Hot, humid and freaking hard! These are the proper words to describe my last race in Mexico. I actually did not have this World Cup on my plan, because I knew how tough it can be. But since I did not get on the start list in San Diego, I had to race in Huatulco. Water temperature about 28 degrees made me already swim quite slowly. I lost over a minute just on the swim. On the bike everybody was afraid of the heat and the hill that we had to overcome eight times. So almost everybody was waiting for the final run. I started very well and with certain reserve. I tried to keep my body temperature down, but already after the first lap I suddenly ran out of power! I hardly ran up the hill and already thought about pulling out. After the second lap I felt a bit better, but I lost many spots and finished finally 18th. I had a big chance for big points, but on that day my body just was not prepared for such tough conditions. Now I am in San Diego and hope to race on Saturday!
18th in ITU World Cup in Huatulco (MEX)
Warm-Up in Colorado for World Cup in Huatulco
Before the Triathlon World Cup in Huatulco (Mexico) I am spending almost a week in Colorado. Even though it is a short stay, there are two big advantages. First of all I am in the same time zone as Mexico and will not be tired. Secondarily Centennial is situated 1700m over the sea level. I hope to benefit even from this short training camp.
The World Cup in Mexico kicks off at 11am for the men on Sunday. You can follow the race live on www.triathlon.org
15th in ITU World Cup in Ishigaki (Japan)
Yesterday it was a solid, but not a great performance in the ITU Triathlon World Cup in Ishigaki. Needing desperately points for the Olympic ranking I felt big pressure. Especially coming 3rd last year I had big hopes for another good effort in Ishigaki.
The swim was okay exiting the water 55 sec after the leaders in 33rd position. The first 12 k on the bike were pretty hard and I did not feel very well. By the end of the bike leg I felt weak legs and knew this would be a hell of a run. I started the run very slowly and controlled. Every time I went over the hill I had very heavy legs and could hardly breathe. I still managed to move forward and finally finished in 15th spot.
I ran 32:01 min on 10k, which is solid, but I am sure to be able to run much faster. After 50st place in Mooloolaba and 33rd place in Sydney I can definitely see a positive tendency. But I have to fix my run, if I want to make a top 10 in upcoming races.
Next race will be Huatulco in two weeks. It is a very hard course with high air temperature. Now, it is time to relax and hope for the best!
33rd in ITU World Triathlon Series in Sydney
On the one hand I am very happy with my swim. Losing only 15 seconds was a great effort. On the bike I tried to save as much energy as possible on the run. But my run was a bit of a disaster. 32:44min for the 10k was not enough to climb higher in the rankings. I still need time for recovery. I hope in Ishigaki I will have the legs I need!
Interview with TRIAX
The following article appeared in the Slovakian website “Triax” a week ago
Hi Marek, the slovaks definitely know you from the European Cup in Senec 2010 where you won the race. That victory was a good start to Olympic qualification which began at that time for everyone.
Can you tell us what was your mindset going into Olympic qualification in 2010?
Yes, the season 2010 started very well for me with a victory in Senec. I was well prepared and ready for the Olympic qualification. Unfortunately in the very first Olympic qualifier in Madrid two weeks after Senec I crashed and broke my collarbone. I had a complicated surgery and this was very much the end of season 2010 for me.
What do you especially remember from the European Cup in Senec in 2010?
I like the place with the very clean water in the lake, but cold I guess it is a very nice place not only for organising a triathlon event, but also to chill out. In terms of the race I remember to have very good legs on the run. I felt very strong and I remember of course the sprint finish against Filip Ospaly. That was one of my best races so far!
You are probably concentrating for the Olympics games this year in London, can you tell as your focus or strategy for getting there?
After my injury in 2010 and no Olympic points in my account I started with a very early season doing smaller ITU races to get on the start list at all for Olympic qualifiers. I basically raced everywhere I could and tried to get as many Olympic points as possible. In general I did very well and eventually climbed up to the 40th spot in the Olympic simulation. The Polish Olympic Comittee requests a 36th spot as direct qualification. So I need to gain more Olympic points in the upcoming World Cups and WCS races to secure my spot. After May I would like to have a good preparation and focus only on the Olympics.
What do the Olympic Games mean to you?
I think like for every other athlete the Olympic Games are unique and everybody wants badly to participate there. So do I. After partcipating Beijing in 2008 I know, that at the end it is like every other race. You must be focused and be well prepared. But the meaning of this race is a special one. The media and public attention is huge and for us triathletes an unique chance to get into the spotlight.
At this moment you are in New Zealand. you have been there since racing the Auckland World Cup back in November. Can you tell us a little about what you have been up to since Auckland?
After the World Cup in Auckland I decided to prepare for the season 2012 in Christchurch, because the first ITU World Cup will take place in Australia. That saves me lots of travelling and moreover I am staying in the same time zone, which is very important. In Christchurch I can also train with a bunch of other elite triathletes, which definitely can enhance my performance. Since January apart from a little back injury I have had good training and I hope to show it in the upcoming races.
While in New Zealand have you had any training partners?
As mentioned above, there are also other elite triathletes training in Christchurch like Richard Varga. Especially Richard being a great swimmer is a huge motivation for me. Swimming is my weakest leg of the three and Richard definitely enhances my swim performance and technique and pushed me to my physical limits.
Do they anything interesting training or different from you? Is there anything you can learn from them?
There are different concepts regarding training and certainly you can find some differences in training. I am sure I can learn from Richard very much in swimming. But nowadays there is no training secrets anymore. You need a certain amount of training hours and the appropriate intensity for yourself.
Is there something you can tell our slovak readers about Richard Varga, J&T Sportteam? What can you tell us about him and his training in New Zealand?
Richard joined me in New Zealand in February. I always have known him as one of the best swimmers among triathletes. But his recent results has shown that he can also bike and run well. In New Zealand he has been working very hard and he is also very focused on he Olympic qualification. Richard has been doing triathlon for only 3 years. This is compared to my 19 years nothing! I started my international carreer with age of 28. Richard is only 24 and he has still lots of time and lots of potential.
Do you thing he is ready for the final part of Olympic qualifications?
Richard can still make the qualification. In the Olympic ranking he is a bit far behind. He needs a very good result in one of the upcoming events. But he definitely can gain an Olympic spot via the ITU ranking as “New Flag” after his three top 10 finishes in Chile, Kinloch and Geelong. “New Flag” means that Richard still can be the first athlete of a nation, who has not gained a spot via the Olympic ranking. I think that is still possible! Even if he does not qualify for London, he can be a major factor in Rio de Janerio 2016.
Again back to you , what is going to be your first start this season and the rest of your racing plan?
My first race will be a World Cup in Mooloolaba (Australia) on 24th of March. Then I plan to race in Sydney three weeks later in the WCS event and one week later in Ishigaki World Cup. On 12th of May in San Diego and maybe 27th of May in Madrid. But everything depends on my results. If I do well, maybe I do not need to race everywhere.
Marek thank you for taking time out to do this interview, I wish you all the best as you prepare for qualifing for the Olympics, I hope to see you there in August this year.
I wish I had a better start in the Olympic season. I had arrived in Mooloolaba with heaps of optimism and many training kilometers in my legs. However, this was not my day. In the swim I lost much time and I also made a tactical mistake on the bike. I finished the race, but spot 50 is not really a place I am happy with. Now, I need to stay calm and it only can be better! So see you in Sydney!
