MULTISPORT
Matt takes a family selfie with Nicole and Riley
The Family Man
Having made a miraculous comeback from a serious accident in early 2017 that could have ended his career , triathlete Matt Trautman has not only gone back to winning races all over the world , but says he feels stronger and more focused than ever … and the arrival of his first child just over a year ago has added a whole new dimension to his racing career . –
BY SEAN FALCONER
Things have certainly changed in the last
year and a bit for pro Ironman and Red Bull triathlete Matt Trautman . He and wife Nicole had their first baby last May , and Matt says he is loving being a dad . “ Riley was born just at the start of the 2019 European racing season , so I stayed at home for the first month of the season to be with Nicole and the baby . I then went over to Germany , and Nicole and Riley joined me a month later .”
“ Besides many venues in Europe , Riley also went with us to Hawaii for the Ironman World Champs , so he is a well-travelled baby ! He ’ s already been on 11 international trips , and we ’ ve found that it ’ s actually the ideal time to travel with him , because we can simply put a camp cot in the room with us . For me , it ’ s been a cool experience to have him on trips , because I could still race while spending time with my son .”
Matt says that he was looking forward to more of this in 2020 , but the COVID-19 pandemic put paid to that . “ We were planning to do things differently this year , to set up a base in Europe – probably Austria or Switzerland – and rent a camper van to drive to races , instead of having to take so many flights . The plan was for me to get in lots of races on the circuit while we could still be together as a family . But then COVID arrived , and we ’ ve been stuck at home in South Africa instead .”
While lockdown has been frustrating for Matt , he says there have been some positives . “ It has been good to be at home and part of Riley ’ s routine and development , so it ’ s not all bad . My set-up at home , with a treadmill and indoor bike , allows me to be efficient in my training , because I can get on the Turbo early for a ride and still have time to be a husband and dad when they wake up . And it has really shown me how important my family is to my career . Triathlon can be a very lonely sport , even with squad training , and I feel that I race better when my family is around .”
Getting Through Lockdown
Of course , it has been hard for a pro triathlete , used to flying around the world to compete , to get used to having to stay at home month after month , but Matt says he has adapted . “ My original 2020 season plan was to do the 70.3 in East London at the beginning of the year – which I won – and then build up to Ironman South Africa in April , one of my main target races for the year , which I would use to qualify for World Champs in Hawaii . From there I was going to head to Europe , followed by Hawaii in October .”
“ I was in great shape by March when lockdown began , and Ironman SA was postponed to November , so that was obviously a bit frustrating . Since then , Ironman SA has also been cancelled , but it looks like the Sun City Ultra could take place on 1 November . Deep down , I think it will be a while before we see a return to normal racing , but there are options for reduced size or pro-only fields . That ’ s not always lucrative for organisers , so it ’ s hard to put on limited events .”
Matt admits that he has struggled a bit with motivation during the lockdown . “ In the beginning , I was holding on to the hope that something would happen by August or September , so I just focused on that and took it one day at a time . Some smaller races in Europe have actually gone ahead in the last few months , but none of the big ones with the good prize money , so I ’ m just in limbo at the moment . Even if races do happen , not being able to travel would mean we South Africans may miss out when they do start up again in Europe , but I would like to get over there as soon as possible and rejoin the training squad in Switzerland .”
“ It is hard with no goal race to work towards , and not trying to peak for anything specific , just maintaining fitness and staying in decent shape . I will admit , there have been some days that I just didn ’ t feel motivated to go out for long ride or run . Luckily , I ’ ve been able to start swimming again recently , but in the hard lockdown ,
Images : Nicole Trautman , Gines Diaz / Red Bull Content Pool , Graeme Murray / Red Bull Content Pool , Kelvin Trautman / Red Bull Content Pool & courtesy Matt Trautman
32
Matt ’ s set-up at home allowed him
ISSUE 133 SEPTEMBER 2020 / www . modernathlete . co . za to train through lockdown and spend more time with the family