Challenge Roth. Where to start ? First of all I think it's just an amazing event. Yeah I was really amazed by just the culture and how I guess Felix and his family have elevated the game in terms of just event in general, events in sport. And I highly recommend any participant or fan to go and to do the race or watch it. It just goes to show how if you look bigger, than in your own lifetime, how big something can become and I think he works so hard through passion and they've just created this culture in the sport which is second to none and it makes the pros want to come back I think,
and that's why the field was so good this year. Yeah, as to my own performance, I'm clearly very disappointed. This is the first time I've injured myself in a race. But if I'm honest with myself, I probably, well,
I know, I wouldn't have beaten Magnus even, even if I didn't get the injury. It was like my second biggest goal for the year
after the World Champs in Nice. And, it's really difficult when you've been working the whole winter really hard. And suddenly you get 10 weeks out from Nice
and you rip your calf muscle. Yeah. So I'm trying to stay positive
but it was a tough day out there. I took the swim out really hard so I probably swam the first 700m at the front, and then I kind of could feel that Daniel
was behind me so I let him take a turn. And then we kind of took turns with Ben Kanute and Daniel. It was good. The dynamic was good. I didn't know if Magnus was in the group or not,
I knew Patrick was, I saw him. But yeah, the main question was if
Magnus would be there or not. But to be honest, even if Magnus wasn't in the first group, I don't think it would have changed that much, you know. And then, yeah. So I came out of the water with the first guys, I think there were six or seven of us. And very quickly Magnus set the pace. I think he definitely wanted to break away on his own and for about 20 30k people were just yoyoing off the back. I was trying to really keep the distance from Magnus. I didn't want to… I really didn't want to draft and use him. And I think looking back at all the videos and stuff most at a time, I'm Further than 20 meters away, you know? So, I can’t say the same for all athletes. So although I think Magnus was stronger on the bike, and we did help each other. It was still, it was still a very fair and honest ride. It was the most amazing ride I've ever done. And just in terms of speed like how fast we were going and how fast Magnus can go, it's pretty insane. and of course, people think it's equipment. And that explains why we've gotten faster and faster and faster, but this was quite a big jump. Already last year Frodeno and Magnus broke the record. And then this year, we both go and go
four minutes quicker again. So It was a big step forward and it was very difficult, you know, people think… I don't know that I overpaced the bike but my numbers were pretty close to Hawaii. And that was okay in Hawaii, you know, I got to the end. But yeah, my lead up had not been so good and I was actually really confident in my running and not so much in my cycling. And turns out much like my ride was quite good with Magnus but the run was, the run was... Yeah, I don't know what to say I think,
I just, I couldn't exploit my running ability because I’d left so much out there on the bike. Mainly because I just hadn't trained how
I wanted to for those previous four weeks. But, It's difficult. You know, I have commitments, I have to show up at these races. Not just for my partners, for the fans
but also just for me, you know, I need to do my job at the end of the day
and racing is what I like to do. And so yeah, then we set off on the run with Magnus. I think we had a 12 minute lead or something, And, I felt okay, like I could feel my calf was a little bit, a little bit tight
but nothing, nothing major. And I was really ready to just run with Magnus the whole way. and hopefully break him on the final climb. But I wasn't even in contention,
my energy levels went pretty low again which I think I have become slightly
less efficient on the bike recently. Metabolically speaking. And, then about 10km my calf got really, really bad. And then I walked a bit, tried to stretch it out
and it just wasn't getting any better. So… but then I kind of realised that the damage was done. And that rather I jogged or walked or ran, it was just painful you know, it didn't make any difference. Even if I were to walk the rest, it still would have hurt. So I did my best to get to the end. But yeah, it wasn't, it wasn't pretty and it was a very slow marathon. I did three hours. So I'm, I guess I'm happy with myself that I finished but not so much that... Yeah, I don't know. In some sense, I'm not so happy that I finished because now I'm injured. So maybe I could have avoided that. But yeah, it was a great day to witness. I'll definitely be back. I think my health after Lanzarote with my liver infection and stuff just kind of like messed up the whole system and we tried to get it back on track with my doctor quite quickly, and we did. You know, when you do have a living infection it can take a lot longer than that. and I also maybe kind of trained through it a little bit too hard rather than relaxing. So I was trying, I was often doing one day of a good training and then suffering for three or four days just by lack of energy and not feeling great. So, I was definitely underconfident. I think I'd also put a lot of pressure on myself to deliver in Roth. As yeah, it's the second like after Kona if I was to win one race, that would be it, you know. So I remember one week out from the race,
I was really not in a good place mentally. I was like, I don't know, really, really depressed. I went now on the ride and just like, cried my eyes out for an hour and a half. And I was thinking “How the hell am I going to make it to Roth?” So, in some sense, I'm happy that I got there and just kind of tried to do the best I could, but as I said before it's difficult because you're in this bad situation where you want to always go to races
where only when you feel prepared. But on the other hand, it's your job
to go to these biggest races in the world, so, yeah, It was a tough road to Roth. But yeah, I mean, I've been there before and I'll be there again. So, you live and learn! For sure. Magnus raised the bar, you know,
he had that perfect race. Not saying he can't necessarily get faster, but there was nothing wrong, you know, in what he did. It was… to ride like that and to run a 2h37, It's insane. And he also had a great swim. yeah, I mean, I think it was inevitable. I've followed Magnus for a while and you know, he's quite recent to the sport and he's
just kind of a freak of nature, you know, he's huge and has this big engine and just loves training
and he doesn't need much else. And that's what makes them so good. And seeing Daniela perform like that after having
a bit of a wobbler in Kona last year, I think it just shows what a true Champion she is. She is the greatest the sport has ever seen
whether it's male or female, I believe. I mean… I think what shines through more is her mental strength. That's what's got her to where she is today. Because she showed on a bad day, she isn't the best you know so it's not, I don't think it is just pure talent with her. It is something, it's a mindset, she's developed over years and yeah, it's truly, truly inspiring. Before the race, of course,
my goal was to win but given the circumstances… I remember, even saying to my girlfriend that
“the chances of me winning here are pretty slim” just by the preparation that hadn't gone to plan. And I think I was in this bad state of… I've been scared, you know, I was just scared of. I was especially scared of the bike.
I wasn't scared of other people. I was just scared of not being able to do my best numbers.. I'm also really happy to have done the race because
I think I'm probably the only guy in that race who believes he can beat Magnus. I think. Speaking to everybody else after the race, they're just like “How is this guy beatable?” But I generally believe that he is. We are all human and we all have
our own difficulties and strengths and yeah, I mean I'm a better swimmer. And I can ride with the guy. I can ride faster than the guy. I mean, I proved that in Kona. And then my running is, I just need to get out into the marathon, being able to exploit my run capabilities which I haven't managed to do yet, you know. Both my coach and my training partner even, and everybody believes that I can run close to 2h35. But I just haven't, I haven't found the key to unlock that marathon yet. So, yeah, I believe he's beatable
but I also believe that the next few years, especially in Kona and the big races, there will always be big battles between me and Magnus and of course, it is maybe pretentious to say that given that he absolutely smashed me in Roth, but I, I believe I can beat him, yeah. I try to win and I'm not scared of losing. Otherwise I would race very conservatively and I just try and get podiums or fourth places or fifth places, you know, it's not. That's not what I come to do. I come to see how far I can go. And see what it takes to win you know,
when you race at the front, you know what it takes to win. In some ways it has paid off
because I’ve come second in Kona. But that's the only Ironman where the stars were aligned, let's say, and I know days like that will happen again. But I'm yeah, I’m just trying to push my body as far
as it can and win the race. And yeah, but to people who say that I overpaced it, not really because as I said, in Kona I had the same wattage pretty much and ran at 2h42, 2h44, I can’t remember, on a much harder and hotter day. So yeah, I think it's possible, otherwise I wouldn’t have the second fastest time in Kona history. I think I just wasn't ready.
I wasn't prepared enough to win, I tried to win and so yeah I haven't really got any regrets which I normally always do. So yeah, I guess that's the positive. In Lanzarote, I DNFed because I simply couldn't. My body wouldn't allow me to go any further. I was in a really, really bad state and here it was very different. I just hadn’t got over that health issue and
hadn't trained how I wanted. And so your body, it's just not firing on all cylinders. I always try to give my very best now. And unfortunately sometimes that is a DNF, you know. That's just the truth. You can say that “I never want to DNF” but I don't know, you could, you could like, I don't know, snap, your tendon or something, and not finish. I’ll always try and give my best but you also have to see where the line is, you know, in terms of making sure you stay healthy. I guess I don't know. I've learnt that. If you go to a big race like this,
you have to, you have to be prepared. Just otherwise you may as well not go. Although I'm happy to have gone, you know, for the experience and just know what Roth is all about. And then I'm also happy to know that even on minimal cycling, you know, I can ride with the best in the world. So, yeah, in some sense, I'm excited. But then of course, it's really difficult to be excited when you can't really train because you've torn your muscles. So, We'll see. It's always that good or bad thing, you know, maybe I'm taking a step back to take one forward
to get to Nice in a good place. But yeah, it's going to be pretty short notice and especially these PTO races as well that I wanted to do well at. Well, they're gonna be, it is more about
just getting to the start line, you know? And I don't think there is any way I'm going to be able to contend for a podium in these PTO races because well I'm not, I'm not a runner and I can't run. So it's pretty simple. If I don't run,
I get bad and after running a lot you get good. So that is going to be out of the equation but yeah,
hopefully for Nice we can try and find some form. So, we're here. Just having a chill out day at the beach. Filming this recap. And we thought, we could give you some tips
to not blow up in an Ironman like me. So this will be five tips to not be as shit as Sam Laidlow. Tip number one, don’t eat too much ice cream. Tip number two. Pacing. Don't set out, flat out, like I do. Because there's no race dynamics, not as many in age group racing. You just have to go at your own pace. So stick to your wattage.
Make a plan before and make sure it's a feasible plan. Too many people think they can suddenly hold 250 watts in an Ironman even though they've never done it in training. So Yeah. Tip number two is, make sure you pace it well. Tip number three. On the swim, the goal isn't to go as fast as possible. It's a very long day, an Ironman,
so try and be as efficient as possible, as relaxed as possible, because chances are, if you try to swim hard and lose lots of energy, you're probably only go like a minute or too faster than you would if you go really relaxed and some people even go faster if they do relax. Try and just lose a little energy as possible. You are only going to spend probably an hour in the water but a lot more on the bike and run. So relax on the swim. Tip number four. Too many people focus on aero when
they should be focusing on comfort. Aero is important but often I see people in very aggressive positions but like, they'll have their number flapping about and gels and everything in every single pocket. So, it's a compromise between being aero and comfortable
but I would always prioritise Comfort. If you look at both me and Magnus in Roth, we probably have some of the most upright positions. So power is still super important. Tip number five. Fuelling. Super important because you can do all the training in the world, but if you don't fuel well or hydrate well during your race
you probably are not going to do well. Make sure you set out a clear strategy. Depends on the people. But I would aim for a minimum of maybe 70 to 80 grams of carbohydrate an hour. I take about 130 on the bike, maybe more like 80 on the run. So yeah, make sure you write a clear strategy. You can even print out a little paper and stick it on your frame. So then, you know exactly when to eat and drink. And same for hydration strategy. Make sure you separate your hydration from your fuelling. Lots of people will put their powder into the bottle but make sure you count them as calories and not so much as liquid because sometimes if there's too much carbohydrate in the bottle, your body doesn't necessarily think it's fluid. So I would recommend having your hydration with your electrolytes or just water, and then also the fuel in two different bottles
and having a clear plan. Tip number six, always twerk at the finish line. Okay, as you know guys, my last race didn't go to plan. So, I found a cliff and yeah, I'm just going to jump off. And see where life takes me, you know. So I don't see you again. I love you all my YouTuber fans. My girlfriend, my “Videograph”. I love you. And yeah, see ya ! I am back from the dead. Ready to conquer my next Ironman. I am still alive.
