In a video posted on his brother’s Youtube channel, Ironman 70.3 world champion Gustav Iden says he’ll figure out whether or not he’ll be aiming to compete in Kona based on how things go at Ironman California this weekend.
The video follows Iden through a series of workouts while the Norwegian is training in Flagstaff, Arizona at altitude. One of those workouts was a set of three 5 km intervals run on the track “starting at 3:30 pace for the first, taking a lactate measurement, an then taking it from there,” Iden said.
“I think (my form) is going to be extremely good when I come down from altitude,” he said. “If my body reacts as normal, I will feel great when I come down.”
In the video Iden also predicts that Germany’s Jan Frodeno is likely to lead out of the water by himself. Iden is hoping to “join the train” of speedy cyclists including Lionel Sanders and Cameron Wurf, then “do my best to run a marathon without dying in the last 10 km.”
Whether or not we’ll see Iden take on the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii next year will depend on how this weekend’s race goes, Iden said. Determined to “have fun” and enjoy what he’s doing, Iden will see how he enjoys his first full-distance race on the weekend and then decide what he’ll aim for next year. (He will “for sure” go to St. George to try and defend his 70.3 world title, though.)
You can watch the video here: