Approaching age 37, Eneko Llanos is having the best season of a hall of fame career – a season that must give him renewed confidence that he can reach the Holy Grail of long course triathletes and improve on his 2008 runner-up finish at Kona.
On the field of play, Llanos started 2013 with a strong second place finish at Abu Dhabi, then beat top ranked Ironman fields at Melbourne and Frankfurt – where he became only the third man to break the 8-hour mark on a course that is markedly harder than the speedways at Roth and Austria. In between, Llanos posted a super-fast 1:08 run while winning Ironman 70.3 Mallorca.
Much of the credit for his improvement must go to new coach Dave Scott – and to happiness at home as he married his beautiful, long-time girlfriend Ruth earlier this month.
Slowtwitch: What has led you to this peak of fitness - perhaps the best of your life - at age 36?
Eneko Llanos: Changes in my preparation this year. Last year I coached myself and it was good and fun but I decided that I needed some guidance in my training and I talked to Dave Scott. Dave's coaching and advice made a difference in my fitness. I also think I'm reaching my best age for Ironman racing -- I have more experience and I'm getting faster and I can cope better with the distance.
ST: What did your coach lay out for you to prepare for 2013? Were you doing anything different from previous years?
Eneko: A new coach means changes, my training has been quite different to what I was used to. I have improved my biking and I'm a better runner especially at the end of the races.
ST: What has been the most important contribution of your coach - in the past, and this year?
Eneko: The two things mentioned above, and the confidence of knowing that we have a plan and that I'm doing the right work.
ST: While your 2nd place finish at Abu Dhabi was excellent, why was Frederik Van Lierde able to run away from you there? Were you just starting your training cycle and under-trained to start the season on purpose?
Eneko: I suffered from stitches on the run. I had a good start on the run and I recovered a bit of time to Fred on the first 3 kilometers. But from there the pain was too much and I even had to stop a couple of times. But Fred was the strongest man of the day and even with my best run he would've been very tough to beat.
ST: You just beat two of the best non-Kona fields in Ironman history. In Melbourne, how did you beat veterans Marino Vanhoenacker and Craig Alexander in your come-from-behind win? Your 2:43:35 run was 7:53 better than Vanhoenacker and 3:09 better than Alexander.
Eneko: I had a very good run. Especially from the half marathon to the end, I broke away from Craig at that point and it was a big motivation boost. Craig is for me the best Ironman triathlete of the moment and I have much respect to him. I felt great at the last part of the marathon and I was recovering time to Marino -- that kept me very focused and motivated to do one of my best Ironman runs.
ST: The field at Frankfurt was even more impressive – reigning Ironman champion Pete Jacobs, killer cyclists Sebastian Kienle, Andi Bocherer, Axel Zeebroek, former ITU World Champ Daniel Unger, Michael Raelert, Marino Vanhoenacker, and comeback kid Jan Raphael. Did you think you could win going in?
Eneko: No, I never have that kind of thinking before a race. I just focus on myself, stay relaxed and I am thinking of enjoying the race. I knew that I was in good shape but I had my doubts, since Melbourne my training was good but I was thinking more of being conservative with my training both mentally and physically so I could be strong and motivated to do the training for Kona and be fresh at the end of the season.
ST: After all, some people say it’s too much to expect two winning performances in big races in half a year?
Eneko: That's why I have no expectations. I'm just happy doing my best and having fun, then good things happen.
ST: What caused you to DNF at Kona the last two years?
Eneko: In 2011 I had stomach problems that started on the climb up to Hawi. I couldn´t get into the aero position from there to the end of the bike and I lost a lot of time, so I decided to quit after the bike. In 2012 the day started with a bad swim, then a flat tire at the 40th kilometer made things get worse. I lost more than 5 minutes changing the tubular but I still wanted to finish the race. But in one of the last aid stations of the bike, the wind picked up one of the aid station tents and threw it into me. I crashed against the tent and went to the ground. I ran 16 kilometers of the marathon but far from the top 20 so I decided that it wasn't my day.
ST: While you have won XTERRA Worlds at Maui three times [2003, 2004, 2009] what leads a person of your immense talents to have a 12th place finish there last year and a decade of struggling finishes (6th, 6th, 6th, 13th, 12th) between your wins there?
Eneko: My first two wins in Maui came when I wasn't doing Kona before the XTERRA. Obviously it is not easy to be competitive in XTERRA Worlds two weeks after racing an Ironman. It was only a week after for the first years. I managed to win in 2009, when after a bad and slow marathon in Kona I had a great recovery and a great day in Maui to score my third XTERRA World title, but the level in XTERRA is getting very high and after Kona it is very difficult to compete with fast guys like Javier Gomez Noya or Conrad Stoltz.
ST: A lot of people look at Kienle, Böcherer and Zeebroek as übercyclists and perhaps ignore your strength on two wheels. With a 4:25:32 bike split at Frankfurt this year do you qualify as an übercyclist too?
Eneko: I'm not an übercyclist but I think that my level on the bike of the last years is not the best that I can do. This year I'm improving my biking and feeling much stronger and I'm getting closer to the level of cycling that I can achieve.
ST: Where do you do most of your training and how does it help with your Ironman and Abu Dhabi bike splits?
Eneko: Club La Santa in Lanzarote is my base for winter training, nice weather that allows me to ride every day and they have great training facilities. When the weather gets good my home city Vitoria-Gasteiz is my favorite place for training.
ST: When you see Marino Vanhoenacker riding out so far ahead as he did in Kona, then Melbourne and now at Frankfurt, do you ever worry he might run away with the race?
Eneko: Yes I do, but there is nothing I can do about that. He is a very strong cyclist and I will always try to stay with him on the bike. But if I cannot I will run as fast as I can to catch him.
ST: While you couldn’t do anything about that at Kona, did you expect Marino to come back to you on the run at Melbourne and Frankfurt?
Eneko: For me the race isn't over till I cross the finish line. I always expect that someone can recover and come from behind, it helps me to keep focused.
ST: Were you worried at any time during Ironman Frankfurt? Did you feel any potential muscle strains or stomach issues during the race?
Eneko: No, the race was perfect for me. I had no problem during the whole race. I changed my race nutrition to Multipower this year and that made a big difference regarding stomach issues, I'm so happy with the change.
ST: Do you have any fears that you have peaked too early and won’t have a potentially winning race at Kona?
Eneko: No, I'm confident in my coach and with the training and racing schedule that we planned at the beginning of the season. We know that Kona is our main goal.
ST: What do the disappointing races of such great competitors as Pete Jacobs at Frankfurt tell you about the Ironman game? Do these failures tell you anything about what to expect at Kona?
Eneko: Nothing. I know that Pete didn't show his best form in Frankfurt, Kona will be a different story.
ST: Is this the best start to a season you have ever had?
Eneko: Yes, I won two Ironmans in 2011 too, Texas and Arizona, but this year has been better so far.
ST: How much has your years of Olympic distance competition helped your long distance career?
Eneko: It is always a good base, both physically and mentally. The pressure is high, especially in big events like the Olympic Games [Llanos finished 23rd in 2000 and 20th in 2004] and all that made me stronger.
ST: Even though you had two Olympic appearances, how frustrating was it to rarely make the podium in your 8 years of focus on short course racing?
Eneko: I've never been fast enough to race in ITU but I had some top 10 finishes in World Cups and a 2nd place in the European championships in 2004. I also qualified and raced in Sydney and Athens, and I always gave my best, so that's not frustrating for me.
ST: What finally convinced you to go long?
Eneko: I won the ITU Long Distance World Championships in 2003. I knew I could be good in long distance but that was the confirmation. 2004 was my last year in Olympic distance -- after Athens I wanted to race Ironman.
ST: Have you had any satisfying short course finishes since you switched to a long course focus?
Eneko: I never raced ITU after 2004, but yes I had some good local short course races. I beat some ITU guys in Olympic distance since my switch to long course and I think that I could be competitive again in short course but my focus is in long distance right now.
ST: How happy are you in the rest of your life during this period of great professional success?
Eneko: I'm very, very happy. Last Saturday Ruth and I got married and we are expecting family for the beginning of 2014. That for me is much more important than any Ironman win.
ST: What was the wedding like? Have you had a honeymoon?
Eneko: We got married in my city at the Vitoria-Gasteiz town hall. Ruth's family came from Lanzarote for the wedding. It was a simple wedding with our closest family and friends, but we had a lot of fun. We are having a very short honeymoon -- I have to get back to training soon ;-)
ST: Which came first – happiness at home or success in racing?
Eneko: Definitely happiness at home has helped my success in racing.
ST: Please tell me which less well known races at home in Spain and Europe are your favorites and why?
Eneko: Challenge Vitoria-Gasteiz is in my home city next July 28th. Last year we held the ITU Long Distance World Championship there and it was the most amazing race I've ever done. The support of the city and the crowds were amazing and this year we are entering the Challenge family with a full Ironman distance race. Unfortunately I won't be racing but I hope that all triathletes enjoy the courses that I've designed and the ambience of my city.
ST: How much will you cut back on races to prepare for Kona with such a huge Kona qualifying points surplus – and why?
Eneko: I've done two Ironman races already this year, plus Abu Dhabi and three 70.3 distance races. I think it is more than enough so probably I won't race more before Kona.
ST: How important was it to you to break 8 hours at the difficult Frankfurt course? Looks like you had to sprint to make it by 2 seconds!
Eneko: On the third lap of the run I forgot about the time, it was getting tough with the heat and the wind so I decided to be conservative and secure the win. But with 4 kilometers to go, someone told me that it was still possible to go under 8 hours and I decided to give it a try. I pushed the pace for one kilometer and felt quite good so I decided to keep pushing and try to get my second under 8 hours Ironman race. It was a shame to not enjoy the spectacular finish line in Frankfurt because I had to sprint to the tape but totally worthy when I saw 7:59:58 on the watch and I could go out again and celebrate with the public after my win.
ST: You now have 7 career Ironman wins. Do you have confidence you can finally win the big one at Kona?
Eneko: After two DNFs in Kona I'm just coming to have a good race and to be competitive again. I want to cross the finish line knowing that I have given my best, I'm not thinking in the win.
ST: By the way, do you think you have been an underrated triathlete compared to some other big names?
Eneko: I guess that if I was born in the US or Germany I would have a different consideration but sincerely that's not something that worries me.
