TT Hawaii Ironman Coverage 2011: Athlete Profile – Peter Coulson

Age: 40

Country Representing: Australia

Occupation: Technology (IT Nerd)

Marital Status/Family: Married, no kids

Is this the first time you have been to Kona?

Several years ago I did the Honu 70.3, but I have never been for the big dance. Back then, I did a training camp for the week before the race and we rode to Hawi and back about 4 times.  Come race day I was exhausted and could only think during the ride, why would anyone want to do the full Ironman here?  The bike is insane.  On TV it looks flat. But when you are out there it seems you are always going up and into a head wind.  And that’s going in both directions!

I have never been interested in Qualifying for Kona.  I’m too slow. I have a PB of 12:05 which I have done both at Forster and Busselton.  I’ve also raced IMNZ and Port Mac for  eight Ironman’s in total.

Where did you qualify for Kona 2011?

At the end of Ironman Busselton 2010, I said that’s it for me.  I had done eight Ironman’s and to be honest I was really disappointed with my time. I did 12:51 and had shocking stomach issues all day. Crossed the line threw the shoes away and into retirement I went!

Come April 16 and 2:09am a mere 5 months later of basically ZERO exercise other than a little surfing and a lot of beers, I got an email from WTC

A few funny things happened this day. The previous night I had been out and decided to put my phone on silent.  I wanted a sleep in. When I woke up my wife and I went out for breakfast. When I got home around 11:30am, I noticed I had 38 missed calls and 11 SMS’s.  The first SMS I read was from my mate Ken [You tinny bastard. You got a Kona spot] The other SMS’s were similar!

I still wasn’t sure if it was true.  So I fired up the laptop and sure enough, there was my name.  I was off to Kona.

Tell us about your preparation for Hawaii.

The first thing I decided to do was employ a coach.  I needed someone to get me on the right track. We came up with a 24 week plan. There was no shortage of mates that offered to train with me thru a cold Melbourne Winter so that was nice. But I will be honest, it’s been hard! Firstly, because I usually don’t train for Ironman races.  I just ‘wing it’ and turn up on race day. So over 24 weeks I have done more training for Kona that I have for the last 3 Ironman’s. (honestly)

For the last 10 weeks I have been taking Wednesday’s off to do long rides.  I need all the help I can get.

No races like Yeppoon as I was in the grove and didn’t want to do a race to mess that up.

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

Typical week as been

Monday –
Am – Swim (squad)
pm – Turbo

Tuesday
am – Long run
pm – Turbo

Wednesday
am – Long ride
pm – Swim

Thursday
am – Middle distance run
pm - Intervals run 1k’s

Friday
am- Swim squad

Saturday
am Long run
pm easy 40min recovery run

Sunday
am Long bike

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

Can I tell you when I’ve done it? To be honest I am sh*t scared. But I think what excites me most is knowing that I would have finished the Hawaiian Ironman! Nothing can take that away. And I can also say YES when people go, “so have you done that race in Hawaii then?”

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

I am not worried about the course. I know it’s going to be tough! 
I know I am just making up numbers. That’s cool too. Hey, if everyone finished under 10 hours it would be a boring finish line for that last 7 hours!!

What are your goals for the race?

I have the one goal.  Finish. I have no time in mind.  I know my coach does.  And I am sure he will tell me but being totally honest, I just want to finish in good shape and enjoy it.  It’s not like I will be going back to race it again.

What are you doing to relax after the race? Are you planning on a holiday in Hawaii post Ironman?

For my wife it is all about the holiday.  Two weeks kicking back in Hawaii while Melbourne is still cold!!

Tell us a little about your background?

My background is I used to be very big into field hockey. I played for almost 13 years near the top.  I played premier division in Sydney.  The next step up is for NSW.

One day a guy at my work said a few were doing the City to Surf and I should do it.  SO on no training (hmm, there is a pattern here), I paid my money and did it.  I had never run other than around the outside of a hockey field. I did 1:01.  It hurt like hell and nearly killed me. I have never done that race again. That was back in 1993.

Back at work on the Monday my ‘friend’ said I should do a triathlon with him. He sold it well. 

‘Triathlons are easy
You swim and then you don’t use your arms again.
You bike and you are just sitting down.
Then you have to do something and run’

So I signed up and did my first triathlon at Pier One in Sydney in 1993. For the next eight years I just raced and did swim training.  I was too scared to go out on the bike and really wasn’t interested in running.  But I loved racing. Also, back in the 90’s you could race every weekend and the cost was $15. You got great goodie bags as well at every single race.

It wasn’t until 2001 that I did Ironman Australia in Forster.  I did it with a neighbour.  Neither of us knew anything about Ironman.  I wasn’t even sure of the distance. I just knew they were long.

I finished that race and said never again. I did the entire race on water.  No gels. No nothing. I didn’t like sports drink. The cramps I had that day made me want to kill myself. I remember laying on the massage table after crossing the line and the guy next to me had done his first and he was saying, where do I sign up for next year? I was thinking, this guy is nuts.  He took longer than me and wants to come back. Two years later I was back. Time heals all wounds.

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

My wife is fantastic.  I proposed at a triathlon in Manly. (Brad Beven won that day.  Heck, he won every day back then!!) When the triathlon was over and we were walking around near Shelly Beach I got down on one knee.  She cried.  Don’t they all?
Never once in 12 years has she ever complained about me being out training. She’s the best.

My work also allows me to be pretty flexible with the hours.  If I need to run 90 minutes at lunch it isn’t an issue.  As long as the work gets done!

Interesting Fact:

8% of people in Australia have tapeworms.  This makes them more popular than Dogs.

Hence I worm myself.

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

We look forward to catching up 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