The Average Joe Ironman Challenge 2010

Since day one I heard about Triathlon (I was trying to get in shape with my friend and Ohio Triathlon Legend Chip Bruchac in Dec. 2006), I have always wondered if I had what it takes to qualify for Hawai, the holy grail of triathletes doing Ironman distances (3.km swim, 180 km bike, 42 km run). Now more than ever, I believe 2010 is my time to give it a go.

In truth, hardly anything in my DNA favors me to do so.

I am built like an average joe. 35 years old. 6 foot 5 (1m75). I have short legs and a long torso. I am short sighted and can t wear contact lenses, which is a handicap in the swim. Due to my passion for triathlon, and the speed at which I went from being overweight to becoming an Ironman (in a year and a half), I have developed a history of injuries, some of which may now seriously impede my ability to compete:

1 A ruptured PCL ligament in my right knee due to a bike accident: according to the doctor, this means I cannot run long distances and push hard on the pedals anymore

2 Some plantar fascitis and achilee heel tendonitis on both legs: this means I cannot run on the front of my foot like I used to, to run fast despite my bad right knee.

3 An unknown hurt in the front of my right knee that appears after I run more than 30 minutes

The Ironman Qualifying time for Hawai in Europe is incredibly fast, well below the 10 hours mark, around 9:25 for IM Zurich. My current best time in Zurich is 11:40. I only need to shave 5 min on the swim (1:09 instead of 1:14), 1:10 hour on the bike (4:50 instead of 5:55), 1:07 hour on the run (3:20 instead of 4:27) and perform among the top 50 fastest swim to bike and bike to run transition possible. This would bring me around 9:25.

On the plus side, I have:

1-285 days to heal and get ready for Ironman Regensburg (my choice of race because it is the newest Ironman on the block in 2010, with perfect race conditions relative to my training in Zurich with a hilly course and a flat run along the Danube, and fewer competitors (50% the amount of competitors for 2/3 the amount of slots for Hawai) or tired competitors (from IM Switzerland a week prior). I believe a 9:40 should do it.

2-A clear goal: qualifying for Ironman Hawai 2010

3-Faith and a lot of Dreams

4-A strong mental and competitive spirit

5-An absolute determination to succeed

6-Fantastic supporters (I won t name them, but they will know whom I talking about...) with a lot of family and friends support

7-Two years of experience racing at Ironman Distance with 2 hours improvement year over year and lots of races under my bellt

8-A very methodical and detailed approach to race preparation (plan, nutrition, sleep, ...)

9-an excellent know-how of my Strengths & Weaknesses

10-A good base with above average Ironman endurance (I still feel "fresh" after the IM)

11-Great discipline

12-The ability to train around my weaknesses: substitute impact training (running) with skating and Nordic Ski in the winter and possibly roller blade in the summer (or running on treadmill and low impact trails at my work ) ; using elliptical rotors cranks and high cadence on the bike to compensate for my lack of strength (..)

13-Access to state of the art training facilities at the ETH (Polytechnique Zurich) for weight training and more (biking, swimming if need be...)

14-Time to train... and rest in 2010: I decided I will take an 80% position [not secured yet, I am discussing it with my company]

15-Some fundings. I have some savings and will try to raise a little bit of sponsorship from extended friends, families and companies I know in 2010.

16-The latter will help finance the equipment and the coaching needed to up my training and get from average Joe Ironman (I placed 256 out of 428 in Zurich in 2009) to being in the top 7 guys who qualify in Germany's 2nd Ironman Race.

17-A strong ethic. No drugs.

In order to start sharing with you my dream, I want to show you the type of bike I am testing in the next couple of weeks, to have a fighting chance to beat the top 35-39 triathlon guys riders from Germany. The bike you are going to see is a 10 years old prototype made by a Swiss Inventor, named Rudi (married to Dane, a lovely British woman) called the Cheetah. There are only 120 in the world. Although its design is 10 years old, Rudi has tinkered with it until it nearly reaches perfection... still today.

It has won 8 Ironman Women WorldChampionship in the last 14 years: for some odd reasons, maybe due to size? (this is a small bike with 650 cc wheels), men pros to my knowledge have never won Ironman races with it. Rudi was gentleman enough to lend me his personal bike (SN# 95) so I can get a feel for it. We are about the same average size, and it is a fantastic fit for me.

Since it is late, I will only upload a few photos of the bike tonight just to wet your appetite.

I will give you a review of the bike once I have time to test it seriously. What I can just say. Having tried it in Buswill (where Rudi and Dane live) for less than 30 min, it litterally took my breath away, and I was more than scared to ride it in the wind... because it takes side wind like a sail!! It is faster than I have ever been. And I believe that properly used, it will give the P4 (the newest and greatest TT production bike in the world from Cervelo) a serious run for its money. In 2007, Ironman Legend Natasha Badman rode it at IM South Africa, and she did the 9th best race of all competitors, theoretically earning prize money reserved to men...

Cheetah from the side. You see it... much lower profile and I believe, 3 cm longer than other bikes on the market.

Now you don't!!!

A beautiful wing shape

Everything is custom made (wheels, aero bar...)

Note the 1920 s like break combined with hydraulics.

To make it even lighter and aero...


Note the entry for the hydratation system (in the body of the bike)

The other opening is for a straw that reaches the rider (no moving)

What the competitors will see during the race

The rear break. The P4's one is more hidden in the frame.

Not sure if this is a big drawback though due to turbulences below the frame.

The vision you have of the road during the ride. You are so close, and it is so fast...

Just imagine yourself on this for 180 km. Isn t it crazy?

A very unique aerobar with the automatic gears ont he right (up / down)

Another view of the Cheetah "arrow piercing the wind"

Last but not least, the custom made carbon saddle. Comfortable and damm light.

To say the least, the only thing which is not arrow on this bike... is me!!! (the rider).

We ll take care of that in due time. :-)

Talk to you soon.

Mathieu

Congratulation to Chrissie Wellington

She won her third Ironman in a course record time.

Her final time of 8:54:02 for the 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike ride and 26.2 mile marathon was nearly 20 minutes faster than Australia’s Mirinda Carfrae and broke Paula Newby-Fraser’s mark of 8:55:28 set in 1992 as she finished 23rd overall passing many men pros.

This young woman (32 years old) is an inspiration to me in many ways, not least because she is the most smiling triathlete I have ever seen... and she is a wonderfull, and generous human being.

Check this out: Chrissie Wellington is freaking fast..

Also, a little bit about her Life.

Wikipedia article. Chrissie reflecting after her win at Ironman Hawai.

"Poverty, conflict, violence, crime, exclusion and so forth are not givens. They happen for a reason. We have the power to change things. And sport is one vehicle for doing so. It has the power to build bridges, to empower, to teach, to heal – this is what triathlon and every other sport should be about. I hope that I [...] can, in a small way, help to inspire people to take up sport, realise their own dreams and their full potential"

Park to Park Montana

I have been burdened with a lot of work this year, due to our SAP project implementation in Switzerland, and did not take the time to travel to Montana to support my friends from Casa. This is something I am not feeling right about. I will do better in the future.

In the meantime, If you are like me an avid rider and you Love biking adventure and supporting a good cause, check this out and put it in your agenda for next year (September 2010). It is a fabulous trip (see my comments from 2008) and you will not regret doing it.

Analysis of Obama's Nobel Peace Prize

Since this blog is about my Life's inspirations, (not only sport), I thought it would be ok to share with you my analysis of

Obama's early nomination to the Nobel Peace prize on October 9th which struck me as a surprise. I warn you that I am a supporter of Obama, however, I tried to remain balanced in my analysis of this event, which, to say the least is a controversial one.

1] Was it politically motivated?

Definitely yes, but not in the sense of Republican versus Democrats which is largely irrelevant on the world stage. In the history of the Nobel prize, as many Republicans as Democrats received it. However, it sends out a powerful message to support Obama's agenda towards peace. A message of hope and openness towards old adversaries, to repair the fracture between the Muslim world and the West, to fight global warming, further dialogues between Palestine and Israel, and prevent nuclear holocaust. In my mind, it is no coincidence if this Award will be given to Obama in Sweden on Dec 10, when the Global Summit on Climate Change conclusions will be reached in Coppenhagen between December 7 and December 18th... My bet is Obama will fly to both.

2] Does it reward Obama's accomplishments over the last 9 months?

Deinitely yes. Obama's symbolic achievements have been enormous. Who could have imagined that a black US President would be elected, sit in Cairo, praising the value of Islam and offering peace to the middle east after 9/11 and 8 years of Bush's bully foreign policies with the prospect of a scary religious confrontation between 2 billion Muslims and 2 billion Christians? We should not underestimate the power of words. Leaders have more influence (positive or negative) through speeches that through acts in the short term, because their message gets amplified and repeated in the media shaping our consciousness and behaviors. Acts are harder because they need to be executed via many governments bodies which suffer from inertia (see the recent counter productive role of the US negotiators in the Global Climate Change). Some contend that speeches have no impact in international politics, if they are not followed by acts, which in the long run must be true. However, a vision must be set by Leaders for acts to follow.

3) Was it deserved? Was the timing right?

The Nobel Peace prize does not only recognize concrete achievements, it also recognize efforts towards making the world a better place. For instance, the Burma 1991 Nobel peace prize, Aung San Suu Kyi, has not freed her country from its dictatorship yet. However, she has set a path for her citizen towards democracy and national reconciliation. When Bangladeshi economist Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank received in 2006 the Nobel Peace prize, it is not because they put an end to poverty. It is because they gave hope and a better life to millions of people via access through micro credit. Obama gave hope to billions of people around the world, that we could go beyond our differences, respect each others and find peace, without giving up on our values or appearing to be weak. This vision has started a chain of events towards finding solutions to several conflicts on the Global stage, be it the nuclear arm race, global warming, Iran, or Israel-Palestine conflict by re-engaging the US Administration as a player in the concert of nations. Although it will take time to bear fruits and more effort that just the US President star power to solve the most intricate ones, in that sense, it was deserved. The question of timing remains, but giving it in 2010 is definitely better than giving it in 2011 for two reasons. 1 It puts some pressure now on the US Administration to deliver on its promises. 2 It avoids to mingle with US politics a year before the 2012 election.

4) What is the impact of this award?

This is the $1.4 million dollar question. (the reward amount, which, by the way, will be given to charity).

1 - World stage

(+) It makes Obama even more into a symbolic moral authority figure, a tough act to follow when you manage the first power in the world. It puts the US back on its leadership course, as a beacon of Democracy. It maximize Obama's star power and influence over other leaders and his own administration. The US international policy, led by somebody of the caliber of Hillary Clinton (whether we like her or not, we must recognize her leadership, intelligence and sheer determination) will be in the best position to convince other world leaders to be on the right site of history instead of following their petty short term interests (thinking of the Israel / Palestine conflict for instance). You can already see some of that in the signing of the peace agreement between Armenia and Turkey which just happened this w-e in Zurich, just a few blocks from my home at the ETH University not least without the influence of Obama and the hard work of Hillary. I also think this will have an impact on the US Aministration on Global Climate Change esp. if Obama goes to Copenhaguen in December after receiving his prize.

(-) On the other hand, it might tie his hands and put in an odd spot. How he is going to deal with the Talibans in Afghanistan? Can he send more troups there if this is the right thing to do? I am not an expert on this very complex part of the world and do not know if there is a solution to the complex equation between the Talibans, Al-Quaeda, Pakistan, India, and maybe corrupt? Afghan Political leaders. How can he react with Israel who has a history of ignoring the freezing of the settlements in Palestine despite repeat requests from Clinton, Bush and Obama? The situation in Irak? Having the Nobel Peace prize is not a guarantee for success, but at least some of the ingredients for the recipe are there. If Israel passes on this historic peace opportunity, I do not know if it deserves long term to be supported (military and economically speaking) by the West anymore because it would become a major reason (Iran being the other one) for the instability in the Middle East. Last but not least, by upping the ante for Obama with a Nobel Prize, there is also a greater risk for disapointment if acts and success do not follow.

2- USA

I do not believe that this will have any significant impact on the vote in 2012 because my belief is that the average Joe in America doesn t care about the Nobel Peace Prize, but will judge Obama solely based on his economic records at home. If any, this would have an influence on the Republican party to present a decent candidate and take the higher ground in politics instead of smear tactics, which is a good thing for the US Democracy. I praise John Mc Cain for saying: “we, as American are proud when the American President receives the Nobel Peace Prize”. As much as I support Obama, I believe the Republican party could win, if it presents a winning ticket in 2012 sticking to the best of the Conservative values. It will be interesting to see how hard core Republicans react to this nomination. For that, check out for the article in Conservapidia about Obama.

3 - Obama as a human being

It must feel good to see that your efforts are being noticed and that you have a coalition of the willing, out there to support you to make the world a better place. The risk for Obama is to bask in the glory of foreign politics and lose sight of internal politics and basic economics where his political survival is at stake. The other risk is to feel the pressure, lose patience and start making mistakes to push an unrealistic agenda for his own Administration to carry through. I hope Michelle and trusted advisors will help him to stay in touch with reality.

Conclusion:

I commend the Nobel Comity for their choice. It is a courageous and controversial one that will no doubt offer flank for criticism, although I believe that it will be justified in the long run. My intuition is that people fail to grasp we are dealing with a very troubled and complicated world in which we desperately need for inspiration. Democracy and Peace are not something we can take for granted. It is something to fight for. This is what the Nobel Peace Prize is about. Supporting inspirational people who carry an agenda for a more Peaceful world.

History will be the sole judge if the timing was right. 2010 will be the time to deliver some concrete results starting in Coppenhaguen on Global Warming in Dec. 2009. In any case, I admire Obama for his courage and pray that he is well protected and keep his famous cool under pressure. What an amazing man, and an amazing time for an amazing country.

I am proud to be an American.

Mathieu