Andreas Raelert – Making lemonade out of lemons
After not making the German Olympic team for Beijing, Andreas Raelert put his focus on longer distances. With wins at 70.3 Monaco and Ironman Arizona, plus a runner-up spot at 70.3 Worlds in Cleawater, this looks to be a pretty good move.
ST: Andreas, congratulation on your win in Arizona. Sounds like a good end for the 2008 season.
Andreas: I am really happy to have such a phenomenal end to my season. I never expected to have this personal success so soon after changing to the longer distances. I am thankful to all those who believed in me when I made this change. And my performance reflects their support!
ST: You were on the German Olympic team in 2000 and 2004 but did not make the team in 2008. Instead you won Monaco 70.3, finished as the runner-up in Clearwater and then had this great win at Ironman Arizona. Was not making the Olympic team a blessing in disguise or was it never the focus?
Andreas: When I didn’t make my third Olympic games, I was at first very disappointed. I had prepared for 4 years to again try to qualify, but things just didn't work out for me at the races I needed to perform at. Some people told me I was too old and I should retire from triathlon. But fortunately I have great friends around me who knew I still had so much to give and that I love this sport too much to give in. So instead I just moved my focus from the Olympics to a new set of goals I have set myself. I appreciate very much that I have my friends around me as we all go through tough times in our lives. I started to rebuild again and was enthusiastic to get a spot for Hawaii. Now I have this spot which is great and I will plan to challenge the great athletes in Hawaii next year. The combination of losing one dream and to come back with reaching new goals helped me a lot. The next years following will now have different goals for myself in triathlon. I am now more motivated than before to keep on winnings. It's a nice feeling and every athlete loves to feel it. But I also now realize even if you fail you will have another chance you just have to stay patient and remain focused! And in one day all the hard work over years can pay off.
ST: Will you do mostly longer races moving forward?
Andreas: I would like to start in more 70.3 races for sure but the World Championship in Kona will be my main goal for 2009. I will race also in some Olympic Distance events. I feel my greatest strength at this moment with some of the great Ironman athletes at present is speed. I want to try to hold and hopefully improve my advantage of speed and increase my strength also from the training.
ST: To be more specific, what is on your race calendar for 2009?
Andreas: At the moment I am still planning. I think about to start the season with the 70.3 Oceanside at the beginning of April and the famous St Anthony's in St Petersburg. On the 3rd of July I would like to start at the European Championship at Ironman Frankfurt to have an early opportunity to compete against some of the greatest and best athletes in Ironman at present. I'll also be competing in some World Cup races and possibly some New World Championship events. But all my plans lead to Hawaii. And following Hawaii maybe the double with Clearwater will be or not be an option.
ST: Looking back, what race or races are you most proud off and why?
Andreas: To compete in both Olympics in Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 have been my proudest moments to date, especially my 6th place in Athens. The atmosphere of the Olympics is something special. To race in front of more than one billion people on TV and to meet athletes from all over the world left a very strong emotional memory for myself. But the recent victories I have had have been amazing and both with course records in Monaco and Ironman Arizona. Even finishing 2nd in Clearwater at the World Championships was great.
ST: What is your athletic background and who or what inspired you to race triathlons?
Andreas: I started my "little" sports career with wrestling and swimming when I was a child. Later on at the age of 10 I started to concentrate only on swimming until I turned 15. Then I saw a documentary about a race on the Big Island!! I got inspired and started triathlon. In 1993 I competed in my first Olympic distance event and from this point I was addicted to this beautiful sport! Since 1994 I have been a member of the German National Team until now.
ST: Please describe a typical hard training week for us.
Andreas: I am a fan of doing a lot of training!!! Because I like it. When I am in full training I swim around 30 km, ride between 400 and 600 km and lastly run between 110 km and 150 km. I also spend up to 3-4 hours in the gym a week. In total hours it would be 35 to 45.
ST: What do you do to overcome a disappointing race?
Andreas: From my point of view you have to look at a race for as it was. You have to find always the good things and also analyze the areas that may have not gone to plan. Never put yourself to much down generally if you did not win its because you were beaten by someone better on that day. The human body is not working like a machine even if we wish it would sometimes! I made this painful experience very often in the past and probably also again in the future. Even if you have done everything in the right way you can still struggle. If you look to all the great athletes in every sport, even they can have rollercoaster performances. But the most important thing in my mind is to continue to think positive, that makes all the difference.
ST: How are things going for you in terms of sponsorship?
Andreas: I've been lucky with everyone who was supported me through my career so far. But now there are a lot of new doors opening for myself. With everything that has happened over the last 6-8 weeks, it is difficult to come to terms with all that goes around these types of achievements. But I am speaking with a lot of people who know this world well both in Germany and America and soon I will make some decisions about this. ST: How do you typically spend the off-season? Andreas: Usually I have a break of 2 – 4 weeks at the end of every season. I try to spend more time with my family and my friends and be a little more social. At the moment I'm spending thousands of kilometers and hours in my car to try to handle all the administrative tasks.
ST: Do you follow any other sports? Andreas: At the moment there is not much time left in my life for some other sport.
ST: Can you share your food likes and dislikes with us? Andreas: I pretty much will eat any food. But I especially like sushi. Even fast food is sometimes on my program. I just try to find the right balance without missing out on anything. I need to keep healthy.
ST: Describe your music taste for us.
Andreas: It's really difficult. It's kind of like a mix of everything! Until now I didn't find anybody who shares the same taste. My friends are saying that the music I listen too is pretty aweful.
ST: What was the last book you read?
Andreas: Dan Brown "Meteor"
ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Andreas: First of all I love this sport! So I would like to think I would still be competing in 5 years. I still have a lot of goals in the coming future I want to achieve. My current focus is to attempt to win Kona. And I still think to make my third Olympic Team in London 2012. I believe nothing is impossible. If you believe in yourself and have friends and family around you that also believe the world is yours. That's the number one thing that I have learned this year. Even much more than in all the years before, when I have had success at the highest level. Sometimes it's when things seem like they are at their worst do you finally see where you are going. There are so many very good athletes in our sport. And everybody is looking for the same goals. So to stand on the top step and win is very special. It needs a lot of patience as I said before, but on just one day it can all work out!!
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Andreas: I lived in the far North of Germany in Rostock for most of my life, and it was great growing up there. When I started with triathlon I joined the German national army where I am currently a sports soldier until early 2009. I am currently in Saarbruecken, which is Southwest of Frankfurt and have been training there are the national training center with all the other German Olympic triathlon athletes. It is an amazing atmosphere when everyone is training hard and there is always someone to train with when the motivation is hurting.
