“If you don’t enjoy the process, your athletic career won’t
last very long.”
Prophetic words from Conrad Stoltz, who, at thirty-nine years of age, is still at the very top of the Xterra tree. With the onset of his 28th triathlon season around the corner, the “Caveman” is certainly the poster-child for athletic longevity, the process of which he has certainly perfected over the years.
“My coach, Ian Rodger, is a firm believer in science, so
we only train to what science tells us; far less volume than the more conventional
training program out there. The result is less physical and mental stress, with
fewer overuse injuries and illnesses on the whole. Plus I really enjoy the
multi-sport lifestyle, which I think is applicable to athletes of all levels.”
An added bonus for Stoltz is the opportunity to share his athletic career with his wife Liezel, herself a former captain of the South African Netball squad.
“Traveling with my wife is a real treat and makes the racing
season even more rewarding. She was a professional athlete for fifteen years and
knows what it takes to be successful. Liezel really plays a key role in my
success and happiness.
“We spend amazing quality time together - she even does some
of my easy sessions with me - and Ian’s coaching ensures that I’m still at the
top of sport of Xterra.”
Rest periods are part and parcel of any professional
athlete’s year, but Conrad is unique in the sense that he stays active through
various home projects, adventure trips and a fair dose of manual labour. December
2012 was no exception, with the Caveman spending an extended period at his
family’s farm in Mpumalanga, South
Africa.
“The most stressful part of being a professional
triathlete is all the traveling and ‘living out of a bag.’ So it is good to
finally unpack, stay in one place for a few weeks, get away from the computer
and phone, live a slower life and partake in a bit of manual labour; even more
so if it is creative! This past December, we started laying out and building
dirt tracks for game drives on our farm. Nature, creativity and hard work - sounds
a lot like Xterra racing.”
With Stoltz’s imminent debut at the Abu Dhabi International Triathlon
on 3 March 2013, swimming training would usually be a challenge living on a
farm outside Lydenburg. But as they say, “’n
boer maak ‘n plan” and Stoltz lives up to this motto in heaps.
“I revived my single-lane pool this December to prepare
for the Abu Dhabi Triathlon in March. It is 25m long and with the lack of adequate
swimming facilities in the area, it is the answer for putting in some yardage
for the big race. I managed to put the plastic back in the pool and funneled
the furrow’s water through irrigation pipes.”
Stoltz’s uniquely creative approach to training and
racing has come to fruition after years of trial-and-error. As part of a
swashbuckling South
African triathlon tribe pursuing the French professional circuit during the
early 1990s, Conrad regularly raced 30-40 times a season; a necessity to put
food on the table.
“I would get back from France injured, over-trained and totally
over-raced. Being so passionate and eager, I would get straight back into
racing in South Africa, which usually involved the season opening Sun City Triathlon
in October, and race the whole South African season after the French season.
“With no real coaching guidance for the first ten years
of my career, it is sad to think how I just wasted away; my performances kept
dropping in my early and mid-twenties due to chronic over-training and
injuries. I was especially “hard-headed” back then!”
With such ‘hard-headed’ training days and multiple
injuries firmly behind him, the pragmatic Stoltz is excited about his prospects
for 2013.
“Interesting, a little different and exciting” he enthuses,
when expanding on his plans for 2013. After a few Xterra races and MTB events
in South Africa, Team Stoltz heads to the USA in April for a full calendar of
racing, culminating in Xterra World Championships in Maui on 27 October.
