Interview With Victorian Dale Hemley: By Michelle Downs

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Thirty-five year-old Victorian Dale Hemley made a name for himself in 2007 with a breakthrough race at Ironman Hawaii, where he finished 4^th in the 30-34 age group. The Torquay based PE teacher backed up this remarkable performance at Ironman Australia 2008 when he went 9.08, won his age group and finished in the top ten overall. Then we didn’t hear from him for a few years.....

Now he is back and firing!! A consistent string of results in the Australian Half Ironman Series in 2010 led him to being crowned the Series Champion for the 35-39 age group. More recently he completed Ironman New Zealand in 9.17, good enough for a third in the 35 -39 age category and a much sort after Kona slot. Here he talks to triathlon Tribe about how it was to comeback, his love of racing and his goals for Kona 2011.

TT: Congratulations on your recent race at Ironman New Zealand! Tell us about your race – how good was it to be racing Ironman again after a three year break? Did you mange to achieve all of your goals?

To be honest it was just awesome to have the opportunity to be racing ironman again, after a 3 year period of my life which has been the most challenging that I’ve experienced....for many reasons, injury, personal challenges and alike. So, yes it was fantastic to have the opportunity to toe the line at an ironman event again, and test myself to see if I was still strong enough to race ok. My goals were simple. Race smart and simply make sure I do well enough to qualify for Hawaii this year!!! The result doesn’t matter, just take care of business so to speak and enjoy every second of being back racing ironman which I love doing.

TT: Before IM New Zealand  2011, your last Ironman was IM Australia -  Port Macquarie 2008, where you won the ultra competitive 30-34 age group in a personal best time of 9.08. How come we have not seen you do an IM since then?

After deciding to not race in Hawaii 2008 and to concentrate on building a house, I started racing late 2008 and early 2009 in preparation for Port Mac 2009. I then suffered a foot injury mid Feb. 2009 just one 1 week after racing well at Geelong 70.3 placing 2^nd 30-34. Things were really on track prior to this. The injury was ‘a tiny’ tear in a ligament under my foot. This would have taken approx.. 2-3months to fully recover from, however a nasty infection that I contracted ‘from treatment’ was far worse. This took 8 months of anti-biotics to kill, and basically meant that any racing for the rest of 2009 was unrealistic. I started training again late 2009, and racing in Jan. 2010 but the body was not quite ready and the foot was still healing. I suffered a different injury in Jan 2010 and this took another few months to heal (this time my first ever muscle tear – hamstring). After slowly getting back into things I began racing from August 2010 in the Half Ironman Series, with my first race at Yeppoon.

I had the biggest smile on my face the whole race as I was just so happy to be back doing what I enjoy, and of course my body being well enough to race again. 

TT: Was it hard to come back to Ironman racing after such a long break? What was harder the physical or the mental aspect of the comeback?

To be honest, it wasn’t hard to come back mentally at all. I enjoy training so much (yes even in Victoria over winter!), but to have faith in my body again and being confident that my injury was fine was perhaps the most challenging. At times this definitely played with my mind....you certainly ask yourself will this ever feel ‘right’ again?

Another reason for my great result and race in NZ and to have been able to successfully comeback to racing is simply because of the fantastic support and belief shown to me by my fiancée Michelle. I could not ask for better support, and feel that I’m truly blessed to have found such a wonderful person to share my life with.

TT: You are quite experienced with Ironman now, having completed 8 in an 8 year period. What changes have you made over that time, both training and racing, to improve your results?

I guess I have had a bit of experience now, and must admit I am still learning so much about myself every time I race. You are constantly learning and / or seeking new information to experiment with and find out what is best for your individual needs. No two people are alike, and that’s why it makes perfect sense that no two athletes are alike too.

The key is to find out exactly what will result in YOUR best performance by means of training, recovery, health and nutrition. I’ve had 4 coaches, each have had different styles and methods. My most recent change has been very exciting as the methods are similar to what I’ve experienced in the past, yet there are new techniques and idea’s that complement my past experience. They also relate closely to what I believe is best for me as an athlete. So this gives me great confidence in training, and I really see training as an experiment with your mind and body to see what outcome will be achieved with a certain stimulus!!! Whooo, that sounds kind of technical but I think you know what I mean. In summary, I’m focussing on less volume – and training for more speed. The less time training gives me more time for recovery, sleep, eating well and generally taking greater care of my health.

The result is hopefully = healthier, stronger, faster athlete J 

TT: You picked up a Kona slot in New Zealand and this will your third time racing on the Big Island. Tell us about your past experiences in Kona. Why is this race special for you? What do you hope to achieve there this year?

I’ve been very fortunate really to have two2 solid races in Kona. The first in 2006, well..is your first and you simply are just so happy to be racing in one of the greatest athletic challenges in the world..I certainly wasn’t aiming at anything more than finishing well and enjoying every minute of the race! I did gain many valuable lessons, and tips that would hold me in good stead whenever it would be that I would be racing their again..that was one important goal if any of my race. And that was to enjoy the experience, so much so that I knew I wanted to come back and have a real crack at this race. I also learnt that my body seems to function pretty well in the climate at Hawaii which is fortunate, and the course suited me too.

2007 and I was fortunate enough to qualify again and I thought, ok let’s see what you can do. I wanted to race this, take more of a risk and see what happens. I managed to have a new pb and a podium that year in the 30-34 age group (4^th) and was just wrapped with this result. This race is simply something that grows on you, and I enjoy the atmosphere, the chance to race the best in the world in such a truly spectacular place…as a triathlete this is the ultimate challenge, and one that you want to nail. My goal for 2011 will simply be to complete a p.b! That’s it..I want to take some risks in this race and see if I can really put together the most perfect race that I can possibly do. Simple really!

TT: Last year you raced several of the Australian Half Ironman series races and picked up the title of Series Champion for the 35-39 age group. Did you find racing more regularly has helped with your Ironman preparation for NZ?

To be honest I don’t think so. My training prior to December this year was very much volume orientated, and I was well aware that I was getting into the same old ‘bad’ habits really. My body and mind needed a rest, and a change. I couldn’t race fresh at all, and I was stuck in the same ‘slow’ gear..I knew that I needed to change things fast. It was great to be back racing again, however I wasn’t enjoying this as I should have been. And my results were well off.. It was great to start with my new coach, Kristian Manietta, and have a fresh start from mid December leading into New Zealand. I decided not to race during this time and simply to get healthy, strong and super consistent again with my training. It worked...

TT: How do you manage to balance your training and triathlon lifestyle while working full-time?

It’s always a battle working 40-60hr weeks and trying to train for ironman. However, again my new training methods and coach have really helped here. I’m training a lot less, and this is so much more manageable, enjoyable and interesting again for me. I have gotten my love back for training and racing that’s for sure. I guess at the moment I’m also lucky having just myself to look after, and this is I guess ‘my time’ to get the best out of myself. As I’ve just recently become engaged, I’m really looking forward to ‘my time’ becoming ‘our time’, and hopefully not too far away ‘our time’ might become ‘family time’??

TT: You are well supported by several sponsors – tell us about your relationship with them.

I’ve been really fortunate during my training and racing to have had great support from my sponsors; Powerbar, Engine Swim, Giant Bikes, De Grandi’s Cycle and Sport and most recently Saucony. I’m well aware of my abilities and know very well that it not the results that make for a sincere relationship with those that support you. It’s a genuine appreciation for being able to represent, promote and advance the products that your sponsors work so hard to produce for athletes, and giving them ‘your best’ while promoting their products while setting the best example for others while racing and training.

I still to this day, have to ‘pinch’ myself sometimes knowing that I am so well supported by my sponsors. I always try and keep regular contact with them, and let them know how I’m going both personally and as an athlete. I enjoy racing and training ‘for’ my sponsors so much, and  I always want to express the same passion and enthusiasm towards my sponsors products that I show towards racing.

TT: Finally – the Hawaii lead-up. When will it begin? Do you have any lead-up races planned?

This is rest time for me at the moment J Leading into the Victorian winter and training for Hawaii through the cold, dark months is tough going. So, I must admit now is the time to enjoy some downtime. There are no long course races in Victoria over the months leading into Hawaii. I usually have raced Yeppoon 70.3 in August leading into Kona, and will do the same again this year.

Training will begin shortly (still need to chat over this with my coach tho!) but volume will be low. I’m actually really looking forward to a short, sharp build up into Hawaii personally, and just need to make sure I’m still active, healthy and ready to ‘GO’ when it’s time to get it happening..I really cannot wait for October!!!