Jano Soto is a triathlete who lives in Kailua-Kona, but he and his wife are currently on a 4-month European adventure and he will race 70.3 Berlin and Challenge Roth among other things. We checked in with him in Berlin.
Slowtwitch: Good to chat with you Jano.
Jano Soto: Same here Herbert, always a pleasure
ST: Word has it that you are a bit under the weather.
Jano: Unfortunately yes! I haven't been feeling good for the last few days
ST: Did that sour your European adventure?
Jano: Not at all, there's always another race, but it is bad timing. I had almost 2 years without being this sick. In one plane everyone was coughing, and I guess I got a bug there. But racing for me is only a part of the big picture, I love training, the lifestyle, the traveling and seeing my friends in different parts of the world
ST: When did you fly over there?
Jano: Right after Honu 70.3 Monday I was on the plane to San Francisco, then New York, then Brussels and finally Malaga. I arrived in Marbella, my base for this European Adventure on Wednesday evening.
ST: So many folks complain about the long trip and endless travel from Europe to Kona. Do you understand that gripe better now?
Jano: Not really. I travel a lot and if you do it the right way and eat, sleep and drink water you don't have to suffer the trip or even the jet lag. The next day after I arrived to Marbella I had a good quality double training session swim and bike. Zero jet lag. And I guess that if you want that much to race in Europe or anywhere it's worth it. Come on guys! We are not in the local bowling league.
ST: I meant the long travel time, not so much the jet lag.
Jano: Well, yes it's a long way! But there's not much can do if you want to race in Kona, or In my case Roth. That personally is higher on my wish list. So Compression socks, good music, or a good book and try to not lose your mind.
ST: You moved to Kona in 2009 I believe. What was the reason to relocate to Kona?
Jano: My wife Paola and I, we are both athletes, and we were looking for a place where we could train and do what we love. We tried Sevilla, Spain for a while but didn't worked out. Too hot and not cycling friendly, then we almost ended up in Las Vegas, but too cold in the winter, plus we wanted to be near an Ocean. So after doing my 1st 70.3 Honu, Kona seemed like the perfect place! And it is! We call it home now!
ST: Aren't you worried that the mice are playing when the cat is not around? Even with good managers.
Jano: Family business, not worried at all.
ST: So what are you doing there? It seems the employment options are somewhat limited.
Jano: My business (coffee shops) is in Mexico, and I don't need to be there so that gives me a lot of free time.
ST: We know that there are always some athletes there to train, but what is it like when the big circus leaves town in October?
Jano: The big circus is exactly that, with some good acts and some very bad, like the clowns. The good is seeing our friends, being able to do some killer weeks of solid training with them and obviously the race. The bad is how upset some locals get because of the attitude of some age groupers that think they own the place, they ride in the middle of Alii Drive and don't leave any tips at restaurants like Lava Java.
They have to understand that is just a handful of businesses that benefit from Ironman, not all the residents. So a better attitude will definitely help. After the race it all comes back to normal.
ST: But is the bad attitude reserved only to visitors?
Jano: I feel that is a yes!
ST: On a more positive note, are you excited to race in Berlin despite not feeling well?
Jano: 100%. It's going to be a fun race! Berlin is amazing! I've been to Germany before but never to Berlin. This race has potential, plus I still have 1 day to get better
ST: How did you actually become involved with the team?
Jano: I met Jenson in Kona in a training ride and we became friends.
ST: How many Team Ichiban athletes are doing that race?
Jano: 8 (95% sure of that)
ST: You are just hanging together for that race, then you all go separate ways?
Jano: Pretty much. But we all see each other in different occasions, not only races. By the way the next race where most of the Team Ichiban will race is The Jenson Button Triathlon in the UK July 14th.
ST: But you will be racing Challenge Roth on July 14th?
Jano: Yeah I know. When we decided to spend the summer in Europe we had 2 races planned for the Team, Berlin and JB's Triathlon, but he didn't have the exact date as it depended on his F1 schedule, and in the meantime I had the opportunity to register for Roth, it ended up being the same day.
ST: Why Roth, versus Ironman Frankfurt or Austria?
Jano: I've been dying to do a Challenge race for a long time and Roth is the crown event of Challenge. I'll go for a Kona slot next year.
ST: You will be 4 months in Europe?
Jano: Yeah, I am very excited.
ST: Hopefully you packed plenty of underpants and workout gear.
Jano: It is amazing how easy is to pack for 4 months and we have washing machines nowadays you know? Plus there's always the shopping.
ST: We know in addition to 70.3 Berlin and Challenge Roth you have the ITU London event on your calendar. That though should leave you plenty of time to go sightseeing and exploring.
Jano: Yes, after Roth I will have a couple of weekends to travel a little, maybe with some team mates & friends but you know, training never stops.
ST: Anything specific you want to see and or eat?
Jano: Man, the problem here is finding the way to eat less! Everything is so good! The bread is amazing and we basically don't eat bread in the USA. I think that this week I ate the same amount of bread of the whole year in Kona!
ST: Other hobbies?
Jano: Gee I've tried so many things! Scuba diving, mountain biking, water skiing, motocross, ATV's, karting and love them all, but triathlon is my favorite. I don't see myself not being a triathlete.
ST: Is there anything else we should know?
Jano: I love my cat! ... We are pretty serious at Ichiban Triathlon Team, we all try very hard. But our priority is to always keep it fun
