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The consistent Uwe Widmann

German Pro triathlete Uwe Widmann is now approaching his 25th year in the sport and while this 42-year old never had a major Championship title to his name, he has been very consistent – placing in the top ten at Ironman Frankfurt in 9 out of 10 attempts. With his wife Renata back to work full time, he has been juggling racing, training, sponsor work and taking care of their young and very curious son Tim. We had a few words with him to see how things are going and what is next for Uwe Widmann.

Slowtwitch: Thank you for your time Uwe.

Uwe Widmann: Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk with you. I always read the interviews on slowtwitch and I am really happy to answer your questions!

ST: What are you currently getting ready for?

Uwe: I’m getting ready for my 25th anniversary season. I did my first triathlon in August of 1988 – so I think I am one of the dinosaurs in this sport. Like the last few years my main races will be the Ironman European Championships in Frankfurt and the 70.3 EC in Wiesbaden along with some other 70.3 races in Europe and some smaller regional triathlon events.

ST: Both your main races are very conveniently located for you. Does it feel like home field advantage?

Uwe: Yes, both races are pretty close. Frankfurt is only a 20-minute drive and the run course in Wiesbaden is in walking distance. Sure is it kind of a home field advantage as there are a lot of friends coming to watch and cheer me on. Ironman Frankfurt is a very special race for me. I finished third in the inaugural Ironman Frankfurt in 2002. Since then I raced there almost every year from 2002 to 2012 (every year except 2009, the year our son Tim was born) and in ten starts I had nine Top Ten finishes!

ST: The weather in Germany has been not very inviting recently. How has that impacted your training?

Uwe: Oh yes, we had a very long and cold winter over here. The river Rhine region usually is not that cold during the winter, but this year was challenging. We had to wear the warm clothing almost all the time from November through March. Although I like it, when there is some time of the year with cooler temperatures and snow to slow you down a little and give you time to recover, at some point it is also necessary to get back on track. You really look forward to see everything getting green again, you want to see the sun and you want to start putting in some miles on the bike! At least for me, the weather mostly impacted me motivation wise and for sure it impacted my cycling. Especially since I don’t enjoy riding on the indoor trainer and the only way to do some longer rides outside was to leave to a warmer location for a training camp.

ST: I would appear that with a young son and a wife with a full time job training and getting away to a training camp is no longer easily handled.

Uwe: That’s right things get more challenging with a family. My wife is back at a full time job and last year while Tim hadn’t started to go to the Kindergarten I had to watch him during the time when she was at work, as we don’t have any relatives close by. So this was a tough year. I did my training early in the morning and in the evening and between the sessions I was watching and entertaining a two-year old boy. This time gave me a lot of respect for all the mums and dads taking care of their kids all day long. But luckily my parents in law visit us now and then, so I am able to leave for a training camp at least once during the winter. Also Tim started to go to the Kindergarten during the morning and now there is a bit more time for training and recovery.

ST: Where did you go and how long did you stay?

Uwe: I spent two weeks in Mallorca – Europe’s cycling paradise after Easter. This place is really amazing for riding your bike! Our family also already spent two weeks on Tenerife, an isle of the Canary Islands. So I was able to do some nice outdoor rides in a mild climate during February and April.

ST: With whom do you currently train with in the Wiesbaden area? Is there anyone that can make you suffer or at least challenge you?

Uwe: Most of the time I train on my own. As I have to put my training around all the family action it’s not so easy to find training partners at the time you need them. I have some master swimmers to swim with and they can really challenge me! Once a week we do a track session with some local triathletes and now and then we meet for a ride through the Rhine Valley or the Taunus. But I do 90% of my training on my own and I have to admit that I like it to train on my own.

ST: Do you take Tim in the jogger on some runs and if so, does he like it?

Uwe: Sometimes I take him in the jogger. He likes it, especially when we run in the forest and there are a lot of things to see. For me this always is a hard session, as the trails are very hilly and the weight of the jogger son combination is getting higher every month.

ST: You have been involved in triathlon for a long time now, is the passion still the same?

Uwe: As I mentioned earlier, it’s been 25 years now since I did my first triathlon and yes the passion is almost the same. Almost, because sometimes when the weather is really bad I decide to stay at home or to shorten a session. 20 years ago I would have said: "Oh great, the others won’t ride today so let’s get out and get some advantage." But there is still enough passion to get up at 5 a.m. and start the day with an early swim session. If the passion wouldn’t be there I wouldn’t be able to compete at such a high level at age 42. In our sport you need a big bunch of passion to be successful whether you are a professional or an age grouper.

ST: How much longer do you see yourself competing as a Pro?

Uwe: Good question! At the end of the 2013 season I will sit down and think about if it’s making sense to race another year or not. I plan only a year ahead. But as long as I have the passion and my results satisfy me …

ST: 1997 was your first trip to the Ironman World Championships in Kona. What were your expectations then and how did it go?

Uwe: 1997 – that was a long time ago. In ’97 I did my first Ironman in Switzerland and finished 5th. I qualified for Hawaii and I just went there to do the race and make the experience. As I had a very good race in Zurich I was hoping for another great one in Kona. I think I finished 31st, which was not too bad for the first time and I wanted to come back.

ST: Your best finish in Hawaii was 14th in 2004, but I believe we met a few years earlier at Lulu's when you just had finished 34th and were hanging out with Matze Klumpp.

Uwe: Yes, I remember we met in 2000. Like in 1997 we (my wife and I) traveled together with Matze and his wife Jutta. Matze had been to the race quite a few times and made it into the Top 10 in 1997. So for me it was great to travel with him getting some advise and help from an Ironman veteran. 2000 was actually my second attempt on the Big Island and I was hoping for a much better race than in 1997. That summer of 2000 I finished 4th at the Ironman Europe in Roth behind Lothar Leder, Thomas Hellriegel and Andreas Niedrig, so I flew over to the US with big confidence to make it into the top 15. At the end of the day the race cracked me and I ended up 34th and was really disappointed.

ST: You also finished 15th one year in Kona and had another top 25. Did any one of these results there mean more to you, and could you explain why?

Uwe: I raced in Kona in 1997, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005 and 2006. My best result was 14th in 2004 and this really means a lot to me. Not only because it was my best result also because I showed myself that with adequate preparation I was able to race well in the heat. In the first three races on the Big Island and also in other races I always got in trouble because of the heat and humidity and a lot of people (including myself) thought I could not do well under these conditions. In 2004 before I flew over to Hawaii, I trained on the Canary Islands to get acclimated to the heat and at the end it paid off with a 14th place.

ST: Outside of Kona, which result or race effort are you especially proud of?

Uwe: Over all the years I had a lot of good races and results. But what I am really proud of is the consistency I showed over all the years racing as a professional. Since 2000 I finished every Ironman qualifier I competed in – in the Top Ten and only in 2011 I finished 13th at the Ironman European Championship in Frankfurt. And I am really proud of the effort that I did believe in my capability to become a professional triathlete making a living doing that.

ST: Along those lines, is all well on the sponsor front?

Uwe: Yes, I am doing well and I am happy with all the help I am getting from my sponsors. Some of them have supported me for a very long time now. I have been on Look bikes since 2005 and have been working with Profile Design, who also celebrated their 25th anniversary in 2013, since 1998. More equipment comes from Giro, Sailfish and GROFA. Last but not least I am very thankful to proaurum and C.O.M. Wiesbaden for their financial support. They all are good friends as well and I really appreciate their loyalty.

ST: Anything else we should know?

Uwe: I am really thankful that I have the opportunity to live a dream and I have to thank all the people who supported me over all those years. At first there is my wife – every athlete knows how much time you have to spent training, traveling and racing. Without the support of our families this couldn’t happen. Then there are all the other people I met through the sport and which helped me out in different ways during the last 25 years. Thank you guys!

You can follow Uwe on his web page uwewidmann.com

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