Life as an OAC Europe athlete, with Sebastian Frey.

Words by Robert Birnbaum. Photography by Janosch Abel and Lea Kurth.

Early summer 2022 in Zurich, Switzerland. A flock of journalists swarm the infield of the Letzigrund Stadium. Six athletes are going through a routine warm-up on the track, cameras following them stride for stride. What looked like a glorified training session was the start of something much bigger – the launch of the OAC Europe (short for On Athletics Club Europe). A year later, and the team coached by former German national coach Thomas Dreissigacker has grown to 10 up-and-coming athletes. 

One of those high-potential athletes is Austrian middle-distance runner Sebastian Frey. The 21-year-old joined OAC Europe after turning heads in the athletics community by posting sensational numbers on the track – including a 5000m P.R. of 13:39.86 – although he wanted to be certain it was the right decision for his development.

“When they asked me to join the team, I wasn’t sure at first,” Sebastian admits. I essentially went through a two-week trial period to experience life as an OAC athlete. I immediately felt right at home and I never looked back. Back then, I was still in the middle of my bachelor’s degree. If I hadn’t joined the team, I wouldn’t be the runner I am now. What I get to do here is the dream of almost every young athlete – it’s a great opportunity to take my running to the next level.”

The On Athletics Club is not your average track club. It brings some of the world’s best athletes together at close quarters, day and night, creating a unique spirit that supports and motivates them to dream bigger. 

“Normally, you’d only see your teammates during training and competitions. Maybe you exchange a text or two, but that’s it. But here, we’re together all day, every day. This really strengthens our bond and our shared drive to be the best we can be. 

“Training with the best of the best, that’s something you just don’t get anywhere else. I get to benefit from the others’ expertise and experience. Witnessing someone you know run a certain time you thought was impossible before really breaks down barriers in your head.

“We’re all individual athletes, but we train together every day. We always do our long runs as a team. In the gym, the workouts often consist of team or partner exercises. Still, our coach Thomas does a fantastic job of zeroing in on each athlete to accommodate their strengths and weaknesses.

“All of us live in a three-story house in St. Moritz [in the Swiss Alps] during summer. We have our own rooms and share a bathroom and kitchen with one or two other athletes. Our routines fit together well – we all want to start the next day, the next training, as recovered and energized as possible. The two key priorities for that are eating and sleeping right. After our morning workouts, we all make our way to the kitchen to cook and eat together.

“I think the team’s favorite meal might be my homemade pizza. My teammates keep asking when I’ll make it again. Which is quite a feat considering I’m Austrian, not Italian. It’s my mom’s special recipe.

“After lunch, each of us will retreat for a nap before going out for a coffee with the team. Then, we head to our second session of the day. Especially at dinner time, the different cultures of the team start to show. Some will want to eat at 5 p.m. while Marta – our Spanish team member – would much rather have dinner at 9 p.m. 

“To our teammates’ horror, Tom, Robert, Fabiane and I actually sometimes only have a couple of slices of bread with sausage for dinner. The rest argue that that doesn’t even qualify as a proper dinner. If a good soccer game is on, we’ll stick around the living room and watch together. But normally, we all hit the mattress quite early.”

During winter, the team’s base moves from Switzerland to South Africa, where they can push their limits at over 6,500ft (almost 2000m) above sea level while avoiding the winter cold. When competition season comes around, they return to St. Moritz in the heart of Europe – an ideal base from which to travel to events across Europe. 

When we speak, Sebastian has recently competed in the On Track Nights event series, first at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in London, then at Track Night Vienna – a true home game for the Austrian runner. On Track Nights aren’t like other track events. Bringing the energy of a music festival to an elite-level sporting event, they attract die-hard running fans and newcomers alike. 

As he lined up for the 5000m in Vienna, the masses gathered on the edges of the infield and started filling the tents that span over the straights of the track. Inside these tents: neon lights, more speakers and possibly the loudest track audience Vienna has ever produced (unconfirmed, but if you were there, you’d find it difficult to argue). 

A group of 15-20 Sebastian Frey fans led the chants near the finish line. Somehow, they found another register each time he flew past on yet another near-sprint-paced lap. And with the noise, the athletes seemed to find another gear. 

“The atmosphere I experienced in London and Vienna was truly remarkable. You normally only find something like that during the last 200 meters of big road races that have a grandstand. I think the concept will only grow in the years to come. I had loads of friends cheering me on, and most of them had never been to a track event before. They were amazed. They didn’t expect an event like this at all.”

The raucous atmosphere at the On Track Nights event in London pushed Sebastian to a new P.R. over the 10,000m distance. Crossing the finish line in 28:27 was not only a 47-second improvement on his previous best, but also set a new Austrian U23 record. 

It’s undeniable that Sebastian has already left a mark on the track, but it seems he’s far from reaching his ceiling. He’s only 21 years old and has only been part of OAC Europe for a year. 

“As a team, we’re not just finding our footing anymore. But we’re also far from done. The team constellation works like a charm. I think you’ll see within the next year or two what we’re really capable of.”