Speedy age grouper Ali Rowatt

October 29, 2013

After an ankle operation age grouper Ali Rowatt started her 2013 season gingerly, but closed it out with a big bang and a runner-up finish at the GoPro Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii in W30-34. But this fast athlete who races for the British Freespeed team has no plans to combine or mix her passionate hobby with work.

Slowtwitch: Thanks for your time Ali.

Ali Rowatt: Hi Herbert, thanks for having me!

ST: Post Kona you went back to the daily grind quite fast. Was that a shock to the system?

Ali: Haha! Yes! We got back on Tuesday afternoon and I was back at work on Wednesday – that was a shock! Fraser and I had a week in Kona after the race though so it really felt like we had a proper holiday and I was looking forward to getting home and seeing my family.

ST: So it sounds like you did have a proper relaxing time in Hawaii before going back to work, you just left it tight at the end. But was it much of a vacation for Fraser, or did he have to train for something coming up?

Ali: Thankfully we were both able to take it as a holiday as it's rare for us both to be away in such a nice place without filling our days training all the time. Fraser is finished racing for the year and just getting back into training at home in Stirling and looking forward to 2014.

ST: What exactly do you do to pay the bills?

Ali: I'm a lawyer in a small general practice firm in Edinburgh. I've been with the same firm since I qualified and they've always been really supportive of my sporting side line.

ST: How did you stumble upon triathlon?

Ali: I used to be a field hockey player for the Scottish National team but in 2008 after over 10 years of hockey I felt I needed a new challenge. Every year in Edinburgh there is a triathlon on New Year's Day and I decided to give it a shot. It was freezing cold and I couldn't really swim but it must've made some sort of impression as I decided I wanted to try another one!

ST: A pool swim we hope.

Ali: Yes! It was a 50 meter pool and I was never sure I would make it to the end of each length.

ST: You had a very nice race at the 70.3 European Championships in Wiesbaden. Did it all go as planned?

Ali: Yes! Thankfully! Since watching Fraser in Kona in 2010 I was under the Hawaii spell and desperate to get there myself one day. In 2012 I entered IM UK with the goal of qualifying for Kona but I injured my ankle the month before the race and I could only swim and bike. I ended up having an operation on my ankle later that year. The Kona dream was very much in the forefront of my mind and kept me motivated to get back to racing. I knew it was always going to be a big ask to get my ankle strong enough to complete an Ironman to qualify for Kona in 2013 but a friend of mine mentioned that 70.3 Champs in Wiesbaden had slots for Kona and it seemed the perfect solution.

It's a beautiful city with amazing countryside and I thought the course should play to my strengths with a lake swim, a hilly bike and a flatish run. I guess it did suit me as I came off the bike in the lead and then held on for the run. My parents were over watching, Fraser was racing as well as most of Team Freespeed so it was a brilliant weekend.

ST: Did you enjoy any of the German food while you were there?

Ali: Well there was a food and wine festival on over the weekend of the race – and it certainly added to the weekend. The German wines were amazing! And we also managed to enjoy some pretzels and beer after the race as well – it's perfect recovery food really.

ST: Once you had the Hawaii qualification in your hand, we assume you jumped deep into the Kona prep.

Ali: Yeah absolutely. I came back from Wiesbaden, raced another half Ironman distance race in France 2 weeks later and then September was basically eat sleep train repeat, with some work squeezed in as well!

ST: Had you done much longer stuff prior to the race in Wiesbaden this season?

Ali: Coming back from my ankle operation I was able to work hard on my biking and swimming while I wasn't able to run. I did the swim and bike of the Abu Dhabi long distance race in March and in April Fraser and I went to Spain for 10 days and got some great biking in. It was always going to be the run that would be the tricky bit, not only whether my ankle would hold up, but whether I would be able to do the miles in training to get through a marathon.

ST: Did you do that Abu Dhabi race as part of a relay, or was that a swim, bike training race?

Ali: I did Abu Dhabi as swim and bike training. I was going to do the shorter distance race as I was just getting back into training after my ankle operation but I managed to get a couple of 5-5.5hr rides in during February. It's very weather dependent at that time of year, so I figured I may as well do the longer distance race as a big training day. In the back of my head I suppose I also realized it would be good training for Kona if I did manage to qualify.

ST: How much of the advice comes from the Freespeed crew versus your boyfriend Fraser
Cartmell?

Ali: Fraser is an old man of the sport! He's been doing it most of his life so he's knows almost everything I will ever need to know and helps me out no end. Sometimes though there's things he can't help with too much – he can't get his head around my fear of sea swimming. It's second nature to him and he can't understand my concerns with it. But that's where the Freespeeders come in – my good buddy Declan (the mermaid) Doyle in particular was a massive help in conquering my sea swimming demons! There's such experience and depth within the Freespeed Team that there is always someone that is able to help out. So I guess I've got a nice mix!

ST: How did you two meet?

Ali: We were both coached by the same person – Gordon Crawford from Stirling Triathlon Club – and I obviously knew who Fraser was from triathlon circles. Eventually we met at a race we were both doing and we got chatting. Admittedly I then got his contact details from his website and sent him an email to suggest we meet to 'chat triathlon.'

ST: Does he appreciate you referring to him as an old man?

Ali: Haha! No probably not, maybe we should edit that bit out.

ST: Back to your Kona race. Talk about your day.

Ali: Wow, it couldn't really have gone any better! I was super nervous about the swim but I started far left out of trouble and had a really smooth swim all the way round. On the bike I felt like everyone was passing me in the first 20 miles or so, but I was so conscious that I didn’t want to go too hard early on so I tried to ignore folk flying past me and stuck to my own race. We were so fortunate with the conditions on the day – there was a wicked tailwind up to Hawi and no crosswinds to contend with on the way back. The last 30miles was hard as it was into a headwind but I came off the bike feeling as fresh as I think I could. The first 10 miles of the run were great – I felt pretty good, the crowds along Ali'i Drive were amazing and I was really just running along and taking it all in. It was also great to see the Pro race unfold with the out and back sections of the course. I ran up Palani as Fred was running down on his way to the win – the massive media circus and crowds around him were great to take my mind off what I was doing. That said, the last 6 miles of the run were the hardest thing I've ever done, but it was the most amazing feeling to cross the finish line!

ST: Were you aware during the race where your competition was?

Ali: I had no idea at all where I was in the race until I saw Fraser part the way through the run and he said he thought I was in 2nd or 3rd. With 3 miles to go he told me I was in 2nd but the girl in 3rd was only 55 seconds behind me. I actually thought he said 5 seconds so it made for an uncomfortable last 3 miles! It's amazing how you find energy from somewhere even when you think you’re absolutely done if you really have to – I think the last mile was my fastest! it was also downhill.

ST: And did you know that this German woman ahead of you had biked sub-5 hours?

Ali: I had no idea she biked so well – she was 2 minutes ahead of me out the swim and 15 minutes ahead of me at the start of the run so I didn't see her all day.

ST: How much improvement do you think is there for you in the swim?

Ali: To be honest, I think for the effort I would have to put in to gain maybe one or two minutes on the swim, for me – it's not worth it. Maybe it's a defeatist attitude and I will continue to work hard on my swim but I also know I need to be realistic and for the time I put in at the moment, it's really only about maintaining rather than expecting massive improvements.

ST: What about on the bike?

Ali: I think there’s definitely room for improvement there – as I mentioned before I was so aware that I wanted to come off the bike and feel ok that I made sure I biked within myself. Don't get me wrong, I was going hard but I do think there's more to come there.

ST: Do you race with a power meter, and if so, what kind of numbers did you try to hold?

Ali: No, I don't race with power or heart rate monitor. I've always been slightly adverse that type of thing in racing as I think you're better to go with how you feel on the day. Numbers can play with your head.

ST: Talking about numbers, in 2010 you were top age grouper in Clearwater. Rightfully so or actually wrong, many folks would have considered turning Pro after that, why not you?

Ali: I thought about it briefly but I know my swim is not close to being good enough to be competitive so I never really considered it seriously. I also see first-hand how hard it is being a Pro – it looks a glamorous lifestyle but it's not easy by any means. I like the balance of working and training and I'm happy being able to do it as a hobby and not being dependent on racing to earn a living.

ST: That sounds like a wise decision.

Ali: Looking back, for me – it definitely was – I joined Team Freespeed in 2011 (it’s an amateur UK Team) and I feel so privileged to be part of such an amazing set up. We have brilliant sponsors and the Team is run as well (if not better) than a professional outfit. The other athletes on the Team are incredibly talented but we also know what it takes to work full time and train to the level that we do, so we are all like-minded. I feel I have the best of both worlds – the set up and support of a professional athlete without the stress of racing to earn a living.

ST: What is next for you in terms of racing?

Ali: Nothing more for this year and I'll go back to Abu Dhabi in March next year to race the long distance race there again. I had then planned to do Ironman France but it sold out so quickly so I'm having to re-think my plans and I may do Ironman Lanzarote instead. Getting back to Kona is the main aim anyway!