After the Madrid WTS Gavin Noble officially became the second Irish athlete, and first male, to earn an Olympic entry in triathlon. Representing a small Island with a green history in triathlon, Noble has been the lone Irishman competing at the World Triathlon Series this Olympic cycle. Here he talks about representing his country and competing solo at the world's most competitive triathlon series.
Slowtwitch: Congrats on earning Ireland the Olympic Spot.
Gavin Noble: Thank you very much; it’s been a long process but ultimately this time rewarding.
ST: Has Ireland ever been represented in triathlon at the Games before?
Gavin: Ireland was represented for the first time in Beijing 2008 by Emma Davis and so stemming from that the goal of Triathlon Ireland was to have two athletes and to be represented in both the men's and women's races in London. To be fair to Emma she got there largely on her own which was amazing and since then we have seen a lot of change within Triathlon Ireland in terms of performance structures and pathways. Having an athlete or athletes in an Olympics is often a catalyst for positive change and the development of a sport in a small country.
ST: How close was the qualification process?
Gavin: For me I had been 'in the ranking' for a long time but this season and towards the end of last year I started to pick up niggles and injuries which made the last few months a bit stressful - on both my body and mind! I raced a lot - too much. I didn't have consistency and so I had to race more. That was the game. I guess every nation, and athletes within that nation, has their own game to play.
ST: When did you know you had your spot wrapped up?
Gavin: This sounds terrible but I was watching San Diego online and I knew after the first lap of the bike. . . I sort of knew that some athletes would not be able to jump me in the ranking as they needed better performances there. There were a lot of tired bodies in those last few races.
ST: In which sports is Ireland usually well represented in at the Summer Games?
Gavin: Ireland is usually represented in most sports in the Summer Games but just not in the depth of the larger countries. Soccer, Rugby and Gaelic Games are the most popular sports in Ireland and draw the most attention whereas in the Olympic family, Athletics, Swimming and Boxing are the biggest funded sports and tend to send the larger teams. Our boxers being our most successful in terms of medals and you can't argue with that or them! I guess that although we are the most popular nation in the world, we are small enough with only around 6 million people - more people live in London or New York.
ST: So is it a pretty big deal that you're competing in London?
Gavin: It is a big deal for me for sure! It goes - National Champion, Commonwealth Games, single digit swim cap, Slowtwitch interview, Olympics doesn't it?
Seriously though I am proud to represent Ireland all over the world and to represent them on the biggest stage is a great honor. With an Olympics however it is not just about me - it is about my family, friends, sponsors, Triathlon Ireland, my coaches and supporters. To have someone there for them is an achievement as they are all part of the process. To have someone you know or support in the Olympics makes you a part of it as well and that is why it is so special. And when it comes to it being in London it is almost a 'home games' for us!
ST: What's your training situation like?
Gavin: I went to University in Scotland and I stayed on there afterwards to live and train. I owe a lot to Triathlon Scotland and the various coaches they have had down the years - they have been very welcoming to me and I guess over time 'got stuck with me'. Stirling is a wonderful place to live and train and it has produced a lot of good athletes - they just need to build a roof over it maybe?!
Since Beijing however I have spent more time in Ireland and with my Irish teammates at various camps and venues. I have trained a lot in Spain, Switzerland, France, South Africa, Australia and the USA over the years - like a rolling stone! At the moment I am back home in Ireland training and will probably move to base myself there more after the games.
Most of my training is done alone but I like to train with others as much as possible - and not just triathletes but swimmers, cyclists and runners. My coach Chris Jones accommodates that in his programs and gives me some freedom to manage myself as we do not have much face-to-face contact.
ST: Does it get lonely traveling to far away races without any teammates?
Gavin: I wouldn’t say lonely but it maybe isn’t as exciting at it was in the beginning – it is a routine, a daze almost from getting to the airport and then arriving in your hotel. You see the same people on the circuit and make friends. Maybe I have had an advantage in some ways in that when you’re traveling with a large team there are lots of personalities, lots of time schedules, meetings, etc Where as I can just get on with it; swim when I feel like it, eat when I feel like it or where I want to etc. In the past few seasons I normally have someone with me or at least Aileen will also be there and she has a massive entourage!! Only joking. The Irish team is small and so when we travel as a team it is also small, relaxed and yet very professional. I also have the Specialized guys at most of the races which is awesome and that takes a lot of the worry out it when it comes to equipment, massage and sometimes just hanging out… the team likes to sit down together and eat and there is more banter than ‘tri talk’ and zero politics so it is very chilled.
ST: Are you training with Aileen Morrison much?
Gavin: I see Aileen quite a lot, especially this year as we are doing the same events and much of our national training camps in the past 12 months have been built around us as we were the two athletes on course for qualification. Although we live in different places we share the same coaches and coaching team, physios etc. Aileen is still relatively new to the sport and it has been awesome to see her get better and better each year.
ST: Will you and Aileen practice popping champagne bottles?
Gavin: Ha! Mark Twain said that ‘One holds a bottle of red wine by the neck, a women by the waist and a bottle of Champagne by the derriere’. Does that answer that question? Not really I guess. Did you know that supposedly Mark Twain named his dogs I Know, You Know and Don’t Know. I have gone off on a complete tangent haven’t I!?
ST: Haha, so moving on, what are your race tactics?
Gavin: There is an unwritten rule that says ‘make sure your out of the water ahead of Tyler Butterfield, Ronaldo Colucci or Macca – or at least two of them, otherwise it is over. My tactic is to swim as fast as possible for as long as it is necessary to get into a good position. I will work on the bike if I need to but it is not a group ride! I’ll run as fast as I am able to at the end. Does anyone in a World Series event actually have ‘tactics’? It is just all out most of the time. I guess there are tactics involved from when an athlete is more concerned about being the first from his country rather than anything else – I see a lot of that! Love it.
But seriously, the swim and the start of the bike are very important. The pace is set by the Brownlees, Mr. Gomez and great swimmers such as Richard Varga, Aurelien Raphael and a couple of Russians like Bruykhankov, Polyansky and Ivan Vasiliev. If I can have a good start and avoid any fighting then it makes the swim a lot easier so at the moment I am trying to improve my first 50m and 200m speed of the swim. I laugh when I see all the comments about how easy the bike looks and how we should make the course harder. One needs to accept that it is a triathlon and not a bike race. There is a swim before the bike, and run after it. And a lot of guys have already gone into to the red before the bike even starts. And in any case no one seems to complain about watching bike races for 5hrs and then a sprint finish? I guess though you can quote ‘Pre in those sort of instances; “a race is a work of art that people can look at and be affected in as many ways as they're capable of understanding.” Anyway, back to the question – I am working on my 4min max power on the bike for that initial pace and consequent surges, producing power at speed, lactate clearance; and fatigue resistance on the run (that’s a very broad statement I know). I do not think there is anyone out there who isn’t trying to improve at every aspect. Such is the level that you cannot afford to stay standing or become complacent as you’re getting left behind.
ST: What are your goals not only for the Olympics but afterwards as well?
Gavin: Do you think it would be possible to compete in an Olympics, win a 70.3 and complete an Ironman in the same season!??
At the moment I have planned up until the end of August and not much beyond that to be honest. First up though I have to get healthy, as my body is a little bit broken. I had a stress fracture and then knee problems that I had to race through since February and that was difficult of course, but then I am quite stubborn! I needed to do what I needed to do. "Put 'em up, put 'em up! Which one of you first? I'll fight you both together if you want. I'll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I'll fight you standing on one foot" said the Lion in the Wizard of Oz as quoted by my teammate recently whilst I hobbled to training. A lot of different things may happen in the London race but realistically the medals are between 6 or 7 guys. My performance therefore and not necessarily my result must be a primary aim. That is in no way defeatist but realistic.
Post Olympics I am not sure I would chase things on the ITU circuit as much next year but I would still want to be 'an ITU athlete' as it is still the biggest show, although I think there will be a big shift next season in terms of ITU athletes migrating to different distances and events. ITU racing is very intense and so too can be the pressure of the travel and just the length of the season. The ranking system maybe doesn't allow many athletes the chance to have much if any time away from the circuit and so I haven't really had an 'off season' in a few years and haven't been able to get a proper winter’s training done- as in 5 or 6months without having to race or be ready to race. I think I would like that downtime. I would also look at getting out on my mountain bike or cross bike a bit more, doing some cross country running, spend the odd day on my Shiv and look at some longer races to begin. I have to keep my body guessing and my mind active and motivated. Post Olympics too you have to be aware of 'economics' and the likelihood of changes within your sports bodies, the new goals and targets of your Team and also the new aims and marketing directions of your sponsors.
ST: Does it get frustrating having to chase points and play by the ITU’s rules?
Gavin: My main frustration was chasing points while injured and not being able to race at a level I am capable of and also simply not being able to train. The ‘substitution’ rule is something I disagree with and so too is entering athletes who have no intention of racing – entering them simply to block other nations or to give them a last minute option. I am all for not limiting countries to a number of entries and racing the top 65 guys and if someone drops out it falls to the next ranked athlete and not an athlete who is maybe 30 places behind but he can be substituted in by their nation. Entering guys who have no intention of racing makes it very difficult if you’re a newer athlete on the scene or you’re actually wanting or in the case of the Olympics ‘needing’ to race - your call up is normally during race week and thus makes everything uncertain, more costly and a far from ideal prep. I think though it is difficult for the ITU are there are no times involved and so everything has to go on ranking – it just gets a bit messy sometimes. There is so much depth too which just adds to the puzzles.
ST: How do you think most ITU stars would fare if they moved to longer non-drafting races?
Gavin: Chris McCormack, Rasmus Henning, Dirk Bockel, Andy Potts, The Raelert Brothers, Matt Reed, Greg Bennett, Terenzo Bozzone, Leanda Cave, Julie Dibens, Catriona Morrison, Michellie Jones, Sarah Haskins etc, etc, etc, etc. Where they not ITU stars, are they not still? Javier Gomez and Lisa Norden do some non-drafting each year ‘for the craic’ and they seem to be able to cope with it well ☺
ST: And how are things on the sponsorship front right now?
Gavin: I have a great team of sponsors at the moment – as well as being helped by the Sport Council and Triathlon Ireland – I work closely with Specialized, Champion System, Lucozade Sport, Vodafone and Base2race which is a specialist triathlon store in Dublin. I have been part of a special project for a couple of years ‘Triathlon Team’ which is a team of triathlete websites managed by JTT services and that has been very influential in helping me learn about marketing myself, getting an online presence from which to promote and provide a certain amount of value to sponsors.
ST: Gavin, I wish you the best of luck
Follow Gavin here: gavinnoble.com
