Finishing an Iron Man triathlon is a frightening sufficient feat. Swimming over two miles, biking over 100 miles, and ending that off with a marathon is an occasion not for the faint of coronary heart, and it’s definitely an athletic endeavor you need to practice for, and never resolve to do on a whim.
Except, after all, you’re Formulation 1 driver Valtteri Bottas.
As we lined earlier this month, whereas different F1 drivers have been utilizing their three-week break to have interaction in somewhat relaxation and rest, Bottas determined to finish a triathlon at house. The F1 driver documented your complete journey on social media, which consisted of a swim in his pool adopted by an extended stint on an train bike, completed off with a marathon on his treadmill.
If that sounds unbelievable sufficient, simply wait as a result of Bottas saved the most effective half for the FIA Press Convention forward of this weekend’s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
He determined to try the at-home triathlon the night time earlier than, and didn’t have probably the most nutritious pre-triathlon meal.
“It’s an excellent query,” mentioned Bottas Wednesday night time when requested why he tried the triathlon after deciding the night time earlier than. “I did remorse it at instances. I feel it’s simply generally I simply resolve to do one thing and type of show to myself that I can do it and actually problem myself. And likewise the good friend who I used to be hanging with that week, he had accomplished an Ironman… No, I’ve not heard of anybody truly who’s accomplished it by himself in a small room. And simply to provide some particulars, there was like no preparation. I solely had water and Coca-Cola, a little bit of rice…”
Bottas described the at-home Iron Man, which took nearly 11 hours, as a “cool expertise” throughout Wednesday’s press convention.
“Eleven hours. Just below 11 hours, yeah. And the pacing… Pacing is straightforward as a result of you may management your self, however clearly I’ve by no means accomplished that lengthy of a distance or I type of did it as a zone two, let’s say, Ironman, so managed to maintain the guts price fairly constant and it was powerful, particularly the run in the long run, a lot of ache administration, however I’m glad I did it,” mentioned Bottas. “It’s fairly cool expertise and Simply you realise how a lot is simply psychological. In case you don’t quit in your head, then you are able to do nearly something.”
Given what he put his physique by in a single day, you would possibly anticipate that Bottas took it straightforward within the following days.
You’d be fallacious.
“I used to be somewhat bit stiff the following day,” added Bottas. “I did handle to stand up and play some pickleball the following morning. However I’d say in per week or so, I felt robust once more. So, yeah.”
F1 drivers are completely completely different.