Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 108, July 2018 | Page 33

MULTISPORT
MA: Briefly take us through your race.
RM: My swim wasn’t great, but I tried to stay in contention and was 50
seconds back into T1. On the bike, I pulled back and ended up with the
second-fastest split, and then on the run, the legs felt really great. I’m not
sure why I battled in the swim. Sometimes I just don’t feel great and battle
to find a good stroke. I need to find out the cause, with my coaches.
MA: Weren’t you afraid that biking so hard would leave nothing in
the tank for the run?
RM: I never really thought of that, I just focused on cornering well,
as there were so many corners. The tight course really played to my
strengths. After the bike, I didn’t feel that tired, which helped me on the
run. Around 7km into the run Mario started to close in and was only nine
seconds behind, but I put the hammer down and held him off.
MA: When the pain hits during a tough event, where do you find
inspiration?
Long
Wait
Ended
RM: In this race, I knew it was my moment and I couldn’t let it go. I just
believe that if I’m hurting, the guys behind me must be in agony as well, so
just handle business! It’s always going to hurt, but he who can handle the
hurt the longest wins.
MA: On a related note, what do you think about when you are
competing?
Two-time Olympian
Richard Murray posted
his most prestigious
victory yet in early June,
becoming the first South
African triathlete to win
an Olympic distance
World Triathlon Series
(WTS) event. – BY DOUG
CAREW & SEAN FALCONER
E
arlier this year Richard Murray not only overcame a painful back injury, but also
switched coaching staff – he is now working closely with the Dutch national coaching
team – and the move appears to be paying dividends, as he won the AJ Bell World
Triathlon Leeds in the UK in June. This was his first ever win over the Olympic distance
of 1.5km swim, 40km cycle and 10km run on the world stage, after he used his famed
running speed to pull clear of the pack at the start of the run leg to win in an impressive 1
hour 45 minutes and 52 seconds. Answering a few questions after the race, Richard was
understandably ecstatic about his victory.
MA: You must be on a winning high right now?
RM: I can’t really say I expected it to come now, but I’m super, super happy I’ve finally
done it! This has eluded me since I started WTS racing. I’ve won two sprints, and I’ve had
one or two second places over the Olympic distance, but never managed to get on top of the
podium, so this feels magical. At last, all the hard work and training has paid off. It’s been 10
years in the making… In fact, it’s been my biggest goal since I was 18 years old.
RM: It’s like meditation and complete focus; there’s a lot happening
when you are flying around corners and have to focus 100 percent on the
bike!
MA: Tell us about your nutritional plan.
RM: I stick to a similar diet leading into races, and it’s good to get my
digestive system to train on the food that I will be competing on. Then
definitely no garlic, spicy stuff or sea food the day before racing, and not
too much veggies or bran either!
MA: You run in a pair of PUMA Speed 300 IGNITE 3. What makes
them perfect for you?
RM: They are soft, responsive, medium weight, have enough support
and a good toe-off for fast running. I looked for a shoe that I can race a
lot in, and this shoe with its 8mm drop from heel to toe is perfect. I have
been working with PUMA for eight years and I love this brand, because it’s
laid back and fun, and works well with my personality. I also love to give
feedback on the technical running shoes and how to improve things, and
it’s a treat that the company uses my feedback.
MA: So what’s next on your racing programme?
RM: Next up is a Bundesliga event in Düsseldorf in July, followed
by Hamburg, the next stop for the World Triathlon Series. I just hope I
can continue in this way and head towards my next big goal, the Tokyo
Olympics in 2020.
MA: Your advice for young athletes considering the triathlon path?
RM: Believe in yourself, find good coaches, don’t be soft, but listen to
your body and take recovery days. And don’t be too serious, have fun!
MA: Were you confident going into the race against a stellar field, including world
number one Mario Mola, two-time Olympic medallist Jonathan Brownlee and your SA
teammate, Olympic bronze medallist and Commonwealth Games gold medallist Henri
Schoeman?
RM: I was confident. I have had a few bad races in a row and it has been a tough past
three months, but I never doubt myself, and know that when it all comes together I can have
a great day out.
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