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Kyle Larson is not taking a break from marathon training for the Cup Series championship weekend. Larson planned to run 15 miles Friday morning, hours before practice at Homestead-Miami Speedway, FOX Sports‘ Bob Pockrass reported.
Larson is training for the California International Marathon on December 6, which runs from Folsom to Sacramento near his hometown of Elk Grove, California. He has been running more than 40 miles a week, and his goal is to finish in under three hours and 30 minutes.
Larson: ‘I’m not excited about that’
“I’m supposed to do 15 tomorrow morning, and it’s hot, so I’m not excited about that. I mean, I haven’t had a Friday practice while I’ve been training,” Larson said. “But yeah, staying fueled during it is the biggest piece to not feel like crap afterwards.”
“Yeah, I like to run alone. I don’t feel like I’m a great runner, so I don’t want to feel like I’m limiting anybody that’s going with me. But no, it’s fun. It’s peaceful. I just put my headphones in and go log miles.”
‘More thought behind this marathon than I do the Chase’
Larson said the running has kept his mind off the title fight.
“I mean, I would say it hasn’t hurt me. I don’t know if it’s helped me, but I do think it’s kept my mind off of racing, which has been good because I think I have this other thing that I’m equally committed to,” he said.
“Probably, honestly, put way more thought behind this marathon than I do the Chase, which I think has kept a lot of pressure off of me, oddly,” Larson said. “So, yeah, I’ve definitely felt pressure, but I’ve felt more pressure in other years.”
One race from a third title
Larson, who drives the No. 5 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports, won the Cup title in 2021 and 2025. He leads Christopher Bell by 67 points and Denny Hamlin by 70, and needs nine points Sunday to clinch, as Pit This Time reported.
He has won three Chase races this season, at World Wide Technology Raceway, Kansas and Talladega, and he won the last Cup race at Homestead in March 2025.
Larson will also race midgets and sprint cars at the Hangtown 100 the week after the finale, as Pit This Time reported.
Cup practice is Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET on truTV. The Straight Talk Wireless 400 is Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on NBC.
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