Korea

The final racing chapter for this year was two 70.3 races in Korea. This was going to be a good test because of the fact that the races was only 2 weeks apart and this will be the first time I attempt this. Balancing the races, recovery as well as being a tourist was going to be difficult, but I thought I could manage that.

The first race was in Incheon, where it was very hot and humid. This was a very tough race as South Africa just came out of winter and I wasn’t prepared for the heat. The swim was in a canal and was quite enjoyable. The cycle was a bit technical in the first 8km as we had to navigate about 8 U turns and several 90 degree turns. This hurt the legs for the run and the rest of the cycle. To make matters worse we had to do 3 laps of the bike. I felt good for the first 2 laps and then suddenly I started to cramp a bit. But nothing too bad, just the body’s way of saying listen here you are on the limit. I was glad when the cycle was done and was eager for the run to start. My running felt good in training and I was happy to start the run. The first 10km was good and I felt that if I can keep this pace I will be very happy. Unfortunately the wheels came off and I suffered the last half of the run. I ran slower and slower and I was in a lot of pain. I managed to soldier on and finish the race in 7^th position.

It was a good learning curve, but I felt drained emotionally and physically. I wanted to go home and even asked my mom to change my flights so I could come back and rest and start to prepare for next year. She talked me out of it and I had to stay and focus to get my mind back on track for the next race. 

For the next two weeks the focus was just on recovery and enjoying the city. My brother and I one day went to Everland just to clear the mind a bit and have some fun. It was also good to bond with my brother for 3 weeks, some quality time together.

The second race was in Gurye in the south, a beautiful little town in the mountains, luckily we didn’t have to climb the mountains in the cycle leg. I went into the race with a little bit less stress knowing that whether it a good or bad race, the whole mission of this trip was to gain experience and learn how my body reacts to what I’m putting it through. The cycle is still my main problem with the longer distance races, I know I need to pick it up quite a lot. During the race there was a group of about 6 athletes cycling together. I told myself, you can crawl the run but you have to push and stick with the group. And I managed to do just that, sticking with them was very hard but mentally it was a huge boost. Surprisingly the run was quite good until the last 5km. I was sitting comfortably in 6^th position and was only overtaken in the last km to finish in 7^th.

 This was a great trip, with a huge mountain of experience gained and three weeks bonding with my older brother. It was emotionally and physically draining, but I feel like I came out of this a stronger athlete.  I feel like I am improving with regards to race experience and strategy with every race.

I have some off time now and in a few weeks I will begin to prepare for the 2016 season.

Cheers

Rudolf

70.3 Durban

Since the announcement of the Durban 70.3 race in January, racing this has been high on my priority list. It would be a big race in my home country and all my friends and family could be there for support. This just added to the hype for the race and also made the nerves grow even more. This would have been only my fourth ever 70.3 distance race and the 3^rd one for this year.

The pro field was small with only 6 athletes but the competition still strong. The race favourite was Stuart Marias, having won a 70.3 during 2014, coming second in the 70.3 East London in 2015 and winning Knysna big 5 challenge recently.  However, I was still determined to have a good race and perform well. The race started early in the morning and there was a chilly wind blowing. Coming from an ITU background, my swimming was my strength and I had to use that strength to the full potential. As I am still lacking some power on the bike, I needed to have a good swim. As the hooter went, we were off and the 4 hour adventure started. I felt good during the swim and pushed the pace the whole way, until the last buoy when I swam a bit off course, but all in all I was happy. This means one of the 3 disciplines was on par. But the big test was coming now the cycle leg.

It was the most amazing feeling that I have ever had, leading the bike on an official Ironman 70.3 race (even only for a while). The feeling was surreal, but I knew I had to focus and concentrate. I felt good and was feeling like I was going at a good pace until Stuart caught up. He came flying past like I was looking for parking. I knew then that the real race was on and I tried sticking with Stuart, but after about 1km I realized that I wouldn’t be able to handle that pace. I backed off a bit and the settled into my pace again. Just before the halfway point the rest of the pro’s caught up. I stressed a bit there because my 45second advantage in the swim had been wiped away quicker than what I had hoped for. For about 10km the pace was really high and I was struggling a bit to keep with the pace, but luckily the pace settled down and everyone relaxed to more “normal” pacing on the bike. I think everyone realized that Stuart was in a race of his own and we were competing for the minor places on the podium. 

  

It would all come down on the run for the rest of us. We all entered transition almost together. Once I started running I had a bit of extra adrenaline and went out a bit too fast and eager to run. Luckily after about 2km I realized this and decided to slow down to what I think would be a good race pace. During the run I slowly moved up in the field and after 8km I was in 3^rd position. I thought this would be an amazing result if I can hold on. This would become quite tough as I felt more fatigued with every step that I took. The last 6km of the run was pure pain and torture. I suffered a lot, but couldn’t slow down as the 4^th place was hunting me down. At the last km of the race I was only 30sec ahead of 4^th place but I still pushed to the end, just for a bit of insurance. I am really happy with my performance. This was the best race of my life thus far and I felt on top of the world.

Changing to longer distances has been a real challenge but it seems quite successful thus far. I am enjoying the triathlon more than ever.

My next race will be 70.3 Incheon followed by 70.3 Gurye both in Korea. This will bring an end to my successful season, but hopefully I can end it on an even higher note.

Cheers

Rudolf

Sun City Ultra

Last weekend at Sun City I started my triathlon long distance journey. After talking to my coach, we decided that the long distance triathlon will be a better option for me, as I have lacked the top end speed needed for ITU racing. This was a big step up as long distance racing is completely different to ITU racing. There is a lot more tactics involved and pacing plays a crucial role, if you go out to fast on the bike and blow, it will be a very long day of racing. Also nutrition plays a vital role, as the distance is a lot further and you race longer, timing of your nutrition as well as the amount that you will take on race day plays a big part in your performance.

At the start of the race there was a bit confusion as the race started late due to traffic cops being late and safety was a priority. This meant we would start at any given notice and made warming up for swimming a bit hard. I was very nervous for the race as it was only my second ever long distance race. I was and am still very inexperienced with this type of racing, but was confidant in my swim. Coming from an ITU background I knew my swim was strong and I can rely on it to give me a bit of breathing space for a smooth transition and an opportunity to settle in on the bike. Luckily that was the way it panned out. I was first out the water after the swim and was still feeling anxious and exited at the same time. Leaving transition I knew this is where the race would really start - whether I would have a good race or a great race.

The first few km on the cycle felt very comfortable. I was feeling good and was pushing the bike a bit. But at the back of my mind I kept thinking to myself that am I going to hard? Will I pop in a while? And where is the rest of the competitors? The cycle was a 2 lap route consisting of 45km each. So I could see the other competitors at the turn around points. This gave me a bit of insight to how I am doing compared to them. I was racing athletes who has done a lot of these races so I knew form them how I was doing and how the day is going. As expected they kept closing the gap on the bike at every turn point that I looked. I took a chance and decided at the last turn around I would wait for them and stay with them when they caught me. This meant that I could save my legs a bit on the run as well as that I would start with them. This was a risky gamble as I might have given them a big mental boost by letting them catch me. But it was a risk I was willing to take. I thought if I cycle 1min slower I might be able to run 2 faster. They caught me with 10km to go and I stuck with them till the end. It was a lot easier for me to pace myself of them then what I had to do when I was on my own. Still a lesion that I have had to learn.

When we entered transition again, I heard there was a mix up with the swim and that some athletes missed a buoy. The organizers decided to discard the swim and only take the run and bike time. This meant that my full advantage that I gained on the swim was now a disadvantage, as I had to run 4 min out of the competitors. If I had known that now then I would have not waited for them on the bike. This was a big mental blow for me, but also a challenge. I knew I had to push myself as hard as I can to see if I can make up the time as well as how hard and far I can push myself on the run. I started the run and felt quite good. I did start a bit too fast and thought I need to keep pushing but also I need to hold back that I don’t blow. The run route was quite difficult as it was around two golf courses and there was a few hills to get from one to the other. Also there was a few twists and turns to navigate. In the end I managed to complete the run and was able to run the 4min I needed to win the race. This was a good confident booster for me and I am grateful that I could have done the race and got a positive result out of it.

This was a good learning experience and I am happy for the positive outcome and I am confident that I will be able to improve in future races as I gain more experience. This success of the race is also attributed to the great support system backing me up. It goes down from my family to my coach and all my sponsors. Without them none of this would be possible. I really do appreciate it.

My next race will be the 70.3 in Rapperswil, Switzerland on the 7^th of June. This will be my first international 70.3 race and I am quite excited for the race and the whole atmosphere of racing overseas at a new distance as well as the fact that my whole family will be there to support me. Let’s hope I won’t let them down and that I will have a good race and most important of all, have fun.

Cheers

Rudolf