German age grouper Robin Schneider has won two Ironman 70.3 World Championship titles already, M18-24 in 2013 in Vegas and M25-29 this year in Mont-Tremblant, and he is now looking forward to step up to the Pro category. We had a few words with the fast man from Gera.
Slowtwitch: Robin, thanks for your time.
Robin Schneider: No problem. Thank you for the interview.
ST: Age group World Champion has a very nice ring indeed. But this is already the second one for you.
Robin: Yes, that’s right. It’s great that it worked out like this again, especially in the new age group (25-29) and after the last year in Vegas.
ST: This time however you were the second overall age grouper. Did that concern you or were you only worried about your age group and your performance?
Robin: I am always concerned with my own performance, no matter if it’s overall or age group. I have to say that I am really proud to be the 2nd fastest age grouper in the world right now. For me this is more important than any title or medal, because in the end it shows, that my training is working out.
ST: After last year’s race did you look up all the guys ahead of you?
Robin: No, because you can not really judge from other race data or the titles they have won, how good they will finally be on race day. Everyone qualified for the World Championship, which means that they must all be very good.
ST: Many folks complained about heavy drafting in Mont-Tremblant, especially among age groupers. As a fast swimmer, how much traffic did you have near you?
Robin: Yes, the course was definitely full. I think this shows that the level of performance is getting better every year, and that especially in a World Championship all participants are more and more on the same level. Even a tough course, as Mont-Tremblant, is not selective enough. If you are in front after the swim and you see big groups on the bike after a turning point, you wonder what is going on and you hope that they won’t get you. At the end of the day, everyone has to decide for themselves whether they raced fair or not.
ST: You really give others lots of credit here.
Robin: Yes of course. Everyone knows the rules and we all know that drafting is not allowed. Ironman needs to have more race marshals on the course to solve the problem.
ST: Which of these 2 titles means more to you and why?
Robin: It might sounds strange but the titles are not the most important thing for me. The journey to a world championship title is long and tough. Sometimes you feel tired, but you know that you have to train to reach your goal. At other times, you feel like you have endless power and have to slow yourself down. There are so many ups and downs that sometimes your goal seems unreachable. In the end I think these are the times were the titles gain the most value for me, because finally I know that I was able to manage the whole process of becoming a world champion.
ST: Is sub 4 the next target?
Robin: Yes, definitely. Sub four hours is somehow a “magical” target, but I think it’s not my personal limit yet. For a race time like this you need to have real good preparation, a fast course, other guys who are pushing you and of course, self-belief.
ST: How many days before the race did you arrive in Mont-Tremblant and how long did you stay after the race?
Robin: I arrived in Montreal 9 days before the race and came straight to Mont-Tremblant. I like to be at the race venue early, to prepare properly. After the race I stayed another week in Canada to visit Ottawa, Algonquin and Toronto. It’s a great country with lots of nice people.
ST: But you still had another race left this year and it was not in Hawaii.
Robin: Yes. I wanted to start at the Half ICAN Sevilla in Spain. Unfortunately the race was cancelled, which is why I am off-season now. Hawaii has to wait a little longer for me.
ST: Do you know why it was cancelled?
Robin: I think it was cancelled because they had some problems with the town hall and didn´t get the promised permits. Hopefully they will be able to organize the event next year, then I would like to go again.
ST: How did you choose this ICAN race?
Robin: Next to the Ironman races there are many more high quality triathlon organizers. ICAN is one of them. I was in Malaga and Nordhausen this year, and the races are great with really good service for us athletes. Additionally, I really like Spain and the heat, especially in October when it is cold in Germany.
ST: But eventually Kona is a target?
Robin: Of course it is! I am thinking about racing in 2017, but this is still a long way to go and includes a tough qualification process.
ST: When did your season start this year, and did it go mostly as you had planned?
Robin: My season started in May, with an Olympic distance race in my hometown Gera (Germany). The season had some ups and downs, because sometimes I had few time for training (due to my studies at university) but it ended great with the race in Mont-Tremblant.
ST: I think you race on a Cervelo P5. How long have you had it and did you get help with the fit?
Robin: Yes, I´m racing on a Cervélo P5. For me it´s the best bike I ever had. Cervélo offers a great service for us at the World Championship events. If you have any problems you can pass by on the expo and they fix it. That´s great. I got my bike last year for the race in Las Vegas and for this I had it fit at one of our local bike stores. The Cerveló was sponsored by a really good friend of mine and his company Graakjaer.
ST: You said you attend a university. What do you study and how much longer do you have to go?
Robin: I study sports and economics and graduate at the beginning of next year.
ST: How did you get started with triathlon in the first place?
Robin: I started with triathlon 10 years ago. Oh man, time runs! I was swimming for eight years when I decided to try something new. Some friends switched to triathlon as well, so the choice was quite easy.
ST: I believe you considered turning Pro after the first 70.3 Worlds title, but you ended up not going down that path. Is it in the cards now since you went even faster?
Robin: I think if you’re going Pro, you have to make a decision. And there are two ways to do this. You can decide to give it a 100 % and do it with all your heart and power, or you can get a license and continue to do what you did before without any big changes. For me, the decision was clear. I decided to get my university degree first and now that I am almost done with my studies I want to get a Pro license for 2015.
ST: Kyle Buckingham was a very strong age grouper and he just raced in Kona as a Pro, but he ended up in 25th place overall, and one spot behind age grouper Dan Stubleski. Does that intimidate you in any shape or form?
Robin: No, it doesn´t intimidate me at all. Kyle did a great race with the 25th place overall and I think the qualification process as pro is much harder than it is as age grouper. Dan must have had an awesome race as well, as he finished best age grouper. Nevertheless, in the end you never know how much time, pro or age grouper, invest in triathlon. There are many strong age groupers who can measure with the pros. I think if all these athletes would start together in Kona, we would be surprised by the names that would show up in the top 30 of the world.
ST: Is there anything else we should know?
Robin: Good question, did you know that crocheting is quite relaxing? I love wearing self-made wool hats and started crocheting two years ago. Apparently, the hats I made looked quite good and people asked me to get one. This is how the idea of buying a plane ticket for a friend to the 70.3 WC race in Vegas last year came up. I think almost everyone in my triathlon club has one of the hats now. By now I make them with my own label, “Kopfsache”, which means as much as, every decision you make is made in your head and that it’s not all about physical strength. A good result always depends on your mind. For me that is important when thinking back to the world championship, because I think that 30 people of my age group hoped for a top 5 position, but only 2 of them knew that they are able to win. I was one of them. In the end, if you see someone with a wool hat in Kona in 2017, it will surely be me.
ST: So will Kopfsache be a business venture or something you’ll do for fun?
Robin: Right now it’s just fun. But as it is getting colder in Germany I am sure that more and more people will need a hat. The only thing that is important to me is, that parts of the proceeds always support a good project.
Thank you Slowtwitch for the interview, it is great that you are not only interested in the pros, but also care about the age-groupers!
The last image shows Robin Schneider with 84-year old Bob Scott, a man he greatly admires and considers a legend
