Hawaii. Some associate the sunny island group in the Pacific with the beaches of Honolulu, the palm trees of Waikiki, relaxation and holidays. In contrast, Dr. Katrin Esefeld, of the Center for Prevention and Rehabilitation of Prof. Dr. med. Martin Halle, sees Hawaii primarily as heat, the Bay of Kona, the baking heat of Kalaola, sweat and agony. In addition to that, also as a World Championship triumph.
On October 4, 2015, the 33-year-old became Amateur Female winner of the Ironman World Championship. The medical professional reached the finish line as the 19th woman from about 2000 participants. She completed the 3.8 kilometers of swimming, 180 kilometers of bicycling and 42.195 kilometers of running in a sensational 9:51:10 hours. Four professional German triathletes competed with Esefeld. The fastest of these finished nearly a quarter of an hour after the TUM staff member. "At the Ironman on Hawaii there is generally always a trough, but the race progressed quite well this time, from the beginning to the end." summarized Dr. Esefeld.
German short-distance champion and duathlete, shooting star of the year in 2006
Born in Mühldorf, the triathlete changed from swimming alone to the combination of bicycling, running and swimming in 2001. She soon won her first race and became a multiple German champion in the short-distance triathlon and the duathlon. In 2006, she won the Triathlon World Championship for the 20-year-old age group held in Lausanne. The German Triathlon Association (DTU) subsequently elected her as the shooting star of the year.
However, her interest was ultimately directed more strongly toward the longer distances. Beginning in 2011 she has focused herself on the non-Olympic, supreme discipline of the triathlon. Since then, she has completed eight of these events, aside from five starts in Hawaii, one in Regensburg, two in Zurich and one in Roth. The results are spectacular. In Hawaii, Esefeld was the best in her age group twice (25-29-year-olds and 30-34-year-olds). At the same time, the medical graduate works full-time at the Center for Prevention and Rehabilitation. "I have no idea how she is able to accomplish this. Katrin is simply exceptionally well-trained, an exceptional woman." says Prof. Halle, the Medical Director of the Center for Prevention and Rehabilitation and Vice dean of the TUM Department of Sport and Health Sciences.
Dr. Esefeld explains, "Not only is the extent of training important, but also the quality of the training."
"I train between 10 and a maximum of 15 hours per week," says Esefeld. The professionals train three to four times as much, but that is not what matters according to this doctor. "Many simply train a great deal. Not only the amount of training but also the quality of the training is important," explains the 33-year-old. Instead of training applying exorbitant amounts, Esefeld is inclined to make use of intensive loads, for instance through interval training. Here, her profession suits her well. "The medical training is naturally enormously helpful since I have a great deal of theoretical knowledge. I know very well what happens in the body," says the doctor whose doctoral thesis involved topics in the field of cardiology. "I am not sure if the profession provides more advantages or disadvantages. She naturally has a great deal of knowledge, but others also know how one has to train. In contrast to these individuals, Katrin has a tremendous amount of work," believes Halle and praises his staff member for her "exceptional mental strength".
Hawaii: Currents, headwinds and heat
The Amateur World Ironman Championship on Hawaii in 2015 is her greatest success to date. Esefeld knows, "The race on Hawaii is always extremely difficult because of the external conditions." Immediately after the start, this means precisely that the athlete must contend with the energy-sapping water currents of the Pacific. The nearly unswerving bike course has a lot of changes in elevation and headwinds. A special feature is that "the wind shifts at a certain time of the day so that one is confronted by a headwind in both directions," as Esefeld's experience has shown. Finally, there is still the marathon in a monotonous volcano landscape with temperatures of over 40°C. "This is where the mental aspect also plays a decisive role," as Eselfeld analyzes. Her method is to have fun. She always begins a race with little expectations and simply takes pleasure in being a part of it all, according to the native of Mühldorf.
"This year, the conditions were even more difficult since it was substantially hotter than in the past. You had to take care to really cool yourself down at the refreshment stations. The headwinds also began quite early this year," says Esefeld. The result shows that she contended excellently with the conditions. She needed 1:09 hours to swim 3.8 kilometers in the Pacific, 5:15 hours for the 180 kilometers on the racing bike and 3:20 hours for the subsequent marathon. No amateur female and only 18 professional triathletes were faster.
"It was always my dream to once place under the top 20 women competing in Hawaii. It naturally a great feeling that it was now successful," say the 33-year-old. And now? Does she have any further goals? "Let's see. I would like to compete on Hawaii one more time." And thereby perhaps even defend her championship title.
To the Homepage of Katrin Esefeld
To the Homepage of the Center for Prevention and Rehabilitation
Contact:
Dr. Katrin Esefeld
Center for Prevention and Rehabilitation
Klinikum rechts der Isar
Technische Universität München
Uptown Munich, Campus C
Georg-Brauchle Ring 56
80992 Munich
Telephone: +49 (0)89 289 24441
Email: Katrin.Esefeld(at)tum.de
Text: Fabian Kautz
Photos: Dr. Katrin Esefeld