MIRROR ONLINE: Mr. Lorang, Jan Frodeno said in an interview: Five years of training – and the amateur athlete could also be at the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Is that correct?
And Lorang: An amateur athlete can qualify for Hawaii through age groups. But of course he still has to meet certain requirements, because the level is also very high in the age groups. Let me put it this way: The Ironman distance (Editor’s note: 3.86 kilometers of swimming, 180.2 kilometers of cycling and 42.195 kilometers of running) can be achieved by anyone who is healthy and enjoys endurance sports Training remains injury-free. But will the performance be enough for Hawaii? Every case is different.
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MIRROR ONLINE: I’ll tell you my case. I ran my fastest marathon so far in 3:39 and fastest half marathon in 1:32 hours. My swimming technique is awful, I don’t own a racing bike. When would I be ready for the Ironman?
Lorang: Anyone who, like you, has already achieved a good level in a sport can be ready in three to five years. Maybe you can do it a little faster.
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MIRROR ONLINE: Why?
Lorang: You have already run long distances and have prepared the body for great exertion. A good starting point and advantage, this is where the adaptation process is greatest and where most injuries occur. One would have to wait and see how you manage swimming. Here the technology decides. Faster cycling is certainly the easiest to train. There is also less of a risk of injury, which is poison for any preparation for a competition.
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MIRROR ONLINE: How long should I train per week?
Lorang: For a reasonable build-up, it would be optimal if you can incorporate eight to 15 hours of training per week into your everyday life. But the key question is: How much time do you have? The best training plan only works if it is compatible with your everyday life and your family. However, if you constantly reach your work and family limits, your performance will decline and you will become limp and ill. Then you have to ask yourself why they are actually doing this.
MIRROR ONLINE: What do you mean?
Lorang: At the Ironman World Cup in Hawaii, professionals and amateur athletes start together in one field. The difference between these groups remains enormous. The professionals train significantly longer, they are better equipped, have sponsorship contracts and specialists around them. Sport is the job, the family supports it. Amateurs can of course be ambitious too, but it shouldn’t lead to doggedness.
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MIRROR ONLINE: Jan Frodeno, who will not be injured in Hawaii this year, fought his way to the finish line in pain last year. Tim Don broke his neck in a training accident a year ago and will now celebrate his comeback at the World Cup. The professionals are dogged too.
Lorang: And here too you have to differentiate. Even if it is in a race or during training without great resistance normal runs – the Ironman is safe no Health sport. In the professional field, however, the athletes make compromises. You are a professional athlete and earn your living doing sport. Jan Frodeno is so experienced that he knows whether he can continue – or not. With amateur athletes, as a trainer, I would rather step in and say that you are currently risking your health, that makes no sense, get out of the race.
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MIRROR ONLINE: What role do you actually play in an Ironman race?
Lorang: I prepare the athlete physically and discuss the racing strategy with him. What speed should he run, what wattage would make sense, how does he deal with attacks from opponents, things like that. The athlete should be able to react to all eventualities.
MIRROR ONLINE: And in the competition?
Lorang: I no longer have a decisive influence there. In the race, the athlete has to decide mostly himself. Of course, I pay attention to his body language and maybe shout out a few motivating words to him. I can’t do much more. Coaching is also prohibited during Ironman. If I violate this, the athlete may even be disqualified. We don’t risk anything.
MIRROR ONLINE: How do you rate this coaching ban?
Lorang: I do not know the arguments of the proponents in detail, there are certainly reasons for this rule. But as a coach I naturally want to be close, so I think the ban is stupid. Sure, the main work in the race and in training comes from the athlete, but we work as a team – head coach, physiotherapist, technology coach – sometimes for years together towards one goal. And in the end, the coach hardly gets access to the race.
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MIRROR ONLINE: Will there be the fifth German victory in a row in Hawaii this year?
Lorang: That is very difficult to say in advance. The conditions – wind, temperatures – are different every year. One thing is certain: the German athletes have been very strong recently. Also because past German winners such as Faris Al-Sultan (editor’s note: coach of the Hawaii defending champion Patrick Lange) have a lot of knowledge. Triathlon enthusiasm has also grown steadily in Germany. What I can well imagine is a new course record for women. Daniela Ryf’s season was damn strong.
In the video: Hawaii from the air
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