Your book 'Going Long' has been a bible to me and thousands of others in getting immersed in the world of triathlon training.  What was the most rewarding part of that experience in writing such a book?

Probably the best part about the book is getting to meet the people that have enjoyed reading it.  Joe and I have just finished the second edition which should be coming out at the end of the year.  We beefed up the sections on Power as well as Nutrition.

You are the poster child for 'average guy makes good' in your rise from newbie to Ultraman champion.  What turned in your focus from 'let's see how this thing goes' to 'I think I can really be this good'?

I was very fortunate to find something that I loved doing (i.e. training) that resulted in being a good ultradistance triathlete.  I don't have spectacular physiology but I seem to do quite well at events over seven hours duration -- even better when a few days of them are combined.

There never really was a formal decision to "get good" -- what happened was that I kept getting faster and faster with each year.  The few races where I have focused on "winning" haven't gone as well as the ones where I simply trained a lot and let the day unfold.

With such a background, you've got to have some great stories of unintended mistakes throughout the years.  Give us a taste of your most embarrassing moment in any race.

Interestingly, my most embarrassing moments are pretty much invisible (and paradoxically inside some of my greatest races).  In order (for me) to race well at Ironman, I need to let the other guys make the mistakes.  What this means is that the race "moves away" from me for the first few hours of the day.  At this time, it can appear that I am going to get my butt kicked. However, a few hours later, the race starts to come back to me and that perks me up.

In terms of unintended mistakes, the most common one is frying myself with excessive intensity and/or too much volume.  I've been overtrained quite a bit over the last few years.  It is something that I really watch out for, now.

2007 saw you make a big commitment to Ironman Canada with a performance that was below your expectations.  What was the singular biggest learning you had from that race?

Mental passion and commitment doesn't trump human physiology.  If you ride too hard then you will have a sub-par marathon.

In terms of nutrition and hydration, how do you plan your bike and run intakes for an Ironman?

The bike intake depends on how strong I am riding -- normally 350-600 calories per hour.  If I am riding strong then I need to take in more energy to fuel my race.  All carbohydrate calories…no protein or fat.  Note that this is different than what I recommend for athletes that are out there over 9 nine hours as well as different from what I do in training.

On the run, I drink as much cola as I can tolerate.  Ironman race day is the only day of the year that I drink cola -- trying to preserve my tooth enamel!

I know you were in Kona this year watching the race and doing some work for your sponsors.  What were thoughts around the incredible debuts of Chrissie Wellington, Sam McGlone and Craig Alexander?

I have a lot of respect for the way Craig lives within our sport.  He is a man with strong ethics and a commitment to his family.

As for the ladies, we saw some REAL racing the entire way and that was a great show.

I'm a big fan of learning about various 'evacuation' strategies of top triathletes.  How do you deal with, well, number 1 (and God forbid, number 2!) on the bike and the run?  Especially in an Ultraman distance!

For Ultraman, I recommend that you don't pee in your shorts -- it contributes to chaffe that will be painful on Day 2 & 3.

For #2?  Best to stop at any race distance.

After spending so many years building your base and focusing so hard at the top level of the sport, you took some time off before coming back hard in 2007.  With the kind of experience you've had in racing and now in coaching over the last few years, what do you find is most rewarding and why--working with your clients or a great race result?

Satisfaction in success of a client, or myself, is more about the process than the end result.  With coaching, I have worked with Ron Ottaway since he was 64 years old.  This past October, at 70, I was able to watch him achieve a life-long goal of being #1 in his age group in Kona.  That was a lot of fun for me, a very deep sense of satisfaction.

In your work with Scott Molina and various other top pros, what have you found are the top 3 strengths that each of them possess?

Probably the greatest strength that I see in elite athletes is their drive to train -- this can also be a personal limiter as many of us cope with tending to overtrain ourselves.  Something unique that Scott possess is the ability to lift himself up for competition.  Very few people are able to race at a level above their training performance.

Last one.  If you could go back and redo one race from your past and change one thing, what race would it be and what would you change?

Gordo Byrn
Born: December 26, 1968
Age: 39
First Triathlon: A sprint triathlon in Hong Kong when I was an ultrarunner -- 2nd to last out of the water!  My first triathlon that I actually trained for was Wildflower Long Course 1999.
Turned Pro: First elite race was Ironman New Zealand in March 2001
Family: Wife - Monica
Lives: All over the world -- I've been based in London, Edinburgh, Hong Kong, Christchurch, Noosa, Bermuda, San Francisco and Boulder. I am a Canadian National but haven't lived there since 1990.

Career at a glance

• Ironman Canada -- 2nd, 3rd (2x)
• Ironman New Zealand -- 2nd, 4th
• Ironman Brazil -- 5th
• Ultraman Hawaii -- 1st
• Triple T -- 1st (2x)
• World's Toughest Half -- 1st
• Probably my best race was Ironman Canada 2004 -- my time is one of the ten fastest (all time) and I ran 2:46 off the bike!

Outstanding stuff, Gordo!  Best of luck with the new book and here's to another great season of training and racing!

Interview by Max Wunderle

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