Presenter Claudia Marty-Eggenberger is on the train with Beat Knechtle, a doctor, professor, and endurance athlete who talks about his everyday life as an ultra-triathlete.
No one in the world has completed as many Ironman triathlons as you: Non-stop, swimming 3.8 kilometers ten times, cycling 180 kilometers, and running 42 kilometers of a marathon. You are also a doctor and have published over 760 scientific papers as a professor at the University of Zurich. How does a person manage that?
There are 24 hours in a day and you have to time it well. I work in shifts, from early in the morning until after midday. When the weather is nice, I go cycling and running in the afternoon. In the evening, I go back to work until around midnight. It’s like that every day.
You weren’t the best at sports at school in sport and were even often picked last in games. How can that be?
Basically, I’m very slow, but I realized early on that I needed something I could do on my own, without pressure. I started cycling around 400 kilometers and immediately became the Swiss record holder in my first triple Ironman. Genetically, my muscle fibers practically never tire.
What do you most want to do in an Ironman competition? Running, swimming or cycling?
The other three disciplines are eating, sleeping, and changing clothes. You have to see triathlon as a whole. Everything is very focused in order to get through the competitions. I know what I need, think ahead, and constantly check my system: Is something hurting, am I hungry?
What does your team look like?
It’s my wife, a one-woman show. She prepares every change and organizes the car and hotel. Wherever I arrive, she’s ready and waiting.
This year you will be 60 and are taking a sabbatical. What does that mean in sporting terms?
I’ll only be running 60 marathons or more until the end of the year - and I’m planning a comeback on the long distances next year.
The interview can also be found at the following link: https://appenzellerbahnen.ch/de/kundenmagazin.html
The interview as a video from TVO at www.tvo-online.ch/im-zug-mit