Andy Potts Interview
Andy Potts led the 2004 Olympics out of the water, just two years after his first triathlon ever.
He is a USA Triathlon elite national champion.
He has won three ITU World Cups.
He was third in last year’s ITU World Cup series points chase.
He is the defending Ironman 70.3 World Champion.
And just six days before his debut on the hallowed lava fields at Ironman Hawaii, he lost a duke-out with Greg Bennett for the win at the Olympic Distance US Open Triathlon in Dallas.
Some people think Potts can, like Luc van Lierde in 1996, win in his debut at Kona.
Other people wonder if the tall, talented former University of Michigan NCAA swimmer is serious – or if this is just a scouting expedition.
Slowtwitch called up Potts before his strong Dallas finish and found a man who reveres Kona and its long history and tradition. And a man who won’t follow in Chris McCormack’s footsteps by making brash predictions.
Slowtwitch: Have you done enough preparation to make this more than a get acquainted tour of the lava fields?
Andy Potts: I am not going there just to watch the race.
Slowtwitch: How did you qualify? The first year at Clearwater they gave spots to the top few men and women. But the second year, the door was not so wide open?
Andy Potts: I earned my spot last year at Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Clearwater. Last year they said the only Kona slot would go to the winner only. No rolldowns. If the winner accepts, only he or she can go. I think that was a kind of a nod towards how well Craig Alexander did at Kona last year. I have to thank him for my opportunity to experience the race this year.
Slowtwitch: What are you capable of doing when you have had a full plate of short course and Ironman 70.3 races and not the usual 3 months devoted to a long distance base?
Andy Potts: My expectations are realistic. I know anyone who has done the race once has 100 percent more experience at Ironman than I do. I have zero experience. I want to get a feel for triathlon’s biggest day. That is my primary goal.
Slowtwitch: What do you think of this race?
Andy Potts: Triathlon was started on the Big Island in Kona. I really want to experience what the granddaddy of them all is all about and not through spectator’s eyes. I want to go through it as a competitor.
Slowtwitch: Was this race in the back of your mind from the beginning of your triathlon career?
Andy Potts; My thoughts for why I want to race it – for me, four years ago I would not have caught me saying this. It is simply this. Ironman wasn't why I got into the sport. It turns out it is why I love the sport type of thing. It wasn’t my first draw to the sport the Olympics was it, and how triathlon entered into the game. But as I have matured in the sport, I realized why I love the sport is what makes Kona so appealing.
Slowtwitch: Do you have a strategy to win in mind? Or do you have a bailout point ready if things get ugly?
Andy Potts: I do have strategy, I absolutely do. I had a few talks with my coach (Mike Doane) and we have a sound race plan and one that hopefully will do more than get me to the finish line. But I really do look forward to seeing the finish line.
Slowtwitch: It seems plausible you might get out first from the swim and hook up with some excellent swimmer bikers such as Chris Lieto, Torbjorn Sindballe, and Normann Stadler if he has a good swim and comes rocketing through to the front? Although it’s not a draft legal race as you are used to in ITU racing, it might help mentally if you start riding with some fast company.
Andy Potts: I think one thing you hit right on. Although there is no drafting allowed, it will be good to have someone to pace off. It certainly helps in the mental aspect. And that is a huge part of Ironman racing. I don’t know that through experience. Realistically I think a lot of people can relate to when driving in your car and all of a sudden 30 miles go by in blink of an eye – What did I do the last 30 minutes? Hope I have few of those experiences on the bike even though I’m the engine. I hope to zone out a few times to have one with me to help defray the mental exhaustion.
Slowtwitch: Have you done enough long runs to do well?
Andy Potts: Yeah absolutely. Whether or not I’ve done enough to finish the marathon strong at the end of a 112 mile bike – that is why I’m going to Kona. To figure that out. I hope so.
Slowtwitch: How many 20 mile runs have you done? Have you done any 112-mike bikes?
Andy Potts; 20 mile runs? I’ve done a couple. That is enough. I have not done a 112-mile bike ride – so it’s going to be interesting.
Slowtwitch: What makes you think you’ve prepared enough?
Andy Potts: I’m looking at some of pioneers of the sport of triathlon as kind of how to guide to get myself through this race. Guys like Mark Allen and Dave Scott and Scott Tinley and Mike Pigg were triathletes. Three sport athletes who could do any distance. They took on all distances without fear. ‘OK, this time we go this far. Next time twice as far, or half as far.’ It did not matter what the distance was. They combined all three sports and sorted out who does it the best. What I want from my career is to be called a complete triathlete. I know if it is a true three sport event I can be competitive. And I’ve been an athlete since I was five years old and I have a lot of training, muscle memory and experience in my body. Hopefully I’ve been smart about it. I’ve put in some miles. I’m sure this will be a really new experience.
Slowtwitch: Some experts suspect that a man your size might find it hard to race all the way in Kona’s heat and wind.
Andy Potts: While some think my size is not ideal for Ironman – I’m hoping it’s not the make or break factor. I have gotten leaner as I progressed in the sport. But I think there are other elements to racing Ironman that pose more difficulty to me than my size. I believe my engine can compensate for me being tall and strong. I’m hoping to get the second third and fourth wind you need to excel in Kona. I by no means go into this with light expectations of what the course holds for competitors. There is a reason that everyone – from first place to last – all celebrate when they cross the line. It’s because it’s such a hard thing to do and a great accomplishment.
Slowtwitch: I have seen you in an ice bath after the Hy-Vee Olympic distance triathlon in Des Moines. How do you plan to beat the heat?
Andy Potts: I feel like I’m moderate to high sweat rate and I’ve never done an event that is as taxing as Ironman. I won’t know the real answer until after the race. I plan to stay hydrated and staying cool will be a primary concern for me on race day. If I go through the event incident-free, I will have a good day. I hope to stave off heat exhaustion, avoid passing out from heat stroke, all the things that can happen. Like cramping. If I can go through incident free I will consider this day a success.
Slowtwitch: Tom Warren said one of the biggest weapons a first time Ironman has is ignorance. He said he had a very limited training regimen. Which may not have made much difference to a man who biked from Canada to San Diego and regularly ran 40 mile training runs before tackling Ironman.
Andy Potts: I’m hoping my naïveté on this front will be an advantage the first time around. I have what I think is a sound race plan. But I won’t know until the day is over. With my lacking experience, anything I can do to make it a race is in my advantage — as opposed to game over by 12 miles into the run.
