Legends of the Lava
By TJ Murphy
Triathlon greats gather at the Royal Kona Inn and serve up storytelling and race advice for athletes, and Dave Scott tells announces his intention to race Hawaii in 2008.
Oct. 10, 2007 -- A gathering of triathlon greats assembled for a question and answer session with fans and racers at the Royal Kona Inn this morning, and the ensuing get-together produced a rich mix of pre-race advice and stories from the past. This included a declaration by one of the original stars to make a return to the Hawaii Ironman starting line next year.
Eight-time Hawaii Ironman Paula Newby-Fraser and two six-time Hawaii Ironman champions, Dave Scott and Mark Allen, were joined by Belinda Granger, Ironman Lake Placid champion, Chris Legh, Ironman Coeur d'Alene champ and winner of multiple 70.3 events, and Lance Watson, coach of Ironman champ Lisa Bentley and Olympic gold medalist Lisa Bentley.
The panelists answered questions posed by the host, race announcer Don Ryder, and members of the audience.
On the subject of tapering during race week, Allen said beware of getting caught up in the Ali'i Drive "posing contest" that happens every year on the primary training road near the village, when athletes turn what should be tune up runs into hard tempo runs.
Lance Watson said, "If I can give you one piece of advice, my one piece of advice would be to try and [above all] finish the race." Watson also said to be careful not to lose perspective about the race itself, suggesting to enjoy the achievement of having qualified for Kona. "Be sure to step back and stop and smell the roses," Watson said.
Dave Scott was asked about what should constitute a smart pre-race dinner. Scott said that one of the most key aspects of pre-race nutrition is to start setting your dinnertime earlier when you get within two days of race time. "If you eat your dinner at 9:30, 10 o'clock at night before the race start, and you're getting up at early to eat breakfast before the race start," you're setting yourself up for trouble, Scott said. "I believe you should have least a ten-hour transit time between your dinner and your pre-race breakfast so your stomach has a chance to digest the food."
Scott also said, "Don't gorge yourself," recommending that athletes spread out their consumption of calories throughout the day before the race rather than stuff down a massive last meal.
Several on the panel urged to racers that one mistake they should avoid is altering their diet a great deal. Stick to what you know works for you. Scott said, for example, that if your body is used to getting protein from chicken in your pre-race diet, keep getting it from chicken.
A young woman asked Belinda Granger to discuss the challenge of biking against and through the strong winds that Kona is famous for. Granger said, "It's hard for everyone.... But you're right, if you're a small person, it's pointless to try and spin your way through a headwind." Granger said it's best to use a larger gear, stay relaxed and in a good position on the bike, and calmly work your way through it.
Paula Newby-Fraser said that a good technique to employ is making sure your bodyweight distribution is focused on the front of the bike. "The automatic reaction [to a strong headwind] is to sit up. Look at how Natascha Badmann rides: Almost all of her weight is centered on the front wheel. It's counter-intuitive to do this, but it helps stabilize your riding in windy conditions. "
Nearly everyone on the panel made a contribution to a discussion on the use of an aero helmet in an Ironman. Chris Legh said that an aero helmet can be as valuable in cutting through the air as a front wheel can, but a problem arises from the heat buildup for the athlete that can occur, compared to helmets less aero but with more ventilation. Granger [who uses a full aero helmet] added that an aero helmet can do wonders but only if you ride correctly. "If you do things like looking up and moving around on the bike a lot-moving in and out of the aero position-it's not going to do you any good." Dave Scott said that he feels that a triathlete racing an Ironman shouldn't religiously stick in the aero position throughout the 112-mile bike leg. "You want to stand up a stretch from time to time," he suggested.
Dave Scott was asked about the problem of gulping down too much seawater during the swim. Scott said that he felt that the greater problem was getting seasick from chop and swell. If you do, Scott says it's a good idea to stop swimming for a moment and look up at the sky, a technique he says will help recalibrate your balance. "Look at the sky and take several slow, deep breathes of air."
According to Scott, athletes often get sick on the bike course because they take in too many calories in the time between exiting the water and in the early stage of the second leg of the race. "I really believe that you should skip the first aid station altogether, and during that time let your body and heart rate adjust to the race."
Legh told a story related to this point about how he had once been counseled to take in 1000 calories of energy before reaching the airport on the Queen K, an early segment of the bike leg. Legh said that he would exit the water and be pushing hard to try and catch up with the leaders, all the while trying to cram down 1000 calories. "My heart rate would be at 200, and the leaders were probably riding at 120." Legh feels that that's the way to do it: ease into the race and be patient with your nutrition.
One question was directed toward Newby-Fraser, Scott and Allen: With all the improvements in technology, training science and nutrition, why aren't we seeing faster winning times in the Hawaii Ironman as compared to the times of the past? The question was relevant, in particular, to the 8:09:08 recorded by Allen in his first Kona victory, in 1989, over Dave Scott in what is often referred to as the "Iron War." In the women's division, Newby-Fraser retains the Hawaii world record---8:55:28---from her 1993 race.
Allen said that, for one thing, back in the 1980s, the number of races available to compete in was considerably less than it is now. "We raced everything we could." Allen suggested that what sharpened his speed was training for and racing hard in Olympic-distance length races, and that the short-course speed carried over to better speeds in long-course racing. "When I showed up for USTS Chicago [an Olympic-distance race] I was fully prepped for that distance. Today the Ironman athletes are much more specialized for that distance, and they may not have quite the base of speed going into the race like we did in 1989."
Both Allen and Scott implied that a reason for the disparity, in part, maybe a matter of expectation. "The way I looked at it, I figured that Dave Scott was capable, on his best day, of a 7:45, so I felt I had to be in sub-8-hour shape to beat him. Now, that fitness never translated into actual race times-it's rare that you'll have your ideal day here-but I don't think the athletes now are training to be at that level."
Scott added, "I felt that when I was capable of running sub-six-minute pace for the marathon. In 1989, they wove in transitions into our splits, so Mark actually ran a 2:38:50 and I ran 2:39:50 [their officially recorded times for the marathon leg in 1989 were, respectively, 2:40:04 and 2:41:03].
"I think the athletes in the men's race now are complacent," Scott continued, stating that he's not seeing many guys "stick their neck out" during the race, choosing instead to play it safe.
"When I see guys get off the bike together and then, within two miles, are split apart by a kilometer, I think, 'What is wrong with their training?'"
Scott also said that the training that made the difference for him in having a good run after a hard bike was strength and flexibility. "You need to show up to Kona lean as possible and with a high strength-to-weight ratio."
Chris Legh's answer to the question drew laughter from the crowd: "Essentially, we're pussies."
Newby-Fraser said that she thinks that the accumulation of knowledge and technology, used in coaching and otherwise, was a "double-edged" sword, and that in a certain way coaching can unwittingly restrain the release of talent. "We do need guidelines on how to train and race. But when I first came to San Diego we didn't have coaches. We trained intuitively, and we didn't know any better. Ignorance can be bliss. The best athletes were living and training in San Diego and I just hung on with them in training as long as I could. We didn't use heart-rate monitors. I think one athlete that reminds me of that is Faris Al-Sultan [the 2005 Hawaii Ironman men's world champion]. Faris would come here and go off the front in the race and just hang on as long as he could until he blew up. Every year he could hang on longer, and then he won it."
Newby-Fraser, Allen and Scott were asked if they would ever return to race the Hawaii Ironman.
Newby-Fraser said that she loves the life she lives now and is enjoying it too much. "I don't have the desire to get up early and do any more five-hour bike rides."
Dave Scott says that he is interested in racing Hawaii again, and that he plans to next year.
With "the gauntlet thrown down," as Don Ryder put it, would Mark Allen take up the challenge?
Allen---who said that he too, like Paula, was content in his retirement---offered to Dave, "Well, if you need some good coaching..."