After back-to-back wins on triathlon’s toughest stage, Australia’s Mirinda Carfrae can rightfully claim to be the world’s best long-course triathlete.
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She’s kindly agreed to join us for a live Q&A at 7.30pm tonight (Wednesday 29 October) to field your questions!
Whether it’s training issues, what went through her mind on the Queen K highway or something else entirely, send them in to [email protected]
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(Main image: Paul Phillips)
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Sitting comfortably? This new performance cycling collection from Paul Smith looks superb for the growing ‘cycling chic’ niche, but the prices may give you palpitations.
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The Paul Smith 531 collection uses high-performance Swiss-made Schoeller 3xDRY fabric to fend off water while wicking moisture away from the body, and insulation and breathability is provided by 100% New Zealand Merino wool layers. Windproof front panels on items such as the gilet offer a shield against the driving wind.
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Bright orange is a recurrent theme for many outer pieces like the gilets and jackets, along with subtle reflective stripes and reflective branding, whilst elsewhere there’s different shades of stealth black, dark purple and petrol blue.
To mark the launch, British cyclist and previous Paul Smith collaborator David Millar has been recruited to star in a launch film in which a group of riders puts the new clothing range through its paces.
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For more info on the new collection head to the Paul Smith 531 website.
Australia’s all-conquering Kona queen Mirinda ‘Rinny’ Carfrae believes that she ‘still hasn’t reached her ceiling’ in terms of performance, and plans to keep returning to the Big Island.
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Replying to a 220 reader’s question in our live Q&A last night on what her next goals will be in triathlon, she said: “My goal has always been to try and find my potential in this sport and particularly in Kona. I still don’t feel that I have reached my ceiling and while I feel that way will continue to return to Kona and see how fast I can go! You can never have too many world titles.”
She also admitted that she feels the pressure improve her swim and bike to the point where they match her stellar run (Rinny reached T2 more than 14mins behind the leader in Kona this year), saying: “Definitely don’t want to find myself that far back off the bike again anytime soon.”
Mental toughness
Reader Stephen Collins asked what many of us were wondering – just how does she push through the pain barrier? What are her mental strategies?
“Honestly it’s become second nature to push through the struggles in training and in racing. We as endurance athletes are masters at pain management. I don’t have any super secrets here, just the fact that I couldn’t look myself in the mirror if I gave into the pain.
“It does help to focus on the little things when the going get’s really tough.. breathing, pacing, hydrating & fueling properly.. Fill your mind with productive thoughts and there will be little room to focus on the pain.”
Favourite run workouts and nutrition
Another 220 reader wanted to know – what’s her favourite run workout to get ready for Kona?
“Don’t tell my coach I told you this and it’s just between you and me right… I love a set of 20 x 3mins on the treadmill or 20 x 800m on the track. When I can nail this session and still feel fine at the end of the session I know I am getting close to Kona shape.”
On the subject of nutrition, ultrarunner Ruth Goddard in Kent wanted to know if Rinny has days off in terms of nutrition, and what her favourite treats are. “Us IM athletes love our treats and like you ultra-marathoners have earned them,” Rinny replied. “I eat ice cream most days and at least one glass of wine per day..
“Actually there isn’t much that’s off limits during the season. Half the battle is keeping the weight on when you are racking up the training hours. The only time I do have a restriction is about 6-8 weeks out form Kona. I cut all wine and ice cream from my diet. It’s more a mental shift that helps get me into race mode.”
And finally, one bike kit question came in from a fellow Felt IA owner – why didn’t she use electronic Di2 shifting in Hawaii? “Well you don’t really need electronic groupo for Kona since there isn’t much out of the saddle climbing – plus I am a proud Zipp/SRAM athlete and am patiently waiting for them to release their electronic TT sets. Great choice on bike by the way – the IA is by far the best bike I have ever ridden.”
(Images: Paul Phillips)
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Thanks to everyone who sent in questions, and to Mirinda for kindly agreeing to take part!
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Like him or loathe him, you can’t query Gordon Ramsay’s appetite for triathlon. He may have been forced to pull out of Kona this year, but is now looking for 100 athletes to join his GR100 fundraising team at Ironman 70.3 Staffordshire next June.
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Successful applicants will receive a guaranteed race spot, branded kit including a Huub wetsuit, as well as training days with top experts, meetings with triathlon legends and of course the opportunity to join Gordon on what is expected to be one of the flattest, fastest 70.3 triathlons in 2015.
Chef Ramsay says that he’s not looking for seasoned athletes, but rather “dedicated, passionate, driven people who want to take on a life changing challenge.” There is a catch though – successful applicants will have to stump up £1.5k to join the team, and raise another £2.5k for the Gordon Ramsay Foundation.
For more info on how to join Gordon’s gang, head to the GR100 website.
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Are you racing Ironman 70.3 Staffs? Let us know in the comments below!
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Resolve was needed in spades for the 25th edition of the Winter BallBuster, with chilly wind and hammering rain battering duathletes on Box Hill in Surrey last Saturday.
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Athletes struck up a rendition of ‘Happy Birthday’ on the start line to mark the occasion, with 220’s Matt Baird arriving just in time after meeting heavy traffic on his way there. Other athletes lining up included Mark Kleanthous, who took part in the first ever edition. Racers set off at a steady clip in calm but cold conditions for the first run – a 12km loop of Box Hill.
Andy Greenleaf led the way into transition after finishing the first run in 43mins, giving himself a lead of almost 2mins over nearest rivals Andrius Jaksevicius and Dan Gaffney. The heavens then opened for the 38km bike, a three-lap loop of the run course.
Greenleaf was overtaken on the bike by Chris Witcombe as they headed into transition again, but managed to wrest back the lead after posting a faster time for the second 12km run, finishing in 2:37:38. Jaksevicius came second with Anthony Webb claiming third place.
The women’s race proved to be equally dramatic with Lucie Custance giving herself a 5min gap over nearest chaser Frankie Snare going into T1. She increased the gap to nearly 10mins during the bike, and returned to transition still in the lead with Anna Sykes-Brown of Optima Racing Team chasing for second.
Custance was around 2mins slower for her second run leg – still fast enough to claim the win in 3:03:49, with Sykes-Brown and Nici Cahusac coming second and third respectively. For the full results head here.
Next up for Human Race is WildMan on 22nd November, the first of the 2014/15 Off-Road Series events. Following this is IceMan on 7th February and MudMan on 7th March.
(All images – Matt Alexander)
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Did you race the BallBuster last Saturday? Let us know in the comments below!
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We were recently reminded by a reader that sometimes acts of kindness by total strangers are the only reason we can finish what we started on race day.
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With that in mind, we asked our readers on Facebook – who was your good Samaritan this season and why? Here’s what we got back:
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Who would you like to thank for their outstanding kindness? Let us know in the comments!
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The December 2014 issue of 220 Triathlon went on sale this morning, featuring a 20-page Kona special, 6-month training plan to get you ready for your first Ironman and lots more:
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20-page Kona special: including men’s and women’s race reports, and we chat to Dave Scott and Mark Allen about Iron War
Race your first Ironman in 2015: 6-month training plan plus key sessions from British legend Spencer Smith
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Cannondale Slice launch: we attend the big unveiling on Big Island
Pool tools: how to use them to sharpen your stroke technique, plus a 1hr pool tool sesh
Tested: Garmin’s new Forerunner 920XT; four turbo trainers; eight bike jackets; and more
PLUS win a Mango road bike and tri kit worth £850
Find 220 Triathlon on sale at newsagents across the UK, and the digital edition can be picked up via the iTunes store, Google Play and Zinio.
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Bonus digital content this month includes: Dave Scott and Mark Allen chat Iron War; Joe Beer details a 45min strength-training gym sesh; watch race highlights from Hever Castle Tri; three winter turbo trainer session vids
This year’s Triathlon England Cross Duathlon Championships were hosted by the Evil Sheriff Off Road Duathlon in Sherwood Pines, Nottingham last weekend, with wet and challenging conditions greeting more than 300 athletes.
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Held on Saturday 8 November, the race involved one 5km run loop, followed by a 10km bike stage, finishing with a 3.4km run.
The men’s race was won by Matt Dewis (M20-24) in 1:17:42, with James Walker (M25-29) and Roger Fowkes (M40-44) collecting silver and bronze.
Louise Fox (F30-34) won the women’s race in 1:33:06, with Jessica Roberts (F25-29) and Kirsty Vogan (F25-29) taking second and third places respectively.
Full results can be found here.
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Were you racing in Sherwood Pines last weekend? Let us know in the comments below!
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Britain’s Tim Don claimed top honours at the UWC Bahamas Triathlon last Sunday, but it was tennis stars Serena Williams and Caroline Wozniacki who were turning heads.
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Had a lot of fun @Bahamas_UWC w these guys @CaroWozniacki @serenawilliams @WillStevens_ & our coach Mike
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In 2013, Holly Lawrence was set on strengthening her Ironman 70.3 resume and put in a superb second place finish at Wimbleball despite a hip injury. Then she was picked for Wales’ Commonwealths Games team, and her 70.3 ambitions had to take a back seat.
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“It was such an amazing thing to be part of,” says Holly, 24. “You can’t really describe it. Even just staying in the athletes’ village – every country had their own base, so it was just like a miniature village but with lots of little villages of the countries within that. It was just a really cool environment with every country in their kits.
Sad to leave village life and go back to normality, it’s been an awesome experience! #TeamWales #Glasgow2014 pic.twitter.com/t7jNXIQbni
— Holly Lawrence (@Holly_Lawrence_) July 29, 2014
“Because I do French Grand Prix races, which attract big crowds, I’m used to racing with big support, but this was just different – you can’t really describe it – it was on a different level.
“It was a shame not to do the individual [race], which I obviously wanted to do, but just to be a part of the relay was a really good experience.”
Inclusion in Wales’ Commonwealths team did however mean 2014 didn’t go as Lawrence originally envisioned.
“[The Games] changed things last season – I didn’t race a 70.3 all year and that was always my intention. I’d just got my new Ridley time trial bike and found out the week after I’d be racing the Commonwealths, so it went straight into the spare room!”
@TeamWales triathletes getting familiar with the course! Looking good! @Glasgow2014 @BritTri pic.twitter.com/zWlWoxZTZw
— Welsh Triathlon (@WelshTriathlon) July 22, 2014
Return to endurance training
The path is set for 2015 though, with Lawrence looking to capitalise on the speed from super sprint training while getting back to more endurance-focused sessions – and using the best of both for Olympic-distance events.
“The year before last I qualified for the HyVee 5150 champs and I want to do that again next year as well as the 70.3 World Championships in Zell am See, so that’ll naturally involve doing 5150 races and 70.3s.
“I’ve always done the French Grand Prix series, which is sprint anyway, so I’ve always done that top end stuff. This year a lot of the longer sessions were swapped for faster sessions. So in swimming, I was doing a lot of 25s and 50s because the swim in the commonwealths was 250m, which was crazy short! But going into 2015, my training will obviously change with a lot more long stuff.
…Not a bad place for a turbo session!! @TrainSharp @SRAM_LOOK_TACX @Ridley_Bikes @UKmadison pic.twitter.com/6b89ZZLR0k
— Holly Lawrence (@Holly_Lawrence_) July 8, 2014
“But even next year, I’ll be taking part in the French Grand Prix races again, I think to lose them would mean I’d lose that sharpness, which I think gives me an edge on an Ironman-to-70.3 athlete as opposed to an Olympic-to-70.3 athlete. So it’s definitely transferable, but you need to adapt things – certain key sessions you need to change, but the supporting stuff around it doesn’t change too much.”
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Power gains
For much of her training, Lawrence tackles the sport’s constituent disciplines individually, swimming with the Swim Wales team in Swansea – “so I get my arse kicked all the time in the pool”, running with the Swansea Harriers and receiving bike coaching through Jon Sharples and Sean Yates at Train Sharp. Like many top athletes looking for gains on the bike, Lawrence has taken the plunge with power meters for the first time this year.
“At first it was a luxury that I couldn’t justify as a business decision. But now that I’m fortunate enough to have it, I think ‘What did I do without it?’ It just gives more meaning to my training. You’re more efficient with time and you’re not working out in that grey zone where you’re pushing your easy rides too hard and you’re fatiguing yourself when that’s not the aim of your session.
“When it’s easy it’s really easy; at first it shocked me, I kept going down the gears thinking, ‘I can’t ride for four hours at this cadence,’ but you get off the bike and it feels good and you think, ‘OK, so this is how I’m meant to feel.’ Then in your next session you can hit the power you’re meant to hit.
“If you haven’t recovered from something you can see immediately that you’ve not been able to hit the power and that you need more time. So you can evaluate, it just gives a qualification that you need instead of thinking, ‘Maybe I feel like this, but I don’t really know’.”
Winter training means sunnier climes for Lawrence. “Sticking it out over winter is tough in the UK. I admire anyone who does it because I’ve had to do it in the past! When you’re slogging through a four or five hour ride in the winter and it’s freezing cold rain the whole ride, it’s really tough and motivation gets low and niggles start appearing. So for me it’s really key to get away somewhere warm and just be able to be consistent, so the weather’s not stopping you.”
Return to Wimbleball
The winter training will come in useful in 2015 as one of the events Lawrence is looking to conquer on her path to Zell am See is Ironman 70.3 Exmoor – a notoriously hard race that she has “unfinished business” with after her second place in 2013.
“It’s a strength course,” Lawrence says on how to get the best out of yourself at Wimbleball. “Although the bike’s not mega, mega hilly, everyone says it’s one of the hardest. I don’t know if I agree with that, but then I’m from that area, so it’s kind of a stomping ground for me. So I think definitely knowing the course first is key. Go and ride it a couple of months out and be confident with it so there are no surprises on race day. Even if you just get to drive it the day before, it’s worth it so you know key areas where you’re going to push or recover on downhills, things like that.”
Nutrition is also key, something that Lawrence herself is looking to nail in 2015. “As I’m relatively new to it, it’s a hard mentality to think, ‘Right, I’ve got to eat now.’ I’ve raced with a full drinks bottle before, got off the bike and realised I’d not actually drunk anything. But that’s really important, especially in a hot race.
“I use High5 and I try and have bits of the energy bar as well as gels because gels can get a bit samey, so just make sure you have enough without getting too full up that it makes you have any problems. Part of it’s finding a brand that you actually like to have, instead of having to force it down. I’m quite lucky with my product. I order my gels so that when I take them they’re all different, so it’s a bit more exciting and I don’t feel sick.”
With Wimbleball, Zell am See and HyVee set as key races on her 2015 calendar, does Lawrence see the Big Island in her future?
“Long term, at the moment, it’s definitely about 70.3. I’d like to get as good as I can at that and then maybe go full distance. I don’t want to get the Ironman shuffle quite yet!”
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Holly Lawrence is sponsored by Compressport, Ridley, Pearl Izumi and Lazer through Madison