Denis Sketako: it will be my pleasure to participate in the 1st Powerman Greece

Denis Sketako: it will be my pleasure to participate in the 1st Powerman Greece

Denis Sketako comes from Slovenia and he is one of the greatest athletes that will come to Loutraki, in 24^th of March to take part to Powerman Greece 2019. Denis is the 2016 European Long Distance Triathlon Champion and was 5^th at the last year’s Long Distance Duathlon World Championships. See what he told us:

1. What do you love most at multisports? Do you prefer competing at duathlon or at other multisport‘s races?

Well I started my career with Ironman distance but in the last year I also compete in duathlon. It became an challenge for me, something special that I need to try. My fist duathlon race was in 2018 at Vejle (Powerman Denmark). The race was very fast and I didn’t know that the guys are so fast and strong. But general is very hard to choose between duathlon and triathlon.

2. Which is your favourite discipline: swimming, cycling or running?

Absolutely running 🙂

3. How did you feel when you crossed the finish line of the 2016 European Long Distance Triathlon Champion first?

This moment will remember forever. The last kilometers was so tense because second guy followed me few kilometers and at the end we were only 20second separated. It was a great beattle and at the end a great feeling:)

4. What did motivate you to register at POWERMAN Greece 2019?

First because this year I would like to race more duathlon races and Powerman Greece is a very good opportunity for this. 

And second because it’s a first Powerman Greece and it will be my pleasure to participate in this historical competition.

5. What do you expect from POWERMAN Greece 2019?

Like on every Powerman I expect high standard organization and interesting course. I take a litle look on race course and more than 1000m elevation in 60km bike will make race very tricky. For sure it will be a tough race, according list of athletes. But I like to compete with strong athletes and improving my performance.

Looking forward and good luck to every athlete 💪

Gaël Le Bellec: The World Champion is coming to Powerman Greece

Gaël Le Bellec: The World Champion is coming to Powerman Greece

The words to describe the achievements of this guy are poor. Gael Le Bellec comes from France and he is the current long distance duathlon world champion winning the 2018 edition, and also was the winner in 2014 & 2015 all of them at the grueling race of Zofingen, making him one of the greatest duathlon athletes of all times. As it is easy to understand, Gael is one of the favorites for Powerman Greece 2019. Look what he told us:

When did you start duathlon and which was your first international race?

I started duathlon in 2014 and my first international race was Powerman Zofingen, the LD word championships.How did you feel when you were crowned Duathlon Long Distance World Champion, last year in Zofingen? Last year was a special feeling because of the third title after 2 difficult years (injuries…). It felt like a relief and te start of a new career for me, made with only research of pleasure!

What are your main thoughts that pass from your mind during the race?

During the race I felt quite peaceful, and with no fear of loosing, I just felt so happy of being able to be there in a good shape amongst the world’s best athletes.

Which is your favorite discipline, running or cycling? 

Running was my first sport and then cycling was the sport I practiced for the longest period (12 to 23). I love cycling in the mountains or on difficult courses and I love the feeling of the second run with the tiredness in your legs. But I don’t like the first run!

What are your goals for 2019 season?

My goal for 2019 are to enjoy as much as possible the fact of being the current world Champion. I want honor this special title and try to be a great ambassador for duathlon in order to help the next generation to have the best conditions of racing. Duathlon doesn’t allow me to live from this passion but I’m very lucky too travel and meet great people. I’ve managed to race the first 2 Powerman events but an injury made me cancel Malaysia. I’m coming to Greece after 2 weeks of resting and 2 weeks of training so I do not consider myself as the favorite for Powerman Greece!

Matt Smith : In Greece, I have loved the culture, the people, and the food!

Matt Smith : In Greece have loved the culture, the people, and the food!

Matt Smith is one of the best duathletes of the world and he will come from the distant Australia to Loutraki at 24^th of March to take part at Powerman Greece 2019. Matt is ranked in 5th position of Powerman Ranking and was 8th at the U23 Duathlon World Championship 2018. Look what he has to tell us for his expectations about Powerman Greece, the 2019’s season and his feelings for his achievements so far:

1. In which age and how did you start duathlon?
   In the grand scheme of things, I didn’t start duathlon until quite late. I did my first Duathlon in 2014 when I was 18 and a half years old after my best mates introduced me to his Triathlon Coach and they both thought I should give it a crack. I grew up playing Golf and Cricket back home in Australia and had a  Cross Country running back ground, so all the cycling was very new to me. I went to 2 Age Group World Champs in 2015/2016 and won 2 gold medals, and earned my Professional ITU License in 2017.
2. Matt, you come from Australia, a country that is one day away from Greece. What did motivate you to travel so many kilometers to come to Greece for the Powerman Greece 2019?
   One of the best things about being a professional duathlete is the travel. Growing up as a child my dream job was a pilot, so I feel getting to fly everywhere to race is the next best thing! I’ve been to Kos, Greece once before in 2018 and loved the culture, the people, and the food! So I’m very excited to be able to come back and explore your country properly!
   
   
   
3. You are only 22. How did you start competing at the long distance races so young?
   People who know me, know that i HATE swimming! Being from Australia, a country that loves swimming, means that there are lots of Triathlons, but not many Duathlons. Because of my bad swimming, I travelling to Powerman Malaysia in 2017 for my first powerman. I finished second behind Tom Bruins in what was the hardest race of my life. As hard as the long distance was, I absolutely fell in love with the challenge it presents to you in the 10-60-10 format, and the opportunities to travel around a full World Series and race the best athletes around the world

• Which one is your favourite discipline, cycling or running?
  I began running before I started cycling, so I’ve always loved the run leg. Running is certainly my best leg, but I’ve really fallen in love with cycling since taking it up. Theres something about getting to play with super expensive bikes and the science that goes into it thats really captured me

• Which is your main goal for 2019 season?
  I want to podium at U23 ITU Duathlon World Championships in Spain later in the year. It’s my last year as an U23, and I don’t plan on racing many ITU duathlon races after this year looking into the future. I was in a really strong position last year to podium, but due to personal issues I had a really bad race and missed my dream of winning a Elite World Championship. So hopefully with the work I’m putting in at the moment, I’ll be able to achieve this goal and hopefully win a Powerman race along the way!!

Kasper Laumann Hartlev : Powerman Greece – looking forward to a great event!

Kasper Laumann Hartlev : Powerman Greece – looking forward to a great event!

Kasper Laumann Hartlev from Denmark is another very fast European competitor, who will be in Loutraki at 24^th of March for the Powerman Greece 2019. Kasper is one of the fastest European athletes being on top-15 of the world and European long- distance duathlon Championships for the last years. Take a look to what he told us about his participation at Powerman Greece 2019:

1. How did you start multisports and in which age?

I played football (soccer) on a competitive level until the age of 20. After several injuries, I lost the motivation so in 2012 I changed sport to running where I knew I had talent. Within short time, I went from a 85kg football player to a 68-70 kg runner.
In 2014, I studied in Austin, Texas, and competed for their triathlon team. My first race ever was “Austin 70.3” (half IM) and I actually ended up qualifying for the World Championships in 2015 in Zell-am-See, Austria – I was hooked! However, in Zell-am-See I also realized that swimming is just not my thing: I do not enjoy it and I am not super talented. Since January 2016, I have raced in duathlon as elite and so far competed to the World or European Championships 5 times.

• Have you ever visited Greece?

I went to the city of Volos several times when playing football and have really good memories from those times. We were always threated extremely well. Further I have visited some of the Greek Islands for vacations: Crete, Corfu, Rhodos… overall I have the experience that the Greeks are wonderful hosts!

• Which is your favorite duathlon race so far (because we hope from now on to be POWERMAN Greece)?

I am really looking forward to Powerman Greece and I would not be surprised if it becomes a favorite race.
It is a bit tricky to mention only one race, but Powerman Spain at Mallorca has always been something special for me. I have been there to all four editions and I love the atmosphere at Ferrer Hotels organizing the event.
I also really enjoyed Powerman Tramelan in 2018 and will come back again this year. They offer a super tough course and have a great organization with wonderful people… and of course Powerman Zofingen is something really special, no words needed about that J

• How many hours do you train per week and how often do you do bricks?

It varies a lot. I have a quite challenging full time job, which especially in 2018 made it difficult with proper training. However, I have much more flexibility in 2019 and have decided to focus more on the sport – so I have actually quit my job from June 2019! In September I will begin studies in Barcelona. I expect the combination of being a student + the Spanish weather to help me a bit towards my dreams and ambitions.

I typically train 13 times a week, so that being more or less early every morning and then in the afternoon again. However, primarily short trainings of around 60 min on average… living in a rather cold country as Denmark, the hometrainer is an important friend.
Running is definitely my strength, but I actually do not run much. Maybe 40-50 km per week on average and almost never intervals. Instead I do a lot of “fartlek” and use the cross trainer (elliptical) a lot – this way I am always ready to the hard workouts when needed… when I only ran I had +100km every week (+ alternative training) which did not work for me; I was simply too tired to train well!

I do not have a fixed schedule around brick trainings and to be honest I almost never do it – but I will definitely recommend it, if you have the time for it! J

• How is your racing season going so far?

I had 2 weeks with a flu in January/February which did set me back a bit. However, I feel good and had a good race to Powerman Spain a few weeks ago where I ended up 6^th only 8 seconds from the 5^th position. Denis Sketako took 5^th position – so Denis: Powerman Greece will be a re-match!
After Greece my target will be Hamburg Marathon 28/4 where I hope to run 2:23. Personal best is 2:24:47 from Copenhagen Marathon 2018 the day after a 100km bike ride and 7 days after the duathlon European Championships – so I HAVE to beat that time, and I therefore promise fast legs in Greece 😉

If interested in following me, it can be done through facebook (https://www.facebook.com/KasperLaumannHartlev/) or Instagram (“kasperlaumannhartlev”).

See you soon Powerman Greece – looking forward to a great event! J

Diego Van Loy comes with his speed at Powerman Greece

Diego Van Loy comes with his speed at Powerman Greece

Diego Van Loy is one of the fastest runners of the sport and comes from Belgium to dominate the Powerman Greece 2019. He runs his first duathlon after 4 years, but he has run 1h11’31” the Half Marathon into a 70.3 IM and 2h44’29” the Marathon into a full IM. So it seems he has nothing to afraid of. Look what he told us about his first steps at multisports and the reasons he is so fast and furious at the running leg. 

When and how did you start duathlon and triathlon?

I did cycling and did then for fun a 10km running competition without training where i was able to run 32:25” ; 2 weeks after I did a 15km in 48:50” … this was the sign to stop cycling competition and start to do some running in combination with cycling .

In may 2015 I did the first Duatlon in my life (Powerman Luxemburg) where I finished 5th overall with only 1 month of some training because of a broken bone in my hipp region .1 month after this I won the french Championships LD duathlon in Cambrai .

With triathlon I started in may 2016 without swimming training . I knew that how longer how better but didnt liked swimming … i finished 9th in a world class field in Ironman Lanzarote … 2 months afterwards another ironman , maastricht where i finished 5th overall . The day after this changed my life because I got a paid contract with an employer to put triathlon 100% as my job for next 5 years ! Now i’m triathlete and I am very happy with every opportunity I got .

Diego, you are one of the greatest runners of the sport. What is the key for that? How many times do you run every week?

I run between 3 and 4 times maximum a week … most of time brick sessions off the bike and interval alactycal . The Long runs i keep for late ironman preparation .

Have you ever considered to concentrate the 100% of your training at running and try to be a professional runner?

I could do this and maybe run 2h12 in a marathon if I put 100% all on running when you see my Lactate testing and progressionCurve … but on worldField this is nothing worth as in Kenia / Ethiopia / Japan there are 3000 athletes going sub 2h06 .

In Ironman its possible to show my big engine and I like the combination of the 3 sports . It keeps me motivating and its challenging .

Why you didn’t participate at international level duathlon races for 4 years?

I only started with my first duathlon 4 years a goo and did the last duathlon 2 weeks ago … powerman mallorca , which I won … 

The 2 years before sponsors wants me to put 100% all on triathlon and not duathlon because of the financial benefits .

What did motivate you to register at POWERMAN Greece 2019?

Powerman is an ideal preparation for my Ironman season … 2h40 explosif race and its not neccesairy to go to Australia for doing a triathlonrace then . The jetlag is so hard every time …

Melanie Maurer: Powerman Greece was one of the most attractive to me.

Melanie Maurer: Powerman Greece was one of the most attractive to me.

Melanie Maurer from Switzerland is first at Powerman World Rankings and vice world Champion of 2018 and she will be in Loutraki for Powerman Greece at 24.03.2018. Melanie is one of the greatest duathletes of the world and we are exciting that she will participate in our event. Look how she feels about that:

What did motivate you to register at POWERMAN Greece 2019?

I have never been in Greece before and I am always excited to race a new course with some of the best athletes in the world. There are so many Powerman races on which I’d really love to start, but Greece was one of the most attractive to me.

As we see, the past years you’ve raced short and long distance duathlon races going great at both categories. Which one do you prefer and why

I like the middle distance the most, because you don’t have to hurry as much as in a sprint distance race but also you only suffer only a little more than 3 hours. At the moment I don’t like long distance races that much, but my hair is getting greyer everyday and maybe with that also my love for the longer races grows. 😉

How many hours do you spend in training every week?

14h average

What are your expectations for the Powerman Greece and from the 2019 season?

I rarely have expectations concerning races or a whole season. I always give my best and I’m really excited to see how good my best will be.

A little chat with Seppe Odeyn 

A little chat with Seppe Odeyn

The World Long- Distance Duathlon Champion of 2016, the Belgian Seppe Odeyn, will be in Loutraki for Powerman Greece 2019. Seppe is continuing the Belgian Legacy at the sport of Duathlon having won the Long Distance Duathlon World Championship once (2016) and finishing second twice (2015, 2017). Look what he answered us in our questions:

1. Belgium has a great history in duathlon. What does it take to be a professional duathlete in your country and how did you become one?

Yes we really had some great duathletes in Belgium. For me it is more a coincidence as I was cyclist for 10 years on a semi-pro level. And was looking for another challenge. I always liked to run and tried a crossduathlon when I was in off season. I liked it and finished on the podium. So I finished my cycling career and started to do duathlons. I’am not fulltime professional duathlete, I still got a job as a sales rep for Orbea

• Which one is your favourite discipline, running or cycling?

Difficult to choose, I really like them both so I would say it is really 50/50

• As I looked your results, I saw that you competed in 2015 at some cross triathlon and duathlon races. Do you practice mountain bike in your training and if yes what are the benefits of these trainings in your opinion?

From octobre until January I do most of my trainings on the mountainbike. It always feels like a new start of the season because you can ride off road and do other trainingsloops then with the roadbike. I also do a lot of wintercompetition. We have beachraces at the coast area. Wich are mountainbike races on the beach from 1 hour, with sometimes more than 1500 participants. Then my biggest wintergoal is always the hel from Kasterlee. It is the toughest winterduathlon in the world. With 15km run 120km MTB and again 30km run. With Belgian weather in the winter it is a really long day and I am proud 7-times winner of that race. So the benefits of mountainbiking for me are that you keep a good condition the whole year.

• What are your goals for 2019?

World championship powerman in Zofingen and Ironman Lanzarote and Cork