Posted: August 29, 2005

Triathlon: Interview with Ironman UK 2nd place finisher Katja Schumacher

Q: What do you say about the race?

A: (Katja): Who is Melissa Preston? She came by me on the bike, and I had no chance to stay with her, she was just going so fast. Then I thought she might have to pay on the run for the fast pace on the bike, but she just go faster.

Q: The times where very slow today, only one man under 9h and one woman under 10h. Was it such a hard course?

A: KatjA: Yes the bike was very hard, slow because of the rough asphalt and many, many hills, and 3miles too long. It was a long day, especially after starting 21/2 hours late. There was fog on the lake, so we sat in our wetsuits waiting for it to clear. It was exhausting, we where all frozen and already hungry again by the time the gun went off for the start.

Q: You qualified for the world Championships in Hawaii that was one of you goals. Are you happy with your race?

A: Yes I am very happy, that I qualified. I think I had a good race, not a great one. But those days, where everything works together are rare in Ironman racing. I had a good swim, but I felt a little flat on the bike. I had a very hard schedule for the last 4 weeks; I did 2 short races, one half Ironman and then Ironman UK. It was a lot, but I had to do it. Now I am German Champion 2005 for Half Ironman, won the first 2 races of the Rhein Neckar Cup, qualified for Hawaii and my sponsor MLP is back on board. It was a good season already.

<A: What’s your goal for Ironman Hawaii?

A: I would like to make Top 10.

Good luck!