04/20/09
Cultural Revolution! ironguides Warriors Turn the Tables with Two Overall WINS and Four Top 3 Overall at IM China and 70.3
The Good Times keep on rollin' in 2009 as ironguides athletes Charlotte Paul and Amanda Balding win IM China and IM China 70.3. Joszef Major and Mark Jansen place 3rd overall respectively in the Men's races.
Category: results
Posted by: Vinnie
The times they are a-changin' in our little sport, and this weekend the Good Times took it to the people's democratic republic of triathlon! ironguides athletes rampaged through the streets of China on Sunday, taking top spots in the women's races at Ironman China and Ironman China 70.3, and third overall at both of the men's races.
It seems like the tougher the conditions get, the more our little community of ironguides athletes respond by digging deeper than ordinary, setting extraordinary examples of what motivated people can achieve. A quick summary of results from our athletes does each of us proud, as our weekend performers are coached by three different coaches, all applying the same Method to their athletes' training. It's amazing what direction internal reference points can provide...when the going gets tough!
Paul Duffy - One of many remarkable people we coach, Paul is father of three and works a very demanding job in Singapore with limited time to train. He's also a survivor of brain cancer, and took up Ironman to prove his prognosis wrong. Told he had only seven years to live, he makes Ironman his proof positive that you don't let the ordinary rule your life if you want to live extraordinarily. After a PB earlier in the year at IM Malaysia, Paul raced an equally strong race at Singapore 70.3 to put the finishing touches on his IM China preparations. The result, a top finish in the M40-44 -- and a slot to the Big Kahuna in Kona this October. Paul will be joining an increasingly lonnnngggg list of ironguides athletes on Alii Drive this fall.
Charlotte Paul - Wins the Women's Overall at the Ironman race, coming in fifth overall with the fastest run split of men and women! Charlotte's marching to the beat of her own drummer these days after casting off the heart rate monitor, ditching the lactate testing and gunning for five Ironman finishes in 2009. IM China is her second IM win, with a 3rd overall at IM New Zealand last month and a 2nd overall at IM Western Australia in December 2008.
Amanda Balding - Wins the Women's Overall at the Ironman 70.3 race -- Amanda took 40mins off her IM PB at Ironman Florida last year and really nailed the tough conditions on Sunday in China.
Joszef Major - Places third Overall in the Men's at the Ironman race - on a borrowed bike after his Argon is held in customs. Joszef remained calm and focused as the hours to the bike check-in drew nearer and nearer, and still no bike in sight! Race Director Murphy Reinschreiber and Expo participant Orbea Cycles kindly offered their assistance, when Joszef's sponsor Argon managed to throw a last-minute Hail Mary pass to Joszef and get in an Ersatzbike in the nick of time. Riding on his substitute Joszef patiently persevered in the 45C temperatures to make the podium.
Mark Jansen - Age Group athlete places third Overall in the Men's at the Ironman 70.3 race! Mark's coming off a 40 minute PB at Ironman Malaysia earlier this year, having switched his training from standard zone-based monotony to the dulcet tones of The Method, with Coach Kristian Manietta guiding Mark in his progress. Look for much more from this Age Group champion knocking on the door of some established professional reputations. There's a hard wind a gonna blow...
Neil Franks - Wins the Men's 50-54 at the Ironman 70.3 race...what can we say about Neil?! After many frustrations with the quality of coaching available to him in Singapore, Neil sought out ironguides to make better use of his training time in his preparations for his first Ironman in New Zealand in March. The results tell it all, with a sub-12 hour first-time IM in the M50-54 category, and multiple podium finishes in his 70.3 outings to date! Congratulations Neil, it is a fun way to launch one's retirement!
June Liew - Was meant to race in IM Malaysia but what seemed like a common cold, was a virus that saw fluid on the lungs and hospitalisation. June focused on recovery and then got to the start line of IM China feeling good. June soldiered on in the heat to a 14:13 finish -- more details to follow.
Julian Hudson - While not setting anywhere near the time he would have liked, Julian let go of a time goal and focused on his race and believed it was his best performance and best placing to date. Julian posted the 5th fastest bike which is not bad given 3 pros in the field! Julian also said that even living in Singapore didnt and couldnt come close to preparing him for the extreme conditions on the day!
There's a cultural revolution going on in triathlon these days as athletes around the world realize that the promises of the heart rate monitor, the power meter, and lactate testing make no difference if the underlying training plan isn't structured properly, or if the coach or their training program lack a basic understanding of the functions of the human body, the human spirit and the human heart. In fact, the tools and the perspective and approach they foster can be downright detrimental to health and performance as athlete after athlete tells us...
It seems like the tougher the conditions get, the more our little community of ironguides athletes respond by digging deeper than ordinary, setting extraordinary examples of what motivated people can achieve. A quick summary of results from our athletes does each of us proud, as our weekend performers are coached by three different coaches, all applying the same Method to their athletes' training. It's amazing what direction internal reference points can provide...when the going gets tough!
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Paul Duffy - One of many remarkable people we coach, Paul is father of three and works a very demanding job in Singapore with limited time to train. He's also a survivor of brain cancer, and took up Ironman to prove his prognosis wrong. Told he had only seven years to live, he makes Ironman his proof positive that you don't let the ordinary rule your life if you want to live extraordinarily. After a PB earlier in the year at IM Malaysia, Paul raced an equally strong race at Singapore 70.3 to put the finishing touches on his IM China preparations. The result, a top finish in the M40-44 -- and a slot to the Big Kahuna in Kona this October. Paul will be joining an increasingly lonnnngggg list of ironguides athletes on Alii Drive this fall.
Charlotte Paul - Wins the Women's Overall at the Ironman race, coming in fifth overall with the fastest run split of men and women! Charlotte's marching to the beat of her own drummer these days after casting off the heart rate monitor, ditching the lactate testing and gunning for five Ironman finishes in 2009. IM China is her second IM win, with a 3rd overall at IM New Zealand last month and a 2nd overall at IM Western Australia in December 2008.
Amanda Balding - Wins the Women's Overall at the Ironman 70.3 race -- Amanda took 40mins off her IM PB at Ironman Florida last year and really nailed the tough conditions on Sunday in China.
Joszef Major - Places third Overall in the Men's at the Ironman race - on a borrowed bike after his Argon is held in customs. Joszef remained calm and focused as the hours to the bike check-in drew nearer and nearer, and still no bike in sight! Race Director Murphy Reinschreiber and Expo participant Orbea Cycles kindly offered their assistance, when Joszef's sponsor Argon managed to throw a last-minute Hail Mary pass to Joszef and get in an Ersatzbike in the nick of time. Riding on his substitute Joszef patiently persevered in the 45C temperatures to make the podium.
Mark Jansen - Age Group athlete places third Overall in the Men's at the Ironman 70.3 race! Mark's coming off a 40 minute PB at Ironman Malaysia earlier this year, having switched his training from standard zone-based monotony to the dulcet tones of The Method, with Coach Kristian Manietta guiding Mark in his progress. Look for much more from this Age Group champion knocking on the door of some established professional reputations. There's a hard wind a gonna blow...
Neil Franks - Wins the Men's 50-54 at the Ironman 70.3 race...what can we say about Neil?! After many frustrations with the quality of coaching available to him in Singapore, Neil sought out ironguides to make better use of his training time in his preparations for his first Ironman in New Zealand in March. The results tell it all, with a sub-12 hour first-time IM in the M50-54 category, and multiple podium finishes in his 70.3 outings to date! Congratulations Neil, it is a fun way to launch one's retirement!
June Liew - Was meant to race in IM Malaysia but what seemed like a common cold, was a virus that saw fluid on the lungs and hospitalisation. June focused on recovery and then got to the start line of IM China feeling good. June soldiered on in the heat to a 14:13 finish -- more details to follow.
Julian Hudson - While not setting anywhere near the time he would have liked, Julian let go of a time goal and focused on his race and believed it was his best performance and best placing to date. Julian posted the 5th fastest bike which is not bad given 3 pros in the field! Julian also said that even living in Singapore didnt and couldnt come close to preparing him for the extreme conditions on the day!
* * *
There's a cultural revolution going on in triathlon these days as athletes around the world realize that the promises of the heart rate monitor, the power meter, and lactate testing make no difference if the underlying training plan isn't structured properly, or if the coach or their training program lack a basic understanding of the functions of the human body, the human spirit and the human heart. In fact, the tools and the perspective and approach they foster can be downright detrimental to health and performance as athlete after athlete tells us...
I used Joe Friel’s approach (with a Singapore coach) for the last one year. But I feel that I have not gotten anywhere cos’ I have had so many injuries, ankle, knee, shoulders, etc.... I seem to have lost the ‘FUN’ of training and racing too.
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I'm glad that I discovered ironguides -- my training now really makes sense. It is just the OPPOSITE of what I was told to do in the past, when my main focus was to gather kilometers and adopt my training to "required" heart rate." I was pretty much fatigued all the time, while now I have much more energy left for my family and my work. And most important, I have a feeling that I am a little bit more capable of listening to my body that I was in the past.
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I sleep better, I eat better and enjoy food more, my mental sharpness has become like when I was younger, I'm way more agile and stronger -- even sex has become more enjoyable! My work has also become more enjoyable and I have become more productive as I have more energy throughout the day!!
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Let the good times roll! Enjoy your training and catch you in Kona!