We met up with James McCallum, you might know him for his Man In A Suit as he "takes on challenges in a suit to show that any regular person can make a difference!" to chat about his journey into triathlon, from having a panic attack 100m into his first tri swim to professional triathlete and his experience of triathlon in between.
Here's what he had to say...
"My name is James McCallum, I have been racing triathlon since 2017. My first introduction to tri was anything but a pleasant experience, in my first attempt at a 70.3 distance I had to be pulled out the water 100m into the swim due to a panic attack.
For some reason, after this less than ideal start, I was hooked, determined to conquer my fear of the swim and complete a half distance triathlon. I immediately started to look at events and came across Race2Stanford. I instantly signed up for the race and began the prep.
The event was awesome and incredibly scenic with a spectacular yet tough bike course through the Hemel en Aarde valley ending in Stanford with a beautiful run and vibrant finish line. This great experience at Race2Stanford cemented my view that this is a sport which I want to be a part of for years to come.
The new Race2Hermarnus course is a 2km swim, 80km bike and 18km run. This distance is brilliant for people looking to take the next step in their tri journey and take the step up form Standard distance. The race starts with a 2km in Gordons bay then a fast and beautiful 80km to Hermarnus ending with the 18km run around the well known and vibey coastal town. It is hard to find a more scenic route anywhere in the world and we are lucky enough to have it on our doorstep."
Finally he gave our athletes a few tips to get you ready for this years Prescient Race2Hermanus supported by SEESA on 13 May.
Some tips and advice for the new course:
1. Make sure to get in the water before swim start and do a proper warm up and acclimatize to the water.
2. Don’t go out to hard in the swim, make sure to find your rhythm and settle into a pace that
suites you.
3. Make sure to stay on top of your nutrition and hydration. (try get majority of this done on
the bike)
4. Do not go out to hard on the bike as it is very tempting to over do it, which could make for a long day on the run.
5. The course is flat but this comes with its challenges too as there is not much respite with
regards to downhills so make sure to pace yourself well.
