Involving a 4km swim, 120km bike and a 30km run; Brendan talks to me about his preparation, equipment, motivation and the people involved in making all this possible.

Hey Bren, let’s start off with “How are you?”

I am in a good space, recently married as you mentioned, to a lovely girl! Looking forward to the new season as well…

Talk us through your equipment and any tweaks you have made and where to give you added comfort and more importantly, speed.

In the water, I am currently using an Orca Apex 2 wetsuit, probably due for an upgrade soon, but it keeps me honest (and hopefully like an arrow through the water).

On the bike, I ride an Argon 18 E112 TT bike, what I enjoy most is the transfer of power into the frame which is in proportion to the output of speed…In other words, I don’t lose any power that I put into the bike due to the bike being too flexible, etc. It’s very stiff which promotes added speed.

On the run, I am fortunate as you enjoy yourself, with racing in Saucony’s lightweight personified… I use the A4’s for sprint and standard distance races whilst opting for the Kinvara’s for the longer runs and training.

As far as comfort is concerned, ensure that you have had a professional bike set-up, to avoid injuries down the line. I have had niggles with calf strains in both legs so I know how frustrating these type of persistent injuries can be.

Now every season any competitive triathlete tries to improve a specific area or discipline of their race. What area or discipline have you worked on the most leading into this race?

Definitely my swim! You are quite right, the last two seasons I have concentrated on my run and bike respectively… This year I thought I would try and work a lot more on my swim so as to be a little more competitive, especially at the start of a race.

Congrats on the marriage by the way. Surely balancing the married life with triathlon isn’t easy but I know Carole is no slouch herself around a triathlon circuit. Just talk a little about the wedding, training and the “new’ life in general.

Thanks! Ja, the more I look back on things I realise how important balance becomes in your life. It’s easy to get too absorbed into something, especially a phase that works well for you, without knowing that suddenly you have blinkers on and become oblivious to things happening around you – this can lead to being self-absorbed and a bit selfish.

So I am enjoying the balance and in Carole, I have a constant reminder of that. She is really talented herself, probably more so than me with ultra distances where I tend to prefer sprint and standard distance.

The wedding was a great day – friends and family from all over! We laugh at times looking back on the day, wishing we could have spent more time in the moment, but it passes by so quickly.

Is Carole going with you?

Unfortunately not. She will be holding the fort back at home so to speak. The cost of getting to such races is probably the biggest burden we have to deal with as athletes, even over and above the training required. So after having recently bought a house and having just had a wedding, the budget did not allow for both of us to travel.

Give us a little insight into the race course. Is it your kind of course?

Honestly, it is probably not my kind of course in distance, although it is cleverly positioned between a 70,3 distance and a full ironman. If I break the course up, I reckon I will be competitive on the day, however Las Vegas is notorious for its heat and that could squash any ambitions of good positioning if the thermometer goes through the roof!

The swim is pretty straight forward (out and back), whilst the bike ends with some serious climbing over a pass called the “3 sisters” and the run is 4 laps with some rolling hills which should help break up the monotony.

Having said that, I realised that this race and the training involved for it would give me a great platform for the rest of the season and hope that results that follow this race will be indicative of that…

Are you staying on afterwards and doing a little sightseeing; perhaps a little visit to Vegas baby? You can give the world your version of “The Hangover”.

A little sight-seeing would be great, so fingers crossed time will allow for that. I think my version of The Hangover will be the condition I will be in straight after the race -  knackered, slow to react, possibly dehydrated and not making much sense… I see the similarities!

 So the USA isn’t all that close and getting there isn’t all that cheap. Who helped you out, who is looking after you?

I am very grateful to my company (Everite) who have shared in my passion and desire to be competitive not only in the workplace but also out of the office. I have also forged a great relationship with Cipla & PVM, ensuring I am fit and strong as well as healthy in mind and body. Saucony, Glider Eyewear & more recently 2XU have been fantastic from a product perspective and without their assistance, my scope to think and achieve big would be that much smaller.

You’ve also got a blog. Where can we find it online?

Yeah, I have a blog, simply called Tri-Bren. It’s essentially a link between beginners and seasoned multi-sport athletes. Of late I have been a little slack, possibly from winter hibernation, but it will be far more active as the season progresses.

http://www.tri-bren.blogspot.com

Any final comments? Words of inspiration perhaps?

I am a strong advocate for the word “performance”. Whatever you may be involved with, ensure that your performance is one you can look fondly back at!

Thanks for your time Bren. Best of luck. Fly the Saffa flag loud and proud.

Q: In the southern hemisphere the season runs pretty much from September to March for Olympic Distance racing, with a few off road tri’s and sprint races in the mix, what is your main focus for the 2011/2012 season.

BW: Currently my main focus is on the World Cross Triathlon Championships to be held in Spain during April this year(2011) which is an off road triathlon consisting of a 1km swim 20km mtb and 6km trail run. This will be my last race for the 2010/2011 season after which I will take a few weeks break just for the mind and body to fully recover from a long hard season. During winter I will be competing in a few local events but just to keep the body in good form leading up to the World Triathlon Championships to be held in September 2011 in Beijing, China. This will be my main focus for the year unfortunately taking place at the beginning of our 2011/2012 season.

Q: How do you think the variation in season between the Northern and Southern hemisphere affects the performance of the respective hemisphere’s athletes? I mean, for you, your first race of the season will in effect be world champs, whereas for the European, and other Northern hemisphere athletes, World Champs will be their final race. Their entire season build up to World Champs.

BW: Currently I believe the timing is very unfair towards the Southern Hemisphere AGE GROUP athletes because having World Champs at the beginning of the season will not allow you to be at your peak performance for which is ultimately the most important race of the year. However, having World Champs at the end of the European summer will not affect the performance of ELITE athletes from the Southern hemisphere as many of them spend the Southern hemisphere winter in Europe to race as well as train.

Q: After your success at Xterra you qualified to race ITU offraod world champs in Spain. Talk us through your preparation?

BW: Shortly after finding out that I had been selected for the South African age group team travelling to Spain in April I had a serious meeting with my dad to discuss how I would be approaching this year’s racing and which races would be my focus. Travelling abroad is very expensive and therefore careful planning and budgeting as well as a well planned training program is required. Together we decided that attending the world off road champs in Spain would not only be a great experience for me in which I could learn valuable lessons in my build up to Beijing but also a good way to get more exposure for not only me personally but also my current sponsor Saucony. Since December 2010 I have been working with my coach and well known SA triathlete Hendrik De Villiers, he has been working hard on not only my swim which still leaves much to be desired but also my speed on the run. Swimming has never been a strong point of mine but since working with a coach gradual progress is being made. My hope is that after a few good hard winter months of swimming I will finally be able to stay with the likes of Nic Muhl (That’s me) over a 1500m swim. Thankfully the world off road champs is only a 1000m swim which means that although I will be losing time to the leaders it will not be so big a lead that I cannot close them down on the bike. As far as the mountain biking is concerned I have recently purchased myself the Cube PRO series which is a phenomenal piece of engineering. I have never felt so confident on a bicycle in my life. No matter how hard you push the brilliantly designed dual suspension system takes any terrain in its stride. The only complaint I would have on the bikes performance is the climbing abilities, I myself am a climber due to my light 64kg body but I still do find myself struggling up big climbs due to the weight of the bike. From a preparation Point of view I have put my road bike away and only been riding my new mountain bike. I have spent many hours fine tuning my technical skills in the mountains of Stellenbosch (Jonkershoek). I have also been doing 2 track sessions a week in order to improve the speed on my run because of the short course at worlds. The 6km run will be a flat out sprint to the end and I need to ensure that I have the speed in my legs to last that distance. On the 17th April I competed in the I-flex Momentum duathlon series held in Cape Town, Zevenwacht. It was a 5km trail run 30km mtb 2.5km trail run. All the top dogs were there fighting it out for the podium positions. I managed a 4th position only 1min30 back from top SA triathlete Kent Horner which was an awesome result for me and gave me great confidence heading over to Spain.

Q: I know from personal experience that sponsors are hard to come by in triathlon; and even for big events, prize money is relatively low. What is your take on the involvement of sponsors in triathlon in South Africa?

BW: Without sponsors the sport of triathlon in South Africa would unfortunately die out. We have seen significant growth within the last few years in our sport but in order to sustain that growth it is vital that sponsors continue to provide the funding to race organisers.
From a personal point of view i am very luck that i have a very supportive father who is willing to contribute towards my expenses while I develop as an athlete. Personal financial sponsorships are extremely difficult to find as the return on investment is not very high when sponsoring an age group athlete. However, without sponsorship it would be impossible to compete as a full time professional triathlete and therefore these sponsors are out there and it is up to us as athletes to prove to them that an investment in us is well worth the initial costs. This is one of the main reasons I am travelling abroad this year not only for the experience but also for the exposure I can get for my sponsor.

Q: What do you do to maintain balance? Surely you can’t race and train all year round? How do you maintain your sanity?

BW: I am currently studying my honours in management accounting through UNISA which keeps me very busy during my free time between training sessions. A normal day for me would be to wake up at around 6;00-6:30 depending on what session I have in the morning. Then I eat breakfast, do my first session, eat again after, study for a few hours, eat again, complete my second session of the day and if there is any time left in the day try to squeeze a bit more studying in. As you can see this keeps me pretty busy so losing my sanity is not an issue plus I really enjoy my training. I also enjoy a good party every now and again as we all do I am sure. I am not the biggest drinker but a cold beer after a hard race cannot be beaten. Other interests of mine include water skiing, wakeboarding and a good game of beach touch rugby. Between all of this i manage to stay pretty level headed, I think.

Q: The off-season for South African triathletes (other than those competing on the international circuit or some other foreign circuit) has pretty much started. Is there anything specific you do in your off season?

BW: I am a pretty young triathlete so during the off season i must give my body a rest to avoid injury and keep the passion alive for the sport. I normally do a few single discipline races running, cycling, open water swimming etc. This winter i will be focussing all my attention on swimming because it is by far my weakest discipline. Gym work also plays a big role in my off season just building up strength that is usually lost throughout a long hard season.

Q: Talk us though your preseason preparation?

BW: My preseason preparation normally consists of building a good solid base for about 2 months after which i slowly begin increasing the intensity of my sessions building towards my first race as well as my first peak of the season. Depending on how big your base is will determine how many times in a season you can peak which means that a good base training phase is vital for any competitive athlete. This year may be different because i not only have a coach who will bring his own ideas to the table but i also have to ensure that i am in peak shape for worlds.

Thanks Brad

BM: Shot Nic

Name: STeve Attwell (For some reason he likes to make the T big – based on graphology studies making the second letter of your name a capital too could mean that Steve is trying to tell us that he is actually St. Eve – sainteve.com)

Sponsors:

I have an apparel and shoe sponsorship through New Balance.

Accomplishments:

Maybe a lot of the good guys are hibernating; but I won the Hillcrest NB Eden Campus trial run, Viv (my girlfriend) and I won the Crazy Table Mountain Challenge mixed category. I finished second at the Xtera Lite in Knysna, and then finished in top 30 in the Half marathon.  Needless to say I was 3^rd last out the water at the Clan William 1.5km swim!!

Hello Steve. How are you?

Hey Nic, I’m still suffering from the Gun Run last Sunday, thought some spinning would ease the legs, but obviously teaching 6 classes in 3 days isn’t great for recovery!

How do you see the coming season working out for you?

I have entered the 70.3 half Iron Man in ELS next year, so that is my focus for the next couple of months. I would also like to compete at SA Triathlon Champs and hopefully make the RSA age group team again. (This means I will have to race WP trials and champs and qualify for the WP team first).

We have recently seen the introduction of the 2009/2010 triathlon season at Clanwilliam . How did the race go for you?

Clanwilliam is always a fantastic weekend, and the weather plays its part every year. This year we had 36 degrees! So racing was hard as we are all just coming out of winter and not used to the baking sun.  My race always starts on the bike, as my swimming is not great. I guess my highlight was catching you [Nic Muhl] with 3kms to go on the run. I finished 5^th this year, my best result at Clan William.

How many Freshpack Clanwillaim Triathlons have you done?

This was my third time, and NO, I didn’t go up the pole naked again this year if that’s your next question!!

How did this year’s race compare to the previous seasons?

I think the absence of the Nestle Pure Life team gave all the non-elite athletes a chance to perform this year. They normally clean up. It was great to see the amount of ATC athletes racing this year, all kitted out in our new season’s kit. Only disappointing aspect was that the annual trophy for the Club award wasn’t awarded, although it was sitting on the presentation table with all the other trophies.  We smell a rat!

Three words to sum up the 23^rd Freshpak Clanwilliam Fitness Fesitval?

ATC. It’s an acronym for Atlantic Triathlon Club:

So we have mentioned Embark, please let the mense know what Embark is?

Embark has been set up with the beginner and intermediate athletes in mind, and offers coached sessions for all the disciplines. In addition to the coaching, you get a personal program according to your own ability and you follow this progressive program to reach your goals. Embark is a great platform to meet other beginners and intermediate triathletes with the same goals in mind. We focus on the sprint distance, standard distance and 70.3 half iron man.

What made you start Embark?

Having been very involved with ATC over the last 4 years, I have noticed a huge amount of first timers attempting to get involved with triathlon, but just being intimidated and end up never seeing them at club training or races.  Although ATC offers training sessions for all the disciplines, it’s normally our more experience members that take advantage of these. Because of this, the newer, less experienced members feel they are too far behind. Embark is the platform for beginners and intermediate athletes to gain confidence, learn about the sport and transform from athlete to triathlete.

And The Atlantic Triathlon Club, how’s that going?

Atlantic Triathlon Club has recently re branded to ATC Multisport. We have had an influx of interest from trial runners, mountain bikers and open water swimmers, who all profess not to be triathletes but would love to belong to a multisport club. The aim of ATC Multisport is to encompass all the disciplines of triathlon. You will be soon to able to get a WPA running license and CSA cycling license though ATC Multisport. (If any of that sounds Greek to you, maybe its time to join Embark?)

Any shout outs?

Not a shout out, but more of an appeal to the current triathletes to join their governing body, Western Province Triathlon Association (WPTA). It’s a measlyR250 for the year, less than a dinner out, and the difference that 100 more members could make to the sport would be phenomenal. Triathlon is EXPODING in the UK, where the weather is dismal almost all year round, but they have over 5000 registered members and because of this they get good financial sponsors and hence can run the sport at a professional level.

Thanks to Steve for being so cool. When I grow up I want to be just like him!

Happy Friday