Get to Know a Kona Age Grouper: Rob Dallimore
"If you want it enough you will find a way to make it happen.”
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As you inevitably become gripped with Kona fever, you may be wondering what you can do to nab a spot at triathlon’s crown jewel. Every day leading up to the 2017 Ironman World Championship, we’re profiling age group athletes who’ve earned a ticket to the sport’s grandest stage so you can read about their journey, race plans, personality, gear—everything it took to make these athletes Kona material. Read their stories here and then get ready to cheer for them on race day.
Name: Rob Dallimore
Age: 40
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Occupation: Triathlon coach
Race Bike: Specialized S-Works Shiv Tri in blue with pink shapes
Team: Ironman TriClub – Foot Traffic Endurance Sports Coaching
Sponsors: Brand Ambassador for Specialized Bikes, New Balance, Blue Seventy, Polar, and Clif Bar
How I qualified: “I raced Ironman Cairns 2017, Asia-Pacific Champs”
On preparing for Kona’s tough conditions…
“Kiwis are a tough bunch—we just get on and do it. This year in Auckland we have had one of the wettest winters on record. It hasn’t been cold, just wet. There’s also been no shortage of strong winds either, so I’m well prepared for that. I have spent many many hours on my Wahoo Kickr using Trainer Road and Zwift for structured cycle training as it’s a lot safer for interval work. Other times I have just wrapped up warm and got out there in the elements for long rides. I’m lucky there are a few of us who train together and are racing in Kona this year, so we keep each other motivated. I have used the sauna to help with heat adaptation. I raced at the ITU Long Course Worlds in August, in Canada, finishing fourth in my age group, so it was good to get a race and some sunshine for a couple of weeks. A large group of athletes I coach were racing there, too, so there was no shortage of great training partners. We were the ones without tan lines.”
Previous Kona Appearances…
“2007 and 2013. I qualified to race in 2011 but turned down my spot.”
His Kona Fueling Plan…
“I have recently started using Pruvit Exogenous Ketones as part of my bike fuel, which is awesome, but I will also be using a combination of gels, bars, and water throughout the bike. Once on the run, it’s coke and whatever else I can get in me … and plenty of nice cold water. I have always had a rock solid stomach so I can pretty much throw anything down my neck without any trouble. I love Clif Bloks when I’m running, they just taste so good and are so easy to eat.”
Average sleep per night…
“My wife can’t believe how I can train well on six hours. I know it’s not good for me, so I try to get as much as I can when I can, but it’s very rarely over eight hours. In race week I will sneak a few more hours each day.”
Advice for someone who wants to race at Kona…
“Obviously the first thing is to qualify, and in New Zealand that is difficult as there aren’t many races for us to chose from. So I tell people to not to expect to qualify in their first few Ironman races, but instead to learn from each one and develop a skill set that one day will allow them to form a race plan to get that all-important qualification. I am amazed and inspired at the ways some of my athletes have persevered and just worked away at that goal. If you want it enough you will find a way to make it happen.”
His Kona goals…
“It’s always to get a PB, so something under 9:30 would leave me very happy. But I certainly want to go faster than 2013 which I finished in 9:40.”
A fun fact to know…
“I pride myself in the fact I can hold a track stand for a long time.”