By Cameron Elford
Oct. 17, 2006 -- No, he's not making a comeback prompted by a last-minute change of heart, but few athletes know the Kona course and field as well as three-time Ironman world champion Peter Reid. Following his retirement last May, Reid has stepped back from the sport and has channeled his energy into working toward his pilot's license. Still, despite Reid's hectic flying and and classroom schedule, Triathlete caught up with him a few weeks ago to get his take on the 2006 Hawaii Ironman. This article first appreared in the November issue of Triathlete.
In May, three-time Ironman world champion Peter Reid decided to retire from triathlon after a decade at the top of the sport. Although he won't be in the mix in Kona this October, few athletes are as attuned to the dynamics of the Hawaii Ironman as Reid. Beginning in 1996, when Reid broke through with a fourth-place Hawaii finish, he has raced the 140.6-mile contest with equal parts heart and head, feeding off the island's powerful energy and judiciously drawing down his tremendous reservoir of physical and mental strength while closely monitoring each attack and counterattack and watching his competitors for signs of weakness. This October 21, however, Reid won't be in the hunt for a fourth win; however, he will be working an aid station in the energy lab. Triathlete was able to catch up with Reid to get his thoughts on how the 2006 Ford Ironman World Championship could unfold.
Triathlete: So Pete, give us your thoughts on the 2006 Hawaii Ironman. Who would you be scared of if you were you racing this October?
Peter Reid: Everyone looks at what people have been doing this year and make predictions based on that. I look at how people raced last year and kind of follow what they did this year and then make an evaluation. That's how I've always evaluated race-day performance in Kona. Looking at last year's race and what people have done this year, my two clear favorites [among the men's race] are Faris Al-Sultan and Chris McCormack. I never would've picked McCormack, but I saw the way he raced last year; I saw the look in his eye after he crossed the finish line. He had this look like, "I know what I need to do. I think I can win this race now." Before, he was like, "I'm going to nail this thing." Then, the last few years he was, "I don't know what I'm doing wrong." But last year he just seemed to have this look like he was getting that race, and I remember thinking, "That dude's going to be scary next year." The cockiness is gone; he's respecting the course, and he's starting to get it.
Faris has definitely got it, and I think that's why he's been a bit under the radar this year. He has a firm grasp of what it takes, not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. He knows the amount of work that needs to be done, and he's been saving himself all year for the work he needs to do right now-and he's got the mental focus. If it's a really tough weather day, I'd give Faris the upper hand. He can take anything thrown at him.
Those are the two guys I'd be really worried about this year.
Triathlete: What about the dynamic of the race. Do you think it will play itself out any differently now that you're not in the mix?
Peter Reid: I think it will be the same this year as it was last year. If Chris McCormack had biked [in 2005] the way he normally bikes he would've been ahead of me off the bike, and he would've been chasing down Faris. Chris had a horrible bike last year and had an amazing run.
It's going to be a strong swim, a steady bike and then let's bring it on on the run. I'll be curious to see who has the balls to do what I did last year [by taking a flier on the bike on the way back from the Hawi turnaround]. If you're in no-man's-land or in the wrong pack then you need to risk it and get up there.
Triathlete: OK, so what about the strong bikers, like Normann Stadler, who won in 2004 but flatted out last year?
Peter Reid: Normann is a classic Thomas Hellriegel. In 2004 he had the race of his life, and he'll be a top-five guy this year, but he'll never be on top again because he's a marked guy. I don't want to say flash in the pan because Thomas was always a factor, but if Stadler has a great race this year he might place fifth. He can't run, and, as we saw last year, he can crack on race day. I hate to say it, but in 2004 he kind of got lucky. We all let him go. We thought he was going to be a non-factor but he rode away from the field and he won the race. That happens every few years. The last time someone did that before Thomas [Hellriegel, in 1997] was Scott Molina back in the late 1980s.
Triathlete: Are there any others lurking that you see as a threat to win?
Peter Reid: Cameron Brown, [but] Cameron doesn't take risks. He doesn't go out and attack. I think the race could be handed to him by his sitting back and guys fading and he wins. He's not a guy who's going to take a chance. He can definitely win, but something has to happen in the race where people falter.
My other question mark is Tim DeBoom. Does he have the mental strength? The last few years he's been cracking, but on the talent meter he can easily win. But where's his mental focus? How bad does he want it? He's won it twice, and he's very comfortable with winning it twice. Something needs to piss him off-something needs to happen for him to go, "No, dammit. This is my baby." Like Luke Bell-he and Tim understand the race, they respect the race but they're missing this mental thing.
Triathlete: OK, what about a guy like Cam Widoff? He had a great race last year.
Peter Reid: I think that Cam will be top American again-unless Tim can get his mental strength together. After last year, I think Cam got overlooked by a lot of people. What he did on race day was stellar, and his report card for the Hawaii Ironman is pretty good. He'll be a player, but I don't think he can crack top three. I think he trains for an eight-hour race. He needs to train for a nine-hour race so he can attack the last hour. Cam definitely faded the last hour last year. He caught up to me on the run, and then we ran the same pace, but when I picked it up a little bit and he totally faded. He seems to always fade in the last hour.
Triathlete: Do you see Belgium's Rutger Beke as a threat this year?
Peter Reid: His weakness in Hawaii has been his swimming. If he can come out of the water and have contact with the lead guys he can win, but Rutger will need some of the stars to align. He'll need things to fall into place to favor his style of racing.
Triathlete: What about the women's race. Any favorites?
Peter Reid: Clear favorite is obviously Natascha. I consider her the new Paula Newby-Fraser of the sport. Michellie [Jones] was pretty beat up after last year, and it was a very easy year in terms of conditions. If it's a really hot and tough race, I think she's going to be in shock at how hard it is.
Triathlete: But that was Michellie's first time in Hawaii, and to come in second and only two minutes behind Natascha was pretty impressive. You don't think that now she's laid a bit of the groundwork she may have a better shot at toppling Natascha?
Peter Reid: It might be a little bit like Simon Lessing [who, according to Reid, paid a heavy mental price for his first Ironman win, in Lake Placid in 2004]. She knows where her body's going to end up for her to win, and it's a hard place to go back to. A person a lot of people have written off is Lori [Bowden]. Lori's not afraid to go into that world [of suffering]. She knows the work that needs to be done, and she'll do it. How many years have I had horrible races all year long and then nailed Hawaii? She's banking on that. She's thinking, "Go ahead, write me off, and let's see what happens in Kona." Not even Natascha is as genetically blessed to do Ironman as Lori.
My top two are definitely Natascha and Lori. Michellie is up there is it's an easy day; if it's an easy day like last year I think she'll win. Another girl who might place top three is Desiree [Ficker]. I've e-mailed quite a bit with her this year, and she asks all the right questions. When you get an e-mail from someone and they're asking certain questions, you know it's just a matter of time before they figure it out. I think she's still one or two years away [from challenging for the win], but I think she has top-three potential this year.
Triathlete: Lisa Bentley is about as tough as they come. Do you see her as a potential threat?
Peter Reid: Lisa's doing Ironman Canada again this year, and she races hard all the way from January to October-you can't win Hawaii that way. She'll be a top five, but she won't crack top three. She just goes hard all year round, and you need a super-human performance to win Kona. You have to take an off-season in the middle of the summer before getting ready for Hawaii. That's her weakness. She's not willing to let go of other races to win Hawaii. She's a tough bugger though.