Ironman Germany, the first seasonal highlight of the year, will be taking place in Frankfurt in only a few days time. I am very satisfied with my preparation for this race, have done my homework and can now start the race positively. I was very pleased with two of my three preparatory races. Third place in Lisbon was a good start to the season, and I was also very happy with 7th place out of a large field of competitiors at Ironman 70.3 in St. Pölten, as I was just over 4 minutes behind the winner, Chris McCormack. Only my third seasonal race - the last one before Frankfurt - went exceptionally badly. However, as I spent several days after the race in bed resting due to illness, I quickly discovered the cause of my poor performance. I therefore hope to follow this unsuccessful dry run with a very good race in Frankfurt.