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Alcatraz Ask Me Anything
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Hello Slowtwitch!
I am currently in the UK getting ready for Leeds WTS, but wanted to offer up the opportunity to anyone who wanted to ask me about Alcatraz. The article is on the front page, and I am here to help clarify or get you that extra insight!
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Great race and congratulations, Ben! Did you notice a different in your running power between sand, grass, and pavement? If so, did you try to hold a specific power for each terrain?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Who is the more laid back Adam or Scott (Superfly Podcast)?
Was it better winning 1st time or 2nd?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [karmatraining] [ In reply to ]
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karmatraining wrote:
Great race and congratulations, Ben! Did you notice a different in your running power between sand, grass, and pavement? If so, did you try to hold a specific power for each terrain?

There is a definite difference in power on terrains. For this race I just focused on not going out too hard and keeping my breathing in check on the uphills. It was so varying holding a specific power would have been challenging (the bike was very similar).
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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What did your nutrition plan look like for this race compared to say a WTS race?

-Brad Williams
Website | Twitter: @BW_Tri |Instagram: @BW_Tri | Strava | Co-Founder & Coach at: KIS Coaching
Partnered with: Zoot Sports | Precision Fuel &Hydration | ISM
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [LCD] [ In reply to ]
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LCD wrote:
Who is the more laid back Adam or Scott (Superfly Podcast)?
Was it better winning 1st time or 2nd?

Yes

^^^actually my answer. Both are cool guys and a win is always great. 2nd maybe a bit sweeter as a repeat and a full tri
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [@BW_Tri] [ In reply to ]
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@BW_Tri wrote:
What did your nutrition plan look like for this race compared to say a WTS race?

Pretty similar. One bottle of drink (precision hydration) and a gel on the bike. One gel to start the run. Pretty simple overall.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Congrats on the win. I love seeing the young American talent win.

Good luck in Leeds.

Only question - do you worry about Sharks in the Alcatraz swim?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Did you have any doubts about out sprinting Cam Dye? Looked like a nail biter all the way to the end.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Should Greg Billington be announcing / commentating on race all the way?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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At that water temp, do you use a neoprene cap? 2 silicone caps? Regular race cap? Any other measures to fight the cold?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [B.McMaster] [ In reply to ]
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B.McMaster wrote:
Congrats on the win. I love seeing the young American talent win.

Good luck in Leeds.

Only question - do you worry about Sharks in the Alcatraz swim?

Thanks! And no not really. I did feel like I saw something out of the corner of my eye in the water at one point, but at the most that's a seal or something similar...
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [bretzky] [ In reply to ]
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bretzky wrote:
Did you have any doubts about out sprinting Cam Dye? Looked like a nail biter all the way to the end.

No, I knew If I made it to the top of the presidio the second time it was literally all downhill from there. I have a lot of confidence in my sprint at this point, and just made sure to be fast enough to enjoy the finish and cross the line first.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [Herbert] [ In reply to ]
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Herbert wrote:
Should Greg Billington be announcing / commentating on race all the way?

Yes! His Facebook Lives were amazing!!
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [surroundhound] [ In reply to ]
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surroundhound wrote:
At that water temp, do you use a neoprene cap? 2 silicone caps? Regular race cap? Any other measures to fight the cold?

They had it measured at 57 degrees. That is not too bad for the bay. I just wore a second cap under the race one. I do not like neoprene caps much because I feel like they are choking me. Makes me feel a bit claustrophobic.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Most see the iconic swim as the most challenging part of this race, what is your opinion of relative strain/difficulty between swim, bike, run?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Were you surprised at how much difference the swim makes to bike power and run speed ?
Do you train swim/bike brick like workouts ?
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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nothing to add or ask, just wanted to say congrats on the win and thanks for coming here and offering up info to us AGers!

80/20 Endurance Ambassador
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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What did you sight for right off the boat? Swim times were super fast but I think I took a bad line.

Congrats!

Coach at TriForce Triathlon Team: https://www.triforceteam.com
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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So glad you are doing Leeds - seems like an ITU course suited to your strengths. Both years most of the field was out of contention by T2. Year one the Brownlees led a small group away early. Last year was incredibly dramatic when they narrowly escaped the chase pack and got to the safety of the narrow section. Do you anticipate this strategy again this year? How important is it to you to be up front on the swim and hang on for dear life out of T1?

Aaron Bales
Lansing Triathlon Team
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [BenKanute] [ In reply to ]
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Great work Ben!

On the run, do you hold back any at the beginning / first few miles? I always find that I go too hard when starting the run and tend to blow-up...
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [nbndtrain] [ In reply to ]
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nbndtrain wrote:
Most see the iconic swim as the most challenging part of this race, what is your opinion of relative strain/difficulty between swim, bike, run?

It's so hard to rank which is the hardest. I think they are all similarly hard in their own way. One of the coolest things about Alcatraz is that on a normal day all 3 sports are pretty equal in time and difficulty. Makes for a very honest race.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [TriguyBlue] [ In reply to ]
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TriguyBlue wrote:
Were you surprised at how much difference the swim makes to bike power and run speed ?
Do you train swim/bike brick like workouts ?

This year I certainly was. To be honest, I did not feel my best the whole race. I think the cumulative fatigue of each discipline added up, but also the fatigue from my training camp. We took a lot of risk, and it paid off, but it took a lot out of me.

I do not do many swim bike bricks. That is not to say they aren't useful.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [asellerg] [ In reply to ]
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asellerg wrote:
What did you sight for right off the boat? Swim times were super fast but I think I took a bad line.

Congrats!

I'm not sure.what the building is, but I mainly sighted off the large dome behind the yacht club.
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Re: Alcatraz Ask Me Anything [MI_Mumps] [ In reply to ]
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MI_Mumps wrote:
So glad you are doing Leeds - seems like an ITU course suited to your strengths. Both years most of the field was out of contention by T2. Year one the Brownlees led a small group away early. Last year was incredibly dramatic when they narrowly escaped the chase pack and got to the safety of the narrow section. Do you anticipate this strategy again this year? How important is it to you to be up front on the swim and hang on for dear life out of T1?

Thanks! It should be a great race! An itu race is always hard to predict. It would be fantastic to have a small group get away, but a lot of that can depend on the motivation of everyone in the race. ITU is about reading and responding to a race and adjusting your plan A to whatever is happening.

I would say it is always important to be up front on the swim. You are the race then, and it forces people to respond to you.
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