June Member of the Month – Donovan Geldenhuys
A note from Coach Neil:
There were a few results that put athletes into contention for Dinamic Athlete of the month but for a host of reasons ( some of which we will discuss now) it is Donovan Geldenhuys that edges the top spot.
In the lead up to Durban 70.3 there was a lot of discussion as to who was going to be at the sharp end of the race, and Donovan’s name was being mentioned by 1 or 2 pundits in the know. The Dinamic strategy is normally to try and come in under the radar so we were happy to keep a lower profile. Also we did not want to have to chat about the fact that a tweak of a Achilles had limited Donovan’s run training to about 15km in the 4 weeks leading into the race. Also bearing in mind that Durban with its draft ability was going to eliminate Donovan’s big bike and bring positions down to who does best on the run we were not 100% sure of how Don would do.
As things transpired they went very well indeed. A strong swim saw Donovan come out near the front and he maintained his work ethic on the bike to come in to T2 with the other leading men. At the beginning of the Run three athletes took off at a pace Donovan felt was too much to risk his Achilles and settled into a steady and he maintained his work ethic on the bike to come in to T2 with the other leading men. At the beginning of the Run three athletes took off at a pace Donovan felt was too much to risk his Achilles and settled into a steady 4:00/km pace. The top three pulled away but once at 17km Donovan felt he could pick the pace and began to turn on afterburners. Gradually he reeled in leaders and managed to pull himself into 2nd place before running out of road. A brilliantly paced effort.
So going from an uncertain start to a win in category and 2nd overall Donovan Geldenhuys is our Athlete of the Month!
DC: How long have you been training with Dinamic Coaching?
DG: 2,5 years
DC: What has been your biggest goal achieved as a triathlete?
DG: Winning ITU Long Course World Champs in Canada; Age CAT 35-39.
DC: What are your short and long term goals going forward?
DG: Finishing on the podium in Kona and winning 70.3 World Champs
DC: What is the most valuable thing you get from training with Dinamic Coaching?
DG: Direct and honest feedback from my coach, Neil.
DC: What is your favourite and worst training session and why
DG: Worst – Any session without structure, i.e. 1.5 hour easy ride on indoor trainer, or 10km easy run – but they are necessary. Favourite – Proper hit out on the bike with some longer threshold efforts – 2 x 25mins at FTP.
DC: What is your most embarrassing triathlon related moment?
DG:I have never embarrassed myself in triathlon, have let myself down many times but no embarrassing moments, I love the sport, each failure is an opportunity to learn from.
