Andreas Raelert struggled with injuries for a good part of the last 2 years, but the German Erdinger pro appears healthy now and ready and eager for the big Kona quest, the next few years.
Slowtwitch: Andreas are you well?
Andreas Raelert: Yes, all is great.
ST: You are spending quite a bit of time on Fuerteventura. Are you trying to escape the cold conditions back home in Germany?
Andreas: That is partly correct. I actually like being in Germany and don’t mind training in not so nice conditions, and that is something I have always done in the past. But the training conditions on Fuerteventura are perfect, and together with the group [Erdinger Team] it is just more effective to train.
ST: Talk about the wind conditions on Fuerteventura.
Andreas: It is actually all in the name. I believe Fuerteventura translates as island of the winds, and when you come here you know what to expect - similar conditions as in Hawaii. All day long the wind is blowing very hard and that makes the training that much tougher.
ST: Is this thus a great place to get ready for Hawaii?
Andreas: It surely can be compared with Hawaii, but if you want to get ready for Hawaii you would have to return to Fuerteventura in August and September. I am actually considering doing that this year, but yes, these places have a lot in common.
ST: Talk about your plans for this season.
Andreas: For the next 3 years the goal will be the same as it has been, with the big dream of Hawaii. So I will pursue this dream this year and also in 2016 and 2017. Hawaii is really the very big target, together with my brother Michael.
ST: What will be your first race this year?
Andreas: Because of the bumpy preparation for last year, I am taking a bit more time this year to get ready and my first race will likely be in early May. That means the next months will have to be very consistent training for a solid base, and thus hopefully already in May having the Kona qualification done.
ST: Are you talking about a specific race in early May?
Andreas: There is a specific race in early May, and that would be the North American Championships in the USA.
ST: Why that one?
Andreas: As I had mentioned to you before I really have Kona on my mind and have thus to decide what will be the most ideal preparation to get there. I am a big USA fan, and to start a race in May in the USA sounds very promising to me and that gives me time to get ready. There are other races where I could be already collecting points, but they are just coming a bit too early. Should I already qualify in early May that would give me a long time to get ready for Kona. In case it does not work out in May, I still have June and July to get the qualification done.
ST: You mentioned your brother earlier. How much are your race plans overlapping?
Andreas: The race schedules of Micha and I are completely different. For Micha it is so that he really wants to prepare for the 70.3 World Championships in Zell am See, Austria. Plus he would also like to start in Hawaii, but he still has to qualify for that. In terms of points he however is in a much better situation. So he will focus on the 70.3 and also the Challenge Series, and then select a specific Ironman event during the year. Meanwhile I have to concentrate on getting the qualification done.
Andreas:
ST: The last 1 to 2 years were somewhat difficult for you. Is that a fair statement?
Andreas: Yes, the last 1.5 years were not the easiest, but that is how it is in sport. It is fairly normal that after many good years, one also has to manage a few low points. It was a bit frustrating for my brother and I, but we helped each other out to get out of this difficult athletic phase. We thus are going with more confidence into the 2015 season, and Michael is ranked first in the 70.3 rankings. For me, many things did indeed go wrong, but there were certainly highlights in 2014 - which made me confident for what is still to come.
ST: Was there a point when you thought the low phase was not going to end?
Andreas: Of course during difficult times one relies on a strong support network, and I am happy that we have an environment that was there to give us that support. Plus as I said, there were positive points in 2014 even though the big Kona dream did not get fulfilled. There were many good situations, considering that I am indeed getting older, and that allows me to think very positive about the next 3 years.
ST: Talk about your Kona 2014 day.
Andreas: Until the 7th racing hour I was actually a bit surprised that despite the rough road leading up to Kona, things were going really well. I then kind of gave the race away with a somewhat big mistake, and that really made me mad. I had the podium right in front of my eyes, with the best of the word at eye level, with Sebastian [Kienle] being the exception of course. He was simply unbeatable on that day. So it was frustrating to only finish the race and not mix it up at the front. The positive aspect from this Kona experience was that I was competitive despite the not so ideal lead up. And that gave me confidence for the coming year.
ST: You looked really good but at one point you were just gone. And it was not clear what had happened.
Andreas: I am not trying to make excuses here, but when I did the [Ironman] race in Mont Tremblant in August I made a small mistake and did not eat properly. But luckily I ended up in 3rd place and got the spot to go to Kona. So when I came to Kona I wanted to focus on my own race, unlike the previous years where I was had an aggressive race plan. This time the goal was to feed properly and make sure not to get hungry. Somehow though I ate too much and yes, that is possible too, and halfway through the marathon my stomach no longer played along. I got stomach cramps and threw up etc, and that changed things from one moment to the next. That is something I had not experienced before. I ran smoothly until 20km and was looking forward to the second half of the marathon. I basically did not have the feeling that I had gone too hard, but then in a span of 3 to 4km my stomach completely went crazy and I no longer was able to factor in the race. That was very frustrating.
ST: What did you do post Kona?
Andreas: I first recovered from Hawaii and then tried to think about the season preparation for 2015 and 2016. I also supported Michael in his preparation for the Challenge Bahrain event and spent a lot of time with the family. That gave me mental freshness for 2015.
ST: Many athletes who do not have a good Kona day often try to enter a race like Florida, Arizona or Cozumel. But you did not do that.
Andreas: For me it was clear from the start that I would end my season in Kona, after all that season with all the ups and downs really cost me a lot of strength. So I had decided that Kona would be the end no matter how I finished there. I wanted to recover well so I could start the new season fresh. I also had learned from my experience in 2013. That year is when my problems started. I injured myself during the Ironman in Austria, and I still managed to win that event. But I then carried that injury through the rest of the season with me, and that eventually led to me dropping out in Kona in 2013. I then wanted to add another race to end the season on a high note and give my self an ego boost, but in the end I actually felt worse. So it was clear in 2014, no matter how the Kona race ends, 2015 is a new beginning.
ST: What was that injury in 2013?
Andreas: During the second bike loop in Klagenfurt I hit a pothole and pulled a muscle in buttocks area. I completed the race and ran a very good marathon, but the injury was actually quite severe. I then made the mistake in order to not mess up my preparation for Kona I never gave it a chance to heal. I continued to train and it just did not get better. The injury then was so severe that I ended up needing a longer time out and that lasted until early 2014. And that started a season that had more lows than highs.
ST: We certainly wish you a healthy and successful 2015 season and look forward to seeing you again at a race.
Andreas: Thank you, I really appreciate that.
