Mark Allen: World's Most Successful Triathlete

Oct. 2, 2015

What does it take to become a world-class triathlete?

If anyone knows, Mark Allen does. Mark is a six-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. He was able to win his first Ironman in 1989, and his last 1995 at age 37. He has also excelled at the Olympic distance, winning the sport's inaugural World Championships in 1989 in Avignon, France, by more than a minute. He was also undefeated in 10 trips to the Nice International Championships, and from 1988-1990 he put together a winning streak of 20 races. In this candid conversation, Christopher Kelly asks Mark a wide variety of questions about heart-rate and training, nutrition, mindset, and much more. All of that and much more in this episode of the podcast.

Mark’s first Ironman race, a successful failure.

When Mark Allen saw his first Ironman race on television he was immediately intrigued. He wondered if he had what it took to even finish the race. He’d done no biking and very little running over the years but felt that being on the swim team in college would make up for it in some ways. It turns out he was right. Looking back now Mark sees that the cardiovascular development swimming had created in him translated into the physical endurance needed to be a good triathlete. Even though he didn’t win an Ironman race for some time, his first experiences showed him that with work and training, he could do it. Hear how Mark overcame the challenges to eventually become the “Fittest Man” in the world.

It took 3 years of running before it “came easy” for Mark.

Mark’s swimming background didn’t prepare him for the physical rigor that running demands. In swimming the body’s weight is entirely supported, but running is the exact opposite. Every step taken is a “pounding” of the body into an inflexible surface, so the transition was difficult and even painful. Those 3 years were a process of building up the fluidity of his running style, and the amazing thing is that he did all of it without a coach. That can be an encouragement to you, especially if you’re starting out. Everyone starts at the beginning and you can start where you are today and begin building the skills need to one day, possibly, become a world champion like Mark. Hear the rest of Mark’s story on this episode.

3 Things Mark learned as he pioneered the triathlon realm.

Mark Allen was among those who could be considered the “pioneers” of the triathlon world. He began doing triathlons before there were coaches and before there was much science to tell us what the body needs and how it functions best in an endurance-type sport. As he competed alongside others, he learned three important things:

#1 - You’re going to get plenty fit with less training than you think you’ll need. You can never do as much as you write down as part of your “ideal” program and in the end, you won’t need it.

#2 - The bulk of your endurance training will happen when you’re astride the bicycle. As a result, you won’t have to do huge volumes of running to be ready for a triathalon.

#3 - Because you’re doing 3 sports in one, you don’t have to do as much high intensity speed work as an individual sport athlete will.  

The vital importance of mindset for endurance athletes.

“Once that gun goes off, you have to deal with yourself.” That’s what Mark Allen says when talking about the neglected issue of mindset. All the numbers and training in the world don’t matter if your internal landscape is not developed. How will you handle it when something unexpected comes up? How will you handle seeing another athlete pull away from you. What will you do to keep your mind quiet and press ahead when things are not going as you expected. How do you deal with those mindset issues as a triathlete? Mark Allen has some great advice for you in this episode, so make sure you listen in to the conversation.

Here’s the outline of this interview with Mark Allen:

• [0:05] Introduction of Mark Allen: The World’s Most Successful Triathlete
• [0:53] Mark’s athletic experience as a child and how he entered the world of triathlons at 24 years of age.
• [1:57] How swimming earlier in life “created” Mark to be a triathlete.
• [3:05] Beginning his triathlete career without much running or cycling background.
• [4:32] Working up the skills to become a practiced runner over a 3 year period without a coach.
• [7:00] Three “lightbulbs” that went on for Mark during his early years as a triathlete.
• [8:16] How much training does today’s triathlete do?
• [9:34] Why “heart rate” training is the very best way for athletes to train.
• [14:23] The ideas and philosophies behind Mark’s coaching practice.
• [16:09] How to correct for climate issues such as heat, humidity, etc. when using the heart-rate method of training.
• [19:23] The impact of a big meal, sickness, dehydration, and sleep deprivation on exercise and heart-rate.
• [21:53] Mark’s philosophy about using power meters as opposed to day to day observations about your situation and condition.
• [25:12] Where Mark would start with a new client to help them tap into stored fat reserves for energy instead of loading up on carbohydrates.
• [27:05] Mark’s general guidelines for macronutrient guidelines for endurance athletes.
• [29:34] When does an athlete know if they’re going too low-carb?
• [32:20] What is Mark’s opinion on the Paleo diet? Good? Bad?
• [37:36] Mark’s approach to biochemistry and when he adds that component to his normal training regimen.
• [40:15] Under what conditions would Mark send a potential client away?
• [43:21] What research does Mark keep up with and why?
• [44:34] The importance of mindset in racing and endurance sports and how athletes need to manage it well.
• [51:22] Is there a time that endurance athletes should move on to something else?
• [55:23] Where you can find out more about Mark’s coaching