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 Rutger wins Ironman Cozumel in 8:18:40

Hello,
Yes,  I just claimed my second Ironman victory, here in Cozumel. This way, I have closed off a disastrous 2009 season with a superb performance. And, also very important for next season: I already have conquered my ticket for Hawaii 2010!
What follows is a short race report. At 6.55am the pro's were let go. This time the swimming went quite smoothly for me, even though I personally thought i was not doing so well in the water. But when I reached the transition zone, Tine Deckers (winner of Ironman Nice 2009 and my helpfull assistant here in cozumel) told me that I had lost only about 3 minutes to Steven Bayliss and 2 minutes to Victor Zyemtsev. It came as a surprise to me, but luckily a positive surprise!

My biking went quite well. Before the end of the first lap, I already had passed the two triathletes just mentioned and I managed to take the lead, together with a certain Sebastian Pedraza. I had no single weak moment in the other 2 laps, but what bugged me was that I did not know my compadre, who apparently was able to stay with me all along. I had no clue on whether he was a good runner or not and that made me a little bit nervous.  Meanwhile, the rest of the crowd (I was especially looking at Bayliss and Zyemtsev) had lost many minutes on the two of us.

Immediately after the bike transition, I ran my first few kilometers at a high pace. This came as a result of some high-tech and real-time communication. During the bike ride, I had yelled to Tine, that i did not know Pedraza  and his running capabilities. Tine then immediately had sent a text message to my wife Sofie in Belgium. Sofie went on the internet and discovered that Pedraza had run a 3h11min marathon in the Ironman Zurich, which meant he probably was not a very fast runner. So, Sofie returned this news in a text message back to Tine in Mexico, who was able to tell me at the start of the marathon.   So, for a while, I put the pedal to the metal and became the only leader immediately. Pedraza lost some 2 minutes in the first lap, so I did not have to worry about him any longer. I knew that my short preparation to this race (because of my september injury)  would show up most likely during thee running leg of the race. Therefore I switched back to a more normal pace soon. I was still worried about Zyemtsev, whom I knew from previous races as a superb runner. While he was able to take back some time in the first lap, he remained at about 10 minutes behind me afterwards. The last lap was a tough one for me, but luckily for my competitors too.

The finish was splendid! A huge crowd of local Mexicans were encouraging us. A fantastic athmosphere! Some time later i starred in the podium ceremony.  I am now an official hero and VIP in Cozumel. For more than an hour people asked me to join with their wives, husbands, kids, family and more, so that they could take a picture.
This first Ironman in Cozumel was a superb experience. I probably will come back later. Tine Deckers, who, for the first time, participated in an Ironman event as a spectator, came to the conclusion that chearing and being a fan during such a race is quite fatiguing too. Next time, she wants to be in the race herself!
regards,
Rutger

Cozumel

Hello,

I have been in Cozumel for about a week now. There is a 7 hour time difference with Belgium, so I first needed to adapt to the new time zone. That's why I started my stay with a few days of rest. This was also necessary to recover from the heavy duty preparation I had in Belgium the weeks before. As you can deduct from the pictures, resting in Cozumel is not really a tough job.  However, the last few days, I picked up my training again. 

Cozumel is a nice location for an Ironman. The swimming will be fantastic.  I have seen a lot of fish in the water. Yesterday a big ray of at least one meter was passing by under me. The bike part will consist of three 60km laps, all flat but very windy. There's also a beautiful 20 km alongside the beach. The final marathon is also done in 3 laps. It most probably will be made tough  by the heat and the humidity.

Five more days to the race..........

Regards,
Rutger

Back in Business!

Hello everybody,
I must apologize for not having updated my English website for a long time.  The 2009 triathlon season has been a real disaster for me. In the beginning of the year, I caught the CMV Virus, which resulted in bad performances in Oceanside and Lake San Antonio.  After many weeks of total rest, I started training again and participated in the Ironman 70.3 of Antwerp. Then I started  to prepare for the Ironman Hawaii, but I got severely injured in the Knokke Zwintriathlon race. As a result, I had to skip Hawaii.  I am now in Cozumel, Mexico, where I am going to participate in  the inaugural November 29 Ironman. 
If you are interested in more details about what happened during the season, I suggest you read the following Q&A session, which was published on the Ironmman.com website.

Rutger Beke Q & A 

Belgium’s Rutger Beke is here in Cozumel and is one of the favourites in the men’s race. Racing triathlon since he was 17, the now 31 year-old seems like he is part of the “old guard” of Ironman. He has 1 Ironman Championship to his credit, the 2007 Ford Ironman Arizona. He is considered one of the most consistent performers in Hawaii, finishing in the top 5 on 5 occasions in the past 7 years.

Ironman: You have had a rough year due to health and injury issues. Can you elaborate that for me?
Rutger: It has been a tough year.   I had a great winter and my form was where I wanted it to be.   Then all of a sudden I had no power and strength left while training.   I would get tired just looking at my bike and the thought of having to ride it.     I went to my doctor and after a check up and some blood tests they found out that I had caught a nasty virus (CMV).   The only remedy is resting and lots of it.   No training for 5 weeks.   After these 5 weeks and several more blood tests the virus was finally gone (It's actually not gone, It will be in my system for the rest of my life) and I could start my training again.     The first couple of weeks were very tough.   My first run for example was hard.   I ran for 30 minutes and it felt like the last miles of an Ironman.     At the end of July I started feeling better again.   My first race back was Ironman 70.3 Antwerp.   I finished 8th.   Not great but I was just happy racing again.

One week later I left for a three week training camp in Font-Romeu (France).   I always start my Kona preparation there.     I had a great training camp and at the end I felt great.   I felt that I was back on track for the World Championships.

When I return from the camp I traditionally start in an OD race in Belgium.   After a great swim I rushed through transition and jumped on my bike.   Somehow my left foot got stuck in my front heel.   My cycling shoes were not yet on my feet so it was terrible.   I had a really big nasty cut on the left side of my foot.   When I looked down I could actually see some bone.   I was rushed to the hospital and a surgeon worked for more than an hour on my foot.   I knew immediately no Kona race for me this year.   A terrible year just got even worse.

The whole month of September I wasn’t able to train because of the injury. In October I restarted training again and my coach Pieter Timmermans and I decided that my year was not over yet.   We decided that I wanted to finish this awful year on a positive note.   I would try an early qualification for Kona 2010.   The first race that came up was Ironman Western Australia.

Ironman: How did you decide to do the Ford Ironman Cozumel?
Rutger: But then I noticed there was this new Ironman race in Cozumel.   I looked it upon the internet and it looked like a beautiful place.     The trip from Europe to Cozumel is easier and the time difference with Belgium is also easier on the body.

Ironman: What was it like not to be starting the Ford Ironman World Championships this year?
Rutger: Not being able to race Kona and to follow the race behind a computer was tough.   It made me realise even more that it is my favourite race in the whole world.
I think that is why I do so well in Kona.   I really love the place and I think the course is great.   I also got married on the Big Island for my wife and I the place is extra special.

Ironman: You have a young family. Tell us about them?
Rutger: Sofie and I have 2 daughters now.   Tille turns 4 next month and Phara was born in September last year, 3 weeks before IM Hawaii 2008.   They are great and I really love my 3 girls.   It's the only aspect of being a professional athlete that I dislike.   I miss them when I'm out of the country racing or on a training camp.They are not here with me in Cozumel.   It's terrible because it is so beautiful here.   A perfect place for a wonderful time with the whole family.

Ironman: What are your expectations for the race here on Sunday?
Rutger: I'm really looking forward to racing on Sunday.   With everything that has happened over the year I'm glad to be fit and hoping for a great race.

Rutger Beke
November 23 2009

Ready for my first race!

After a fantastic season’s end in Ironman Hawaii 2008, where I got on the podium again, I first took a well deserved rest. Not too long (3 weeks only) but enough to recharge my batteries. Since I already qualified for this year’s race in Hawaii, I do not have to participate in another Ironman, so I am able to prepare myself more calmly ( this is of course all very relative)and enjoy the training. Through my training program of the last 2 years, I have gotten much stronger, but I also lost some of my original speed and explosiveness. It was still in my body, but I could not use it any longer. Hence, these days, I regularly train with some young lads, preparing for Olympic Distance racing. That makes it mentally easier to go deep, because these guys always want to challenge me. In the last few years both the swimming and running training schemes have changed a bit. These days the OD athletes train much more on speed and intensity, mixed with power and hypoxic training … Its hard to believe, but somehow it does not really bother me and I can easily perform with the others.
My swimming had already improved before last year’s race in Hawaii and that obviously helped me on my way to the podium. The nice thing for me is that even today I am still slowly getting better (even at my age…). As a result I can now put down swim times that are better than ever before.
I have not specifically trained for the bike leg yet, but I have been working on my time trial position ( not for Ironman California, but rather for Roth and Hawaii).
Aside from my training, everything goes quite well too. I enjoy the life with my wife and my two little kids, and I also had some quality time with my family and friends.
With regard to my sponsors, I stopped with Nike and started with K-Swiss. I also switched over from a Cervelo P3 to a Ridley Dean and started using Suunto and SportsControl. My longtime sponsors NorthgateArinso, BLOSO and Oil service continue to allow me to work professionally.

Conclusion: after a carefree winter, I feel good, I am not suffering from any injuries and I am ready for my first race of the season. I have looked at the list of PRO’s participating . It’s going to be a tough race and the speed will be forced up with all these OD athletes, but nevertheless, I think I will do well. I’ll keep you all posted!
Rutger,

April 2 2009

Race Calendar 2009

Pretty soon, I will start my 2009 race season. This is how my race calendar looks like. As always, it might be up for changes during the season.

Rutger signs 3-year contract
with Ridley Bikes

Rutger has signed a contract with Ridley Bikes from Belgium. From now on, he will use the Ridley Dean and The Ridley Noah. The Ridley Dean is the revolutionary time trial bike used last year by Cadel Evans in the Tour de France.
Rutger tested his new Time Trial bike recently  and the results were amazing: after working a little bit on both the bike and his position, it was found that , compared to the past, he needed 20 watt less power to develop a constant speed of  45km/hr on the race track in Gent.  That's very promising for the coming season!!!

You can read the complete press release here

Rutger finishes third in Hawaii
despite 4 min penalty during bike leg!!!

More information later!!!