Malakai was back on the start line of a few triathlons this year after a break post Ironman World Championships in Nice 2023. With the primary goal of achieving sub 5 and gaining a shiny new PB he chose a race later in the European season to maximise training time. This is his story leading up to Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau.
What inspired you to sign up for this race, and how did you feel about the challenge before we started working together?
Having worked up through a few olympic distance races, to a couple of Ironman 70.3s, to then what was supposed to be a one and done full Ironman in Hamburg, I then got a place in the World Championships back in 2023. I then felt I had done all that would motivate me in triathlon. Although when looking at what next, I felt like a ‘max effort’ 70.3 would be a nice conclusion to my triathlon adventures to have ‘completed’ both formats to the best of my ability and could finish content.
What were your initial goals for the race? Did you have a specific time in mind or was finishing your main focus?
The goal was very clear from the outset which I dubbed Project 300 – to go under 300 mins, sub 5, which was a big enough challenge that would motivate me to get into training to see if I could go from my first 70.3 at 5 hours 37 mins to go under 5 hours.
How would you describe your training experience over the past few months? What aspects of the coaching stood out the most?
Being held accountable is key for me. I enjoy training and fitness so it is not hard to get out of bed for it, however to get out and do those tough sessions or double sessions days are so much easier when I am being held to account and am following a plan. I find having the plan there meant I could just ‘do it’ and not spend extra time in my busy life trying to figure out what to do, when and how. This enables the stress and time to be taken out of it, and I can purely just get down to nailing my training everyday around my other interests and work.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during training, and how did coaching help you overcome them?
Coaching enabled me to continue focussing on my other interests and work, without it impacting those. Fitting it around my schedule to maximise the training impact and balancing life is always a challenge but so much easier when a coach is on it and creating that clear structure to work around.
How did your performance evolve throughout the training cycle? Did you see improvements in specific areas like swimming, cycling, or running?
Given my previous coaching for triathlon was on ironman distance, it was great to get in some specific speed work across all disciplines which enabled all aspects, in the pool, running and cycling to improve over shorter distances and for the speed to come back.
Race Day Experience
How did you feel leading up to race day, and how did our training prepare you both mentally and physically?
I felt good, particularly 2 weeks when I felt ready and raring to go knowing I had the speed/pace in me to nail it come race day, if weather conditions were to be ok. Having done speed work faster than during the planned race day strategy it meant that I knew I had it within me to achieve the goal and left me thinking ‘how fast can I go’, rather than ‘Will I achieve my goal?’ which was a great feeling to have going into a race.
Can you walk us through your race day experience? How did you feel during each stage of the race (swim, bike, run)?
Race day was great, helped by an 8am start which meant no ridiculous early morning and the weather conditions were set fair and warm, albeit a strong wind meant the bike course, despite being flat, was likely to have periods of strong headwinds to tackle.
The swim was delayed by 20 minutes for an unknown reason and waiting in your wetsuit for almost 45 minutes is hard for the mind, but I just spent time visualising the plan I had laid out. The swim itself was in a rowing style lake which went quickly from calm to quite choppy upon the wave of wave of athletes entering the water so it wasn’t as calm as I had hoped. But most athletes seem to have self-seeded themselves correctly so there was little climbing over or getting around people throughout the swim which was by and large consistently paced and to plan, albeit a minute or so slower than anticipated. Unfortunately I had further ripped my wetsuit in the weeks leading up to the event, and could feel the additional drag and water from this poor Huub wetsuit slowing me down vs the numbers I had been putting in during training.
Getting out the swim, I had underestimated T1. I pride myself on being a ‘fast’ transition athlete, but upon exiting the water, we were faced with just under 1km of running on concrete which was the longest transition length to tackle, and with quite lean feet, I really struggle to run barefoot on concrete and thus just getting into transition from the swim was almost 5 minutes of jogging/stumbling in great pain.
Heading out on the bike, I knew I was at a disadvantage being it a flat course on good road, as I had my hill climbing bike with some clip-on aero bars. The majority of athletes were on TT bikes but I was able to keep pace with most TT bikes in my field for the most part until the headwind sections hit. Where it was clear my lack of aero position really hampered holding the consistent speed as others. As the wind increased throughout the 2 lap course, the speed dropped but I had made a strong first lap so a slightly slower second lap bought me bang on my planned 90km effort at 2 hours 30 still feeling fresh and ready to run.
T2 was back to the usual expectation and straight out onto the run of which I felt strong heading out settling a 4min/km for the first km to force my body to feel the top end of my pace. Before I quickly settled into my planned pace which was to increase speed on each of the 3 laps aiming for a negative split. I felt very strong on the run and it was clear I was one of the faster athletes out on the course, as I was only passed 3 times on the entire course and they were the eventual podium placers! Passing hundreds of athletes (not an exaggeration!) felt very good as I felt it was an equal comparison of fitness vs. those who now couldn’t hide behind their fancy TT bike and aero equipment! I could only smile as I passed them now!
The challenge on the run came quickly as it turned out the majority of the course was on trail paths which was not advertised, much like the Thames path between Putney and Barnes, which meant the grip/speed combo was unaccounted for and I felt I could have gone faster without this. The temperatures at this point were mid-to late 20s so increasing pace, whilst on the trail paths certainly made the last 10km harder than planned but I kept to the plan and finished quicker and stronger for a negative split and 10 minutes faster than my goal for one happy conclusion to triathlon life.
What was the most memorable moment for you during the race?
Passing hundreds of athletes on the run and not being over taken bar the eventual winners was a real highlight, as it meant I felt like I had both nailed my strategy but also could save my best to last and enjoy the feeling of being super competitive. We also finished inside a football stadium which was a great finish spot with a big crowd there to cheer/celebrate the ending.
What went through your mind as you crossed the finish line?
I spent the last km wondering whether I should do a Ronaldo style celebration down the home straight given the crowd was big and in a football stadium, but having not practiced this and risk of falling over in front of a large crowd, I kept my pace and enjoyed the moment taking it all in and not looking at my watch! A moment of pure joy and mission accomplished, thanking all the volunteers at the finish line for taking time out for us.
Coaching Journey:
Which coaching strategies or techniques had the biggest impact on your performance and success?
The structure and programming being there each week was critical for me to keep the focus and training volume in. That combined with clear pacing that could link to my watch enabled me to push through and get the sessions done even when a little tired.
How did your nutrition and recovery strategies evolve, and how did they influence your ability to maintain energy during the race?
Generally I was surprised by how quickly I could ‘go again’ with another hard session. For example doing 14km of running early in the morning with 8 x 1km sets, I felt fresh enough to then go and hit a speed session in the pool a couple of hours later without ever feeling knackered or not wanting to go get the sessions in.
What kind of support or feedback from coaching did you find most helpful?
The consistency of programming being made available at the same time each week and the adjustability of the programme helped when inevitable last minute work meetings/changes occurred.
Was there a particular piece of advice or technique from our sessions that made a significant difference during training or on race day?
To just trust the plan and program, and to not over think it. Let the coach Sophie do the thinking, and just focus on the sessions and preparing and recovering from them.
Looking ahead, now that you’ve completed the race, what’s next? Do you have any new goals or challenges in mind?
For now I feel I’ve ‘done’ triathlon, not because i’m a great athlete but I’ve completed the distances to the the best of my ability. That for me is more than enough to go and try another sport which is always how I’ve seen sports and fitness. I am currently in a 2 week recovery period and then start training for Marathon des Sables for the 40th edition in 2026.
What would you say to someone considering working with a coach for their race or triathlon journey?
Even if you know what you are doing, I think having a coach, particularly if you have a busy life, means you can just delegate the planning to someone else and focus on the fun bit which is training and competing. Unless you love planning your own training and that motivates you… get a coach!
I always recommend a coach or mentor in work and life as different perspectives and working with someone else with experience on your development can also add an extra layer of motivation and performance.
Congrats Malakai! Your commitment to the plan, training and achieving your goal was second to none! Good luck for Marathon des Sables!! What an adventure.
Sophie Kirk - Triathlon Coaching 