German Pro Wenke Kujala recently had her second baby and will now focus more on being a mom and her career as the Erdinger team manager. She still wants to race some but not as a professional triathlete.

Slowtwitch: Thanks for your time Wenke.

Wenke Kujala: You are welcome.

ST: As I understand it you are very busy these days.

Wenke: Yes, I am currently rarely bored and I have no idea what I used to do with my time before.

ST: Well, you raced and trained heavily. So talk about your career.

Wenke: I did not win too many races, but I had amazing experiences in this sport and met many inspiring people. Plus I prepared my body well for the challenges of a mother. The races I look most fondly back to are Ironman Switzerland 2004, Ironman 70.3 in Wiesbaden 2007 and Ironman Frankfurt 2008. A very special race for me is and always has been Challenge Roth. It was my first long course race in 2000, the last race my mom saw in 2006 as she died a few months later, and the first big race as a mom in 2012. I started 3 times at this race and each time it was special for a different reason. Plus I live only a kilometer away from the swim start and get greatly inspired by the passionate attitude of the folks who live there.

ST: Do you mean your host family when you race in Roth?

Wenke: No, during the winter months we live where my husband coaches [hockey] and from May until August we live a mile away from the swim start. We have an apartment there and it is the center of our life.

ST: You have 2 daughters now and that is a big responsibility.

Wenke: I always wanted to have children. The girls really keep me busy and show me every day how valuable and beautiful, and of course also taxing it is to have kids and to raise them.

ST: It is often said that you have to be selfish to be a good triathlete. How selfish can you be with kids?

Wenke: I think you will always think first about your kids. Their wellbeing is most important. But I also think it is important to be a bit selfish. That is how the kids learn that it is good thing to have goals and to pursue them. It is rewarding short term and long term.

ST: Did you and your husband Petri always want 2 kids or have you got more on your mind?

Wenke: Ha, more are currently not planned. Our life is not predictable enough. We actually never really know where we will reside the following year. If we both had regular 9-5 jobs we would likely think about it again.

ST: Your husband is very busy too, but as a hockey coach his season is not at the same time as yours.

Wenke: No, we kind of work countercyclical. While his season goes from August until end of April, it is very busy for me from February until October or November. That also means we have rarely had vacation together and he has never traveled with me to Hawaii.

ST: Does Petri actually have interest in triathlon?

Wenke: Oh yes. He always said that he wanted to do a long distance race once he finished his career as a [Pro hockey] player, just to understand what it is like. And he did exactly that – in Roth. With only 4 months of training. Hockey you just “play” but in order to do well in long course racing you have to train quite a bit leading up to the race.

He also always supported me in training, and if time allowed he also came to events of mine. He also knows who, especially in the German triathlon scene, matters and what is going on. That is part of conversations we have.

ST: Was it one race in Roth and then over for him?

Wenke: Yes, more or less, but he then focused primarily on his career as a coach. But he wants to do at least one more long course race. I think that is great and look forward to do training sessions together.

ST: How did he do?

Wenke: I think he took about 11:40 and he suffered greatly. That is how it goes when you don’t prepare properly - he pushed through it with willpower. Physically he was not ready, but he did not walk a single step in the marathon. The final time may not tell that fact, but I absolutely respect him for it as it surely wasn’t easy.

ST: Along those lines, how well do you play hockey? Or skate on the ice?

Wenke: Good question. I actually don’t play hockey at all. And I can’t ice skate either. But it is on my list of things to learn. With kids though you have luckily the opportunity to experience many things again or learn them new.

ST: You work as a coach. Is that correct?

Wenke: Yes, that is correct. I work as a coach primarily with athletes who are passionate about the sport, but who consider family and work more important. For them triathlon is a hobby. It is a nice task to influence folks to experience joy, happiness and success in their hobby. Currently I have 25 athletes and it is balanced nicely with men and women and that makes me happy.

ST: What exactly do you do for Erdinger?

Wenke: I am currently the team manager of Team Erdinger Alkoholfrei. There I am mostly responsible for the Pros on the team. Another important element of my job is scouting for new talent and the work with the athletes of the developmental Perspektivteam. For 2014 we have 5 young athletes who we give the opportunity to possibly land a Pro career. We are very proud that athletes like Julia Gajer, Daniela Sämmler and also Andreas Dreitz managed to jump that hurdle already. These young athletes benefit then greatly from the partners of the Pro team. They are thus supported by brands such as Cube, Skinfit, Sailfish, Profile Design, PowerBar, Giro and also Zoggs and Rudy Project and that is a great launch pad.

ST: Of these development athletes is there anyone we should watch closer?

Wenke: I would prefer to not single anyone out, but Florian Angert is a great talent who came from swimming and he led the Frankfurt City Triathlon for a long time ahead of Sebastian Kienle. And Laura Philipp showed with her win at the Transvorarlberg Triathlon, where she managed to beat Yvonne Van Vlerken, that she is someone we can expect quite a bit from.

ST: How did the Erdinger triathlon connection get started?

Wenke: Nicole and Lothar Leder started all of that back in 2001.

ST: What is the size of the team?

Wenke: 6 biathletes and 11 triathletes on the Pro team, 5 developmental athletes and about 400 regional heroes.

ST: So where does that leave you with racing?

Wenke: I still would like to compete but no longer as a Pro and no long course stuff for now. That time is simply over. I have an exciting job and can give young athletes the opportunity to achieve their dreams.

With 2 kids, a husband with a good career, and a great job, I doubt I could have the performances that I would be happy with in an increasingly more competitive [Pro] field.

ST: So, what will be your next race as an age grouper?

Wenke: I want to race the Erdinger City Triathlon, and maybe be part of a relay at Challenge Roth. I am also looking at a half distance race in August. And I will run Berlin Marathon in September. I said earlier this week already that it isn’t easy to stop with all these beautiful races available to us. For example Challenge Brazil is a race that sounds very enticing.

ST: Anything else we should know?

Wenke: Not at the moment, but I will let you know if something comes to mind.