GEAR » PROFILE
Pacific and European
Championships just three
weeks apart in June. Tell
us more about what you’re
doing and why? Thankfully,
my IRONMAN Championship
race schedule has changed
slightly and I’m splitting the
goal over 2019 and 2020
to allow myself a decent
chance of competing in Kona
this year. The competition
for age groupers at these
Championship races is
always strong, so stretching
the races out will allow
sufficient recovery. The Asia-
Pacific Championship will be
next year.
While I would not
encourage racing IRONMAN
events so close to each
other, as an age grouper with
limited time, I’ve remained
fond of the idea to ‘train for
one IRONMAN and race two’.
I’ve managed to podium at
two IRONMAN races a week
apart, but find that having
to return to work between
racing two or three weeks
apart is much harder. Finding
the necessary time to recover
from the previous race and
maintain a level of fitness is
very challenging.
You’re coached by one
the toughest athletes
ever, Matt Trautman, who
himself is coached by
Brett Sutton. Neither are
strangers to high mileage
training and racing
programmes. What’s
Matt’s advice on your
Champs Slam quest?
Matt is not one for over-
talking, but when I first
mentioned it on the phone,
there was some quiet
hesitation, which basically in
my mind translated as “it’s
a bad idea if you want to win
your races”. But that said,
he’s always been supportive
and lets me get on with it.
In terms of the mileage, I
actually found this to be lower
under Matt than I expected,
but the biggest change to my
regimen came in the form of
the amount of strength work
within training sets. That had
me hurting for a while, but
your body soon acclimatises
and it becomes second
nature. Matt’s also qualified
for the IRONMAN World
Championship this year, so it
will be nice to have him with
me on Big Island.
I always go on feel and back
off, or cut a session short if
necessary. It’s never good to
force it so to speak.
The reality of balancing
work and family results in
early 4am training starts
during mid-week sessions,
and long Saturdays can
sometimes end at 3pm. It’s
not uncommon for me to
get home from a training
session and my kids to ask to
far the hardest with the cold
early morning starts in the
dark. My average training week
is anywhere between 16-28
hours depending on where I
am in the build-up.
Fitting in races close together
isn’t ideal if you want to
perform at your best, but if
necessary, a short recovery
and straight back into it is all
you can do with a short taper
into the following race.
“MY AVERAGE TRAINING WEEK IS
ANYWHERE BETWEEN 16-28 HOURS”
Racing to top spot in
his age group at the
IRONMAN African
Championship on
7 April 2019.
How do you balance a top
job as a banker with all the
training that these high-
level challenges demand,
and still find time for your
family? What sacrifices
have you had to make to
achieve your triathlon
goals? Do you ever sleep,
and how do you sleep on
the road? Balancing it all
is tough, but my mantra is
‘just get it done’. This attitude
inspires me to complete the
planned workload for each
week and block. But that said,
go mountain biking. So it’s
off with the tri-gear, pack the
MTB gear, and off we go for a
trail ride.
We know Jozi traffic can
be crazy and that you
guys brave the cold in the
dark, especially in winter.
What does an average
training week look like
for you? And how have
you adapted your usual
training to prepare for
a tight schedule of big
races? Winter training is by
You race overseas fairly
regularly. What is it that
inspires you to travel? Are
there too few local races/
competitors, or do you
simply love the international
scenery and challenges?
Like many countries, South
Africa only holds one
IRONMAN distance event a
year, so travelling is necessary.
Competition for my age group
is usually better abroad, and
the occasional beating I get
from them overseas reminds
me to train harder/smarter.
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