Flying Argentinian Eduardo Sturla
Argentinian Eduardo Sturla won Ironman Brazil earlier this year and is now completely focused on Ironman Hawaii. Sturla finished 13th in Kona when he won Ironman Brazil in 2001, and is eager to move up even higher in Hawaii later this year.
ST: Eduardo, you won Ironman Brazil early this year and now you can focus completely on Hawaii, where you have been close before. How do you feel?
Eduardo: In 2001 I also won Ironman Brazil and did the race record (08:11:10) that I have until now. Then, I went to Hawaii and got my first 13th place. This year, after seven years, I won Brazil again and I think I am in my best moment because apart of my heart I won with experience. So I trust that Hawaii will be different and I will have another chance to be in the front.
ST: What else do you have on your race schedule this season?
Eduardo: Until Hawaii I will be focused on that and I’m not going to do any other race. After then, let’s see what happens. I have some proposals to race in Chile or Uruguay but I didn’t decide yet. Maybe a 70.3 after Hawaii or something like that. I am not sure. Proposals available!
ST: What is your favorite race and why?
Eduardo: Brazil has a special taste for me. Because it was the first Ironman I raced (and won) and for 8 years I had been there. Plus the Brazilians are cool and Florianopolis has a very good vibe. Of course, Hawaii is also a special race because more than any other race, there you definitely can’t predict anything! But the place is magical, wonderful. I love racing in Hawaii.
ST: What is your athletic background and who or what inspired you to race triathlons?
Eduardo: I started when I was 16 years old. I have a friend whose name is Sebastian Pedraza and we used to play water polo together. He motivated me to race my first short triathlon. I did it and was the last to finish! I liked it though and I thought I could train more to have betters results. But in the beginning it was just for fun, I didn’t think I could be a pro anytime. To give you an idea, when I did this first race, when I arrived in T2, the race already had a winner! But the amazing thing was that the winner was racing an Olympic distance and I was running the short distance! After that, I started training more, but for fun. Results started to appear fast, and I wanted to dedicate more time to the sport. The pro thing was natural…. I trained more, began to have results and it worked. Pedraza, my friend who introduced me to the sport, now lives in Italy and race over there. Last year he was in Hawaii with me. So that’s very special.
ST: Please describe a typical hard training week for us.
Eduardo: It’s a secret! Nooo… I’m kidding! I ride, run, and swim 4 x week, alternating the days, of course. The hard training days are on the weekends when I do long transitions and a long and hard bike ride. I have 7 hours of full training on both days. It’s hard but it works for me.
ST: How you typically spend the off-season?
Eduardo: In my off-season I usually go to Rio de Janeiro where my girlfriend is from. The place is amazing with all the beaches and mountains, something we don’t have here in Buenos Aires. I take my MTB and go up to Cristo Redentor, it’s amazing, my favorite ride. I go with surfing shorts and t-shirt! I try to relax my mind and have fun! It’s all up hill and you ride almost 4 hours, you can also see a spectacular view of Rio and with a perfect weather. Then I can surf and stay all afternoon long on Ipanema’s beach, taking “açaí” (a Brazilian fruit) and watch the spectacular sunset. I try to do that in all my off-season. Rio is 10 points!
ST: If you could change anything about the sport of triathlon, what would it be?
Eduardo: The price purse. Ironman is so hard to win 8k in a local race and 100k in the world champs.
ST: How are things going for you in terms of sponsorship?
Eduardo: I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is the main city pf our country, where all the brands are. Triathlon is growing here and things are getting much better. Now I have AVIA, Endurance (Gels and sport drink made in Argentina), JCT Racing, Cornel Seguridad, Capilatis, Oakley, Flets, Sprint Haupt and Cycle Center. They all together can support me to live from the sport. But I am the only pro triathlete that lives here and can live only from the sport. So that’s amazing.
ST: Do you follow any other sports?
Eduardo: Yes. I like to follow the bike races as Tour de France, Vuelta de España, Giro d’Italia.
ST: Can you share with us some of your food likes and dislikes?
Eduardo: That’s a very interesting issue. I like everything! I definitely don’t have any problems to eat. My girlfriend jokes with me that we need to find a supermarket sponsorship! That’s actually true, I need to look for one! I like the Argentinian beef, alfajor! The Brazilian rice and beans! That’s delicious!
ST: What about music? What do you listen to?
Eduardo: I like the 80’s, 90’s music. I have an Ipod with 4 GB of music to ride bike and run! Michael Jackson, Genesis, INSX, Tears for fears, Brazilian music – like Marisa Monte, Jorge Benjor.
ST: What was the last book you read?
Eduardo: The last I read was “The secret”. It’s nice that you can learn a lot about positive thinking. For an athlete it is very important to think forward and to have a positive attitude. I liked it.
ST: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Eduardo: I wish to run for more years. I am 34 now and I guess I can do it some years more. I like what I do and I enjoy training/ racing/ traveling. I have a degree in physical education and I am a lifeguard. I also train some people here in Argentina. I wish though I could train more people in the future. I’m working with a group called “Sturla Team”, and the goal is to improve their life quality with the sport. I can also train people with all kind of other goals. I’m also not sure about living in Argentina for the rest of my life. I have some plans for the future and I prefer to talk about it when the things are more concrete.
ST: Is there anything else we should know about you?
Eduardo: I have raced triathlons for 18 years now. I am happy that I could live from the sport all these years. I hope I can do even better things in the following years and I wish that I could develop it more here in Argentina.
Check my website www.eduardosturla.com
Eduardo Sturla race results:
– 2x Champion – Ironman Brazil 2001, 2008
Race Record: 8:11:10 (2001)
Bike record: 4:27:01 (2008)
– 2x 13 th place Ironman World Champs Hawaii 2001, 2007
– 2x Argentinian Long Distance Champion 2007, 2008
Race Record: 3:51:49
– Ironman Brazil 2002, 2003 e 2007 – 3 rd place
– Ironman Florida 2006 – 2nd place
– Ironman Brazil 2004 e 2006 – 7 th place
– Ironman New Zeland 2001 – 8th place
– Top 5 Half Ironman Pucon 2002 – 2008
– Ironman Switzerland 2002 – 4th place
– Ironman Lake Placid 2002 – 4th place
– Ironman Australia 2000 – 7th place
