Watch out for Belinda Harper

February 10, 2011

Kiwi Belinda Harper set a new age-group record in Kona last year and is now racing in the Pro category. At Challenge Wanaka she crashed while in the lead on the bike and ended up finishing 5th. She chatted with slowtwitch about recent events and future plans.

Slowtwitch: Belinda, we are glad to get a bit of your time.

Belinda: Thank you, it’s great chatting with you, I am a Slowtwitch fan!

ST: How have your bruises healed from Challenge Wanaka?

Belinda: They’ve come along a-ok, I had some pretty ugly road rash and bruising but luckily it was all superficial. I’m back training again and loving it.

ST: You were in the lead until quite late into the bike segment and then something happened. Can you share?

Belinda: Actually I’m not so sure myself, I had just finished battling a head wind and at around 150k’s I turned into a side wind. All I remember is that horrible feeling when you know you’re about to go down, next I was picking myself up off the ground. I think I just got blown off my bike, I also had a flat front tire maybe that had something to do with it.

ST: How long did it take to get the tire fixed and did it seem like an eternity?

Belinda: It took forever to fix the tire. It was glued on too tight and I was missing a few finger tips which didn’t help – I was watching people fly past. Pure frustration! I need to glue my own tubulars and practice changing them faster.

ST: What was going through your head and did you consider dropping out?

Belinda: Having to drop out was my biggest fear. When I got up I was hugely relieved that I was ok and nothing was broken or injured. When I got going again I planned to get back into the race but I had lost too much time, I was so disappointed. Not finishing was never an option. I have identified a determination and competitiveness in me that I hadn’t realized before.

ST: Did Belinda Granger say anything when she came by?

Belinda: Yeah, I heard her say ‘oh no’ or something to that effect. Belinda is truly a good sport, she was gutted for me.

ST: So what is next?

Belinda: My favorite question! Next I am racing Ironman NZ for my second time, and then due to some amazing good fortune I am able to race in Germany, Challenge Roth! I couldn’t be more excited – Roth is my dream race. I will likely race Challenge Kraichgau a month earlier to Roth but I’m still trying to organize the time away from NZ. Wunderbar!

ST: When you say you are trying to organize time away from NZL. Is that mostly because you still have a day job?

Belinda: Yes, I work for Macquarie Securities as a dealer assistant, it’s a great job with a great crew of people. They’re very supportive of what I do. We’re trying to find a way for me to take leave and its looking hopeful. Fingers crossed!

ST: How good are your German language skills, other than the word wunderbar?

Belinda: My German is non-existent. I can say that I am 13-years old and I have two sisters – learnt many years ago! I’m annoying friends right now by trying to greet and exchange pleasantries in German but I’m not getting anywhere or making any sense. I’ll definitely learn some before I go.

ST: Last year you won your age group in Kona in a record time, but that was only your second Ironman. Were you surprised to do so well?

Belinda: Yes definitely, I am still surprised today. I worked really hard towards the race and was out to give it my very best, but I never imagined my very best would win the age group. I had a lot of support and good advice from my coach, race technique, pacing and nutrition are ground in during those long training hours, getting the feel for how Ironman should be. By the time it came to race day I knew how to feel, I had an idea of how to handle the rough times and the hard work involved because I’d done it all in training.

ST: At what point did you think the title was yours?

Belinda: Maybe in the last mile. I overtook the lead amateur girl 6 miles into the run but not once did I think it was in the bag, I kept the pressure on in hope no one would catch me. It wasn’t until I turned onto Alii drive towards the finish, and came across coach Kristian going crazy that I really thought I’d done it. What a truly amazing feeling, something I’ll never forget, and a feeling I think back on whenever times get tough.

ST: How did you stumble upon your coach Kristian Manietta?

Belinda: I found Kristian via the internet, he has blogged a lot about his training philosophies which you can read about here www.trispecific.com, what he says makes sense and thought I could train well under those methods, lower mileage and hard work in controlled measures. Kristian is a fantastic coach and he’s still very young, I guarantee you will hear a lot more of him in the future.

ST: Kristian might be very busy with the baby soon, or do you think that is not that different from coaching?

Belinda: Ha ha, are you trying to say that coaching athletes is similar to bringing up a baby! I refuse to comment on that one. It’s great news though, the baby is due any moment now and they are both very excited. Kristian said he is like a kid waiting for Christmas!

ST: Any food fetishes we should know about?

Belinda: Hmm… not really, though I have to admit I am a huge fan of Baileys Irish Cream, to the point where I can’t have it in the house or I’ll just drink it –and it seriously doesn’t help with training the following morning, or the race weight! I am waiting for Muscle Milk to make a Baileys flavor, until then I save it as a post race treat.

ST: As a new Pro how tough has it been to find sponsors?

Belinda: Well it’s definitely not easy but I am working on a few opportunities. I am learning fast that sponsorship is not about me but about a partnership with the sponsor and how I can help them. I have recently joined the Kestrel team, which is very exciting. They are a great group of people committed to the athlete, and the bonus with Kestrel is they sponsor one of my favorite athletes, Andy Potts. I wonder if that means I’ll get to meet him one day? Actually I should have had that written into my contract!

ST: Anything else we should know?

Belinda: Yes, a couple of things. First, Challenge Wanaka is an amazing event, the organizers, the location and the course are top class – I recommend it to all. I do however recommend staying upright on your bike. And, when things don’t go as planned tough it out and do the best you can in your circumstances. You gain a lot more from winning your inner battle than you do from winning a race, and with this attitude good fortune is always just around the corner.