Andreas Raelert finished second in Kona this year and that has given him new confidence for 2016, but it will not only be about triathlon next year. The fast 39-year old German has now finished second 3 times and third two times at the GoPro Ironman World championships, and he is ready for the very top of the podium. But first priority for him and his wife Julia is the pending January birth of a son.
Slowtwitch: I guess you are doing well?
Andreas Raelert: Oh yes, I am currently back to day-to-day business and the new season is almost upon us. That means the quiet time is over and it is time to focus on the stuff that matters.
ST: There is no quiet time until Christmas?
Andreas: A little bit. There is currently no hard training plan, just a rough guideline. I am also slowly starting to move again on a regular basis.
ST: Is there any race you already have marked on the calendar?
Andreas: No, not really, but of course in terms of races Kona is the ultimate goal. In terms of preparation and short-term goals, that is not really set in stone. Plus Julia and I are getting our personal big bundle of joy this coming January, hopefully healthy and well, and this thus has the utmost priority.
ST: It is important to have priorities.
Andreas: Of course, and I want to help my wife Julia out, and that then lets me decide how to shape my world outside of that.
ST: Thanks to your fine Kona performance this year, you don't really have to stress about qualifying for next year.
Andreas: It is surely a big relief for me to head towards Kona next October, but I do want to have a few highlights along the way, outside of Hawaii. The last few years due to injuries I had to battle the whole season and this year thankfully I will not have to go down that path. As I am now a bit older it feels good to actually really just prepare for Kona.
ST: Other than the physical toll, there is also a psychological aspect to consider.
Andreas: The mental component should never be forgotten especially when you have big goals and then not even really come close to them. To fall just shy of the goal is very frustrating and definitely messes with the mind.
ST: Is it fair to say that when you came to Kona you were not so much on the radar?
Andreas: In the triathlon world surely there were several others who were considered to have a bigger chance, but looking back at how I felt and analyzing the training data I had logged, I actually came to Kona very confident. When the training goes well, and everything around it falls in place it is possible to travel to Kona feeling positive, and I thus thought that being right near the podium was possible. It was however helpful that the focus was on several others and not on me, and this way I was able to prepare relaxed and in peace.
ST: Much talk seemed to be about “Frodeno or Kienle” and “Kienle or Frodeno.”
Andreas: That was great for the media and for the German triathlon sport in general, because this way they can get tons of folks to follow the Hawaii coverage. But I personally was happy with this because I was able to do my own thing and was able to get to start calmly.
ST: The German men are especially strong, especially when we also consider Nils Frommhold and Boris Stein.
Andreas: It really shows how important the sport of triathlon is in Germany and it really looks like Germany will not have to worry about younger folks stepping up to the plate in the future. Especially in long course racing. The bar has been set very high and that is a good thing for everyone.
ST: Looking back at Kona, talk about the swim. Were you content?
Andreas: I was actually ok with where I was after the swim. It was not really a big surprise that Frodeno, Potts and McNeice would have a gap on the rest of the field. But for me to be in that big group with all the favorites helped to get my day going in the right direction. Two years ago I had problems in that regard and thus when I came out of the water without a gap that really gave me a lot of self-confidence. I was not 100% happy but it was ok.
ST: Any surprises regarding the swim?
Andreas: Not much except that Sebastian [Kienle] finally matched his pool training results in the open water.
ST: During the bike you apparently had to deal with a flat tire.
Andreas: Yes, at about 120km I had a flat tire but was in the end only delayed by about 2 minutes. I was very happy that the tech support was right there. I think that saved my race.
ST: What went through your mind when you noticed the flat?
Andreas: I was actually surprised and to some degree proud that I did not really panic about it. It is pretty easy that when stressed that you make a situation even worse. I tried to stay calm and I had the big advantage that I felt physically fine. It is really bad when you encounter such a situation when you are already tired and in bad shape, and then there is a big chance that you give away the race. But I was mentally very strong and made sure I did not panic. After the tire was fixed I briefly thought about chasing full throttle back to the group, but I then decided that it is best to ride my own pace. Otherwise that could have been hara-kiri. I knew the race would not go into the deciding phase until 2 hours later and I wanted to have that option available to me.
ST: Talk about that run.
Andreas: I actually felt surprisingly well during the whole race, and as I started the run I saw myself in a comfortable position. I knew that I was mentally and physically in good shape and I really ran well until about 26km of the marathon, and really kept my pace in check. Entering the Energy Lab, however, I had a difficult stretch for about 7 or 8km. But at about 33km I was able to find my stride again.
ST: As you ran into the Energy Lab you actually looked good.
Andreas: It may have looked like that but I did not feel like it. During that whole stretch I was in big trouble. I am fond of running the marathon with a GPS watch and looking back at the data from the race it was pretty obvious that my pace dropped during that time. Right after the turnaround in the Energy Lab there was also a point where I started to look at what was happening behind. I wondered who was coming from behind, but that stopped, and thankfully I was able to move another spot up.
ST: You indeed caught O’Donnell.
Andreas: I pushed really hard to catch up to Timothy [O’Donnell] and then when I caught him I attempted to make a decisive move. I surely did not want to wait for a decision on Palani Road. I was super happy then that I was able to finish the race in 2nd place.
ST: Second place in Kona is obviously a great result, but explain what that means in Germany. Especially when it is second place behind another German.
Andreas: Frodo really made history this year to have won Gold at the Olympics and now also grabbed that Kona title, but for me it was important after 2 years of struggling to find self-confidence. To be able to perform well at an advanced age was important to me. I had done it in small doses last year, but was more than happy with the second place this year. Of course there are some regrets, as I have now been 2nd three times and 3rd twice and no one wants to be the one who is always the runner-up. Collecting the most podiums is also not what I am after - I still have a strong desire to grab that title.
ST: So next year, the very top of the podium?
Andreas: You know Herbert, that is the big dream and that is what keeps driving me forward. If next year Micha [Michael Raelert] returns to Kona it will be even better if we both get to attempt to make that Kona dream a reality. I am going with a lot of confidence into the new season, and I do not know if it then is the top of the podium, but I surely will give it all to get there.
ST: We wish you the best of luck and great 2016 season and all the best to you and Julia for the upcoming baby birth.
Andreas: Thank you Herbert. I may have to lean on you a little bit for some fatherly advice and hopefully I will bump into you before Kona.
ST: Absolutely.
Andreas: That is great.
