Henrik Hyldelund – winner of Ironman Copenhagen

It’s only been 3 days since Henrik Hyldelund, aka Hulk, won KMD IRONMAN COPENHAGEN. We were lucky enough to get an interview with Mr Hyldelund. If you have any questions for Henrik Hyldelund, you can use the comments box at the bottom of the interview.

In the interview you can hear about Henrik’s training, his attitude towards equipment, what the equipment means to him and a few good tips for your own training towards an Ironman.

Ten quick facts about Mr Hyldelund aka Hulk

1) When did you start doing triathlon?

My first season was in 2011

2) Why the Ironman distance?

I had run a marathon and thought the training and the event itself was super cool. THEN I saw something on TV with Challenge Copenhagen and I thought it looked really cool and then I quickly decided that I wanted to do it too.

3) What is your favorite discipline?

It’s definitely cycling.

4) How many hours have you trained in one week?

I think it’s about 35 hours.

5) What is the value of your most expensive bike?

Around 70,000 kr.

6) If you had no sponsors and were only allowed to own equipment worth a total of 5,000 kroner (including gels in training, bikes, running shoes, clothes, heart rate monitor, etc.), how much slower do you think you would have been at IRONMAN COPENHAGEN?

Phew, it’s a bit difficult, but it’s probably mainly on the bike, so it would have taken a while. So maybe about 45-60 minutes.

7) Does it hurt to be run over on a bike when you’re about to win the Danish Half Ironman Championship?

Physically it didn’t really hurt much when it happened. There was some soreness after the fall the next week so I went for a bit of fun.

What hurt the most was probably mental and I needed to spend some time “swallowing” it.

8) On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is extremely talented and 1 is talentless, where would you place yourself?

I think 7-8. I don’t see myself as talented, but as someone who really enjoys and trains.

9) On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is extremely disciplined and 1 is a mess, where would you place yourself?

If it’s in relation to training, it’ll probably be a 9.

10) Are you participating in IRONMAN COPENHAGEN 2015?

I don’t know yet. There are some changes coming from Ironman regarding the profiles, so I’ll just have to wait and see.

Your training – what does it take?

I understand that your training in 2014 has increased significantly compared to previously. What is the reason for this?

That I want to be good :) I also started my season in March in Abu Dhabi and the 200 km on the bike there required a lot of training early in the season.

How many hours do you train per week, divided into swimming, cycling, running, alternative sports, strength/core?

3-5 hours swimming, 10-20 hours cycling, 3-4 hours running, 1 hour core/strength

How many weeks do you spend training specifically for an Ironman competition?

6 weeks until Ironman Copenhagen 2014

What do you do to avoid injuries?

Massage, foam rolling and stretching

How many kilometers do you run per week?

50-60 km

Do you favor high-speed quality training or volume training like in the 80s?

A mixture of both.

The experience of winning Ironman CPH

How does it feel to run in Copenhagen with 200,000 spectators? What would the experience be like without spectators?

It was super cool. The atmosphere is always crazy in Copenhagen. Without spectators it would be a bit dead.

What were you particularly impressed with during your participation?

My bike time. The wind was really strong this year and I was very surprised that it went so fast.

When did you know you would win?

When I ran out on the last lap of the race

What went through your head when you knew victory was yours?

Of course I was really happy and thought, fuck, how cool is that?

Did you ever consider quitting?

No.

Could you have done 20 push-ups when you reached the finish line?

I can always do that :)

Choosing running shoes

You are sponsored by Asics – was it something you sought out yourself, or did they come to you? Why Asics?

I know someone who knows someone and that’s how I got in touch with them.

Asics is probably the biggest running shoe brand. with the widest range, so it would be crazy if I couldn’t find some shoes that fit me.
Before we made a deal, I had of course tested some of their different shoes.

What running shoes do you use for a race like IRONMAN COPENHAGEN? Why those shoes?

Noosa fast 2. It is a roller shoe with holes in the bottom for water. It also has really good flexibility, as well as good support even though it is light.

What running shoes do you use in your daily training?

Noosa fast 2 and DS-trainer

Do you have shoes that are not from Asics?

Not running shoes

If you weren’t going to run in Asics, which brand would you consider?

There are so many, I don’t really know. I don’t believe that there are any brands that have something that the others don’t. So it’s probably about finding a shoe that you think is cool and, above all, fits well on your foot.

How much do you care about having running shoes that have the right pronation wedge to support you? Put another way – how much do you care about running style?

When I was training for a marathon, I was told I had a neutral running style and I’ve kept that ever since.

Does heel-to-toe drop matter to you when choosing running shoes?

Yes it has. I have tried shoes with very little drop and it didn’t work for me. However, I don’t want too much so I mainly wear the ones that are in the middle.

What is most important to you when choosing running shoes?

Fit and feel. Find a place where you can test the shoes or borrow a pair of test shoes.

Training tips

What advice would you give to the triathlete who is struggling to get under 10 hours?

Get a trainer who can help you structure your training. That’s what really got me going last year.

It is clear that triathletes have a completely different approach to marathon running – only 1-2% run a negative split in the marathon. What do you think triathletes can do to run more consistently?

It’s difficult because I’ve never run a negative split in the final marathon myself. There’s a difference between just having to run and having to run after having swum and cycled.

For most people, their bodies have been working for at least 5-6 hours when they start the marathon, so it’s difficult to have anything in the bag for the last 21 km.

What I usually pay close attention to is that I don’t run too fast at the beginning, as it’s really easy to do.

The sport of triathlon is characterized by many passionate athletes who are very passionate about the sport. All other things being equal, this will mean neglecting business, social life and family life. Do you have any good advice for creating harmony in everyday life when training is such a big part of your life?

Get your training into a system. So family, friends and work know when to train the different disciplines. Take advantage of any transport time for e.g. cycling training. It can be to and from work, for a family birthday or something else. Of course, it is also important to have the green light from a wife/girlfriend as an Ironman project takes a lot of time.

You are now at the end of the road. Maybe other runners can inspire you too? Read the latest interviews on this page..

Many thanks to Henrik for agreeing to be interviewed. You can follow Henrik on his blog, where I write a little about his training leading up to the various events and then evaluate his performance. You can see more pictures from the race at BT (direct link). or Red Bull (direct link).

If you have any questions for Henrik Hyldelund, you can use the comments field below.