Ironman triathlete David McNamee and ITU athlete Jelle Geens join us in conversation in Girona. David was pretty much one of the original triathletes in Girona. But over the last year or two, a growing number of ITU athletes have started to call Girona home, including Jelle Geens from Belgium. Jelle was part of Joel Filliol’s squad, training alongside the likes of Mario Mola and Vincent Luis.  David and Jelle now do some of their training together.

You'll hear:

16:38 We talk balance! "Everyone has their own unique balance and one of the main reasons I moved to Girona was because I wanted to find more balance. I came here because I knew for me to be happy, I needed to have a base and that's why I think I am still in the sport and for me having distractions is really important. Everyone's balance is unique to them."

21:10 Jelle talks about why he does pilates twice a week. "I am way more productive than I was when I went to the gym. Before, my gym session would always be the first thing I would skip but I think it really benefits me. I haven't convinced David to do it yet." David says he does a lot of mobility.

23:00 Jelle talks about doing his first Ironman 70.3 'I think I can be good at it and I think I have a future in it after ITU.'

24:20 David on the next few years "I see myself doing the next three years when I focus on the World Championships, but then I see myself for the final few years doing some of the races I haven't been able to do, like Roth and some of the Asian races. When Hawaii is your focus, it is your focus for 4-5 months and it means you miss a lot of great races."

26:15 "Ironman St George will be very different to Hawaii. Hawaii is probably one of the mentally hardest races you can do. For me, I think I am mentally very strong at that point that it hurts a lot and the race is really boring. I think a lot of people crumble and I am good at thinking 'this is my situation I am in right now, this is what I can do."

30:45 The guys give their thoughts on Sub7. "It's really artificial" "We don't even know what the rules are." This is a year where we have so many events going on and I think it will be quickly forgotten about. I think it's much more interesting to see how they get in St George.

33:50 We go back to Girona and Catalunya.

37:40 Jelle talks about trying to finish his Masters in Industrial Engineering, which he started in September 2011. 'I need to do this so I have something after triathlon.'

43:20 An update from Helen and Rich as they train for the Highland Ultra, 125km 3 day event from Beyond the Ultimate.

Find out more about this week's guests

David McNamee Instagram

Jelle Geens Instagram

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