Stories about the final preparation for the world’s most famous triathlon
Annabel Luxford is one of the main contenders for the IM Hawaii title on Saturday. To be able to produce the best possible result on the day the former ITU World Champion leaves nothing to chance. Have a look how she prepares for the race in the last two days and what kind of advice she gives to age groupers.
“We are two days out from the race. Today is pretty much a recovery day for me, which means I do as little as possible, but I am not the best person to sit still. So I haven’t been out for a swim with the turtles at turtle’s beach.”
“Today is also a good day to make sure the bike is ready to go. I had SRAM to look over it yesterday.”
“With my gear combination if I have optioned 55/42 on the front and 11/26 on the back. The reason why I pick this combination is that it allows me to maintain the cadence I want at the race speed that we will be traveling at.”
“My snack box which I usually fill with all kind of fun snacks at home, but in the race it will be filled with a flask with 4 to 5 gels. I will carry also another 3 gels on my body. Two in my back pocket and one in my sports bra, which is probably not the most aerodynamic, but it will going to happen. So I have 19 gels on the bike. One of the things I probably learnt most from this course is that I have been under fueled in the past. So I am really making every effort it won’t happen.”
“As you can see I am running two bottle cages one in the front and one here (frame). I also have tried in the past to have one in the back. It is more aerodynamic, but if I am bumbling around and sit up. I can waste a lot more time than I can save by having one back there. It is always really important to consider aerodynamics has to work for you.”
“I am running two bottles the entire time. Making sure that at every aid station I grab one whether this is just to tip over myself, but also make sure to get enough hydration.”
“Always have a Quarq making sure that I stick to the power I have planned to, is crucial. It is easy to get carried away what other people are doing up the road or behind you. One other mayor things I learnt, this race doesn’t start with about 140km. Though I have to keep some juice in the tank.”
