All news & athletes' blogs
Mathias Hecht: "Timo is famous for his "killer marathon"."
von Mathias Hecht, am 03.07.2009
What do you think you and your teammates’ strengths are?
My strength is definitely my balance. I can keep up with the leaders when swimming and keep all tactical options open. Just like Jan Raphael.Timo is famous for his “killer marathon”. This is why he could win the race. Even if he is not the first to get off the bike. He won the race in 2007 and came in third place in 2008. Markus has a strong cycling and running combination which could put him way in the lead. And I think he has a certain “coolness”
Who else is there to beat, and how will you achieve this?
The main favourites are obvious. Chris Mc Cormack (Australia) - in my opinion he is the best triathlete of all times (Ironman Hawaii World Champion 2007, World Champion Distance 1997 and World Cup winner in the same year). He has set the standards for our sport. He is a good colleague of mine; we often train together and I greatly value him as an athlete and human being. The only thing is he is tough to beat, as he has no weaknesses. He is strong in all 3 disciplines and also very good mentally. He’s the one to beat. On a perfect day when Macca might actually show some small weakness.
Then there’s Eneko Ilanos (Spain). He was second behind McCormack last year in Frankfurt. And he achieved a sensational 2nd place in Ironman Hawaii. He is absolutely world class and also has no weak discipline.
Then there aces like:
Faris Al-Sultan (Germany), Hawaii winner 2005.
Terenzo Bozzone (NZL), 70.3 Ironman World Champion 2008 und Junior World Champion on several occasions.
Andreas Raelert (Germany), Olympic participant and European Championship medal winner for Olympic distance
We should not forget people like:
Charly Loisel (France)
Frank Vytrisal (Germany) 3rd in the Ironman Germany European Champs. 2005 and 2006
Hektor Ilanos (Spain)
All have the accolade of the top 3 Ironman races.
So there will be plenty of excitement!
New team - new feeling?
Going to the starting line wearing yellow for the first time will certainly be a special feeling. And with Timo, we have now one of the top favorites for victory in our ranks. Of course this motivates me and will provide encouragement during tough parts of the race. Although we are competing against each other, being part of a team binds us together in a special way. The best one will reach the finish line first.
My strength is definitely my balance. I can keep up with the leaders when swimming and keep all tactical options open. Just like Jan Raphael.Timo is famous for his “killer marathon”. This is why he could win the race. Even if he is not the first to get off the bike. He won the race in 2007 and came in third place in 2008. Markus has a strong cycling and running combination which could put him way in the lead. And I think he has a certain “coolness”
Who else is there to beat, and how will you achieve this?
The main favourites are obvious. Chris Mc Cormack (Australia) - in my opinion he is the best triathlete of all times (Ironman Hawaii World Champion 2007, World Champion Distance 1997 and World Cup winner in the same year). He has set the standards for our sport. He is a good colleague of mine; we often train together and I greatly value him as an athlete and human being. The only thing is he is tough to beat, as he has no weaknesses. He is strong in all 3 disciplines and also very good mentally. He’s the one to beat. On a perfect day when Macca might actually show some small weakness.
Then there’s Eneko Ilanos (Spain). He was second behind McCormack last year in Frankfurt. And he achieved a sensational 2nd place in Ironman Hawaii. He is absolutely world class and also has no weak discipline.
Then there aces like:
Faris Al-Sultan (Germany), Hawaii winner 2005.
Terenzo Bozzone (NZL), 70.3 Ironman World Champion 2008 und Junior World Champion on several occasions.
Andreas Raelert (Germany), Olympic participant and European Championship medal winner for Olympic distance
We should not forget people like:
Charly Loisel (France)
Frank Vytrisal (Germany) 3rd in the Ironman Germany European Champs. 2005 and 2006
Hektor Ilanos (Spain)
All have the accolade of the top 3 Ironman races.
So there will be plenty of excitement!
New team - new feeling?
Going to the starting line wearing yellow for the first time will certainly be a special feeling. And with Timo, we have now one of the top favorites for victory in our ranks. Of course this motivates me and will provide encouragement during tough parts of the race. Although we are competing against each other, being part of a team binds us together in a special way. The best one will reach the finish line first.
