Endurance sports attract people from all walks of life, especially at the top level. Whether athlete or coach, the individuals that make up a sport like triathlon are perhaps one of its greatest assets.
In the world of high-performance, Dr. John Hellemans stands out. A medical doctor who hails from the Netherlands, John has spent much of his adult life resident in New Zealand. Perhaps more interesting is that he is one of those rare individuals who has had great success both as an elite athlete and high-performance coach, sometimes simultaneously.
In the following Q&A, John discusses the intricacies of ITU-racing, athletic longevity as well as providing some great insight into the iconic Kiwi athlete Erin Baker.
Nature Gym: As the manager of the Dutch National Triathlon squad, what does your job entail? What are the greatest challenges that you experience my fulfilling such a position?
John Hellemans: The Dutch had set up a
centralized programme in 2009 and struck some difficulty with personnel and
implementation and they asked for my assistance in 2010. Being of Dutch descent
I decided to take up the challenge. My main job was to structure the programme
as being coach lead, athlete centered, supported by expert personnel and
facilitated by the Technical Director (High Performance Director). It is the
ideal model but it only works if everyone, including the coaches and athletes
buy into it.
My own position was
that of National Coach and as such I worked closely with the TD. One of my
tasks was to get a couple of athletes to London and we managed to do that.
Maaike Caelers and Rachel Klamer came out on top after a brutal qualification
trajectory. By the time they qualified there was no time to get them in peak
fitness again so the results at the London Olympics were disappointing.
My third main
responsibility was to train some other coaches in the programme. They were very
capable already but had to make the jump to coaching at International level.
Following the London
Olympics I have handed the athletes gradually over to the other coaches. I have
reduced my responsibilities and reverted to a part-time capacity.
My job with the Dutch
programme is officially coming to an end in July 2014.
NG: Talk about the evolution
of the ITU circuit and the athletes over the years. Are there any fundamental
changes that you have observed in the physiology and mindset of the athletes
competing on the World Cup circuit in the late nineties in comparison to those
nowadays?
JH: The biggest change is
the intensity of racing. Allowing drafting in the late nineties has changed the
nature of the sport. Initially I was opposed to this change but now I can see
that it had to happen. It has taken some of the honesty and individualism out of
the sport but it has added intrigue and entertainment. You need to be a special
type of athlete to be able to cope with the uncertainties and pressures which
go with the WTS type of racing.
Being included in the
Olympic Games has propelled our sport into the main stream sports and the
current format seems ideally suited to the Olympics considering its popularity.
The depth of competition at elite level has therefore increased enormously.
NG: Many ITU competitors
are members of training squads, which spend extended periods together in a
training camp environment between races. What are your thoughts on the
increased emergence of coached training groups over the last decade? Any pros
and cons?
JH: It comes with the
territory of our sport having become truly professional. Training full time and
as part of a squad with similar level athletes will result in improvement. Being
challenged on a daily basis can have its downside and therefore it needs to be
managed well. Training in a group environment is not for every athlete.
At home there are
plenty of distractions so travelling away for training camps in optimal
training environment makes sense. Periods of “train, eat, sleep, repeat” are
essential in the development of most athletes if they want to reach their
maximum potential,
Interesting is the
development of squads which contain athletes of different countries, coached by
a “neutral” coach. This seems to have come out of the fact that national squads
do not always function well because of personality conflicts and intense
competition within the squad.
Most professional
triathletes have back to back seasons which include much travel; spending a winter in another hemisphere for optimal training has become the norm.
NG: With your extensive
athletic and coaching background together with you being a medical doctor, what
steps can a professional triathlete take to optimize his or her athletic
longevity?
JH: This is an interesting
question. I foresee shorter lifespans for the international athletes as the
depth of competition has increased exponentially over the years.
To keep up athletes
tend to train harder, especially in relation to intensity, this is difficult to
maintain in the long run.
You can extent your
career by conservative periodization including picking your races carefully. It
is my opinion that many of the elite athletes race too much. This will likely
shorten their career, especially if much travelling is involved as well.
A lot of what I do as
a coach is holding athletes back in training and racing, main priority is ease
of movement, achieved through focus on technique and careful planning.
The other key components
besides training athletes have control over is their nutrition and mental
attitude. Both of these factors need as much attention as training. For some it
comes easier than for others. As an athlete you need to know what your weaknesses are and be prepared to work on those.
NG: You competed at an
elite level in triathlon well into your forties, including some impressive
results against the top professionals of the era. Talk about your elite
triathlon career as an athlete. Were you ever a full time sporting professional
given your medical qualifications?
JH: I took up triathlon at
the ripe old age of 29, was an accomplished swimmer and had always done some
running as part of my overall conditioning. Every Dutchman can ride a bike, so
triathlon was made for me. When I started off I was accomplished in all 3 disciplines
unlike my opposition who came from other sports and often had a weak discipline
I could take advantage off. This kept me competitive for quite some time.
I competed as an elite
off and on till my late thirties. I always combined it with a busy medical
practice and a young family. I was able to do this by having plenty of breaks
in between races, thereby extending my career. I took 3 months off prior to the
Commonwealth Games held in Auckland in 1990 and promptly over-trained.
I admit that generally
my work and other commitments have stopped me from over-training too much. Sometimes I wonder if I could have done better by taking more risk and pushing
a bit harder in training.
NG: For a small country,
New Zealand continues to produce an impressive amount of world class endurance
athletes. What is it about New Zealand that contributes to this continued
success over many decades?
JH: It is mainly a
cultural thing. New Zealand embraces sport. When I arrived in New Zealand, I
observed how they played sport and thought immediately “ah, that is how you do
it!” I was pretty fortunate to have a chance to put the passion and toughness
they put into sport into practice in my triathlon career.
The trademark of New
Zealanders sportsmen and women are toughness and passion. That gets them a long
way. The Dutch in contrary are more analytical and structured. I have never
been able to integrate the Dutch structure and analytical approach into the Kiwi
high performance programme and in the last few years I have struggled to install
the Kiwi toughness and passion into the Dutch. Cultural influences remain too
strong.
The rivalry with big
brother Australia is also a huge motivator.
Sport is big part of
the school curriculum. In many countries as a school student if you want to
play sport you join a club. In New Zealand you can do it via school programmes, which are generally very good and also encourage competition.
NG: What are your thoughts
about top athletes becoming coaches upon retirement from competition? How would
you advise a newly-retired professional athlete wanting to step into the role
of high-performance coaching?
JH: It is a good thing as
they bring a wealth of experience with them. They know what it takes.
Their biggest pitfall is
their wanting to train the athletes the way they trained. It is very ingrained
and against their nature to embrace other training methods which might be more
suitable for some of the athletes they coach. It takes a lot of confidence to
be able to step back, and learn that there are many ways which lead to success.
That is where they need to develop additional skills and learning. They have to
learn to become part of a team also, even a leader of the team, which takes
special qualities which they often still have to learn.
Every coach needs a
coach. A coach can benefit hugely from having a mentor.
NG: You have worked with
many top athletes over the years, one of the most notable being the legendary
Erin Baker. Talk about your years coaching and mentoring Erin; what made her so
special?
JH: That is a long story;
one day I will write about it in more detail. Suffice to stay that Erin would
have made it if she was coached by a doorknob. She was driven and tough with a
lot of emotions, which needed to be channeled into her training and racing at
times. That is the area, looking back, where I probably added some value. Otherwise
we were partners in crime. We had lots of fun experimenting with triathlon
specific training sessions. She knew very quickly what worked and what did not.
She was well ahead of her opposition because of her preparedness to push the
boundaries with her training and she was totally committed to the cause. She
had an uncanny vision of where triathlon was going to go in the future. This
was in a time that triathlon was still wild, with no world championships and governing
bodies.
NG: What has been the key
to your continued athletic success and your own longevity, given that you still
compete as top amateur? Is your mindset and approach any different now than
twenty five years ago?
JH: I have generally stuck
to more conservative training guidelines, not taking too much risk. I have
always performed well on 4 sessions per discipline per week; the bulk of my
training has been done at aerobic pace, even more so while I am getting older.
These days I am doing little or no high intensity work bar the odd race.
I am a Lydiard
disciple believing in consistency in volume and in strength endurance, so
plenty of hills. Both are also good for longevity in sport.
I do not work out in
the gym. I do not think that is specific enough and do not want to compromise
any of my swim, bike or run sessions. I think it can add to injury risk.
I have mainly stuck to
standard distance events; they do not take as much out of you and are easier to
train for. I have done a couple of Ironman events and they have certainly
knocked me around.
These days I train
more for my health then for the competition. I am less worried about winning,
am happy to just be there. However, I do need to keep doing the odd race as it
motivates me to train/exercise.
I accept the ageing
process and accompanying physical decline, though.
NG: With coaching and team
management positions requiring extensive travel and working time, how do you
keep yourself in shape while on the road and away from home?
JH: I tend to keep ticking
over. I will join the athletes in training when and where I can. I am known to
join in with the swim and bike recces prior to WTS events. It is not quality
stuff but keeps me healthy. Generally I will do some exercise 5 or 6 days per
week. These days it is much less structured and I take more note of the weather
and adjust my training accordingly.
