergrad, Bialick interned at The Marsh; he’s still there nine years later. “I love the variety,” Bialick says. “There’s a wide range of clients and ability levels, and nothing is more rewarding than seeing progress.”
At The Marsh, Bialick manages the high intensity program he created for runners and endurance athletes: Marsh X. “It’s a scientifically driven [program] with heart-rate and science-based training,” says Bialick. For beginners, he advises to set a goal. “If you’re training for something like a 5K, come up with a plan and figure out what it takes,” he says.
