Mark Allen
Thursday, 05 June 2008 07:39
Listen to Mark Allen relive 'Ironwar'
It's hard to find an athlete with a more impressive record than Mark Allen. A multiple winner of so many of the world's biggest races, including an incredible six Hawaiian Ironman victories. We talk to Mark about all things tri and while we've grabbed some of the best bits for the article, you have to listen to the full audio to get a real appreciation of the man and the race that defined the sport in 1989. Mark is one of the more enigmatic athletes in the world. This is an interview to be listened to.
Your road to the eventual win in 1989 is famous throughout the triathlon world. Are you someone who looks back over all you’ve accomplished in the sport?
Well I give a lot of talks. I speak to businesses and to triathletes and to athletes around the world and so of course a lot of the backdrop that I make my points with is from my racing career. Certainly some of the highlights are the ones that you mentioned, especially in Kona (Hawaii). I do talk about it quite a bit so I guess I do look back at it. You know there are a lot of lessons that I have learnt from those years. They were great years.
1989 was the most famous race in our sport's history . What was the defining moment for you going into 1989’s race?
There was not really one moment. To pull off a victory in Kona there are so many elements that have to come together. Probably one of the starting points was really in the previous Winter before I started training. I had done Ironman six times and I had come up with zero wins for those six but I felt that if I had my best day I might be able to win. So I really reflected on the race and on myself and kind of asked what’s going on here? What’s holding me back from winning?
I saw some important elements in my training that were missing and then I also saw that on an emotional or spiritual level that I was afraid of that race. Afraid of the island. Afraid of Dave Scott who was my nemesis over there. So in ’89 I actually went down to New Zealand and trained for six weeks in March and April and that was the beginning point in making the shift in the training that I needed.
Because I was away from home I was away from distractions and I saw that when I really focussed on the training that I lead a very simple lifestyle meaning I could actually handle a very high volume of training. I could recover from it. I could absorb it. And so that was really the window into getting fit physically
The story of your rivalry with Dave Scott is legendary. Do you guys ever talk now that it is all done?
Yeah, we run into each other several times a year at different races or conferences. You know, we have a good rapport with each other. We had a very intense rivalry athletically, but underlining that we had respect for each other as people so that I think that it was a healthy rivalry because it pushed us to excel.
Some rivalries are duals that happen between two athletes who have absolutely no respect for each other as people and that brings a whole different energy to it. When it was all said and done we are just two guys hanging out when we meet at these places.
When you first saw Chris McCormack in Kona, in your opinion, do you think he approached the race in the right way?
Absolutely not. I’m sure he’ll admit that. He went there certainly knowing he could win it but kind of with the attitude of I have done well at all these other races and all I have to do is go and pick up the pieces and put it together and it will be no big deal, a slam dunk.
That was not the way it played out. I’m sure if you asked him now he probably would say in a lot of ways he’s grateful that he didn’t win it that first time because there are so many valuable lessons you learn in those dark moments when you have to face the reality of having a bad race when you thought you were ready.
Do you think the 8 hour barrier will ever be broken in Kona?
Yes. There have been sub eight hour performances but the wind and the weather did not cooperate. It takes a lot to go under 8 hours. It has to be the right weather conditions and it has to be the right race dynamic to have people set up to go that fast. And not to just go for a victory. But certainly it is possible, absolutely.
How hard do you still train these days?
Oh man, I’m training day and night !! (laughs). When I quit racing I was done. I was a competitive swimmer for 12 years growing up. Very mediocre, but I put in my time in the pool and then another 15 years competing at a world class level in triathlon and that’s enough for me.
Now my workouts are just designed to stay healthy, to feel good and to stay fit and to hopefully live a long life and be active all the way to the end. I live in Santa Cruz California and I live 2 blocks from the main surf beach here. So I surf for an hour a day and run every day. Just short, about 30 – 40 minutes and I also lift weights. You know I’m surfing better at 50 then I am at any point in my life.
Mark thanks for chatting to us.
* image not Mark Allen
