Beth Gerdes saw her Kona dream slip away when her Ironman Cairns race did not go as planned, but she came back strong at Ironman Switzerland to grab a big win and that highly desired Kona slot. Gerdes also got engaged to Luke McKenzie in early June on Green Island, Australia and the young family is now awaiting the big dance on the Big Island at their new home in Noosa.
Slowtwitch: It was not that long ago that we last spoke, but a lot has happened to you since. So where to begin?
Beth Gerdes: I think a lot has happened to you as well, Herbert! It all started with that loaded question you asked me, right? Maybe I should ask the questions this time.
ST: Well, would you like to trade jobs?
Beth: No, I'll keep my jobs for now, but you can help nanny if you want? I hear you are good with kids.
ST: I think I am, but I have my hands full so to speak. But back to you now, the Kona 2015 qualification is done and I am sure that must be a big relief.
Beth: Absolutely. After I had Wynne at the end of May 2014, my big goal was to qualify for Kona 2015, but I honestly wasn’t sure I could make it happen.
ST: You really wanted that qualification buttoned up in Cairns, but that race just did not go well for you.
Beth: Ahhhh, Cairns. Yes. I trained incredibly hard for Ironman Cairns, so to have my day end very early with a couple of flats at 40k into the bike was not ideal. I had a really focused and tough buildup into the race because getting on the podium in Cairns would be the make or break for my Kona qualification. When I got the first flat, I remained calm and continued on, but as I tried to fix it the second time, my spare tube had a valve extender that was literally just a few millimeters too short to inflate, so my day was over as I wasn’t able to find any tech support within 30 minutes.
ST: But Luke really had an awesome race.
Beth: Honestly, in hindsight, it was all worth it. I was able to get back to T2 to watch the entire run and got to support Luke and watch him on the way to his win in Cairns, which was a pretty darn good consolation prize.
ST: Do you think you will ever have a tube with too short a valve stem in your repair kit again?
Beth: The lesson learned is that every rider should be responsible for his or her own equipment. In our house, we typically have a division of labor when it comes to gear: Luke does bikes and I do babies. So, Luke had packed up and taped my flat kit to my bike and I hadn’t checked it. Pretty sure neither of us will make that mistake again. He’s been fired from race day bike prep. Ok, that’s not true. But I have since instated myself as quality control and have checked all my equipment.
ST: But the weeks after Cairns you had not yet decided what your next race would be. I think you referred to it as decision paralysis.
Beth: At first I said, “I’m done.” Honestly, I’ve been training my butt off, literally as I had to get rid of the baby weight, since July of 2014 with very little break. I had trouble mentally wrapping my head around even a short build for another Ironman, which would be my 5th IM start line in 10 months. This was mostly because I was mentally ready for the break I had promised myself after Cairns, as we were going to take the end of June and most of July off together and enjoy normal life for a bit. I also didn’t want to go to the end of the world to get on another start line and then let people down if it didn’t pan out. But, both Luke and our families really encouraged me to give it one more shot at a July race because I was so close to qualifying for Kona and had worked hard for it. They knew it meant a lot to me.
Luckily, after resting for the taper going into IM Cairns and then more rest for one week after the race due to travel and logistics, I was actually ready to get back on the horse and mentally refreshed enough as well.
But, yes, once I decided I was going to do a race, I had total decision paralysis.
ST: Were there just too many choices?
Beth: There were a few choices, but I realized that if I was going to get to another Ironman start line, there was a lot riding on that decision. We were going to have to spend a lot of money to get to another Ironman, but also completely change our July plans (which had included a rest block and down time with friends at home). I looked at Ironman UK, Ironman Switzerland, and Ironman Whistler a week later. Whistler was tough because it conflicted with a trip to the Philippines, so I went back and forth about Switzerland and UK for several weeks. Typically, I like to race whoever shows up, but in this particular case, I was also hoping for a start list where, on paper, I had the potential to make the podium. In the end, there were a few “heavy hitters” on both start lists, so I just chose the course that suited me the most, which was Ironman Switzerland. Switzerland has a clear, calm lake swim, a very challenging but not ridiculously hard bike course, and a flat four loop run. It also had the potential to be hot and I much prefer racing in the heat than in the cold. I certainly got my wish! Turned out both IM UK and Whistler were cold and rainy, so I totally lucked out.
ST: In early July you traveled to the East Coast for a wedding. Was that a good change of scenery?
Beth: Traveling for non-triathlon purposes while in serious training mode can be difficult, but I’ve come to realize that you can always make it work if you plan well and wake up early. If you’re lucky, you can also find some inspiration in new training grounds and scenery. We went to Cape Cod for my brother’s wedding which was fantastic. Training-wise, I did a lot of online research [Google Earth] to find running trails, bike routes and a track to run on. I also researched pool locations, hours and lane availability to limit excuses. We made a training plan ahead of time around the wedding activities and stuck to it. As it was a family wedding, we also had help with Wynne, so Luke and I were able to train and explore together.
ST: How was the trip over to Switzerland?
Beth: The trip itself was so easy! This was the first long trip Luke and I have taken without Wynne as she stayed in Chicago with my sister. Honestly, flying without her feels so luxurious! We got to watch movies, sleep, and eat without distraction. It was pretty amazing. The first two days without Wynne were a nice little refresher, but after that we really missed her. It’s hard traveling without her, our 3rd Musketeer, but this trip was all business.
ST: As you woke up on race morning, how did you feel?
Beth: I was really relaxed overall and things were so easy with just Luke and I. I had plenty of time for everything and when it came time for my standard pre-race jog, my legs felt good and I played the three songs on my iPod that I ended up singing over and over and over for the 9 hours and 21 minutes of the race. I had what they call the “good sensations”.
ST: I believe you swam well in Zürich.
Beth: For me, I swam very well! The swim was non-wetsuit and the lake was perfect. I do quite well when the water is clear and I can swim on someone’s feet without sighting too much. We did a lot of open water swim training in the 3 weeks prior to the race and I think that helped me a lot. In Zürich, the swim is 2 laps. After the first lap I was caught by some age group men [who started only 3 minutes behind] and I made a critical decision and hopped on their feet for the entire second lap, which put me in 2nd place out of the swim, 5 minutes behind Mary Beth Ellis.
ST: Talk about the bike.
Beth: I completely loved the bike course. The Switzerland course is 2 laps. It begins with a 30k flat section around lake Zürich. Then, you turn into the hills. There are a few significant climbs over the next 60k including “the Beast” which is about 3-4 miles long and quite challenging. I really enjoy sustained climbing and the descents were fast and fun. The course was awesome because there is so much variety. I felt really good on the first lap, easily holding my target wattage. The second lap got pretty hot and I wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped, but I did a good job of limiting the damages and rode steady, taking in tons of nutrition to prepare for the run. I was passed by Mareen Hufe early on in the bike, but maintained a 1-3 minute deficit to her the entire ride. Mary Beth put a lot of time into us, though, and she came off the bike 17 minutes ahead.
ST: Mary Beth Ellis was as you said well up the road. Did you think that catching her was a possibility?
Beth: Honestly? No. I got off the bike, heard the splits and thought, “Ok, I can get second place!” I still had to catch Mareen and hold off the other girls, but my running has been going well, so I felt confident that I could give that a shot. I really thought MBE was too far ahead, but hoped I could cut into her lead a little bit so it wasn’t a complete runaway.
ST: When did you realize or learn that Mary Beth had slowed down?
Beth: It was very late in the race when I realized that she had slowed down. Even halfway through the run, she was running a strong pace and I was only making very minimal gains. After 2 laps of the (4-lap) run, she was still almost 10 minutes ahead. But, when I came around after completing lap 3, I heard she was 4 minutes ahead. They told me that if I continued at my current pace, I should catch her. I actually didn’t believe them at first and just continued running my race. But, we soon reached an out-and-back section where I saw she was only a little more than 2 minutes ahead. That’s when I knew that if I really dug in, I could possibly go for it. After that, I lifted my pace and eventually caught her with only around 5k to go.
ST: As you approached the line what went through your mind?
Beth: After I passed MBE I had about 15 minutes to process what was happening before I crossed the line. I really couldn’t believe it. Winning an Ironman was my 2016 goal. 2015 the goal was to get to Kona, I had to readjust my expectations! I also remember wondering if my parents had stayed awake to watch me finish.
ST: What did Luke say to you after?
Beth: That he was proud of me and that I need to believe in myself more.
ST: So what is next until Kona?
Beth: I’m happy to say that we are remaining in one place, Australia, for the next 7 weeks until we head to Hawaii. Since January 1 this year, we have traveled to: Chile, Northern California, the Bahamas, Chicago, New Hampshire, Cape Cod, Switzerland, two trips to the Philippines, two trips to Utah, and three trips to Australia. Wynne has come on all of the trips, except Switzerland - she is such a trooper. So, I am ecstatic to have a little travel break, mostly because I’m sick of packing and unpacking all the triathlon and baby gear. We bought our first home in Noosa, Queensland and are working towards getting it in working order while we train for Kona. Noosa is a great place for us to have a home base, our other one is still in California, because Luke’s family is here to support us with Wynne and the swimming and cycling are incredible here. We will do Sunshine Coast 70.3 on September 13th, but that is a local race for us and we can sleep in our own beds.
ST: You raced in the Philippines recently and finished second to Caroline Steffen. How good of a race is that?
Beth: The Philippines is an incredible place to race and Cebu is one of the most beautiful tropical places I have visited in the world. The community is so die hard and passionate about triathlon and the growth of our sport in that region is incredible. I’ve never seen so many spectators along a race course. I would venture to say that there are more spectators than Challenge Roth. Maybe even twice as many! It is incredible. Incredible, but very, very hot! I was still recovering from Ironman Switzerland and it was a tough day, but I had a good result.
ST: Anything else we should know?
Beth: I think we’ve covered it. See you in Kona!
You can follow Beth Gerdes on Twitter via @imbethgerdes and Luke McKenzie via @lukemckenzie
