- Bart Aernouts is currently one of the best
long course triathletes on the planet.
He was second place in Ironman Hawaii 2018, no less,
but he didn't always start out life as a triathlete.
In fact, he was an extremely competitive duathlete
earlier in his career, 2010 World Champion, no less.
So I'm going to head down to the pool, just now,
have a chat with Bart,
because I thought it would be really interesting
to find out the journey and process that he's gone through
to effectively learn to swim
to become competitive as a long course triathlete.
(rumbling synthesizer music)
Bart, you were a very good duathlete
before you came into triathlon, World Champion in 2010.
So can you talk a little bit
about how your swimming has had to change
from being a duathlete, moving into triathlon?
- So actually, I started with triathlon first,
in 2004, I think, - Oh?
- in two Belgian races.
I think I got inspired
by probably what Luc Van Lierde did
in the '90s in Belgium.
And then, yeah, we wanted to,
I had another friend from athletics,
and we both got inspired by triathlon
and we wanted to try it ourselves.
So I think in 2003, we started training on our own,
a little bit for fun, for triathlon.
I started swimming.
I had no swimming background,
so I had to learn to swim freestyle.
And then I did two races in Belgium in 2004
and, then, I was not the best swimmer.
And, somehow, I got into duathlon in 2005,
and then I was just focused duathlon.
I mean, it was like,
I was not thinking about triathlon anymore
because, yeah, duathlon suited me very well.
I could qualify for my first world champ
straightaway in 2005.
And then you're into it and you're motivated
and you focus on that one.
And I think it's in 2008,
at the end of 2008, in Belgium,
I was third from the world champs duathlon, short distance,
and they asked me if I was interested
to get like a pro contract to make the switch to triathlon.
So that happened, end 2008.
- Ah, OK. - So actually,
they gave me the chance for two years
to make the switch to triathlon.
That's how it happened, in the end.
- So what was the big challenge
when you first had to start thinking
about swimming fast for a short course triathlon?
- So I started working with a really good swim coach,
a real swim coach, Ronald Gaastra.
He had some Olympic medals in swimming already, so,
and he was based in Antwerp as well,
so actually he was involved in the project.
We had two years to try to make it as a swimmer,
or at least a swimming level
to make into the Olympic distance.
And I remember, the first year,
I was swimming up to 35 kilometers a week.
But the second year,
we did up to 50 kilometers a week of swimming.
- [Fraser] Wow.
- [Bart] And without a swimming background,
I'm still not sure if it was a good idea.
- [Fraser] Yeah.
- [Bart] I mean, to rush it is like a bad idea.
We tried too hard in the beginning,
maybe did it too extreme. - Yeah.
- Like up to 50 kilometers a week, as a non-swimmer,
it doesn't look like swimming anymore.
- No. - So I think
it's even the opposite, you know?
Instead of getting better,
you maybe make yourself really tired.
And so, in the end, I think it was
a really good learning process,
but the end of 2011, I decided to focus on long distance.
Because the short distance,
after a few years, you need to be,
I mean, I'm not going to make it, you know,
at the Olympic level in triathlon.
- So how do you feel that's,
how have you found that move into long course?
Do you feel a lot happier with your swimming now
and coping with it at a less volume of training each week,
which is actually allowing you to be,
I mean, you're very, very competitive
as a long course triathlete, now,
so how does your swimming - Yep.
- [Fraser] fit into that?
- Yeah, I think, I mean,
from what I learned from the short distance
was a really good lesson for me, and I think it's,
I'm also very happy that I tried, at least.
So I don't feel like I failed,
but I was more like, OK, I still want to try it.
You know, I want to try it for three years, 3 1/2 years.
Don't give up after one year.
You know, keep trying.
And I think it's also, I learned in the short distance
not to give up after the swim
because even I won some short distance races as well
even with a bad swim. - Yeah, uh huh.
- So it's just the mindset was probably
a really good lesson for me.
It's not finished after the swim,
and it's the same in long distance.
You know, the swimming is not as important,
but it's still important
and it's not good to lose time straight away,
at the beginning of the race.
But it's more the mindset.
You know, if you still keep believing in your race,
or like keep, stay positive during the race,
then you can still do a lot.
And in the end, in long course, my swimming,
I'm probably more relaxed, now, with everything
and I have more experience.
And so I think, yeah, it's all,
you know, you need years.
You need time to be comfortable with the swim,
to be comfortable with the whole situation.
And for me, the short distance was
a bit of a rush, and now--
- [Fraser] So that's about 10 years, now, we're in 2019,
so since you started - Yeah.
- [Fraser] that journey into short course?
- So do you feel, now, - Yeah.
- that you're a confident swimmer
in amongst long course athletes?
- Yeah, I'm confident in the swim
and I know I'm not the best swimmer,
so I will have good days
and days where you struggle a bit more.
Yeah, I think that's normal.
If you're a top swimmer, you always,
I mean, even on a bad day,
you still make it in the front pack.
For me, it's different, you know?
Everything has to go well to have a really good swim.
And on a bad day, I maybe lose more time,
but then that's the way it is,
- Yeah. - and the race starts later.
(upbeat pop music) ♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
- So before we jump in the water with Bart,
I thought I'd just quickly run through
his session details.
Now, he wants to start off
with an 800 meter nice and easy warm up,
building through the gears with some surges in there
and a little bit back crawl too,
and then into a main set,
which is a thousand meters in total.
And that comprises of a 200 meter nice and steady,
two 100 meters a bit quicker,
and then finishing with two by 50 hard.
Do that whole set twice through, and then finish off
with 200 meters nice and easy back crawl as well.
So all that being said, I guess I'd better dive in.
(upbeat pop music) ♪ Hey ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
♪ Hey ♪
♪ Whoa ♪
(sparse percussion music)
(upbeat pop music)
- Well, that was a little bit of fun
because it's always nice to have an excuse
to get in the pool, especially one that looks like this.
But in all seriousness,
it's really interesting to get an insight
into what some of the very best athletes are doing
in their lead-up to race day.
So I hope you find this video interesting.
Please hit that thumb-up Like button, if so.
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that we make here at GTN.
And if you want to see another swim video,
well, you can get our swim analysis of Lucy Charles, here.