An interview with... Ironman

Hold your horses, this isn't an interview with Robert Downey Jr. However this man, who kindly agreed to appear in my humble blog, is seen as a bit of a super hero, not only in the East Grinstead area but in the general field of amateur triathlon. And like Robert Downey Jr. he has graced the cover of several magazines.

So who am I talking about? Well, his name is Charlie Pennington, an amateur triathlete (so, yes he fits all this in around his day job) and races for Team Free Speed.

I first became aware of Charlie when I was tasked with writing the race report for the annual East Grinstead Triathlon. By the third year the first few paragraphs were written on auto-pilot, because it was being won by the same man.

When the fourth year rolled round, I realised I would be in Hamburg for a stag-do the weekend of the race.

So, here's a confession for you. As I didn't think I'd be in much of a state to write it when I got back, I took a bit of a gamble and wrote the report in advance to fill in the finer detail when I'd recovered from the Hamburg shenanigans.

The gamble paid off because yet again Charlie Pennington won for the fourth consecutive time - which was also the fourth time he'd entered the race.

As a comparison for the lay person, my fastest time round that course is 1 hr 28 mins 42 secs, a time I was absolutely delighted with and a lot quicker than the first time I raced it.

Charlie's fastest time round that course is 1 hr 4 mins 31 secs.

I soon discovered that winning the East Grinstead Triathlon four consecutive times (and each one faster than the other!) certainly wasn't the height of Charlie's fame. He has raced at the top level of triathlon, at the hardest distance, which is the notorious Ironman.

Photo courtesy of Richard Melick

The way that triathlon works is that you have professional level (such as the Brownlees) and then amateurs, known as "age groupers".

So when Charlie talks, quite nonchalantly about coming 27th in the World Championships in 2015, he's basically saying that despite being an "amateur" he was the 27th fastest triathlete at that distance in the world - and that's including professional competitors.

When I decided to resurrect this blog he was one of the first people I zeroed in on to answer some questions and thankfully he obliged.

So whether you're thinking about doing your first triathlon or are considering making the step up to Iron distance you'll find some great tips in this interview.

How did you first get into triathlon?

I ran and swam (relatively) competitively at school and then at university a friend suggested I give a triathlon a go. I didn’t own a bike at the time so he sold me one. In hindsight he may have just been feathering his own nest but at the time i thought it was a good idea!

I think my first race was Bournemouth triathlon in 1998. I did another near Exeter the same year and I was hooked.

I joined the Royal Marines in 1999 and was a little busy for a few years so didn’t really get a chance to race again until Iwas deployed to an island in the Indian Ocean for 14 months (yeah, its a hard life…).

I bought a bike while out there, fell in with some other triathletes and began to train in earnest. There was only one road (12 miles long) so we did laps of it pretty much every day.

When I got back from that trip I entered Shropshire triathlon and did well enough to qualify to represent GB at the International Triathlon Union (ITU) World Championships in Honolulu in 2005.

It was a great trip -I don’t think I raced that well but i enjoyed it so much I wanted to do it again. I continued to race ITU events for a number of years, finally getting into World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) events in 2010.

I’ve since raced in three Ironman (IM) 70.3 World Championships (also known as half Iron distance)  coming fourth, second and fifth and two IM World Championships (second and fifth) and have a 8:45 IM to my name at IM Austria in 2015.

What has been your biggest triathlon success?

In 2015 I came second in my age group at the IM World Championships and was 27th overall. I came within seven seconds of winning my age group and for my efforts i was awarded 220 magazine’s male amateur triathlete of the year.

I also came ninth overall at IM Austria that year with an 8:45 so all-in-all, 2015 was a good year. Seven seconds short of being a great year but I was pretty happy!

Photo courtesy of Richard Melick

What has been your biggest triathlon disaster or disappointment  and what did you learn from that experience?

I qualified for and attended the ITU Standard Distance World Championships in Australia in 2009 but fell ill the day before the event and didn’t race. That was pretty disappointing especially as I had carted my bike half way round the world and then we had to drag it with us for the next two weeks.

However, despite the disappointment of losing the IM World Championships in 2015 by six seconds I don’t think that there is one thing that I have learnt from. Rather it has been an learning experience overall.

I found myself struggling with stomach issues on the run in Kona (where the Ironman WTC takes place) this year and it could have ruined my race. I used my experience to recognise the symptoms and instead of going into meltdown I dealt with it and ran myself into fifth.

Sure, I was hoping for better and my fitness was up to it but I was proud to have not ruined my race. It could have been much worse.

 Is there anything you have learnt from triathlon which you've been able to transfer into everyday life and vice versa, such as discipline?

I was a Royal Marine for 16 years and therefore discipline came quite easily to me. I think having a family forced me to focus on quality too.

I have continued that now I’m a civilian and i think it holds up well. I figure if you want to do something you will find a way, so I don’t mind the early mornings and late nights (much) that the training requires, provided the goal is worth it.

Do you have a specific routine in the days/hours before a race to help you feel properly prepared? 

Ask my wife and she’ll tell you that I'm pretty focused on race morning, even for something like a parkrun! The distance of the event and its relative importance dictates the taper (reducing training intensity before a race). For anything up to a middle (also known as Olympic) distance race I may not taper.

For the longer stuff I keep to a tried and tested taper that lasts about a week. The main aim of the week is to keep on top of things, keep my energy levels high, remain hydrated and try to keep calm.

The night before I’ll try and eat something like a pizza and have a beer. In the morning I struggle to eat but will force myself to eat some granola and then sip on an electrolyte drink and perhaps have an energy gel.

I have a rule of remaining in transition for as little time as possible and I try to stick to that even before the race starts - too many people think the morning of a race is the perfect time to tinker with their bike which to me is a recipe for disaster! I drop my bottles off, switch the bike computer on and leave.

In terms of mental preparation how different is it getting ready for something like Kona, compared to the EG Tri, or is it the same?

Much the same to be honest. I try to focus on the process and not the outcome. The main difference is that somewhere like Kona has soooo many athletes who are all good so the mass start can be a bit hectic.

What's most important to you - a personal best or finishing first?

Both! I like to win but i’m my worst critic so if I don’t think it was good performance i won’t be happy. I’m always analysing my results after an event to work out how I could be better.

Photo courtesy of Richard Melick

How do you wind down from the mental high and physical exertion in the days after a big event?

I let my body and mind figure out what they want to do, whether that is eating a burger for breakfast or chilling out. I don’t have an agenda or plan for at least two weeks after an Ironman but after a few days I might do some very gentle exercise, nothing more.

I also enjoy spending more time with my family rather than worrying about training so it tends to work itself out. Right now I am five weeks post-Kona and just getting back to some routine and structure to training.

I try to structure the year so that I can have mini-breaks from training too rather than spend the whole year constantly looking at the Garmin and not seeing the bigger picture. I think it is really important, especially if you want to keep fresh and remain motivated.

Do you have any advice for someone thinking about getting into triathlon but is nervous to try it?

There’s plenty of friendly events out there these days. You don’t have to race an Ironman, just find what suits you. There’s lots of choice and some exciting new race formats too so there really is something for everyone.

I hear from many folks that open water swimming puts them off but, again, there are plenty of places to swim and some really friendly people to help you do it.

There are lots of friendly clubs out there too with plenty of people who can help. We all get nervous (just ask my wife about my nerves) but that is a good thing. It is how you use them is what counts - either you can use them to help you or you can try to fight them.

I’ve learnt the hard way that fighting your own nerves just doesn’t work.

Do you have any advice for someone who's thinking about going up to a longer triathlon distance?

I found the biggest difference, other than the obvious distance jump, is how important nutrition is to your race. Understanding this and managing it is key to having a good race. Training and racing hard won’t work if you don’t fuel yourself properly.

This doesn’t just start and finish in the race though - fueling and hydrating leading up to an event is key.

So thanks once again to Charlie for taking part in this interview. You can follow him on Twitter @c_e_pennington and while you're there why not follow me as well @therealmrtriha1.