<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Interviews - Tri247</title><link>http://www.tri247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest interviews articles from Tri247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Meet the Outlaws: Diane Hamilton]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6685.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[In the lead up to the Outlaw Triathlon (www.theoutlawtriathlon.com), we will be running a monthly   feature highlighting some of the athletes taking part on August 8th to...   &#039;Meet the Outlaws&#039;. 
Diane Hamilton will be 43 when she starts the Outlaw  Triathlon on 8 August. She&#039;ll be seven years ahead of the game, because she hadn&#039;t  planned to do her first iron distance race until she reached 50.
The mother of two is a Derbyshire police officer who  completed three half ironman triathlons last year. Eldest daughter, Rebecca, 8,  did her first Tri Start Triathlons last year and mother and daughter have  joined Absolute Triathlon Club in Nottinghamshire so that they can train  together. She should be relatively easy to spot on race day - her bright pink  Ceepo Vixen bike will certainly stand out on the bike course!


How are you feeling about doing your first iron distance race? I am absolutely terrified!
Tell us about your sporting background? Until about five years ago my main training was aerobics, circuit  training, the gym and a bit of running. I then started working in my current  role as a training officer with Derbyshire Police. I couldn&#039;t help but get  hooked into triathlon as everyone in the office was doing it.
I had to learn how to swim, which for me was the hardest bit  as I had never done a length of front crawl in my life. I remember panicking  about whether I could finish 400m at my first sprint triathlon in Derby.
After a lot of hard work and training I have now competed in  lots of races from sprints up to half iron distance. Last year I did three half  ironman races in the same number of months, which is what probably gave me the  confidence to enter The Outlaw.

  
    
    Why did you decide to do The Outlaw? I have always wanted to do the full iron distance, but had  planned to wait until I was 50 when the children would be older so training and  recovery would be easier, and what a great birthday present! However, when Ian  Hamilton announced he was arranging The Outlaw I just had to enter because the  bike course literally comes past my house. 
      I also train in Holme Pierrepont  lake with the club and the race will incorporate the first Police iron distance championships.
    
  

How do you feel about the route going right past your house? I think it&#039;s fantastic, it means my family and friends can  support me without having to travel to the event at a silly time.     
How is your training going? My training is going ok, I can&#039;t really say it&#039;s kicked in  properly yet. I&#039;ve maintained a level of fitness over winter but not specific  to triathlon. I have trained on the Concept2 rower a lot for the past few  months as a couple of friends and myself set a challenge of doing a marathon on  the rowing machine, which I completed in 3 hours 34mins.
A Club la Santa triathlon training trip in March should get  me kick started into specific training!
What&#039;s your rough plan for training? I don&#039;t really have a training plan. I&#039;ll just try and do  what I&#039;m told by my coach, Del Pitcher!
What attracts you to doing the full distance? I think what attracts me most is that it is a huge challenge  and having the overwhelming sense of achievement if I succeed. Also I think I  am better at the longer, slower stuff as it seems to suit my mindset.

  
    Have you thought of a race plan or is it too early? It&#039;s a little early yet, but whatever I put in place on the  day will be a reflection of the time I have been able to put into my training!
    What are you most looking forward to during the day? Sharing the experience with so many other like minded people  and crossing the line to see the smiling faces of my beautiful girls, Nicole  and Rebecca!
    What are you least looking forward to on the day? It&#039;s clear to me already that there will be times of  suffering during the day &amp;ndash; I&#039;m not sure when or how these will occur as yet but  I plan to have many strategies on the day to help me &amp;lsquo;embrace&#039; these moments  rather than dread them!
    Best achievement to date? Second place in my age group at the Barcelona half iron race  in 2009.  I also came second in  the inaugural Police &amp;amp; Fire World Champs within the same race.  It was a very special moment for me as some  of my closest friends were there to share it with me.
    
  

What do you hope to achieve at the Outlaw? A positive experience, a personal best (guaranteed when I  finish), and bragging rights for a week or two!
What about stopping off for a cheeky sleep or snack at your house as  you pass it three times? Well&amp;hellip; I won&#039;t be telling coach if I do that&#039;s for sure.
Previous article in this series:
Meet the Outlaws - Tom Williams
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[TCR Video 2010: Sam Gardner]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6651.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[This weekend on the beautiful Pacific Island of Saipan, the UK&#039;s top male XTERRA athlete Sam Gardner (www.samgardner.com) will be aiming to retain the XTERRA Saipan title he won last year, and then trying to follow that up a week later in the Tagaman road triathlon in which he finished second in 2009 .
At the TCR Show this year Sam joined Annie Emmerson on the Tri247 sofa - fresh from a win that morning - to talk XTERRA and his 2010 season plans. 
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Philip Graves]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6640.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[While the likes of Alistair Brownlee, Chrissie Wellington and Julie Dibens may have won more in 2009, if you were looking to present a &#039;breakthrough&#039; award in the British triathlon world, then Philip Graves would surely be your 2009 winner. 
At just 20 years of age, Phil took the title at UK Ironman 70.3, Wimbleball, and then backed that up by becoming the youngest Ironman winner ever, when he won Ironman UK in Bolton. Add to that a national time trial medal in the 100-mile championship, representing GB at the European Olympic Distance Champs, leading the Ironman World Champs in Kona and a host of other time trial and triathlon victories, and 2009 was certainly a defining year for the likeable Yorkshireman. 
But, what is in store for 2010? I caught up with Phil ahead of his first major event of the year - the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon - to look back on 2009, discuss what is in store for 2010 and talk about what lies ahead in Abu Dhabi.

Looking back on 2009 

  
    JL Looking  back on 2009, you had a very long and successful season with the UK Ironman and  UK Ironman 70.3 wins, plus a National 100 TT medal - plus of course gaining  some headlines in Kona - how satisfied were you with the year overall, and how  would you mark your own performance out of ten?!
    PG 2009  was definitely an 8 out of 10. The year went perfectly for me, but racing so much,  nearly every weekend from February till October really got to me I think. I got  good form and was flying in the summer but when it came to the end of the year,  and at Clearwater especially, I just felt washed out and ready to stop. Still,  I learnt a lot which is what it was all about for me. I&#039;m glad I raced the races  I did and now I can be more picky with what I race, though I don&amp;rsquo;t think that  will stop me racing nearly every weekend in 2010.
    
  

Looking forward to 2010 
JL Coming in to the 2010 season, do you feel additional pressure  because of &amp;nbsp;increased expectations / media spotlight than last year, or  does that fact that you are still young and proved what you can do in 2009  actually mean you can relax and enjoy your racing, having now secured improved  backing and sponsorship?
PG There  is definitely no added pressure! I would say I put more pressure on myself  last year as I knew what I was capable of, I just had to prove it myself. I think  the biggest thing last year was everyone except me wanted me to stay away from  Ironman, even though it was something I so badly wanted to do. So really, I had  to do well or I would have looked a right tool! This year is going to be  another huge learning curve for me. I finish University in May and then can  turn my attention to triathlon full time, which will make next Winter so much  easier not having to worry about essays and having to stay, for some time at  least, in the UK in the Winter. I went to South Africa for three weeks in January  and got a very good block of training in. If I can just get three months in like  that I just know I have more to give! 

JL You committed to racing Ironman at a relatively young age - at  least in elite pro terms - do you plan to focus on long distance events again  this year, or will you be doing a range events? Is qualifying for Kona this  year an objective for example?
PG Kona is  the primary objective for the year, I want to race well for 8 hours there this year,  not just 3 or 4! But I will be doing a range of different racing, some ITU,  some 70.3, some Ironman, a lot of time trialling whenever possible and perhaps  some XTERRA. I&#039;m still young so want to mix things up and just enjoy my racing,  not see it as a chore. 
JL You  were announced as an &amp;lsquo;affiliate&amp;rsquo;   member of the 2010 British Triathlon Performance Squad, presumably due to your  potential in a &amp;lsquo;domestique&amp;rsquo; role in draft-legal racing. Is there a conflict  between that, and your long distance ambitions, or do you think the speed  requirements of the shorter distance will ultimately benefit your 70.3/Iron  goals? 
PG At the  end of the day, it&#039;s all just swimming, cycling and running. I think the ITU  stuff will help me in the years ahead and it gives me the opportunity to try  and gain selection for the Olympics. The Olympics will only be in my home  county once in my career and its something that I don&#039;t want to just let pass,  I would love to represent my country at the most important sporting event in  the world.
Abu Dhabi thoughts... 
JL On to 2010, your first major race will be the brand new and much  hyped Abu Dhabi International Triathlon. A new race with a great field - you  must be pretty excited at the prospect?
PG I  really am looking forward to racing Abu Dhabi. Being in March it is going to be  an interesting prospect, I don&#039;t think anyone will know how fit they are which  will make for some exciting racing, plus the whole approach to the race is very  professional. It will be a great learning experience for me.
JL The Abu Dhabi distances are - give or take&amp;nbsp; bit - &amp;ldquo;iron distance,  but with a half distance run&amp;rdquo;. On the surface at least, that would appear to  play to the strength of the swim-bikers (like yourself!), but do you think the  racing will be that simple - how do you think the race will pan out?
PG Nothing is ever that simple but  as I said, it&#039;s going to be a very interesting race. On the surface it does  seem to suit me but it really depends on the nature of the course. I mean, will  people be running at Ironman or 70.3 speed, its difficult to predict! I&#039;d like  to know myself! 
JL What  sort of shape are you in heading into the race? Have you got any thoughts on  who you would consider the race favourites, and what are your own hopes and  expectations?
PG In my opinion Joe  Gambles is the man to beat, pure and simple! I was extremely impressed with him  at Clearwater and I think he has amazing talent. There are 10 or so guys right  up there who could win on any given day. On my shape, I really have no idea  what&#039;s going to happen, I&#039;ve put in some good training with some great athletes,  we will just have to wait and see!
JL What lies in store on the Phil Graves race schedule for the rest  of 2010?
PG Well,  its going to be an interesting year! I hope to race Wildflower, Ironman  Lanzarote (I have been eyeing Thomas Hellriegel&#039;s record for a  few years now and it is a race I really want to do!), then I will try and defend  my 70.3 UK title. After this I will switch my focus to some ITU racing for a  couple of months, try and get some speed in the legs, then maybe race a 70.3  somewhere in the US in September then hopefully Hawaii and possibly XTERRA  world&#039;s. It would seem a shame not to race it, being over on that side of the planet! 
JL And  finally&amp;hellip;is it true you take your Yorkshire Tea with you everywhere? If so, will  you make me a cup in Abu Dhabi please!!
PG Actually  I don&#039;t drink any tea or coffee, it&#039;s my Dad, aka the support team that is  addicted to it. I think it&amp;rsquo;s the only thing that keeps him going. I&amp;rsquo;m sure you  could get together and have a tea drinking contest! ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Julie Dibens]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6558.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[
An interesting interview for you this week. One of several British athletes who dominated on the world stage in 2009 was Julie Dibens. Julie won her third consecutive XTERRA World Championship, added the Ironman 70.3 World Championship she has been striving for, and even secured a win over Ironman World Champion Chrissie Wellington at the 5430 Long Course in Boulder. 
Julie was coached for several years by our newest columnist, &#039;Captain Quads&#039; Richard Hobson, who in his first update for us promised &amp;quot;some words of wisdom from athletes and coaches that I have been lucky enough to   have been involved with over the years.&amp;quot; Well, he has done just that, so much so that when submitting his latest column update - you&#039;ll have to wait until next week to see that... - we thought that his chat with Julie deserved an article of its own! 
Hawaii in October could well have a different look to it this year, as renowned swim-biker Dibens intends to race Kona 2010. With Richard&#039;s own return to racing focused on Ironman Lanzarote, he chatted to Julie about her longevity in the sport, and her own plans in making that step up in distance. 

In my last blog I  said I wanted to get some words of wisdom from different athletes and this  month I have got double reigning world champion (XTERRA and Ironman 70.3), and double  Olympian, Julie Dibens answering a few questions. Interestingly Julie has  made her intentions to race Hawaii 2010 public, so I thought it would be interesting to hear  her thoughts especially as this will be her first Ironman.
RH: What would       you say were the most important factors to be able to keep improving       as an athlete?
JD: A combination of things       - motivation, dedication, staying injury free, being patient and believing       in your ability as an athlete / and or your coach.  Too many people       get on the get fast quick plan, and end up either burning out or getting       injured.  I have learnt over the years that consistency in training       is the key - day in day out, week in week out.  Too many people       &amp;quot;beast&amp;quot; themselves for 5-7 days, then have to take the next week       off.  Motivation is a big one too - you have to keep training       interesting and fun.  If you don&#039;t you won&#039;t get the work done that       you need to.  So be creative with things and surround yourself by       people that inspire you and that you can feed off their positive energy. 
RH: How have       you managed to stay so focused / motivated / disciplined over quite a few       years now? Or have you not?
JD: For the most part I       think I have managed to stay focused, motivated and disciplined.  Of       course there were times were it was pretty hard - you can pick one of my five       surgeries for that!, But for the most part, even during those times, I think       I stay pretty focused.  During those times I really learnt to focus       on the things I could do and doing them well, rather than on the things I       couldn&#039;t do.  This allowed me to stay a lot more positive about       things, rather than getting down about how I couldn&#039;t run for three months or       whatever.  
You will see that I have also mixed up what races I have       focused on.  That is the great thing about triathlon.  There are       so many different formats of races now, and so so many events that you can       enter.  Racing XTERRA for the first time in 2006 really sparked       something for me.  I had pretty much been focusing only on ITU races       up until then.  You persuaded me to give it a try.  I really       enjoyed the different style of racing, and it really encouraged me to go       out there and pick the races that &amp;quot;I wanted &amp;quot; to do, rather than       the ones I had to do.  As far as being disciplined - I just see that       as a stepping to stone to getting the results that I want.  There are       too many great athletes out there, that I don&#039;t believe you would be able       to walk into a race and win it without being disciplined, motivated and       have the desire to win. 

RH: I know       there have been some pretty dark times in your career, all due to       injury, what kept you going?
JD: I think a combination       of things.

  inner belief
  desire to push myself to new       limits and prove to myself that I could get through it
  loving       what I do and being a triathlete

You will remember that there was a       time a few years back where I seriously considered making the switch to       cycling.  It was during a time where I was struggling with injury and       not able to run for extended periods. A thought long and hard about       it.  To me it seemed like the easy option out, and that&#039;s not what I       am about.  I don&#039;t like to shy away from a challenge.  I also       realised that I really love to be a triathlete.  I love the       lifestyle, the choices we have, the travelling, the variety of       training ...pretty much the whole package. 
RH: So Hawaii       2010! Something a bit new for you - are you going to do another Ironman       before this one, sort of a test run?
JD: No Ironman       before Kona for me.  I think one will be enough!  I am racing in Abu Dhabi in       March.  Even though the run is only 20km, with the bike being 200km       I think I can learn a lot from it.  After that I hope to have a pretty       normal season from April thru August where I will mix up racing 70.3&#039;s and       some Olympic distance races. 
How do you       think you will have to change your training to prepare for it?
Still working on it! I am sure it will involved biking       and running a bit more :)
RH: I       mentioned in my last column for Tri247 that one normal aspect of training       for triathlon is over distance work - do you think this is       important for Ironman?
  
  If        so what sort of training do you think you will need to do?  
 JD: I don&#039;t plan on doing crazy crazy miles, but I will up        the distance a bit.  I have found in the past that my body tends to        break down if I try to do too much run mileage.  I think it still        thinks I am a swimmer trying to run!  I will and have already upped        the biking a bit, but will keep the intensity in there too.  I don&#039;t        think I will ever really be one for lots of long steady easy miles.
RH: If        not how are you going to prepare for 9 hr + of racing?
JD: I will sabotage all of my competitors, and learn all        the short cuts.  That way I can take as long as I like out there... 
RH:  Thanks Julie for that, maybe see you  out in Hawaii!  I will be gunning for you on the bike! 
Next month I hope to ask similar  questions to another seasoned but established Ironman athlete and Hawaii winner - I cannot say who it is yet as I have not asked him yet!
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Colin Dixon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6487.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[In the words of our editor, who was at Loughborough University with him, &amp;quot;lovely guy, very humble, very fast&amp;quot;! He was of course talking about this week&#039;s interviewee Colin Dixon, an athlete who has been competing in mutlisport events for longer than the likes of Brownlee and Avil have been on this planet. Dixon is still mixing it with the best of them though and proved this when he returned to elite racing last year at the Windsor Triathlon finishing sixth, 16 years after he won the event.

With work and family a priority, he sticks to a solid hour and 30 minutes training, on average, per day. But it&#039;s enough, as he&#039;s proved over the last couple of years by winning gold at the age-group (35-39) World Championships and bronze last year in the 40-44 age-group.

Quite obviously not one to put his feet up in the off-season, Colin is currently dominating the Human Race off-road series and has won three out of three races with just one  remaining. The last race looks set to be tough one with all the top UK off-road athletes racing, but even so my money&#039;s most definitely on the very unassuming, highly experienced race favourite.



AE Congratulations on another great result Colin! It looked and sounded like a tough race, but you made it look easy winning by over two minutes?

CD No race is ever easy! It was certainly the toughest of the series so far and I was definitely flagging by the end. I just try not to give the impression I&#039;m in pain.

AE That was the third race in the Human Race off-road series, and your third consecutive victory. The fourth and final race, the Merrell Tuffman, takes place in just over a weeks time, but with the likes of Great Britain&#039;s leading XTERRA athlete, Sam  Gardner, second place finisher in the last two events, Jim McConnel, Tim McDowell and Paul Davies all on the start list it could be your toughest race in the series?

CD Absolutely, Sam will raise the bar another level, but having good competition is what makes racing exciting and it&#039;s why I do it.

AE Following nearly a month of snow, and ice, racing conditions have been tough, but do you think this has worked to your advantage?

CD I think the other top guys are just as good at handling the soggy terrain, but I do always seem to race better in cold conditions. I really don&#039;t like snow and ice though. 

AE Back in November 2008 when you won Gatorade athlete of the month you were quoted as saying, &#039;I actually prefer off-road racing, even though I&#039;m not that good at it&#039;, that certainly doesn&#039;t seem to be the case now, so what have you done to improve your off-road skills, because they look pretty good to us right now?

CD I would still maintain I&#039;m not that good technically on a bike, I fell off twice in the last race! I do try and make my training as specific as possible for the coming race - such as off-road hill reps and interval training on a mountain bike, and it definitely makes a difference. 

AE What would be your top tip be for someone racing an off-road duathlon for the first time?

CD On the bike look ahead for hazards, get in the right gear early and try to spin a high cadence to save your legs for the run. 

AE What bike do you ride and are you into all the latest expensive triathlon gadgets?

CD Off-road I ride a very old Giant hardtail mountain bike but it is well spec&#039;d. On the road I have a Cervelo P2C which I built up myself. I wouldn&#039;t say I&#039;m a gadget geek but my most useful gadgets are an SRM power meter and a waterproof MP3 player for open water swimming.

AE You may be dominating the domestic off-road scene at the moment, but for the newbies who don&#039;t know you out there, you&#039;ve also enjoyed a long and very successful, triathlon career - which has included winning the elite race at the Windsor Triathlon (1993), a gold medal at the age-group (35-39) World Champs in 2007 and  a bronze medal at the age-group (40-44) World Champs in 2009. How on earth have you kept up such great form for so long?

CD It&#039;s got to be consistent training, but never training too much. I have trained for long enough that I know exactly what quantity and quality of training I need to do to stay fit, injury free and most importantly enjoy doing it. I also do quality work all year round which I think is particularly important as you get older. 

AE You were racing in the same era as two of the sports greatest legends, Lessing and Smith, at the time did you have a favourite between the two?

CD I wouldn&#039;t say I had a favourite. I raced them a few times but they were both miles ahead of me! Both of them had great characters and were great role models for the sport.

AE You&#039;ve quite obviously seen some pretty major changes to the sport since you first started racing, but what would you say is the biggest change you&#039;ve seen since you started racing?

CD The standard of competition and the depth in quality of the field has massively increased. There are far more people involved in the sport and now they&#039;re training scientifically, eating properly, and ride aerodynamically. Twenty years ago there would be a handful of people capable of a sub 2h15m standard distance race. Now it must be hundreds.

AE It&#039;s a question that gets asked a lot but how do you manage to combine working full-time with a pretty full on racing schedule?

CD It&#039;s just down to time management and making sure you don&#039;t try and overstretch yourself time wise. I train about 10-12 hours a week but make sure that each session is focused and that each week includes some high intensity work. I&#039;m lucky that I can get out at lunchtime and occasionally cycle to work. It also helps that my children have now left home!

AE What do you do when you&#039;re not racing and training?

CD I live by the sea so I windsurf a lot. I also keep four chickens in my garden so I eat a lot of eggs!

AE What are your racing plans for the rest of 2010 and beyond?

CD Pretty much the same as last year, i.e. events where I&#039;ll get a good race. So Blenheim and Windsor, some of the national ranking series events, and the World Age Group Championships. Now I&#039;m a veteran I may also do the odd track race for my athletics club.

AE So no plans for an Ironman then?

CD None whatsoever! The thought of all that extra training appalls me! To me racing is about going to head to head with people and so I much prefer the shorter events - but never say never, ask me again in ten years time.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Alistair Brownlee]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6408.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[There&#039;s still four months to go before the first round of the Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship series, but that doesn&#039;t mean that the athletes aren&#039;t totally focused on their preparation. One athlete who&#039;s hard at work (when does he ever stop!) is the current World Champion, Alistair Brownlee. At the end of last year I interviewed Alistair on the Garmin stand at the Cycle Show. It was great to see that Alistair&#039;s knew found fame hasn&#039;t changed him one bit, he&#039;s as laid back as ever but at the same time totally committed to his sport and with his focus very much on London 2012


]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Hollie Avil]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6349.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[To round-up this year&#039;s interviews our last interviewee of 2009 is one of Great Britain&#039;s leading female triathletes, Hollie Avil. At the age of just 19 Hollie is already an Olympian, a former junior World Champion and now the current World under-23 Champion. We caught up with Hollie at this Year&#039;s Cycle Show to find out about her new World Championship status and what her plans are leading up to London 2012.




 ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Tim Don]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6337.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Tim Don is one of Great Britain&#039;s most successful triathletes ever - at the age of just 31 the former junior and senior World Champion is a triple Olympian and multiple World Cup winner. 2009 has not been the easiest of years for the very likeable Don, but he has fought through is injuries and setbacks to still finish top 20 in the World. 

We caught up with Tim at the Cycle Show to find out what his plans are for the future now that he&#039;s left his long standing coach, Ben Bright, and has moved away from Loughborough, Great Britain&#039;s main triathlon high performance centre.



 

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Richard Hobson]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6316.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[In the 80s and 90s, along with other athletes such as Robin Brew, Glenn Cook Simon Lessing and Spencer Smith, Richard Hobson helped shape the face of triathlon in the UK. Coming from a background in windsurfing (Richard finished sixth at the Olympic trials in 1988) Richard was used to being in the water and in 1988 decided to turn his hand to triathlon. Between 1989 and 1997 he was a member of the Great Britain triathlon team and raced over all distances from Olympic distance to Ironman. 

In 1998 Richard decided on a career change and became the head triathlon coach at Bath University. He went on to coach two Olympic athletes, Julie Dibens and Jodie Swallow, before moving to France where he now runs a holiday and training centre called La Garenne - a Beautiful 18th century French longere, located in the Charente Maritime region of France. Richard also coaches and runs training camps in France and Club la Santa (Lanzarote) - for more information on these camps click here. 

In 2010, after a 13-year sabbatical, Richard has decided to race Ironman Lanzarote, with his goal being qualification for the Ironman World Championships. Richard will be writing a monthly blog (starting in January) for Tri247 about his training and progress.







AE Great to catch up with you Richard. There&rsquo;s plenty to talk about, but firstly the big news is that you&rsquo;ve got a big race planned for next year?

RH Yes, that&#039;s right! I did the mad thing and entered Lanzarote Ironman. Must have been a week moment as I always tell people they must be crazy to do Ironman.

AE You&rsquo;ve spent a lot of time in Lanzarote, training, running camps and racing the Ironman there, so you know how tough it can be, especially if it&rsquo;s windy on race day - did it cross your mind that you could have chosen an easier Ironman after a 13-year sabbatical?

RH Lanzarote and Club La Santa are both very special places for me. If I added all the time I have spent there, which spans over 25-years, it is way over two years. For me it still beats any other location for your winter training as it&#039;s so easy to get to, has great facilities, great weather, and a great atmosphere. I met my wife there and now my kids are more excited to go back to Club La Santa than they would be to go to Disney World. So, to cut a long story short, for me there really is no other place I would prefer to suffer my way around an Ironman. This year I will do the Volcano Olympic distance triathlon at Club La Santa (this will be my 20th time), and then three weeks later the Ironman. It will be 16-years after my first Ironman, which was also Lanzarote back in 1994. 

AE With two children and a business to run how much Ironman training do you think you&rsquo;ll be able to fit in each week?

RH In reality I could find the time, the bigger problem is finding the motivation, especially when the weather is bad. I do realise that it was all a bit easier when I was a full-time athlete as all I really needed to do was train, rest, eat and sleep. Now it&#039;s more like reality and how most people try to train - so it&#039;s all about fitting it in around kids, work, and for the last three years some hard labouring as we continue to renovate our place in France. I am lucky though, as my time is pretty flexible so it does mean I can train at sensible times of the day. I am also lucky to be spending five weeks in Lanzarote this winter. It&#039;s mostly work as, as you know I run training camps, but it still gives me a great chance to get some miles in and I&#039;m always so much more motivated when I&#039;m out there. I guess also the other thing that I will need to consider is that being that little bit older (I will be 45 next year)  I will have to see how well the body holds up!  

AE Although you haven&rsquo;t raced an Ironman for a while you&rsquo;ve certainly not been sitting around getting lardy, in fact this year saw you race in the regional team time trial championships (where you finished second) so there&rsquo;s obviously no slacking in the Hobson household then?

RH From when I stopped being a full-time athlete in 1997 and  became a full-time coach at Bath University my training slowly, but surely, started taking a down turn. I still got to train as I was lucky to be coaching some great athletes like Julie Dibens and Jodie Swallow, so I got to do some training with them. I was also managing to get out to Lanzarote running camps for these athletes and some private camps. The real dip came when we moved to France. Looking back, it was much more difficult and stressful than we had realised. It was quite a big thing to give up a full-time job with the BTA and set up a business in a foreign country with two young boys, who were only three and five at the time. A good gauge of the dip in my form was that I went from always finishing top ten at the Volcano Triathlon to an awesome 65th place back in 2006. However the last year or two has seen things pick-up as we have become more settled and I now race for a French tri team, and a local bike club - all pretty low key really, but good fun. I did actually come back to the UK last year and did the Vitruvian National Champs - I won my age-group and really enjoyed the experience of racing in the UK again.

AE What are your expectations for the race e.g. time, World Championship qualification etc?

RH To be honest I have no time expectations, which really is the best way to approach a race like Lanzarote Ironman. What I will hope to have is a race plan that I really am able to achieve. This will depend so much on what happens between now and the race, how my training goes. So I want to train to get in a position where I can be strong and hold my form together, stick to power on the bike and a pace on the run. Deep down I know that if I manage to do this I will have a good race relatively speaking and should be able to get a qualification slot for Hawaii. But, this is an Ironman and in the eight or so I did when I was a full-time athlete I never really managed to hold it together! 

AE There are some good stories about the training you used to do with Robin Brew, which made the Royal Marines training look easy, do you think triathletes are training as hard today as you guys were back in the 80s and 90s?

RH Those were great days and it was people like Robin who made them so special. I guess we did train fairly hard, but we sort of made it up as we went along. There weren&#039;t  really any triathlon coaches around then so we were more influenced by athletes  and coaches from other sports. 
I very much doubt that we trained any harder than athletes today, actually some of the athletes I&#039;ve coached, and coach now, put me to shame. You only need to look at an athlete like Julie Dibens - she&#039;s been at the top for a very long-time, and still seems to be getting better. I put this down to  dedication, commitment, determination and that all so important talent. And then there are age-group athletes like Stu Anderson (top GB age-grouper in Hawaii 2008) who works in the city, does long hours but still trains incredibly hard and just loves the sport. It really is because of athletes like this that I still enjoy the sport so much, they really do inspire me.
AE Talking of Robin Brew there was some good healthy rivalry between you guys, would that rivalry still exist today if  Robin took part in Lanzarote Ironman as well?

RH Now it&#039;s funny you say that as it&#039;s really Robin&#039;s fault that I am doing this Ironman! About a year and a half ago Robin decided he was going to do Lanzarote this year (2009) and tried to convince me to do it with him. I had absolutely no intention of doing it and can honestly say that at that time had no plans or desires to do another Ironman. But it planted a seed and now one year later it seems like a really good idea. Shame as I don&#039;t think Robin is going to try again next year, but  maybe we can convince him. 
You talk about rivals and I guess we were, but mostly we were good friends, training partners, even advisers. People like myself, Robin, Glenn Cook, Sarah Coope and Bernie Shrosbree used to train together and live together and I really think we learnt from each other.
AE You were part of the British team with the legendary Simon Lessing when you won team gold at the 1993 Triathlon World Championships; what was it like to be on the same team as Simon Lessing?

RH Amazing days and amazing athletes! Simon took the bar to a completely new level, and then Spencer Smith came along and between the two of then they lifted it further. To be honest they left me behind. I do feel honoured and privileged to have been racing with those guys, and winning a team gold in Manchester was just awesome - funny though as my memories of Manchester World Champs in 1993 were more of the prize giving. It was the most bizarre and wild affair I had ever seen (I think it was the Aussie crowd who started on the beer too early), resembling more a scene from an Ibiza rave than a World Championship prize giving! 

AE How do you think Simon would have fitted in to today&rsquo;s style of racing?

RH  Simon was just the most versatile and incredible athlete. The reason he was so invincible was that he had no weakness, he could race in any way and nine times out of ten come through and win, he would have done fine in today&#039;s style of racing. I just guess he would have developed a little differently as he would not have needed to be such an awesome biker and swimmer, but would maybe have developed his run to be even faster. Simon at his best was untouchable.

AE Talking of legends, and with your coaches hat on, how would you sum-up Alistair Brownlee&rsquo;s performances this year?

RH I really think this follows on very nicely from what I just said about Simon. To me, even though the racing has changed, Alistair reminds me so much of Simon. He has no weaknesses and he&#039;s obviously a very tough, and determined kid. He also has the armoury to always be able to be in the position he needs to be, so in other words he is not relying on others to determine how a race goes he is dictating how a race goes. He comes out of the swim at the front, he attacks on the bike or is never far from the front and then just does what he does best on the run, destroy the opposition. A true talent and awesome athlete. And with my coaches hat on the one thing I really would like to say to Alistair apart from &amp;quot;well done&quot; is to just keep doing whatever he&#039;s doing. We have not seen the full potential of this athlete yet, which makes it even more exciting.

AE If you could re-live one of your races in the past, which one would it be and why?

RH I think this comes down to why I would like to go back to Hawaii. The place where it all started; the biggest and most influential race in the Ironman world. I have athletes who have raced there these past few years and it really has made me realise that when I did Hawaii I sort of missed the point. It was just another race. A hard and hot race, but just a race. I now realise that Hawaii is so much more than that; it is the ultimate event for a triathlete. To go there and race there is something very special and should be treated in that way. And the thing is, is it&#039;s not so much about the actual race or an individual performance, but it&#039;s about the whole event, the build up, the atmosphere, the island, the nerves, the people, the day. I really missed all this somehow. I even remember just giving my finishers medal away to a boy and now it&#039;s something I would like to have to show my boys. So maybe I will get a chance to go back, but I will go back with a different goal and a different attitude. I will regard it as a privilege if it were to happen and I will definitely want to share it with my family.       

AE What do you regard as your best ever triathlon performance?

RH Thinking about it I would probably say the middle distance European Championships in Finland.  The actual result was a bit disappointing. I finished fourth, but, it was the time of non-drafting, but when all major Championships were riddled with drafting. I managed to get away from the group with two others, Glenn Cook and Thomas Hellriegel, and on that day I was the one driving the break-away. We had over two minutes advantage starting the run. Glenn came first, Thomas second and I got caught by one person from the pack behind to finish fourth. Deep down I sort of believed on that day I was the strongest athlete - hope Glenn doesn&#039;t read this! 

AE You&rsquo;ve been involved in triathlon for the last 20 years; what are the most significant changes you&rsquo;ve seen in the sport since you first got involved?

RH I really don&#039;t see any significant changes, although obviously the sport has progressed and the competition is a lot fiercer. If anything I would just say it&#039;s incredible the sheer number of people wanting to compete these days, which is just fantastic for the sport.
AE For the last few years you&rsquo;ve been living in France where you run a French holiday complex - tell us a little bit more about your set-up there?

RH We moved out here in 2006 and have an old French farm that has been divided into six gites, which have between two and three bedrooms each . Even though they are rustic farm buildings they are nice with all mod cons. Initially we saw it as a training base and holiday resort, but really it has been the holiday side that has gone so well for us. It seems to attract families who want to relax and spend time with their families, and of course a bit of French wine!  We do get athletes coming out here to train, which is great as it is such a nice place to train. The roads are so quiet and there&#039;s plenty of open countryside to run in. There&#039;s also some really good events to do here. The roads are closed for the races and the whole town enters into the spirit of the day and of course there is the added bonus of there being a resident coach here. Actually thinking about it athletes could fly over here do a race and it would still probably be cheaper than racing in the UK. 

AE As a French resident your French must be pretty good these days?

RH Bit of a sore subject! It&#039;s not great to be honest, but I do have two boys who are totally bilingual to make-up for it. They act as my translators, but the problem is I&#039;m not sure I should always believe what they&#039;re telling me!

AE Charente Maritime, where you live in France, looks stunning, but do you ever get homesick?

RH There are things I miss from the UK and also things from when we lived in Denmark. The main thing I miss is big take away coffees, sad I know, but France, even though it&#039;s famous for its coffee, has not got to grips with big, or takeaway. 

AE Fast forward just over six months, what time is going to be on the clock when you cross the finishline on the promenade at Puerto del Carmen?

RH 8:59:01 - this would be one second faster than 16-years ago. Although I do think the course was a bit short then and I was a full-time athlete, and 16 years younger - but I&#039;m not one to make excuses! ]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Scott Neyedli]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.tri247.com/article_6287.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[With the end of the year fast approaching Scott Neyedli decided to head down to Busselton for Ironman Western Australia, a last minute decision following disappointment in Kona. The decision paid off, and as a consequence he is once again the Scottish Ironman record holder (again) and the fourth fastest Brit ever over the Ironman distance.

In tough conditions (the Sahara way have been cooler), Scott proved to himself and the Ironman world that he is a true force to be reckoned with. And he most certainly gave the pre-race favourite and eventual winner, Patrick Vernay, a scare, having chased him all the way and finishing just under four minutes behind him. I caught up with Scott to find out more about his race and what lies in store for him in 2010.



AE Wow, what a way to finish off the year, that was a great race congratulations!

SN Thanks, yes it was pretty good!
 
AE In Ironman terms you were very close to sealing your second Ironman victory - second place was a fantastic result but did you feel a touch disappointed knowing how close you had come to the overall victory?
 
SN If I race well and as well as I know I can then I&#039;m happy &ndash; it&#039;s also Ironman, so finishing is a pretty big task in itself!
AE But to be that close must have been frustrating?

SN I went for the win and felt the opportunity was there, it just wasn&rsquo;t meant to be. I&#039;m satisfied with my result as I know I gave it everything. 
AE So much is said about the heat in Busselton, but surely it can&rsquo;t be that bad, can it?
 
SN My salt tablets melted and dissolved in the heat. It was 35 degrees at 2pm mid way through the marathon. I lost two kilos of water by the finish and I was on a drip in the medical tent afterwards - so I think it&#039;s safe to say it was mildly hot for a Northerner.
 
AE Your training for Busselton (according to your blog) was a little different to your normal preparation for an Ironman - you said it was more about firing up the cylinders rather than working on the long hard stuff, so what did you change? 
 
SN I prepared meticulously for Hawaii, albeit with not much running due to a calf injury. I had a mini break with team commitments in Germany after Kona and only a handful of sessions in Scotland before arriving in Perth at the start of November. I was able to establish a three and a half week block that gave me a similar training programme  (this time with the run sessions), as the one I had initially pre planned for Kona. 

My last three months of training has incorporated a bit more zone three work than in the previous two years. I had some really strong cyclists that would  push and hurt me in Kelowna prior to Hawaii and I was able to find some great semi pro and pro cyclists to ride with in Perth &ndash; Graeme Brown a two-time olympic track gold medallist and Rabobank rider to name one. 
 
AE You&rsquo;ve certainly make up for your Kona disappointment in Western Australia, but talk us through what happened at the World Championships, which was so full of promise at the start of the race, but sadly saw you DNF.
 
SN Stomach problems were the initial cause during the bike leg. Then it was  kidney pains at the beginning of the marathon. Repetitive vomiting starting just before the first mile, which was followed by an inability to hold anything down from aid station one through to mile 13  resulting in dehydration, sun stroke and also sun burn. I was walking in a tangent into the lava fields and at the mile 13 aid station and mumbling when asked &ldquo;if I was alright?&rdquo; followed by &ldquo;I think your through, there will be another day!&rdquo; 
 
The root cause was my nutrition gels. They bounced out in about mile two of the bike. They were in a bottle, but were now spread across the road and so I was forced onto a reduced recalculated nutrition from race aid stations &ndash; chocolate and cappuccino flavoured gels, which I know don&rsquo;t agree with me, but this was what I got and later on found out, they still doesn&rsquo;t agree with me... 
 
AE That doesn&#039;t sound like fun at all. And to add to that you then came home to the disappointing news you&#039;d lost your Commerzbank Triathlon Team sponsorship for 2010, that must have been a bit of blow for you to say the least?

SN It was disappointing! I know Normann and the management group wanted to keep me, but it came ultimately from a banking decision. With the credit crunch and Commerzbank acquisition of Dresdner Bank, I no longer fitted the marketing strategy criteria requirements as I had done under previous bank management. It was a blow but I&#039;ve worked in oil and gas as an engineer for five years so I know how things work - I&#039;m mature enough to know it&#039;s just simple business economics.

I had great support with the team during my time and I still keep in touch with the guys. I made new German friends I wouldn&rsquo;t otherwise have met. I will be looking for new sponsors in 2010 - some doors close and other doors will hopefully open.    
 
AE Scotland is probably not the best place for an Ironman athlete to train in the winter so where will you be basing yourself this winter?
 
SN Seeing as I&#039;m on a budget and flew to Perth to race Bussleton Ironman last weekend, I plan to stay in the area until spring time before returning home. I have some friends from Aberdeen here and there are excellent facilities nearby. Three  50m pools at Challenge stadium, nice beaches, good training rides / partners and good run trails in Perry Lakes and Kings park.

AE Sounds like an excellent place to spend Christmas, but you&#039;ll be missing out on a good Scottish Christmas dinner?

SN Yes, sadly I will be, but I have friends from home here and hitting the beach for some rays and ice-cream is going to be fun and quite novel on Christmas day.

AE If you had to vote for the top Ironman performance this year which one would it be?
 
SN Gravsey&rsquo;s win at IMUK at such a young age is very impressive on a UK male pro perspective, but Miss Wellington&#039;s third straight world title or world record has to be the winner.
 
AE If you had to give your most important piece of advice to someone racing Ironman for the first time what would it be?
 
SN If you get any doubts about doing the race as you approach the Ironman, simply treat the day as a long training session and you&rsquo;ll surpass all your expectations and fears. The Ironman event is merely the last piece of the jig-saw of the journey it took you get there.
 
Oh yes and don&#039;t forget; smile for the finish photo!
 
AE If you could choose any famous female sporting superstar to take to dinner who would it be and why?
 
SN Good question, maybe Cathy Freeman. I can remember watching her win gold live on the television in the Sydney Olympics. It was a tremendous achievement winning gold, not just for her country and ethnic background, but also carrying the expectations into that arena, that day, and finally succeeding! The pressure must of been so immense I just can&rsquo;t imagine it; the whole world came to watch that one race.   
 
AE We know you have a few little motivational sayings that you like so reflecting back on your 2009 season, which one do you think would be most apt for this year?
 
SN &ldquo;May the force be with you&rdquo; &ndash; nah maybe not! It&#039;s not one of mine, but I did receive a text message from one of my friends which stuck in my head and which I repeated to myself on race day &ldquo;pain is only temporary, memories last forever&rdquo;.
 
AE Good one, I like that! And on that final positive note what&#039;s next season looking like for you?
 
SN Not sure, depends on sponsorship support. First up will be a southern hemisphere race in March, which will be either Malaysia, New Zealand or Australia, then possibly Lanzarote or a European race in July then Kona; I have my slot and I plan to use it.]]></description></item></channel></rss>