Is Martin Jensen ready for his breakthrough?

August 13, 2010

COPENHAGEN — For a country of roughly 5 million citizens, Denmark has produced a remarkable string of great triathletes. Peter Sandvang won ITU long course medals and Ironman titles. Susanne Nielsen won many races and had a top five finish at Kona and Lisbeth Kristensen has that 2001 ITU long course world championship gold. Then came the kings – Thunder Bear Torbjorn Sindballe with his ITU long course triumphs, Ironman and half Ironman wins, and that Ironman Hawaii bike course record and his third place finish at the Ironman World Championship before a heart condition forced his retirement. And now storming the battlements of Kona glory is perhaps the greatest of them all. Rasmus Henning already has ITU long course medals, two $200,000 pots of gold at Hy-Vee, two Olympic qualifications, a 5th place with a broken hand in his Kona debut, an Ironman win and a dominating win and a near world best time of 7:52 at Challenge Roth a month ago.

And quietly, still in the shadows of his mentor and training partner Henning, is a 26-year-old whose great promise seems to place him next in line to join the ranks of Danish triathlon greats.

After an 8-year career as a national class swimmer, Martin Jensen has made a swift rise in his new sport of triathlon. In 2008, he finished 3rd at the ITU long course worlds in Almere. In 2009, he placed another quiet third at the ITU long course worlds behind the fierce duel waged by Tim O'Donnell and Sylvain Sudrie. This year, he was riding third at Nasty Grade at Wildflower, in range of eventual winner Michael Raelert, before a 2-minute stand down penalty for throwing away a gel packet outside the aid stations dropped him back to 6th. And most promising of all, he led through the bike at the European long course championships before surrendering to home town favorite Eneko Llanos by just one minute on the run.

But equally promising for his long term prospects is Jensen's status as Rasmus Henning's training partner of choice in long training camps near Lanzarote and the guidance he receives from Henning's and Torbjorn Sindballe's brilliant coach, Michael Krueger.

"We mesh so well together because we have the same mentality and we are quite equal on the bike," said Jensen at breakfast at the Challenge Copenhagen race headquarters at the Radisson Scandinavia. "There are no egos. We work well together because we know what needs to be done and we have been away together so many times we know how each other trains. Rasmus has asked me to come with him to Ironman Hawaii training camp in Fuerta Ventura." Jensen says Henning has been generous with his advice and counsel. "I call him often for advice on training and sponsors," said Jensen. "I have learned things on many levels from Rasmus. Everything from how to put all the elements of a training camp together to maximize results and how to take care of sponsors."

But recently, says Jensen, Henning may have drawn a subtle line that indicates Jensen's emerging status as a potential rival. "But at the Danish sprint championships this year he finished 3rd. That was the first time in many years he lost. (Jensen finished ahead of his mentor) That made him think he gave up too many tricks. But then he won Roth and I am hoping the sprint race was a wake up call and may have inspired him."

So which givers him the most confidence – working with Rasmus or his performances in big races?

"When I race well, I see I am able to be up with the best guys. But on a daily basis, I see I can train at the same level with one of the very best triathletes in the world. That gives me great confidence as well."

So what has he learned from his near misses in races?

"At Wildflower, I was in 3rd position at the foot of that big hill on the bike. Then I got that 2 minute penalty for throwing away a gel outside the zone. So I had to stand down and when I got back on the bike I was 7th or 8th. I had been riding with Michael Raelert and planned to go with him. But once I stopped for the penalty, he rode really fast to the transition and was gone. I would have liked to go with him and try to run with him. I feel it would have been at least a podium."

Jensen also had another misfortune when his racing bike broke just before the ITU long course worlds in Germany and his hastily put together road bike wasn't carefully fit for him and he pulled out without a chance to factor in the rematch between O'Donnell and Sudrain.

At the European long course championships held in Eneko Llanos' back yard in the Basque country of Spain, he learned he could race with the best – but fell short on a surge at the beginning of the run.

"That was by far my best race," said Jensen. "Eneko and I had a 10 minute lead on the rest after the bike. The first 2-3 km of the run, I planned to go out hard – and I went at 3:30 per km pace, 10 seconds per kilometer faster than my goal pace. But Eneko, who was really keen to win on his home course, put 30 seconds on me in the first 2 kilometers and had a minute lead after 5 km. Then he maintained that margin the rest of the 30km run. Then Llanos went on and a did an 8:02 a few weeks later in Germany. So that shows the level we were racing. It wasn't an easy win for him. He had to do some work."

Another encouraging factor for Jensen's future is the profile of his strengths. His swim background automatically puts him in the first pack out of the water. Then with his Torbjorn-esque and Rasmus-like muscular 6-foot 1-inch frame, he puts out tremendous power on the bike.

"Biking came naturally to me," said Jensen. While he faced much of the usual pains of a swimmer transitioning to running — he suffered an early stress fracture and had to carefully monitor his mileage — his speed seems to be on target with his run in Spain where he virtually matched Llanos' split.

It seems as if his biggest fear on the run is getting out split by his coach.

"Michael Krueger is 42 but at the Danish half Ironman distance championship he had a usual bad swim and a decent bike but he had the fastest run overall. He is running well this year and had his sights set on a sub 2:40 marathon at Roth. He keeps us all honest!"

This weekend, Henning predicts his protégé and training partner Jensen is ready to outrace two-time Lanzarote winner Ain Alar Juhanson, Ironman Western Australia winner Tim Berkel, 2007 Challenge Wanaka winner Luke Dragstra, and Australian Chris McDonald as well as fellow Danish contender Jimmy Johnsen, who finished third at the European long course championships in Spain.

Jensen, who hails from a small town named Aalbord some 400 kilometers away from Copenhagen in northern Jutland, hopes he has taken care of all the details and the Danish crowds will help propel him to victory in his very first Ironman distance challenge.