Race Previews

Moon Shooting...

Monday, 04 March 2013 01:10

Clermont Draft Legal Challenge - Yesterday we posted a Q & A with Claire Bootsma, who will kick off her 2013 multi season at the Clermont (FL) Draft Legal Challenge next Saturday. Her Geniment, Dan Hedgecock will also be racing in "The Land of 15,000 Sinkholes" this weekend. We had some questions for him. Here are his pithy answers:

MTN - Do you feel fit and ready for the DL challenge?

Hedge - I'm looking forward to the DL challenge. I'm very fit right now and look forward to seeing if I can keep up with a bunch of younger guys for an hour.

MTN - How's your health? Injury free? Is anything in you life getting in the way of doing your best on March 9?

Hedge - Last April I started to really focus on resolving any imbalances and tight areas I had. I don't think I've ever been this injury free in my career. It feels fantastic....

MTN - Dan, is your swimming where you hoped it would be at this point in the pre-season?

Hedge - Swimming is about where I had realistically expected it to be. When I first started racing I was swimming most races in 25 mins, and the year after that it was mid 22 mins, and the year after that it was low 20 mins. I don't think I'll be swimming in the low 18 mins yet, but by with the times I've been swimming in the pool I would be satisfied with high 18 mins toward the end of the season. My stroke is quite a bit more connected and more relaxed than last year, both of which are very good things for longer swims.

MTN - Are you planning to return to St. Anthony's? FYI, Dan, only two elite amateur men have won multiple editions of this race since the turn of the millennium - Marc Bonnet-Eymard (2005, 2006, I think) & Adam Webber (2008 & 2011). Also, the EA race record in 1:49:56, set in 1999 by Josh Fuller (PS - the greatest amateur Olympic performance this observer had ever witnessed.) Do you think you're ready to challenge that time? (FYI, the 2nd fastest EA time in St. A history is 1:52:57 by Greg Rouault, now a French pro.)

Hedge - I am planning on returning to St. Anthony's and look forward to racing with Jake Rhyner who has also made some big strides since last season and who I have been training with here in Florida. The race will be the finish of my spring season, so I'll be tapering and peaking for the race and have high goals for it. As for the course record, my time last year was 1:53.15. Based on workouts that I'm doing now compared to last year and looking at the individual splits, if the conditions this year are fast like last year then I think it would be possible to swim 2 mins faster, bike 2 mins faster and run 1 min faster. That would be a 1:48.15. That time sounds very fast, but it is a very fast course. Like they say, "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss you'll land among the stars."

MTN - Great stuff, Dan. Our best to you and Claire next weekend and beyond.