Sometimes you just sit back and ask yourself “how did he do that?” when watching Kristian Blummenfelt on a triathlon course, and the Norwegian did it again at IRONMAN Frankfurt.
The 30-year-old, who has won every major prize the sport has to offer in the last four years, made an incredible return to full-distance racing after almost two years away, romping to a sensational victory in a time of 7:27:21. He came in with limited preparation, having raced the Mixed Relay at the Paris 2024 Olympics just 13 days earlier.
Blummenfelt topped off his stellar day in the German city with a blistering 2:32:29 marathon – but it did not come without its challenges. One of which is the scourge of so many triathletes – both Pro and Age Group. The need to spend a penny/visit the toilet/restroom on the closing run.
Blummenfelt on IM Frankfurt toilet stop
‘Big Blu’ led the race when the call of nature beckoned hard in Frankfurt, but that lead was only a relatively small one over British surprise package Kieran Lindars. Yet somehow, he was in, done and out, fully clothed again and still able to retain that lead. It was quite simply a Porta Potty masterclass.
The man from Bergen has now revealed all the details during the latest episode of the Norwegian Method podcast, admitting it was a scenario that he knew would come into play from well before the race started.
“I wasn’t able to get out my morning s*** before the race. Because normally if you wake up four hours before what you did the day before, or like your normal rhythm, even though I slept well, like my stomach wasn’t into that rhythm. So I still had unfinished business when I started running. So it wasn’t really a big surprise.”
Blummenfelt therefore knew this would be a pressing issue on the run, but he still needed the elite strategy to deal with it effectively without adversely impacting his victory bid too much. The biggest issue? Finding a vacant Porta Potty.
Elite Porta Potty strategy
He explained: “I was trying to hold it back for as long as possible and there were a few times I ran through the aid station, ‘should I go in?’. I didn’t want to go to a toilet when it was occupied.
“I think the left side was occupied but luckily the right was available. So I didn’t have to undress and stand there and wait. Also I was running with a gap of like 20 seconds to second place and for a few Ks I was trying to not stress about potentially being caught up. It could have been nice to be running together on the third lap. I thought if I am quick on the toilet maybe I will come out 5 to 10 seconds behind him out of the toilet and run in his back for the third lap before trying to make a move.
“As I was sitting there on the toilet, I was like looking at the watch and I was actually done in 8 or 10 seconds with the s***. But then I was still sort of urinating, so then I am thinking ‘should I just finish this one now and get out of the toilet in 15 seconds or should I just sit for another 5 seconds and finish the business?’. I finished the business and quickly out again. Tried to see where he was and he was just behind me, and I managed to open up the gap again.”
So what about the total split? “I think around 25 seconds” said Blummenfelt. An F1 quality pitstop in IRONMAN triathlon.
The day’s challenges were still not over for Kristian, as he vomited mid-stride a little later on that blistering run. But after refuelling again he surged to the finish for a brilliant victory.
Now he is on to Kona, and another bid for IRONMAN World Championship glory in Hawaii in October. Get the popcorn…again.
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