Chrissie Wellington
Just staggering to see her result at Roth yesterday, finished 1st woman by 33mins - 7th overall !! - 4:36 bike & 2:48 run!
Wonder what the male Pro's think? They must all be looking at their training programs, quizzing their coaches and doing a lot of head-scratching.
Can it be really just natural talent or does it represent a lack of talent & 'depth' within the Triathlon world? Afterall, you can get a world class MTB XC racer switching to multi-sport and fairly quickly winning an Ironman (Michael Weiss at St.George).
Maybe the 3 disciplines negates the talent pool - then along comes someone like Wellington who is truly gifted / strong at all 3.
Be interested if anyone has any links to her average training week/day.
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Anyone know what her training philosophy is?
It reminds me of the discussion in "Born to Run" about Emil Zatopek. Chris MacDougall was writing about the seemingly contradiction of being selfless, generous, and joyful while also excelling at the absolute top of the sport. I'm not sure that qualifies as a "training philosophy" but it sure seems like something I'd like to strive for. [Minus any world records of course which is not in my cards. HAH!]
P
Every year in every sport we hear about "the next" Micheal Jordan or Lance Armstrong or whoever, who seem to have all the requisite physical traits and talents, but don't quite achieve the heights expected of them. What separates those who rise head and shoulders above their peers is not just their physical attributes, but a steely, single-minded overwhelming ambition, and a willingness to set training and performance standards and goals which would scare anyone else. While it's a bonus that Chrissie is such a warm, approachable individual, I don't think that's behind her success. Her inner competitive drive is off the charts, and she refuses to accept any limits on her potential. Luckily for her, there are still some men who are faster. I'm sure she actually wants to win an Ironman outright one day.
I did read a comment from her old coach, Sutton, when he took her on he quickly recognised her obvious physical talents but she also lacked mental focus which was something they had to work on - didn't she also spend time-out in Tibet, sleeping rough & cycling some scary tough trails (on an old 'bone-shaker' type bike)?
She does seem very grounded & at-one with herself - I guess she 'keeps it real' and spends time working for charities, such as the Helen Tomlinson Foundation over here in the UK; I believe they may have been friends & Chrissie has nothing in terms of heart & determination compared to Helen - maybe that's it, a Lance type approach to life?
Would LOVE To see that!!! Seriously!
At the right race, I bet this could happen now or be very close to happening.
Agreed, the stars would have to align, but I do think it is possible based on her current performances. I think she would have to put Kona at risk and do something like WI, LV, or Canada that typically do not get a fast pro field due to the timing. Unless there is a smaller IM like China or similar that typcially gets a week field or a non-branded 140.6 race.
Also, in my mind there is a HUGE difference between 8:18 and 7:52 so I don't see here getting anywhere near the top 5-10 male IM pros (i.e. Crowie, Macca, Rasmus, Potts, etc)
Eitherway, it will be interesting to see Chrissie's race in Kona this year, and I hope Carfree's give her a good challenge on the run and Diben's on the bike. They might not be able to beat her yet, but it would be nice to see a little more of a race.
I think she could win especially if she tried to cherry pick a bit. The winning time in LP last year was 8:36:xx and Florida was 8:24. If you take out AP's 8:24 in CDA the next time was 8:36. It would be interesting to see how much faster those time could have / would have been if they were chasing or getting chased down by Chrissie though.
Its amazing that the other top female pros are now breaking 9 hrs relatively routinely.....she is definitely raising the bar of everyone.
Just read this article by her ex-Coach Brett Sutton who watched her at Roth last sunday - some interesting insights: