The notion of doing an Ironman triathlon astounds many. Co-founder of Ironman triathlons, John Collins explained: ‘Swim 2.4 miles, Cycle 112 miles, then run a full marathon – brag for life!’ Life’s biggest challenges are not for the foolish or the foolhardy, yet those who attempt and complete them emerge reassured and recognised for their achievements. Now, do the DECA and it positions you in the rarified stratosphere of insanity or unbridled adventurism.
A Deca-Ironman triathlon (DECA) is, essentially, an Ironman triathlon TIMES 10. That means, the participant of this race swims 38K first, then follows up with 1,800K of cycling, and caps it off with a 420K run. In the past, the format was to complete one Ironman triathlon a day for 10 days. Each race must be completed within 24 hours, failure to do so resulting in disqualification – a very painful situation to be in. The least, aggregate timing taken yields the eventual winner.
WAYNE KURTZ hails from Wexford, PA, USA. I first heard about him through Singapore’s only Deca-Ironman (DECA) finisher, Kua Harn Wei. I stumbled upon Wayne through his tweets, and that’s where I made the connection proper, with him, on Twitter.
An avid reader, Wayne’s favourite books focus more on positive thinking, relationships and leadership - traits necessary for his long endurance races, and its rich experiences and amazing but narrow field of athletes. Wayne is a leader in his field, and as an author his new book Beyond The Iron - A Training Guide to Ultra-Distance Triathlons will be launched this month. His passion being endurance racing, he competes and has completed specifically in ultra-distances including the Double, Triple, Quintuple and DECA.
Enrico Varella: Congratulations on your recent racing achievements! You did well on your DECA. Thank you for agreeing to be interviewed. You could not have been a formerly overweight, chain-smoking, workaholic. Tell us a bit about yourself before becoming a serious ultra-endurance athlete.
Wayne Kurtz: My passion for triathlons and endurance sports started in 1985 while in college. I was a swimmer by background and remember asking my mother when she came to visit me at college to drive out to a five-mile running course in the college town. I just decided to buy some New Balance running shoes (only ran with sports, not track or cross-country running) and that was the beginning. A few months later, I was home for a few days and was at the local golf course and saw an entry form for a Bud Light Triathlon in my hometown county park in Pittsburgh. So, after painting my grandmother’s house and doing some other odd jobs, I saved up enough money for my Centurion racing bike. I still recall the conversation with my parents where I said, 'Well now I have my bike, which is the major expense, and the majority of my costs are now gone.'
WK: Well, as we have seen over the last 25 years, new technology, time-trial bikes, mountain bikes, racing bikes, clip-less pedals, aero-bars, aero-wheels, wetsuits, so many pairs of running shoes, all the clothing for each season, etc. made my statement to my parents inaccurate to say the least! In my mind, however, spending the money, over the years, has been a worthwhile lifestyle investment — and triathlons have been my passion ever since. My parents, sister and my lovely bride, Jan has a few classic quotes about me, and among them are: ‘Wayne beats to his own drum.’ and, ‘Was Wayne dropped on his head when he was a baby?’ I hear this a lot now, especially with competing in Ultra-triathlons.
WK: Twenty-five years later and hundreds of endurance races in many different sports, traveling all over North America and Europe, and meeting lifelong friends has been an absolutely amazing experience. I still get nervous at the start of a marathon, ultra-running race, triathlon, snowshoe race, adventure race, cycling race, etc. — and that’s what keeps it so fresh and fun for me.
EV: What is your sporting background?
WK: I am a swimmer by background.
EV: What got you started on endurance sports?
WK: Being competitive in sports for all my life, after college there was a void and I picked up the sport of triathlon.
EV: What was it like racing the DECA last year?
WK: This past year was the continuous version of the DECA (each year switches from a 1 Ironman per day format to the continuous). The 24-mile swim, 1120-mile bike, 262-mile was the format this past year. The weather was hot during the day for the bike and run which switched my strategy and I did most of my sleeping during the day to get out of the heat. The race was significantly harder in my opinion than the one-per-day Ironman format last year.
EV: Why the DECA format?
WK: This race is my favorite mainly because of the mental challenge to keep on going. Mentally, there is nothing like it in any of my 100's of races of I competed in over the last 25 years.
EV: What do you enjoy most about racing?
WK: The competitive nature of the event and, of course, being able to use my greatest strength - which is my mental strength come race day. I train my mind daily just like my body in my normal training.
EV: How long do you take to prepare for an Ironman, and DECA?
WK: For an Ironman I can get myself ready to race it hard in about 8-10 weeks. The DECA is a longer buildup with a series of Double-Iron, 100-mile and 24-hour running races throughout the race season to get prepared for the race. It is months of training and racing.
EV: Phew! I am tired after hearing all that. What is your preparation for the DECA like?
WK: A normal week for me consists of around 20 hours. This includes swimming, biking, running, functional/strength training. I spend about another 15 hours per week with my mental training process. My key workouts (all highlighted in the training plans within Beyond The Iron) include weekly 10-12 hour all night workouts to get my body, mind and sleep deprivation - ready for the DECA.
Photo-Credits: Wayne Kurtz, Endurance RacingReport.com
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