Many eyes on Rasmus Henning
For Rasmus Henning the 2011 Abu Dhabi International Triathlon might turn out to be a race of redemption of sorts. He finished third in this event last year, and Kona did not at all go as planned. A more accurate description about the Ironman World Championship experience would be what could go wrong, did go wrong. But the Dane really wanted to win this race last year and had to surrender the top two spots to Eneko Llanos and his own personal friend Dirk Bockel. But this is another year and new contenders are here to play.
B>Slowtwitch: There is not much time left until the Abu Dhabi showdown – is everything go?
Rasmus: Yes I’m ready. Train has been to plan, so there is no looking back!
ST: Will this be your race to make amends for the “everything went wrong” day in Kona?
Rasmus: Sure, it would be nice to wash that experience off and show what I can do when things go according to plan. But the field is strong, and winning here will take more than just a good day.
ST: Are you surprised by the impressive field assembled here?
Rasmus: Not really. The race and the hospitality here were great last year, and the organizers are really good to the pros. That is something other races could learn from.
ST: Who is on your radar here?
Rasmus: A lot of guys. There are so many good ones here that it’s almost impossible to pick. I wouldn’t know who was fit, acclimated and hungry at the same time. Some will be, but most probably not.
ST: Having done this unique distance event before, do you think you’ll have an edge over the newbies including Macca and Crowie?
Rasmus: Perhaps a little bit, but the race wasn’t as difficult as many would have thought last year – at least not to me.
ST: You spent quite a bit of time getting ready for this race in Playitas. For someone living in the Northern Hemisphere is it the key to go to a place like that to properly prepare?
Rasmus: It certainly helps, and I’ve enjoyed my stay at Playitas very much this winter. In fact, my family and I have decided to stay there pretty much until it is time for Hawaii.
ST: What is next after Abu Dhabi?
Rasmus: Back to Playitas for 2½ weeks, then off to 70.3 Oceanside and 70.3 Texas. Then a few weeks of training again before doing Half Challenge Playitas on April 30th which will round up my spring campaign. From then on it will pretty much be some rest and then build up for Kona.
ST: Anything else new and exciting?
Rasmus: I have changed to High5 as nutrition sponsor, which I’m very excited about. They will do some testing with me later this spring in order to optimize my carbohydrate uptake during Ironman, which should come in handy by October. Also Craft have made a new line of clothing for me which looks super cool in red and white colors, and ECCO are in the process of making me BIOM shoes in the same colors in order to perfect the look with my Specialized Shiv and now High5 bottles. Danish Dynamite!
ST: Well have a great race.
Rasmus: Thanks. Too bad you couldn’t make it here.
ST: Well, it at least seems my bag is going there to see you guys. 🙂
