Catching up with Brent McMahon after the Ironman 70.3 World Championship
McMahon on the Chattanooga course: 'Just a pleasure of a tough course'.
A post-race interview with Canada’s top finisher in the pro men’s race — Brent McMahon in 18th.
KM: Tough day out there!
BM: It was a really tough course — it was a gorgeous course, but lots hills on the bike and run and a tough current in the swim. Just a pleasure of a tough course. You hate it but you love it.
KM: Can you tell us a bit about how your race went?
BM: I really didn’t know what I was going to get today. I was feeling a little rough coming in, not so sharp. I was just in it to have a good effort and push myself and if everything clicked I think I could have had a good day and cracked the top five but my plan is Kona and so I’ve been focusing on the work for that and just didn’t freshen up in time. Just didn’t have the speedy legs for this.
KM: More and more at this race [IM 70.3 worlds] you’ve got guys who are just focusing on this, it’s getting harder and harder to make the [Kona and 70.3 worlds] double.
BM: Yes, there are guys specializing in just 70.3 that aren’t going on to Kona so they’re doing the hard, short intervals and the max-watt intervals on the bike. I’m just in this perfect build phase for Kona where I can’t be just smashing my legs like that. This year I’ve really focused on bike strength and running well off the bike, Ironman Lake Placid was a great show of where I wanted to be so that said, I have the conditioning for a marathon but not the speedy legs for these young guys anymore.
KM: I’m guessing and hoping you’re coming out of this thinking things look good for Kona.
BM: I had moments of good racing, I felt strong on the swim and I moved up. I didn’t have a great start but I swam well on the back half. At the start of the bike I felt good and strong and the climb wasn’t too bad. I seized up a little bit but still felt strong. On the run I had moments of feeling fluid and actually the back half of the run felt better than the front half. That’s all paying forward to Kona and it’s just about having the strength. If I can have a rough day here and finish strong at Kona that’s good.
