Winter in Europe. Depending upon the location, the mind conjures short days and long nights, combined with onset of snow and rain. Chimneys emit smoke for household stoves and fireplaces and a sense of hibernation abounds. Yet several thousand miles away in the sun and wind of Cape Town, South Africa, one young man is relishing the thought of spending the next few months in these colder climes.
“I've tended to run away from winter in the past,” admits Richard Murray, the Rainbow Nation's leading exponent at Olympic-distance triathlon. “This year taught me a few lessons, one of which is learning to hold back over the off-season. This will be my first winter spent in Europe. It's going to be quite a challenge but I'm excited about this new dimension.”
In an international season that began way back in February, Commonwealth Games bronze-medallist Murray acknowledges that burning the candle a little too early did have its consequences.
“My performances definitely suffered in the second half of 2014,” admits the twenty-five year old Durbanville native. “Training too hard too early was indeed a contributing factor, as was all of the international travel. But you learn the hard way and I'm working hard on improving those and some other aspects.”
Wynberg Military Base is nestled within the Mother City's affluent Southern Suburbs and, at face value, an unlikely venue for a world-class triathlete to fine tune his physical condition. Yet it is here that Murray is addressing and enhancing another of those variables critical in maximising his already innate athletic arsenal: his swimming ability.
Under the watchful eye of swimming guru Hilton Slack, Murray's quest for improved swimming performance began shortly after his return to home shores in October. No slouch in the water by any means, this working relationship is more about taking his aquatic ability to the next level, where the dynamics of draft-legal ITU short-course racing demands nothing less than world-class ability.
“I'm investing in my swimming,” explains Murray, whose daily aquatic-centric focus demands a lengthy round-trip from his Durbanville home. “I've been getting advice from Ryk Neethling and wanted to take this further once back in South Africa. Hilton Slack was recommended to me by TSA High Perfomance Manager Lindsey Parry and we've been working a lot on technique over the last while.”
With Cape Town's summer in now full swing, Murray is soon heading to Portugal to meet up with his international coach, Joel Filliol. Once there, Murray and the rest of Filliol's squad will embark on a pre-season training camp in the Faro region close to neighbouring Spain. Now beginning their third season together, Murray and Filliol have built a close working relationship, the like of which the young South African feels is critical to his own career progression.
“I met Joel at a pre-race swimming session in New Zealand,” remembers Murray. “We South African triathletes had no swimming lanes allocated to us and Joel suggested that we jump in with his Canadian athletes. We carried on talking thereafter and he relayed his intent on becoming an independent coach the following year, which definitely interested me. We're a good fit.”
The athlete-coach connection is critical in any elite sporting environment, where the distinction between viewing one's coach both as a friend and a boss can lead to difficulties down the line. This is not a problem for Murray though, who acknowledges that he does need to be told what to do at times, all the while maintaining the friendship and intimacy that makes a close-knit – yet world class – training squad what it is.
“I did struggle a bit in the beginning of our association but that is in the past. Coaching is all about understanding the athlete and Joel has that and then some. He may appear unassuming but there is wealth knowledge and experience beneath his seemingly laid back demeanour. We have a firm connection and the dynamic within the squad is great. It is a environment free of competition.”
As Murray heads to Portugal to prepare for his 2015 campaign, he reveals that his travel schedule has been restructured in a way as to minimise fatigue and maximise his potential. After spending a few months in Europe, the South African heads east to the opening World Series events in Abu Dhabi and Auckland. From there it is back home for the Cape Town series leg before returning his European base for the bulk of the season, culminating in a sojourn to North America. This travel structure makes more sense to the upbeat young man, who admits that some sacrifices have been made in order to embrace the bigger picture.
“I'm a little sad to not be racing at the African Sprint Cup event in Bloubergstrand in February, which is usually my season opener. 2014 opened my eyes to what jet lag can do, hence my more structured approach to travel next year. I learned a lot by observing the European athletes, whose results actually picked up as the season progressed. Instead of getting carried away here, I'm taking a leaf out of their book in order to put a consistent year together.”
With Murray's continued love and enthusiasm for his sport, it his hard to imagine that he won't put these lessons to practice in his own unique way. That said, the affable young man is already putting his money where his mouth is, so to speak.
“People back home cannot believe that most of run training is at around five minutes per kilometre. Some of my friends even drop me on the hills.
“But that's OK though. I'm happy to jog with anyone!”
