One of the hot favourites in the women’s professional race in Abu Dhabi is Switzerland’s Caroline Steffen. TMSM’s Editor Tim Bradley sat down with Caroline pre-race to gauge where the Swiss Miss was at before the big dance.
Caroline you’re coming off the biggest season of your career last year, and you’re backing up again quite early here in Abu Dhabi, what motivates you to race so often?
First of all I really love racing, I’m a person who gets stronger with each race. So I need racing for training as well. The second is I improve doing racing. That’s actually a part of my training, to do heaps of racing. I had a bit of time off over Christmas after Phuket and I really enjoyed that time, but I was always looking forward to get back into training. In the middle of February I talked to my coach and I said, ‘let me race, I feel like racing again!’. And he said OK. Abu Dhabi is a really good race it makes you strong. The 200k [ride] is really good for the next Ironman, which I’m going to do on the 1st of May in Australia. Maybe I’ll do Singapore next week, but we’ll see after this [race].
This is obviously then a big part of your Ironman Australia preparation, are you on track as you bid for your first Ironman victory?
I’m definitely on the list in Port Mac for the 1st of May, and I really hope I can improve on my second place last year and get my first victory in a whole Ironman.
Who do you see as your major threats here in Abu Dhabi?
Definitely Julie [Dibens] will be very tough. Yeah she’s just over there and she heard it, that’s embarrassing [she laughs]. But she knows, she knows. She’s a really good swimmer and very strong on the bike, but I think I have really improved on the bike, especially since Kona, and I’ve also improved a bit in the swim. I’ve worked a bit more in the swim over last couple of months, so I hope to not be too far behind her and catch her on the bike. I think it will be good fun on the bike and really tough. Also Leanda [Cave] will be very strong, and you know [Belinda] Granger she is a really good bike rider, especially if it gets really tough, she is a real hard arse I would say. There are so many other girls like Rachel Joyce, she was fifth in Hawaii. Usually I don’t look at the start list because I’m not really interested. I just go out there and try to do my best. If I can do a 100 per cent, I’m happy with that.
Let’s go through a scenario, Dibens explodes off the front on the bike, how do you counteract that?
I’m just going to be pushing hard for 200k [she laughs]… I really think I have improved on the bike. I had a good bike ride in Kona but I wasn’t 100 per cent happy with that and I worked on that and changed [my] position a bit as well. So I really think I can produce a strong bike, and I’m not afraid of the run, that’s just a cherry on the top!
After your win at the Noosa Triathlon last year, you and I discussed a big goal of yours for 2011, which is to run a sub three-hour marathon. How is your run form at the moment and will we see you break the magical three-hour barrier in Port Mac?
I had the fastest run split last year in Abu Dhabi, and now I feel faster than last year. We’ve done a couple of key sessions, which have shown I’m actually faster at this stage than last year. I really hope to do the fastest split here again. If it is sub-three hours in Port [Mac] it is hard to say because it is a really tough bike course. The roads are really bad, like really choppy roads, so we’ll see. I have two goals – I want to win an Ironman and I want to run sub-three hours. If I can win one [Ironman] in spring and then run sub-three hours in summer, I really don’t mind.
Since we’ve been here the temperatures have risen each day, and the predictions are for the wind to be up on Saturday too. How will you fair in the heat come Saturday?
It would suit me perfectly. I really hope it gets really hot on Saturday! I’ve spent the last three weeks in Thailand, and it was over 40ºC everyday, and humidity of 90 per cent. Since I’ve been here I’ve actually felt a bit chilly – my feet and hands have been getting a bit cold. I know it sounds a bit weird, but after three weeks in the extreme heat [in Thailand], it will suit me fine. Like Hawaii was [hot] too, so I really hope it gets hot on Saturday.
Well good luck Caroline. Enjoy the race on Saturday and survive the heat.
Thanks, I hope so
