Interview with McMahon ahead of the 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship
His preparation for IRONMAN Canada, his win, recovery and plans for Kona in October
After Brent McMahon’s big win at IRONMAN Canada in Whistler, BC, we caught up with him as he prepared for IRONMAN 70.3 Asia-Pacific Championship in Cebu, Philippines.
TMC: What was your preparation like in your build up for IRONMAN Canada?
BM: I came in feeling pretty good. After a good build with IRONMAN 70.3 Victoria and Mont-Tremblant, I had the fitness and then it was just increasing the volume. We built the mileage, and I came into the racing confident and ready to have a big day.
TMC: It was brutally hot last Sunday in Whistler, how did you manage and recover?
BM: Yes, the temperature rose pretty high during the day, but I was prepared and new in my head we all (pros and age group triathletes) had to deal with it, so you push through.
Yes, at the finish I was in some rough shape. But, I came around a few minutes later after some food and cooling down.
The last five days I’ve just been flushing out the stiffness with some easy swims, bikes and runs. Right now I’m feeling pretty good and excited for the 70.3 in Cebu.
TMC: So, just a week after an IRONMAN you are racing a half. What is your preparation for this week?
BM: Normally I’ll take some time off, and do easy swims and bikes, no running. But because I’m racing, I had to force my legs to come around. On the Monday following the Ironman I went for a run and ran the next three days. It’s just been easy stuff since Whistler, but I’ll do a few pickups the day before the half.
The fitness is there, it’s just getting the body ready to respond.
TMC: What is the goal for this weekend?
BM: I have a great relationship with the organizers and have a long-standing relationship with the race. The goal is really to have a good effort. Nothing crazy, usually I’ll try to push and make a gap on the bike, but I’ll likely be a bit more conservative and get to the run feeling strong. It will be hot, so if I get to run in contention, anything can happen.
TMC: After Cebu does the objective turn to Kona?
BM: Yes, this year I have used IRONMAN Canada as my prep race for Kona. In the past I have had decent results at Kona, followed by some solid performances at Arizona. This year we are trying to mimic that pattern by doing Canada before Kona.
After Cebu, I’ll have a few weeks off/easy, then we will ramp it up for Kona. September I’ll head to Maui to acclimatize and then head to Kona the week before the race.
