LOTHAR LEDER
NICOLE LEDER

German Lothar Leder will again find himself lining up for the Hawaii Ironman this year as one of the favorites, with one Ironman win, at Roth, already to his credit in 2000. Putting last year’s disqualification on the bike course at Kona down to bad luck, he is hoping for another top performance—but, as evidence of the depth of talent racing in the world championships in recent years, he says competition could come from anywhere among last year’s top 15 men.

Still, the 29-year-old Leder is gaining veteran status on this course. He’s finished third twice, and sixth once. His run speed means he is always considered a threat if he’s in the hunt after the bike ride. The first man to go under eight hours over the Ironman distance (a 7:57 in Roth in 1996), he spent much of 1999 racing shorter World Cup and European Cup races in an attempt to make Germany’s Olympic team—which he says he will try to do again four years from now. "I am going to be 33—that’s not too old," he says.

He believes the work he did on short-course racing has helped his Ironman training, too, because it’s "not as boring as just long stuff." The extra speed gained helps, too, he says—and, "on the other side…the only way to survive [short-course racing] is to train a lot of base work, or IM-type work."

Leder began racing at 17, and came to triathlon from a swimming background. "My best time for the1,500m short course was 18:10—that’s pretty bad!" he says. Soccer and skiing were favorite pastimes during his childhood.

Slowtwitch correspondent Graham Little took a few minutes to ask him some questions about his training and racing.

ST: Do you have a coach and do you find your logs from the last six years useful?
LL: No coach, but I would like one. I still use my logs. Once I had a coach for stretching and weights, which helped a lot. I would really like to have a coach for biking or running. I think that a coach helps to get that final few percent increase in performance.

ST: How do you feel about last year's events at Hawaii? (Leder was disqualified during the bike ride after accumulating two position fouls.)
LL: [It was] bad luck. I was sick of sitting in the pack as everyone did, so I attacked. I
forgot that I had to stay on the right side—it was bad luck; there was nothing I could do.

ST: Do you think that after Sydney a lot of the short course athletes will try to make it on the more lucrative IM circuit?
LL: Yes, and some have a big surprise coming up—and some are going to be very competitive.

ST: What was a typical training week like, say, a year ago when you were trying to balance Olympic training with Ironman training, and what is a typical week like now?
LL: It is mainly the same: 15K swimming, 500K biking, 80K running, and that’s around 30 hours.

ST: Where does the "Leder Laufturbo" [running speed] come from—is it a natural talent?
LL: Because Porsche Turbo is my goal in cars! There is no "Laufturbo"—I just can time a race better than other pros. Mark Allen could run the second half faster than the first, and that’s my goal, too.

ST: You said your goal is a negative split in the marathon—do you check your splits during a race and does it affect the way you run?
LL: Don't laugh, but I don't use a watch in races—always by feel!

ST: What are your favorite races, and why?
LL: St. Croix, and Roth—it is just the atmosphere.

Slowtwitch correspondent Graham Little spent some time Lothar Leder's (currently) less famous wife, Nicole, who had a breakthrough first win at the Ironman distance this year in Korea, where she went 9:48. While to some it may have appeared that Nicole burst onto the scene with her win in Korea, her performance there was simply a return to racing after she gave birth to the couple’s first child, Mia, in 1998. She logged top-10 performances in several European Cup races in 1999, then returned to long-distance racing this year.

ST: Do you regard this season as a breakthrough after your IM win?
NL: Yes! I had some good races as a junior, but [that was a] long time ago.

ST: Will we see a lot more of you now on the international race circuit?
NL: For this year it is only IM Hawaii, because I had a bike accident. [She broke a rib when a car took her right of way during a training ride.] But for next year I’m planning to do two to three Ironman races and may be some Powerman races.

ST: Do you intend to race more IMs or short distances now?
NL: I want to race more IM. It suits me better, because I’m a weak swimmer and the drafting races are already over for me after swimming.

ST: Do you train a lot with Lothar?
NL: We run may be twice a week together and do some long rides together.

ST: What are your future goals?
NL: Next goal is a top 15 finish in Hawaii. After Hawaii, I will plan the next season.

ST: Will you also be trying for a spot on the German Olympic team in 2004?
NL: This is too far away for me right now, and as I like long distance, I think I
will concentrate on IM.

ST: Does being a mother affect your training and racing by making you stronger or better at time management?
NL: Yes, I think it makes you mentally stronger and you suffer more and can stand
more pain. I also have to be more organized with my training.