TT Hawaii Ironman Coverage: Athlete Profile – Stu Fitch

By Michelle Downs http://www.getsetupinsport.com.au

Age:   58

Country Representing: Australia

Occupation:  Athlete manager/Management consultant

Marital Status/Family: Married to Ali Fitch, pro triathlete & physiotherapist.

Is this the first time you have been to Kona? 

This is my fourth Kona from four attempts; but having said that, I have done 10 IMs since starting in 2007, and the worst 3 were all at Kona.  You can talk about the hills and the winds, but my killer is the heat.  Being a big guy, around 93kgs, I get to a certain point and my core temperature goes critical.  It doesn’t matter how fast, fit, stubborn, well trained or equipped you are, this body just refuses to perform when it overheats.  Coming from and training in Darwin certainly helps.  Surely if I do enough Kona’s I will strike one year when it is a bit cooler??

Where did you qualify for Kona 2011?

I got my spot in New Zealand on the roll-down placing 3^rd by 59 seconds; it was a cold, wet, windy, horrible day, for which the spectators get the highest praise for staying outside and cheering.  Wife Ali, my biggest fan/coach/supporter changed clothes 4 times that day to stay dry.  I think it rained nearly 50mm during the race.  The run was really good as I could stay cool, yet keep running hard.  However, I felt I actually “earned” my Kona spot at IM Coeur d’Alene (Idaho, USA, late June), where I came second in my age group by a mere 17 seconds – my spot there passed on to someone else.

Tell us about your preparation for Hawaii.

Not many lead-up races – Coeur d’Alene in late June, just so I didn’t forget how hard the IM was.  Hopefully race the NT Long Course in Darwin on 21 August.

For an old bloke I have been mercifully free of injuries.  A bit of a niggle in the right knee from sand-running on a sloping beach a bit too much, and an obligatory dose of flu that put a dent in the training schedule.  And lots of strength exercises from wife/coach/personal physiotherapist Ali which it seems I practise more in the breach than in the observance.

Winter this year found me in Yamba NSW – not ideal for Kona in terms of heat prep, but I have been training with lots of extra clothing on, and saturating my gear in sweat.  I am flying to Kona on 6 September, almost 5 weeks pre-race, to acclimatise and train on course.

What has a typical training week looked like for you in the lead-up to this event?

I certainly don’t recover as quickly from training as I did 30 years ago, and need to be very particular about listening to my body.  As a general rule I do 1-2 days harder, then a much easier day; this gives time to both recover and absorb the training.  If for no specific reason I wake up feeling like I did a Kona yesterday, I will have a “slack-attack” day and reschedule my program accordingly. A recovery day may be an easy 6k run plus a swim; or maybe 2 new releases from Video Ezy.

In terms of program details, I like to aim for one solid long ride and run a week.  The one solid bike would typically be 150-180k, the run 30-34k.  There will be several medium and shorter distance rides and runs, and throw in a few race pace efforts as 8 October approaches.  Or join Ali for a ride and hang-on as best I can.  Swimming I typically ignore as long as I can, getting in 3 x 3k sessions a week.  I like to increase my swimming in the last 8 weeks, do a few 5k sessions as race approaches, with more 20 x 100m sets, 1km repeat sessions, and on-course swimming in Kona to get used to the course and the sharks.

What excites you the most about competing at an iconic race like the Hawaii Ironman? 

Getting out of the swim.

Is there anything about the Ironman in Hawaii that makes you really nervous?

Sharks, the swim start, and mechanical breakdowns on the bike.  I got badly trashed in the swim in 2009 in Kona, and it has scarred me somewhat.  An odd thing for a big strong swimmer like me.  I don’t know why I am neurotic about a mechanical breakdown, as I have never had one in any triathlon I have done.  But it upsets me to see others have mechanical breakdowns, as it seems so terribly unfair that something like that can ruin a day that many have spent years striving and preparing for.

What are your goals for the race?  10hrs 30mins.  Probably not achievable if it is hot, but that is what I am striving for.

What are you doing to relax after the race? Are you planning on a holiday in Hawaii post Ironman?  A big greasy hamburger with the works, then straight on a plane back to Australia to join wife Ali, who is not coming to Kona this year after a nightmare run of injuries.  Plus she is working full time at the moment, in addition to training 15hrs weekly and doing lots of rehab.

Tell us a little about your background?

I did my first tri’s in the mid-1980’s, but only did my first Ironman in Malaysia in early 2007 with the encouragement of my pro-triathlete wife.  I came originally from a long and successful masters swimming background, with a few marathons thrown in around 30 years ago for good measure, with a PB of 2:48.  I have been an endurance athlete continuously now for over 30 years, but have enjoyed many different sports and adventures along the way.  I have perhaps a very odd claim for an Australian to have never drunk alcohol.  It was just a decision I made when I was young; no other reason.

How have you managed to balance the training for Ironman with your other commitments such as work and family?  

Outside of Ali working as a physio, Ali’s and my life largely revolves around Ironman/triathlon.  We train it; read it, talk it, race it, dissect it, socialise it, worry about it, enjoy it, and then go back to the start and repeat it all over again.  We have made wonderful friends all around the world through our involvement in triathlon.  There is no such thing as balance in our life!

Interesting Fact:  I walked nearly 2,000 kilometres in 4 ½ months in 2000/2001 doing scientific fieldwork as part of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition to Heard Island, an Australian Territory in the Southern Ocean (roughly 900 nautical miles/1700 kilometres North of Mawson base, Antarctica), and the site of Australia’s only two active volcanoes.

Thanks for chatting to us and best of luck for the race! 

We look forward to catching up with you on the Big Island :)

Do you have a friend or family member who has qualified for Kona?? We would love to profile them! Please have them email michelle@getsetupinsport.com.au