<?xml version="1.0"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title>Interviews - Duathlon247</title><link>http://www.duathlon247.com/index.html</link><description>Latest interviews articles from Duathlon247</description><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: David Vaughan]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5661.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Several months ago, David Vaughen, a former Gatorade athlete of the month, was dealt the devastating news that he a heart abnormality and it was likely he would have to give up sport. Thankfully though, after a very thorough investigation, David has been given the news that there&#039;s actually nothing serious to worry about and has been given the all-clear to return to training. We thought it was a good time to talk to David, a former winner of Ballbuster (which takes place this weekend) about his return to full-time training and what his thoughts are on one of the toughest duathlons in the country.



AE David it&rsquo;s good to talk to you and even better to hear that you&rsquo;re over your little health scare, well I say little, but it was actually quite big wasn&rsquo;t it?

DV Certainly the implications were pretty serious and I originally got a dire diagnosis of a heart abnormality, but after a very thorough investigation it appears there&rsquo;s nothing serious to worry about. I missed the whole 2009-racing season, which is very disappointing, but at least I&rsquo;ve gone the whole year undefeated!  

AE When people live through health scares they quite often come through them with a different perspective on life, has your perspective on life changed since your experience? 

DV Luckily for me I had the support of quite a few other athletes who&rsquo;ve experienced similar problems, which helped a lot. Athletes often throw up unusual cardiac results and contrary to the doctor I originally saw many athletes have successful careers despite various heart abnormalities. There&rsquo;s far more of us out there than you&rsquo;d believe! Ever heard of Javier Gomez?

I think Carpe diem would be my attitude coming through this. Sport is a huge part of my life and I was faced with the prospect of having to stop completely. In my time-off I realised how many ambitions I still have in sport and as I&rsquo;ve been given a second chance I&rsquo;m hoping to start getting through them as soon as possible! I&rsquo;m going to work less and train and race more for the next couple of years to really make the most of it while I&rsquo;m at the peak age.

AE After quite a lot of missed training have you found yourself over-training to try and play catch-up, or are you just taking things one step at a time?

DV Actually I&rsquo;m being more considered about my training than ever. I had two months enforced rest which ended mid September, so there was no sense in rushing myself back for the last couple of races in 2009. I&rsquo;ve been focussing on 2010 building base mileage since then and I&rsquo;m properly periodising my training for the first time this winter. I was up to 16-hours training last week and I feel better than I can ever remember.

AE You&rsquo;ve talked in the past about taking your running a little bit more seriously, is that something you&rsquo;re going to be doing this winter?

DV Yes I&rsquo;m looking at my running from a new perspective. The biggest change will be in focusing on my technique for the first time; trying to pay the same attention swimmers pay to their stroke in order to correct several inefficiencies in my stride. It&rsquo;s not easily done, but if successful will mean large improvements in my run splits.

AE So that&#039;s running bout what about your duathlon plans for next year?

DV 2010 will be a season of two halves for me. My spring season will work towards Powerman events on the continent with lots of TTs and a couple of ranking series races in the UK to prepare. The second half will depend on how far I can take my running in 2010. I&rsquo;d hope to have gained the results in spring to race Elite at the Long Course Worlds if there is an event next year and the Short course Worlds up the road in Edinburgh has got to be a target too, especially for me as I love hilly courses, so I&rsquo;ll probably do a lot of summer road-racing on the bike in prep for that.

AE This weekend you&rsquo;re racing at the Ballbuster in a relay team with Dan Corner and former GB international Mike Jubb, what are your expectations as a team.

DV I&rsquo;m not sure what shape the other two guys are in at the end of a long season. Myself and Dan are running while Mike is doing the bike but the only tactics we&rsquo;ve discussed is that Dan and I will look after Mike&rsquo;s daughter while he&rsquo;s on the bike so it&rsquo;ll probably be more like Three men and a baby than a Herts dream team! 

AE It&rsquo;s a great course, but not for the faint hearted, although it&rsquo;s amazing to see how many athletes turn out very early on a cold November morning to race around Box Hill?

DV Yeah it&rsquo;s impressive to see so many people still going this late in the year. The race has a special place in the UK racing calendar and as it&rsquo;s such a classic is really sells itself.

AE As a past winner of Ballbuster you know the course as well as anyone, so what three words would best describe the course?

DV One big descent. People make a lot of the hill on the course but it&rsquo;s relatively short and most of the course is downhill. I think running and riding the hill at a hard tempo pace then really pushing it on the long downhill section is the quickest way round. It&rsquo;s a brilliant course though and as it&rsquo;s so varied there&rsquo;s always something new to think about and I find races at Boxhill fly by.

AE 2008 was the year you won &ndash; explain what it was like to reach the top of the last climb and cross the finish line in first place?

DV It was one of those days where everything went perfectly and I got the three quickest splits of the day. I was getting a lot of feedback from athletes still on the bike leg and I knew I had about a four-minute lead but you can lose a lot of time on the final hill. I had a couple of mates at the second last corner who were laughing and cheering and it was only then I realised it was in the bag. It&rsquo;s the only time I&rsquo;ve ever really smiled and cruised across a finish line confidently.

AE You probably have to be slightly on the barking mad side to want to race around Boxhill five-times, don&rsquo;t you?

DV Not at all. Honestly I believe the bike is too short and I&rsquo;d love to see a &lsquo;Ballbuster Ultra&rsquo; event with 5 or 6 laps on the bike.  It&rsquo;d be very interesting to see who&rsquo;d have the balls to enter that!

AE Who are your favourites for this year&#039;s race?

DV The Ballbuster even though it has so much running in it really favours an all-rounder. James Gilfillan is the most impressive of the recent winners. He&rsquo;s had a very good season again this year and will be tough to beat though I&rsquo;d be surprised to see Gary Gerrards course record beaten any time soon!

It&rsquo;d be nice to see Helen Dyke take the womens title as she has made this race her own, but if Emma Dews is race fit she&rsquo;ll be very hard to beat having won a Powerman event earlier in the year.

AE What advice would you have for an athlete competing for the first time at the Ballbuster this weekend?

DV Just enjoy it. It&rsquo;s the end of the season and the pressure is off so have one last burn up before packing up the race bike for winter.

For all David&#039;s news go to his blog at: www.davidvaughanduathlon.blogspot.com

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Phil Holland]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5654.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Phil Holland was the surprise winner of last month&#039;s Chelsea and Westminster Health Charity London Duathlon. Holland may have lacked some of the experience that the other athletes had, but he used that to his advantage. With the bike definitely being his weak link he let the other guys do the work and waited for the final run. Then, like a cat ready to bounce on his prey, launched his attack in the last few kilometres of the race! Annie Emmerson caught up with the quite unassuming Phil Holland just after the race to find out how his race panned out.


]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Julian L'homme]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5627.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Richmond Park in Surrey was an exciting place to be last Sunday as the Park played host to the largest duathlon in the world. Over 4000 athletes took part in the event - many were old timers but for some it was their first ever multisport event.

The elite men&#039;s field was small this year as several of the top athletes choose to save their energy for next weekend&#039;s World Championships, but that didn&#039;t prevent a fast and exciting race taking place. Duathlon247&#039;s deputy editor, Annie Emmerson was at the park to watch all the action and caught up with Julian L&#039;homme, the third place finisher in the men&#039;s race to find out how his race went.





For a written report and results click here.]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Emma Dews]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5611.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Some people have it all don&#039;t they - looks, brains and talent! Good job that Emma doesn&#039;t have it all, well I tell a lie, she certainly does have looks, brains and talent, but there is something strangely missing; the self-confidence that you&#039;d normally expect to go with those three attributes.

 When I contacted Emma about doing an interview her reply was, &quot;well if you&#039;re sure you want to, but I feel such a fraud.&quot; It&#039;s hard to understand coming from an athlete who&#039;s won so many races including two World Championship titles and one European. she has a habit of rocking up to a race (quite annoyingly for some of the other athletes) having made the decision to race the week before and then wins it, as she did in Powerman Geel. 

With such an impressive list of sporting accolades perhaps Emma could afford to be slightly less humble about her sporting success, but then again, that&#039;s probably what makes her a winner.




AE Well Emma that was a pretty impressive result at Powerman Geel, probably the best of your career so far? 

ED Thanks Annie, yes I really enjoyed the race. It was an amazing atmosphere, really well organised and supported. It was the right distances for me &ndash; 10k/60k/10k and non-drafting - so that is my sort of race. It was great to have a proper podium style prize giving with flowers, teddies, champagne and also great to see Michelle there as well and have two Brits on the podium! 
 
AE You&rsquo;re known for not taking life or training too seriously and although of course you train hard, after a result like that does it make you think with a structured program you could achieve a lot more?
 
ED Well I do race and train pretty hard but it just fits around my life rather than the other way around. I will never make a living from racing so it has to be secondary to other things. I enjoy training, but I&rsquo;m not the sort of person who can train for long stints, I don&rsquo;t have the mental endurance.  

ED Maybe a more structured approach would improve my performance, but I like the flexibility of my training in that I decide what I am doing day-to-day based on a number of different variants; how tired I am, how much work I have on, what I have happening on the social front, what training my friends are doing, what local club training/racing events are on etc. I think that sort of flexibility helps to keep things interesting and makes training and racing a fun part of my life, rather than me resenting it. If I tried to be more structured and had a coach pushing me and telling me to do certain sessions on certain days I would probably not enjoy it as much and that might affect my performances adversely.

AE You&rsquo;ve recently moved to Bournemouth and have given up your full-time job to go freelance; does that mean you now have more time to train?
 
ED Yes I left a pretty high pressured job in London to come to live in Bournemouth. I did intend to try and find a similar job in Dorset but I couldn&rsquo;t find anything I wanted so have set up as a freelance marketing consultant. Setting up my own business has been a great learning experience and has had its own challenges, but I have found some great clients and have got some good regular work.  

ED The work aspect has not really changed the amount or type of training I am doing but living in Dorset certainly has its advantages over London. The New Forest is amazing for running and cycling and I am lucky enough to live 100m from the beach.  The environment here makes training so much more enjoyable as it is much safer and less polluted and congested.  

AE You recently finished fourth overall in l&rsquo;etape, just ten minutes behind James Cracknell, tell us about your I&rsquo;etape experience and how hard was it?

ED Well I didn&rsquo;t really know what to expect &ndash; the only cycling abroad I have done is flat duathlon races and cycling in Lanzarote when I&rsquo;ve been to La Santa. In preparation I did a really tough 105 mile sportive in North Wales called the Dave Lloyd challenge. I did pretty well in that but it is very different, lots of short steep climbs rather than long unrelenting climbs.  The thought of 21k climb up Ventoux, having already covered 150k seemed pretty daunting.

On the day I took the first 150k fairly steadily and found it fairly comfortable; but then came Ventoux. It was everything I had read and heard about - relentless climbing and the 36 degree windless conditions added to the discomfort! I suffered a bit on the last 6k &ndash; you can see the top but as I was only cycling at 8k an hour (I know &ndash; how slow?!) the torture is that you know that 6k is going to take you a hell of a long time. 

I finished in six hours 35 minutes; it was definitely one of the hardest but best things I have ever done!  I have definitely got the mountain cycling bug now though and I really want to get back out there! We had to cycle 40k back to our gite afterwards, pack up the bikes and get a flight home the next morning at 6am, that was tough!
 
AE At the major Championship events you&rsquo;ve always raced as an age-group athlete; do you have plans to race elite at the major Championship races one day?

ED I am not a strong enough runner to race elite at standard distance races as the drafting format does not suit me &ndash; I&#039;d would be at least two or three minutes down after the first 10k. Powerman races are non-drafting and usually longer than standard distances so suit me better. I could potentially race an ITU long course duathlon as an elite athlete as that is in non-drafting format, but the race was cancelled this year and the BTA would have to select me first so I won&rsquo;t hold my breath! 

AE What have you got planned of the rest of 2009, did you not think about racing Zofingen, that would have to right up  your street, wouldn&#039;t it?
 
ED I only really heard about Zofingen recently and by the time I came to look into it, it was already July and I just didn&rsquo;t think I had time to train for such a hard-core race. But yes, as a duathlete, I should probably have a stab at it as it sounds like the duathlete version of Lanzarote Ironman. Maybe next year...   

AE What&rsquo;s your favourite training session?

ED My favourite session is an easy run around Hengistbury head. I just run out of the house, down the zip zag and run on the beach for a couple of miles. Then I get to Hengistbury head which is a beautiful sandy headland from which you can see panoramic views of Christchurch harbour, Bournemouth and the Isle of Wight &ndash; its an amazing run. A good way to spend an hour after a days work.
 
AE And what are your long-term plans for your sporting career?

ED I don&rsquo;t really have any plans, I like to see where life takes me...
 
AE And finally, your motto for the day?

ED Carpe Diem!
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Andy Sutz]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5605.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[The softly spoken Swiss duathlete Andy Sutz is one of the most versatile duathletes on the racing circuit at the moment. Earlier this year he impressively added the European Short Course title to his 2008 Powerman World Championships win. To be a champion over the drafting and non-drafting formats, over vastly different distances, has only ever been achieved by the legend Benny Vansteelant. I caught up with Andy a few days before this year&rsquo;s race in Zofingen.





TL Andy, you became a professional duathlete for the first time this year, can you tell us how you got into the sport of Duathlon. I presume you come from a running or cycling background?

AS I started both sports at the same time. There was a triathlon in my hometown but I didn&rsquo;t really enjoy the swim so I suppose for that reason I naturally progressed into Duathlon.

TL You have been gaining consistent results over the Powerman distance for a long time now with your first race being Powerman Weyer in 2004. The last 12 months have been a breakthrough year for you with your World Powerman Champion title and a European Short Course gold in Budapest. Was this a result of a change to your training?

AS No, not at all. There have been a few small changes however I believe my success has been simply a result of consistent, hard training over the last few years. Zofingen is a very good course for me as there is a lot of climbing on the bike and run. I compete for Switzerland at Mountain Running so that provides a sound base for the Zofingen course.

TL I have to say I was initially surprised when I saw that you had won the European Short Course Championships this year. You managed to get away on the bike with Laurent Galinier of France and you both put over two minutes into the chasing pack. Were you surprised with the result especially considering it was a flat, fast course?

AS Yes, I was really surprised. I knew that I was in good form, especially on the bike, but I never thought that we would be able to build up a lead that big. I think it was just the right time to attack and with the right person.

TL Which had more meaning for you; the World Powerman title last year or the European Championships win this year?

AS That is a very difficult question. I thought that winning at Zofingen was the more attainable of the two however the win in Budapest was certainly more of a surprise.

TL Up until recently you have been training in St Moritz? Along with Font Romeu it is one of the premier European altitude training locations. How do you find the training there?

AS I really like it but unfortunately I couldn&rsquo;t train much there because after four to five days I fell over while running in the mountains with a friend at 3000m above sea level and hit my knee on a rock. I had to have some stitches so couldn&rsquo;t train for a week and a half. I eventually started cycling again but still couldn&rsquo;t run for a few days.

TL Do you do most of your training on your own?

AS I would say it&rsquo;s about half and half. I especially enjoy training with friends. To have people to do your running sessions and cycling with is very good for your motivation, makes the training more enjoyable, and pushes you further.

TL Are you planning to do the World Short Course Championships in America after Zofingen?

AS Zofingen will be the end of my season. Last year I competed in the World Championships in Rimini three weeks after Zofingen. I was not in good form and it wasn&rsquo;t really much fun. I actually find that if I train for the longer distance I&rsquo;m quick over the short distance too, especially on the bike. But Zofingen takes a long time to recover from because of the hills on the run so I won&rsquo;t be in Concord for the Worlds. Unfortunately Zofingen and the World Short Course Championships in Edinburgh are on the same weekend in 2010. This is a shame as I really enjoyed the course in Edinburgh in 2007.

TL Moving on to Zofingen this year - I don&rsquo;t think you&rsquo;ve ever beaten Joerie Vansteelant in a long distance Duathlon however Zofingen is a complete unknown for Joerie, whereas you know that you are very competitive over the extended distance. Your second run was very strong last year; with Joerie&rsquo;s known bike strength is it the second run where you believe your chance lies to successfully defend your title?

AS Joerie is very strong on the bike and I don&rsquo;t know his plans, whether he&rsquo;s going to attack at the beginning of the bike or later in the race. If we come into the second transition together for the 30km run I believe I will have a good chance to win because of the hilly course. I know Joerie has trained all year for this race and he will be in good form. 

TL How has your preparation for Zofingen being going?

AS My preparation has being going well, especially on the bike. I&rsquo;m not sure about my running; I don&rsquo;t feel as strong as last year. Because of the nature of the run you don&rsquo;t need as much speed as some courses so if I feel strong I don&rsquo;t see why I couldn&rsquo;t run to the same standard as I did last year.

TL The men&rsquo;s start list this year is one of the strongest of recent times. We&rsquo;ve already mentioned Joerie Vansteelant however Richard Usher from New Zealand who was recently third at Quelle Challenge Roth, and Anthony Le Duey who has had much success over the years in Duathlon races of all distances and beat Joerie in his home race of Powerman Belgium, are also going to be competing. Are there any other competitors you will have your eyes on?

AS I think this is the strongest field for the last five to six years. The other athletes I will be watching are Jason Spong from South Africa (winner of Powerman Malaysia in 2008), Dominque Duchene from France (third in Zofingen in 2008) and Axel Nielsen from Denmark who is very tough and quick on the second run if he&rsquo;s having a good day.

TL Finally, a quick question away from the sport. In an interview from after Zofingen last year I read that you are a trained boat builder. This is rather unusual career to pursue in the small, landlocked, mountainous country, far from the sea that is Switzerland. However I do recall that the Swiss Team of Alinghi have won the last two America&rsquo;s Cup. Is it something you still do or hope to do in the future?

AS I&rsquo;m not sure what the future will bring but it is an interest of mine. I&rsquo;m particularly interested in building boats with wood as it&rsquo;s a lot nicer to work with than the modern materials the boat industry use.

TL Thanks Andy, and good luck for the coming weekend.
]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Vicky Graves]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5572.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Vicky Graves is known more as a triathlete, but last year when she won a bronze medal at the European Junior Duathlon Championships, she proved herself to be a pretty good duathlete too. In May she returned to race the European Championships, which took place in Hungary, and shocked the home athletes - the pre race favourites - by dominating the race and cruising home with a comfortable margin of 49 seconds to be crowned European Junior Champion 2009. 
We caught up with Vicky to find out about victory and what the rest of the season has in store for her.


DUATHLON247 Hi Vicky it&#039;s good to catch up with you, we&#039;re looking forward to hearing a little bit more about the recently crowned European Junior Champion. European Champion, that certainly has a good ring to it doesn&#039;t it?

VG Yeah it does. I had an amazing time out there and to win just made it better!

DUATHLON247 Last year you won a bronze medal at the European Champs, did you believe you could win gold a year later?

VG I went to the race wanting and hoping to win, but I knew it would be tough. I knew that it would be the Hungarians that would be the hardest to beat.

DUATHLON247 You were nearly a minute clear of the second place finisher, Ezster Pap from Hungary, so you had a pretty comfortable victory?

VG Yeah! I was very pleased with the result. I was hoping to win but I didn&rsquo;t think it would be like it was with me doing it on my own! Or having such a big lead!

DUATHLON247 Talk us through the race?

VG I had a good first run and managed to string the field out so that it was just me and Ezster going onto the bike, she didn&rsquo;t do much work and on the second lap I dropped her and managed to extend my lead. Coming off the bike I had a comfortable lead and so didn&rsquo;t have to push the second run so I was able to enjoy the atmosphere of the event!

DUATHLON247 Tell as a little bit about your sporting background before you competed in duathlons?

VG Well my parents got me into swimming and running when I was younger and I just competed in the separate sports for a few years before my brother and I started doing biathlons. My best performance was third at the National Schools Championships, we then progressed onto doing aquathlons where I qualified for the Inter Regional Championships at the age of 14. After that I started doing some cycling and it progressed from there.

DUATHLON247 What are your plans for the rest of 2009?

VG Well I&rsquo;ve just qualified for the European Triathlon Championships in Holten in July so that&rsquo;s next. I&rsquo;ll be doing the Hyde Park race in August, which should be a good event as it is running alongside the elite Dextro Energy World Cup series.

DUATHLON247 You&#039;re actually known more as a triathlete than a duathlete, do you have plans to race anymore duathlons?

VG Yeah I mainly do triathlons, but I hope to get into more duathlons. I move up to senior level next year, which means the distance doubles in both duathlons and triathlons, so that will mean more training.
DUATHLON247 What&#039;s your favourite training session?
VG I think that would have to be a long run somewhere nice with beautiful scenery to enjoy!
DUATHLON247 When you&#039;re not training and racing what are you doing?

VG I enjoy spending time relaxing and spending time with my family and friends.

DUATHLON247 How many hours a week do you training and how is your training divided up?

VG I probably do about seven hours of swimming, ten hours of cycling, five hours of running and about two hours of gym work.

DUATHLON247 Who&#039;s your all time sporting hero?

VG Probably Kelly Holmes as she overcame so much to become a double Olympic champion.
DUATHLON247 If you had a magic wand what race would you most like to win and why?
VG It would probably have to be the Olympics as there aren&amp;rsquo;t many of those medals out there!

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Vanessa Fernandes]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_5322.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Along with her arch rival, Emma Snowsill, Vanessa Fernandes has dominated women&#039;s short course racing for several years. When Snowsill and Fernandes feature on the startlist together, the other athletes almost resign themselves to the fact that they&#039;ll be fighting it out for third place. Last year the much talked about Olympic showdown between the two saw Emma come out on top. Many would think that a silver medal would be a disappointment, after all, Portugal&#039;s national hero, does have well over 20 World Cup victories to her name, but not so! Vanessa, who talks flatteringly about her closest rival, says that her silver medal was her greatest reward for many years hard work. Some may find that hard to believe, but Vanessa is convincingly genuine about how she feels about her silver medal and is not one, it appears, to be affected by the pressures of being one of the greatest short course athletes ever seen.



AE Vanessa, obviously as an athlete that has been on the centre stage for sometime we know a lot about your achievements in triathlon, but tell us about your sporting background and how you became involved in triathlon?

VF I&rsquo;ve always been involved in sport. I grew up watching my father who was a professional cyclist. At six I was already swimming and at 13 I was running and competing in my first triathlon.

AE Did you ever consider becoming a cyclist and following in the footsteps of your father?

VF No, there was never pressure from my family for me to become a cyclist. Everything just happened naturally and I gradually realised my vocation in life was triathlon.

AE We&#039;ve heard that you suffered a broken collar bone during pre-season training, how did it happen and are you back to full training?

VF Yes, it&rsquo;s true, I had an accident during a training session. I fell really hard on the ground and unfortunately my shoulder took all the impact! It&rsquo;s been a slow recovery and I&rsquo;m still not at 100%. It also means I&#039;ve lost a few months of training because of it.

AE Madrid took place last weekend - you&#039;ve won all six previous World Cup races there, it must have been disappointing not to race there this year?



VF I have great memories of Madrid, and it&rsquo;s wonderful to have won all six races there. Yes, it was disappointing not to be able to race this year.

AE Six victories is an incredible record - what is about Madrid that suits you so well?

VF I could say the weather (she laughs) but no, I just have been lucky in Madrid. I&#039;ve always felt in a great shape for the race. The organization is great, the crowd is amazing, and I&#039;ve just always felt very motivated there.

AE You&#039;ve won numerous European and World Duathlon Championship gold medals, do you plan on continuing to race duathlon?

VF I usually do duathlon and athletics to help improve my performance, it&rsquo;s good to do different sports from time to time. Yes, duathlon will continue to be a part of my racing programme.

AE Duathlon is sometimes seen as the poor relation to triathlon, yet it&#039;s a tougher sport than triathlon. The prize money is also much less so it&#039;s great to see you racing?

VF As I said, it&rsquo;s nice to do something different sometimes, and although I love triathlon I respect duathletes a lot. For me duathlon is a very complete sport.

AE As one of two (Emma obviously being the other), runaway Olympic gold medal favourites in Beijing, the pressure on you must have been immense prior to the Games - how did you handle that pressure in the run up to the Olympic triathlon?



VF There were attempts to put pressure on me (she says this with a smile), but, sincerely, I never felt it. I&rsquo;m a very calm and controlled person, and although I knew the responsibility I had, I think I handled it very well.

AE How much of a disappointment for you was it to win a silver medal and not gold.

VF There was never any disappointment, because I never said I would win gold. Mine and my team&#039;s main objective was to win a medal, and I did just that. As the Portuguese press said: the silver felt like gold.

AE The Portuguese are renowned for supporting their athletes - as one of Portugal&#039;s leading athletes do you get a lot of public recognition for what you&#039;ve achieved?

VF Yes, a lot fortunately. Every day I receive dozens of emails from fans from all over the country and from all ages. It&rsquo;s very nice to have that kind of support.

AE Emma and you have dominated the ITU circuit for the last few years - do you think either of you will be challenged this year and if so by who?

VF Yes, the same as we came onto the circuit new athletes will also appear and challenge us, although I&#039;m not sure who they will be. I think that&rsquo;s good for both us, it will push us to be better.

AE You&#039;ve beaten Emma on many occasions, but at the moment she seems invincible, what will it take to beat her this year?

VF Emma is a very good and likeable athlete, but no one is invincible, and someday, someone will be better.

AE What&#039;s your best memory in your triathlon career so far?

VF It has to be when I won my Olympic Medal. It gave me immense pleasure to win it because it was hard to win. Years of work ended with winning that medal - it was a relief somehow.



AE What&#039;s your favourite training session?

VF I love riding the bike. It gives me peace of mind.

AE Do you have any plans to race longer distances in the future?

VF It would be an exciting challenge, but at the moment its not part of my plans.

AE If you had to name your sporting hero (in any sport) who would it be?

VF Rosa Mota (World, European and Olympic marathon gold medalist) and Fernanda Ribeiro (World and Olympic 10,000m gold medalist) both Portugese, and Lance Armstrong. They are strong people with very powerful and interesting stories.

AE You&#039;ve already achieved so much in sport, and at such a young age, what else would you like to achieve before you hang up your bike and running shoes?

VF I hope to achieve more, and I hope to achieve it on and off the bike. I feel that my life will always have to be linked to sports, competing or in the background helping younger athletes.





]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Catriona Morrison]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_4863.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Following a successful but injury plagued 2008, this week&#039;s interviewee, Catriona Morrison, has kick started her 2009 season with a great second place finish at last weekend&#039;s Oschner Ironman 70.3 New Orleans. The super tough athlete from Scotland has an action packed racing season planned, which includes a new challenge to look forward to. Following some excellent results over the Ironman 70.3 distance, Cat has decided it&#039;s time to move up a distance and will be racing her first Iron distance race at Challenge Roth on the 12th July. I caught up with the current world #1 ranked duathlete to find out about her decision to race Ironman, her action packed 2009 season and her disillusionment with the way duathlon - a sport which she&#039;s dominated over the last few years - is currently being run. 


AE First of all congratulations on another great season in 2008. You achieved some fantastic results which included retaining your Duathlon Long Course World championship title and winning a silver medal at the Short Course World Championships. Considering your injury problems (Cat had major knee surgery and then suffered an Achilles tendon problem), they were pretty major feats?

CM I had a super season all things considered. There were ups and downs, but given the disruption to my training I am looking forward to this year and the potential results that could be there with some solid uninterrupted training behind me.
 
AE You faced some pretty tough competition at the Short Course World Championships, and for some, it would have been a pretty daunting prospect to stand next to the Olympic silver medallist, Vanessa Fernandes, on the startline. It obviously didn&#039;t faze you though, as you finished only a minute and 30 seconds behind her. I know you&#039;re not one to make excuses, but do you feel you could have given Vanessa a real run for her money if you hadn&#039;t lost so much training time following your knee operation?

CM I had been so close to not attending the race due to the pain in my achilles and the reduction in running that I had suffered in the previous weeks. By the time that I got onto the start line, I had no expectations about my performance. I just wanted to get the race done, give it all I had and get back to the UK to have my achilles treated (if I had opted for treatment prior to the race I would not have been able to compete). The strength of my bike ride was a silver lining moment that saved the race for me. Had I been fitter I would have been closer to Vanessa, how close is purely speculation! I&rsquo;d have chased her just as hard regardless!
 
AE There seems to be a little bit of unrest in the duathlon world, especially amongst the athletes. The World Series (which you have won the last two years), looks to have very few races and the ones there are certainly don&#039;t look that accessible for the European athletes. Also with little or no warning, they&#039;ve taking the World Long Course Duathlon Championships off the race calendar this year. What are your thoughts on this?

 CM Duathlon is the smaller, quieter and overshadowed sibling in the ITU family. Historically it seems as if there has always been a certain amount of unrest between the athletes and the ITU with regards to number of races, degree of professionalism, respect for the athletes and general esteem of the sport. As long as I can remember there has been talk and small spurts of positive action towards getting both athletes and the ITU to commit to raising the profile of the sport and creating a long term, sustainable World Series. Unfortunately for a variety of reasons these efforts have not been very successful and age-group athletes and elite athletes alike often feel like second class citizens. As a current elite athlete I am frustrated with the situation and I have been doing the best I can to ensure that the athletes are given more respect within the ITU. However, as a current athlete, making what feels like a one-woman stand, I have to be careful not to rock the boat too hard!

 With regards to this season, it appears to be a case in point. Races that are in far corners of the world that athletes can&#039;t afford to get to (lack of sponsorship, lack of  support to duathletes and poor prize money) and cancellation of major international championships without warning and consultation. However, I have to commend the BTF for a recent move to investigate what the elite duathletes of this country need in terms of support to train and compete internationally and for making sure that this year&rsquo;s national championships has prize money. The domestic duathlon situation looks positive.

 
 AE With the international duathlon calendar looking a little thin on the ground will you be planning more triathlons than duathlons this year?

CM I plan to race both the World and European Duathlon Championships this year. The remaining races will all be triathlons. My race calendar is now online at www.catmorrison.com
 
AE For people fairly new to the sport they might not know that you also raced well over the standard distance (Cat represented Scotland at the Commonwealth Games both in Manchester 2002 and Melbourne 2006). do you ever have any thoughts about returning to Olympic distance racing?
 
CM I will race domestically in Scotland over the standard distance and sprint distance events for training purposes. Swimming has always been the hurdle for my standard distance career and I have to say that since I made the decision to move to longer triathlon events, the pressure has been off on the swimming front, I am faster and happier in the water! I prefer the middle distance event and so I think that forays into shorter triathlons will purely be for training.
 
AE The Powerman series looks like they have a good racing calendar this year, do you have any plans to race any of the  series?

CM My race calendar this year has a new and major focus that does not allow for Powerman this season. I have always been keen to race these events and I won&rsquo;t write them off for the future.
 
AE You&#039;ll obviously be racing a lot abroad this year, but you&#039;re also taking part in a pretty major event on the domestic circuit, Maggie&#039;s Monster Bike and Hike. Tell us a little bit about the event and what part you&#039;ll be playing in it?

CM Maggie&rsquo;s Monster Bike and Hike is a mass participation duathlon event in the highlands of Scotland. It is an off road endurance adventure event travelling from Fort William through to Inverness covering 73 miles along the Great Glen Way.

Teams of men, women, colleagues, friends and families can take part and will bike 30 miles and can then choose to hike eight miles to the Bronze finish, 22 miles to the Silver finish or go the whole way and walk 43 miles to the Gold finish!

The event is now in its sixth year and raises money towards supporting families, friends and carers of cancer sufferers in our communities. Unfortunately, I will be racing in the USA but I have been helping Maggie&rsquo;s to promote this exciting event in a beautiful part of Scotland. 
 
AE It&#039;s great to see on your website that you have plenty of support from your sponsors, tell us a little bit about them?

CM I am fortunate to have developed a great network of sponsors who support me in both my training and racing commitments. I am backed by a charity called the Winning Scotland Foundation who aim to promote winning attitudes in Scotland&rsquo;s youth. With them I do a lot of work in local education authorities to take sporting role models into schools to motivate and inspire our next generation!

I am kitted up with clothing and accessories from Saucony, Aqua Sphere, blueseventy and Adidas Eyewear. My insatiable appetite for bikes is more than met by Planet X with training gadget support from Cyclops.
 
Powerbar give me all the nutrition support and advice I could ever need and I am locally supported by West Lothian Leisure who give me invaluable gym and pool access.
 
AE What&#039;s the most important bit of advice that you would give to someone who&#039;s just starting out in triathlon/duathlon?

CM Find some local triathletes/online buddies with whom you can chat to get answers to all the questions that you will have - from what to wear to joining a club if you get really get the bug.
 
AE We know you spend a fair amount of time training abroad throughout the year, but how do you cope with training in a tough Scottish winter?

CM I spend a lot of time on the turbo in the garage! I have to be flexible with the weather. For example, it appears to be sunny and heading above freezing right now so I will ditch training plans for today and get out the door for my long bike ride as I know that the weekend looks bad. Swimming can be done regardless of outdoor conditions and running is also pretty weather independent &ndash; after all, there is the treadmill if required. The difficult thing is dealing with the lack of daylight!
 
AE What would you consider as your greatest achievement in sport to date?

CM Aside from winning the obstacle race on the Isle of Skye aged five and being one of the best three legged racers at primary school, I think that winning the World Duathlon title in Canada in 2006 was one of the best moments in my career to date. This would be closely followed by winning the European Duathlon title in Edinburgh in 2007.

AE Putting obstacle races and three legged races aside do you have any plans to race an Ironman?

CM Well now, that would be telling&hellip;.. my first will be Challenge Roth in July and then Kona in October. I&rsquo;ve been trying to stay quiet!

AE That&#039;s really exciting news; what are your expectations in regards to the time you&rsquo;ll be looking to achieve?

CM I honestly have no idea what to expect either in terms of time or positioning. I truly just want to get through Roth in one piece. Obviously the competitive side of me wants to do well but I think that for the first time out I can&#039;t afford to worry about places, people and times. It will be interesting to see where I am in relation to the established Ironman athletes out there so that I can figure out what I have to do to go into Kona in good shape.

AE How much will your training change from what you&rsquo;re doing now?

CM Training wise, I have been spending more time biking at determined wattages. I am currently still managing a nasty ankle but gradually getting back into running some longer distances. In the pool the reps are getting progressively longer - I&#039;d say that I am on a very gradual build up plan. At the same time I am keeping up the high end intensity so that I can be competitive in the shorter, faster 70.3 events and duathlons through the season.

AE Well we wish you all the best of luck, and although of course we don&#039;t want to add to the pressure, we think we might see you on an Ironman podium pretty soon!

CM Ok, no pressure then!]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Michelle Dillon]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_4826.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Michelle Dillon, undoubtedly one of the most talented athletes triathlon has seen, is this week&#039;s interviewee. Michelle came into the sport from a running background and through grit and determination worked hard on her swim so that she could compete with the best triathletes in the world. A collection of sporting accolades silenced any critics she had, who doubted a runner with an average swim could take on, and beat, the best triathletes in the world. A collection of European and World medals are proof that she did just that,  Nevertheless, for Michelle, World and other Championship medals don&#039;t suffice and it&#039;s an Olympic medal that she feels is still missing.

Following her announcement last year that she would be retiring from competitive sport due to a serious back operation, Michelle is once again going in search of the Olympic medal that still eludes her. With a quiet, but steely determination, Michelle is steadily working on her rehab and will be attempting to bike competitively this year. Her dream is to make it to 2012 as a cyclist and although she&#039;s realistic about the huge task ahead, I for one certainly wouldn&#039;t put it past her.


 

AE 2008 was a tough year for you. You had to make some major decisions about your career and at the same time you had to have a serious back operation. Were your back problems the main reason you decided to retire from triathlon?

MD Yes, 2008 was a tough year with my back and after a lot of investigation, and scans I was advised to have a double fusion of my spine, which should have been done a long time ago. This was the major reason I have had to retire from triathlon, if I&#039;d had it my way I would have kept going.

AE Although you&#039;ve retired from triathlon there are a few little rumours around that you maybe considering some bike racing in the future, is that true?

MD Yes, it just so happens that I have been getting back into some cycling and feeling strong. I thought I would set myself some challenges on the bike this year and then see where that takes me. Admittedly I know it&#039;s going to take a bit of time to resume full cycling training, but enjoying my two to three times per week is fine for the moment. I&#039;m also very happy that Scott bikes have agreed to support me for all my bikes and equipment, so that&#039;s a bonus for me too. 

AE You&#039;ve talked before about having babies, have you thought about doing a Paula Radcliffe and having a baby before you return to some sort of competitive sport?

MD Yes, this is in the back of my mind as I have a big goal for another Olympic Games - I have to be careful as I don&#039;t want to miss out on having babies and time is getting away from me. We will just have to see what happens.

AESo you&#039;re planning on going to another Olympics?

MDYes, in the back of my mind I would love to compete again at a high level, and if everything goes well and my recovery is the way I&#039;d like it to be, then I would like to give it a go. Cycling is something that I really enjoy and I love pushing myself. I feel I will never be able to do this again in running after my operation, so I have to get my adrenalin fix somehow. It&#039;s really a dream, which I hope I can turn into reality. 

AE You&#039;ve been incredibly successful both as a runner and a triathlete, but what do you consider as your greatest sporting achievement?

MD Do you know I have so many fond memories from both my running days and my triathlon days, if I picked one of my greatest achievements from both I would have to say it would be when I ran my debut over 10km on the track as a 21-year old. I clocked a time of 32:35 and finished second in the race. In triathlon it would have to be in 1999 when I won my first World Cup in Noosa by 45 seconds. I&#039;d only been in the sport for two years and actually came last out of the swim.

AE All great sports people experience there fair share of highs and lows, what&rsquo;s been your biggest disappointment in sport?

MD Well probably having to deal with injuries my entire career as a runner and triathlete - I can only remember one full year of training un-injured as a runner and that was it unfortunately. I would have loved to have made the most of my potential, which I feel I never really had the chance to do because of my injuries.

AE Whilst still competing for Australia you raced the 10,000m event at the 1994 Commonwealth Games. A certain Zara Hyde-Peters (British Triathlon&rsquo;s CEO) also raced in the same event. Do you remember racing against her back then?

MD I vaguely remember Zara, but I have the photos to look at for the memories. It was a race that I was very nervous about and with little experience at that level being so young. I led the race for 6km, bad mistake!

AE Tell us what happened?

MD Well basically I was a young 21-year old and a little inexperienced at this level, however I always was a front runner even at school. I would just go out as hard as I could until I blew up, and if I didn&#039;t then great. My mentality was the same going into the Commonwealth Games 10,000m, I had only run this distance once on the track before so didn&#039;t really have the experience tactically. My coach had told me not to lead, but I did just that. The thing was I only knew how to run from the front and so I ran like I would on the road; as hard as I could. So, I found myself leading the biggest race of my life with people like Yvonne Murray (eventual winner) and others behind me. I lead for 6km and was in for a solid time. Then all of a sudden Yvonne picked up the pace and I found myself dropping back to fourth place but holding it well. I went backwards the last 1km and was being passed by a few more. I eventually ended up in seventh place, but the commentators gave me a good rap for having the guts to do most of the work for the majority of the race. I could have run a more tactical race and finished higher up, but it was a good learning experience for me for years to come.

AE Triathlon has changed a lot since you made your switch from being a runner to a triathlete, what changes do you consider to be good ones and what changes do you consider to be bad ones?

MD Triathlon has now got to the point where most athletes don&#039;t have a weakness like they used to. In the drafting races it really is all coming down to a mass run. Back when I first came into the sport there were non-swimmers who could run through or bike through the field, I think this is happening less and less. The exciting and good things are, that the sport is becoming more recognised like never before.

AE If you had to vote for a woman in triathlon who you feel has made an outstanding contribution to our sport, who would it be and why?

MD I would have to say Michellie Jones. She&#039;s a person who has been around for many years and not only dominated back in the 90&#039;s over the short course, but later went to Ironman and won Hawaii. A great achievement from an outstanding woman who was totally dedicated to her sport.

AE Who is your all-time favourite sportswoman?

MD There are two people who I always admired as a youngster and they were hanging up on my bedroom wall when I was a kid. Zola Budd and Liz McColgan, both distance runners from Great Britain. More recently Paula Radcliffe has moved to the top of my list. Running will always be my passion.


AE Triathlon is the fastest growing sport in the UK with the number of women taking part increasing dramatically each year. What advice would you give to a woman who is doing her first ever triathlon?

MD Triathlon is such an enjoyable, but challenging sport in a good way. It&#039;s a great overall conditioning sport that you will love. Enjoy it. 

AE What are your three top nutritional tips for women doing triathlon?

MD Make sure you recover after training session and races with the right nutrition. It&#039;s worth trying Megaburn products which are all natural www.megaburnshop.co.uk. Eat lightly and regularly. I recommend my athletes eat up to six small meals per day for more energy rather than three large meals. Also don&#039;t forget to make sure you drink lots of water.

AE What are your three top training tips for women taking part in triathlon?

MD Make sure to work on your core strength by doing Pilates and gym work. Seek a good coach who understands women in sport. Don&#039;t be paranoid about weight, with a balanced diet and consistent training it will take care of itself.
    
AE What advice would you give to a woman who suffers from pre-race nerves?

MD What you have to remember is that everyone is a little bit nervous before their race so you&#039;re not alone. Look around you and have a look. Take your mind off your nerves by watching others, you will be amazed what you see before races.

AE You&#039;ve been out in Australia since December coaching a group of athletes, including your partner Stuart Hayes, how are things going and are you enjoying coaching?

MD Yes I&#039;m fortunate to be in Australia coaching my group of athletes and really enjoying it. Having the sun shining every day has to be a real bonus for us. Stuart is training very well and we are really looking forward to his season ahead. The rest of my squad are making lots of progress too, which is really pleasing to watch. I&#039;m looking forward to seeing them all in action. 

AE Tell us about your plans for 2009?

MD Well when I return from Australia I plan to stay in the UK and continue working with my athletes both with my online coaching and group sessions. Also I want to do some bike racing - probably more focused towards the time trial stuff on the road.

AE If you could have one wish in sport what would it be?

MD I wished I&#039;d never made some of the mistakes I did as an athlete, that way I still might have a healthy back and still be racing.

AE Through the good times and bad times you always manage to remain a really positive person how do you do it?

MD You just have to stay happy and think positively to yourself, and keep telling yourself you will get through the tough times. I think the background I came from forced me to be independent so I don&#039;t let too many things get me down.

AE Do you have a mantra and if so what is it?

MD Balance is the Key! And something I always say to my athletes before a hard session is: the more effort you put into this session the more you will be able to take out during the race.

AE Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

MD Happy, enjoying life, healthy and have a wealth of experience to pass on to others.

]]></description></item><item><title><![CDATA[Interview: Felicity Hart]]></title><link><![CDATA[http://www.duathlon247.com/article_4578.html]]></link><description><![CDATA[Up until now Felicity Hart has raced predominately in the UK. A former horse rider turned biking demon, the very unassuming and likeable Hart has alarmed her fellow female competitors (and a few men) with her fantastically fast bike times. In 2008 she headed to Europe to show the rest of the world what she&#039;s capable of, and in doing so certainly turned a few heads at Antwerp Ironman 70.3. In a race where she proved that she&#039;s up there with some of the best in the world, Felicity rode nearly a minute and a half faster than the highly experienced Aussie, Belinda Granger. Felicity finished second just over two minutes down on Granger proving to the triathlon world that she&#039;ll definitely be one to watch in 2009. I caught up with Felicity to talk about the ups and downs of 2008 and her hopes and aspirations for 2009.
 

AE Taking a look back at 2008 you had some fantastic results, but what stands out as your best?

FH I think Antwerp Ironman70.3 was my best result. I&#039;d been away on a cycling holiday and managed to get a good weeks riding in a couple of weeks before, this helped a lot with my fitness. 

AE You had one or two disappointments &ndash; food poising at the European Duathlon Championships being one &ndash; what was the worst part of 2008 for you?

FH Yes that was a big disappointment, it also meant I missed the National 25-mile TT and UK Ironman 70.3, and I only managed  a few rides before the National 50-mile TT.  I think the worst part of 2008 was the amount of illnesses I picked up, it meant my fitness was up and down a lot with a lot of missed training as well as racing.

AE You&#039;re renowned for being very strong on the bike, which was confirmed when you placed sixth at the National 50-mile TT Championships, and as you&#039;ve mentioned  that was achieved on little training, do you have any plans to do more bike racing?

FH Yes, I hope to race the National TT Championships this year, it will be good to see what I can do when I get some consistent training.  I would like to do some road racing, but it really seems impossible to fit everything in, so that will have to wait for another year.

AE You finished 16th at the 70.3 World Championships, was this result a little disappointing following such a fantastic race at Ironman 70.3 Antwerp, where you finished second  just over two minutes behind Australia&#039;s Belinda Granger?

FH Yes and no, my aim for the year was to qualify, so on that account no it wasn&#039;t disappointing, but yes when you really think you can do better.

AE You biked nearly a minute and a half faster than Belinda Granger in Antwerp, Belinda is one of the top bikers on the Ironman circuit; have you any plans to race an Ironman soon?

FH Not just yet!  I have got to get the 70.3 race right first!

AE With so many successful results on your CV do you have any plans to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Emma-Kate Lidbury and go full-time? 

FH I have decided to reduce my time working this year as I think that it has had a large impact on my ability to stay healthy and train consistently.  Last year I was permanently rushing from training to work and back to training, much like all the tough age-groupers.  What I found a problem last year was when I was trying to train harder, or when work was more demanding, something had to give and it was normally me getting a virus!  I will still be working this year, but I only have a small role, which is much more flexible.  I am really excited by this opportunity to get things right this year.

AE What&#039;s your full-time job?

FH I work in equestrian retail management.

AE You used to compete as a horse rider - eventing and elementary dressage - do you ever miss or want to swap your bike for a horse?  

FH Oh definitely, I rode quite a bit when I had a break from training after Clearwater.  My Mum has taken on my horse and I went to watch them compete the other day, I was green with envy.  My sister-in-law also rides very competitively so I still keep in touch with the sport.  I am lucky that I can still ride at home but the competition will have to wait for a while.

AE If you hadn&rsquo;t chosen triathlon/duathlon as your sport what sport would you have chosen?

FH Well obviously I love riding and I had started to concentrate much more on dressage so probably that, but I also fancy having a go at road racing, cyclocross and mountain biking, and I would also love to have spent more time skiing. 

AE Having competed with horses, which at times can be very nerve racking, do you think that you&rsquo;re better equipped than others when it comes to dealing with pre race nerves?

FH Yes, I don&#039;t actually mind getting nervous. I think you need to have some pre-race excitement/nerves to race/compete well and you get more used to feeling like that the more you compete.

AE What goals have you set yourself for the 2009 season?

FH Make the most of my opportunities this year with less other commitments, stay in better health and really enjoy racing. I will be looking forward to Clearwater to see if I can achieve my potential.

AE If you have one, who is your all-time sporting hero?

FH I don&#039;t really have a sporting hero, but I admire anyone who achieves something which is a real challenge for them.

AE Within the goals you&rsquo;ve set yourself, is there one big dream you have, which may seem impossible now, but that you feel is achievable in the future?

FH Yes, I would really like to achieve a podium position at the 70.3 World Championships, but mostly I want to enjoy trying!


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