Modern Athlete Magazine Issue 115, February 2019 | Page 45

MULTISPORT
vivor
Sur
The Real
IRONMAN
Fresh from a second place finish at the Standard Bank Ironman 70.3 South Africa Champs in East London in January, on top
of a successful racing period laden with wins from October 2017 till now, you’d never say pro triathlete Matt Trautman
was literally fighting for his career two years ago. Back then, the doctors weren’t even sure if he would run again, let alone
compete! – BY SEAN FALCONER
Ironman 70.3 Bahrain
Matt on his way to winning
the Race2Stanford Tri
L
ooking back on the last one and a half years,
Matt Trautman could be forgiven for needing to
blink a few times and wonder if it’s all real. After
all, in January 2017 the doctors were telling him they
didn’t think he would be able to race competitively
again, after he was hit by a car during a long training
ride near Stellenbosch on the 31st of December.
However, by October 2017 he was not just back in
action, he was back to winning races again! “I felt
ready to race again, so I started with the 11 Global
Sun City sprint distance race on a Saturday and won
that, so I followed it up with the Olympic distance
race the following day. Securing another win gave me
some hope that being a professional triathlete might
still be a viable career path for me,” says Matt.
A week later he posted another win at the Slanghoek
Triathlon in the Cape, and says that enabled him to
set his sights on racing a 70.3 again in 2017. In mid-
The Ironman at work
November he duly lined up at the Race2Stanford,
near Hermanus, and recorded another win,
although he jokingly admits it may have had more to
do with his opponents being tired. “JP Burger was
in the middle of exams, and Stu Marais hadn’t slept
past 4am for six months due to having to fit in training
between milking cows! Thankfully, a solid bike meant
I was able to take another win. Those local race wins
were as good as any I have ever experienced. They
may not have been at an international level, but it had
been a tough, 10-month journey from the ambulance
to that finish line.”
Back to Buffalo
At the end of the year Matt lined up at the Ironman
70.3 Bahrain, which was not only the 70.3 Middle East
Champs, but also the final leg of the Triple Crown
Series, meaning a very strong field, and Matt had a
great race to finish fifth. He then focused on training
for the Ironman 70.3 SA Champs in East London in
January 2018, but says it didn’t all go to plan. “It was
pretty much a year after the accident, and I had made
it my big goal to get back to 70.3 South Africa in a
year, but I didn’t actually have a great build-up due to
a few niggles a few weeks before and struggling with
my lower back and nerve pain. The race itself wasn’t
really comfortable, especially on the run, and in the
end I was pretty surprised and just really relieved to
cross the line first.”
After taking three weeks off to rest his back, Matt
resumed training and says by June the pain in his
back had settled down, which allowed him to step
up the distance and try his first post-accident Full
Ironman in Wales. He won this race in 2014, hence
the decision to return to a favourite. “It’s a really tough
race, very hilly, but the course suits me, and there is
always a really good atmosphere with good crowd
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