At just twenty-six years old, Fraser Cartmell, from Aberdeenshire, is fast moving up the ladder as one of the World's leading Ironman 70.3 athletes. Having discovered in 2006 that he didn't quite have the speed to race competitively at the standard distance, he made the decision to move up a distance. It was a good move, and one, that following five podium finishes, including two wins, in eight Ironman 70.3 starts, he's certainly not regretted. With his season off to a great start following a second place finish at Ironman 70.3 South Africa last weekend, Fraser's very much looking forward to the rest of his season as I found.

AE What a fantastic result at Ironman 70.3 South Africa last weekend, you must be pretty pleased with that?

FC Absolutely, to be on the podium at this level is always the goal, but with such good quality athletes racing, you can't ever assume it's going to happen. However, I do realise that I am capable of competing for the top spots, provided I get myself to the start in decent shape. I need to have more self belief - bearing in mind from eight Ironman 70.3 starts I now have five podiums, including two wins, plus two top tens at the World Championships.

AE You finished second just two minutes behind home favourite Raynard Tissink, prior to the race did you know that you were on such good form?

FC Well, you say JUST two minutes behind, but I feel that is a long way to be honest. I mean in terms of going for the win I wasn't ever in the hunt once the run started, which is obviously the business end of things, and that is frustrating. However, on the other hand, I can argue that it is only January, the middle of my winter and base training versus Raynard being right in the middle of his summer etc etc. But yeah, I was certainly aware that I had put together a pretty solid block of training through December and early January, and most of my key sessions suggested I was in comparable shape to that of November. However you really don't know until you get out there on the road, and that is what I really love about the Ironman 70.3 distance.

AE How did you feel going into the race knowing that Tim Don, one of the fastest runners in the sport, was on the startline, and did you think that he would pose a threat to the top spots?

FC Sure, I mean Tim and I spend a lot of time training together here in Stellenbosch, and obviously we had plenty of chat about the race as it approached. He is clearly at the very top of the tree in terms of being properly world class and I respected that totally leading into the event. Raynard also commented to the press that he felt Tim was by far the class act in the field and represented his main motivation for getting his training done well! In my mind there was no reason whatsoever for him not to be right up there gunning for the win and I was reckoning on needing in the region of a six minutes buffer in T2 to be able to beat him. In the end I had about nine, so I was content I could hold him off on the run! But he still had the fastest run of the day, and to me, he looked like he was just jogging along. He was good fun out on the course and gave me loads of encouragement which was very typical of him and something I really appreciated. I think now that he has this experience behind him it will clearly help him be a force for the podium come the Clearwater World Championships in November.

AE Your preparation went well, but not without some hiccups - pictures on your website show a seriously looking injured toe - what happened there?

FC That was a bizarre one! My dad and little sister came out to see me for Christmas, and we were spending the week in a seaside town called Knysna. On Xmas day we were heading out on a boat and whilst waiting at the jetty my sister sat down on some logs, and as she stood up they unsettled, rolled away and my flip-flop 'protected' big toe was right in the way! There was a fair bit of blood, some choice language from me and a handily placed first aid kit in the boot of the hire car! Half an hour later I was in the emergency room getting it checked and they had a great day on the boat! Thankfully I didn't break the bone, the nail didn't come away and after three days I was able to get the foot back in shoes for riding and running, although it took close to a week to get back to proper training. It could have been far worse, so I count myself lucky.

AE You also mention in your blog that you lost your grandparents on the same day just before Christmas, that's very sad it must have been very tough?

FC It certainly was. For my dad it was hard, as we really couldn't have been much further from home. You really can't just jump on a plane to Aberdeen from Cape Town. It was really quite sudden and unexpected, but we took a lot of comfort from the fact that they both passed away on the same night, in the same hospital and yet separately unaware of the situation. It seemed as if it is was meant to be.

AE You'll be training in South Africa until the end of February, where are you off to after that?

FC My plans at the minute are to do a very similar racing block as I did last year. I am lucky to have a great training base in North County, San Diego, staying with friends. It worked well last year so I intend on being there from late March to take in the first US Ironman 70.3 and then I'll be hitting St Anthony's and Wildflower at the end of April beginning of May. I loved these races last year and very much look forward to returning. My main goal, will however, obviously be to retain my UK Ironman 70.3 title in mid June.

AE Triathlon is physically and mentally demanding, and although it's obvious that you train exceptionally hard you always manage to have a great sense of humour, how do you manage that?

FC Well I am not sure everyone would agree... but I try! I kind of feel it goes with the territory; I feel very lucky to be able to live this lifestyle. And it really is a lifestyle sport, albiet a really tough one, which requires heavy training loads. However that doesn't mean we can't have a laugh and enjoy ourselves, and I try to remember that as much as possible. You only live once after all.

AE In 2008 you raced your first ever Ironman. Two thirds of your race went blisteringly well (Fraser led out the swim and was out in front with Stephen Bayliss for the entire bike leg) but you called it a day on the run. Why was that and will you be back to race another Ironman this year?

FC Yes, I did indeed lead the swim out (every mind-numbing stroke of it!) and spent the race out in front with Stephen. Sherboune was an experiment and with that magic thing we call hindsight I probably wouldn't/shouldn't have started. Gordon (my coach) and I felt it was an opportunity to have a great race and put in a slightly different training block before Clearwater. I was also really keen to race such a big UK event and liked the idea of being able to win both the 70.3 and full distance events as that would have been unique.

I spent August in California and did Timberman 70.3 in New Hampshire as a lead-in race. The training went ok and we felt I could give it a go. However there was a bail-out clause written in since I really didn't want to ruin my ability to race in November at Clearwater. So if I started to struggle badly and shut down at any point (and that could just as easily have been on the back end of the bike, we just didn't know) I was to get off the course. Easier said than done! I settled into a pace I felt I could sustain from mile two onwards, and just watched Stephen run away. I never felt great on the run (but who does?) and still at the half marathon I had over five minutes on third place, but by mile 15 I had started to walk and all of a sudden was in sixth by 16 miles. Blair, my brother, was standing there and he basically pulled me out. On one level I was really gutted but on reflection it was a great learning experience and I am confident that my next attempt will be far more indicative of what I'm capable of. For this season I will be concentrating solely upon the 70.3 circuit.

AE In 2008 you also raced the Triathy, one of Ireland''s largest Olympic distance triathlons. You won it smashing the Irish all-comers record and in doing so recorded the fastest Olympic distance time in Western Europe. With times like that do you ever feel like returning to Olympic distance racing?

FC No, not at all. I really don't think you can compare one with the other whatsoever. I mean Triathy was a great example of the difference between non-drafting and world cup racing - I think I out-split Richard Stannard by six minutes plus on the bike and yet had we been racing a draft legal race he would have beaten me hands down due to his quicker run speed. I gave ITU racing a good enough go during 2005 and 2006, and I wasn't anywhere near good enough to compete. I have found a distance that really suits me in the 70.3 and I will continue to try and climb the ladder in that event.

AE You finished tenth at the Ironman 70.3 World Championships, was that a bit of a disappointment following several top three finishes at Ironman 70.3 races in 2008?

AE Yes and no. When I crossed the finish line I was really happy and mostly relieved as top ten was my pre race goal, but as the days passed afterwards I did start to think through how the race could have unfolded differently. I was only three minutes or so away from the top five, and that would have been a fantastic result given the depth of field. The Ironman attempt without question cost me some places in Florida, but who knows how many. I lost nearly a months worth of riding after Sherbourne due to a knee niggle that eventually needed a cortisone injection to settle down. The resulting lack of miles certainly impacted on my strength and although I held onto the lead boys, it hurt me by doing so, and I effectively fell away from the race as the run started. There is a lot of work still to be done to execute a rapid half marathon, but that's the great thing about triathlon - there is always something to work on.

AE Who is your all time sporting hero and why?

FC Oh, I am not big into heroes for some reason, despite always having watched whatever sport was on television for as long as I can remember. In terms of our sport I think the way in which Emma Snowsill and Javier Gomez have dominated the World Cups of late is very impressive and I also admire the way in which Chris McCormack has won everything he set out to do as a youngster, as dictated by his 'list' written out on a scrap of paper all those years ago.

AE Do you have a mantra and if so what is it?

FC Not really, however I recently received an email from my old coach, Darren Smith, it said "live life like there is no tomorrow, train harder than ever, and race like your life depends on it". It says it all for now I feel.

AE What's your biggest unfulfilled dream in triathlon?

FC After having started to race in the US I now fully appreciate how big a deal Hawaii Ironman is. I shall definitely want to race there before too long.

AE Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

FC Sheesh, 36 huh? Em, If I can, then I will still be racing triathlon. I was in the pool here last week and I was chatting to a German Pro Ironman who is 43, and he told me he still loved it, so who knows!