ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT- STEVE GALLAT

Here at AP Racing we have a lot to celebrate.

We get to celebrate the friendships we make through sport, the experiences we create together, the amazing growth our athletes have, and we get to celebrate each other.

Today, we get to celebrate AP Racing 1:1 Coached Athlete Steve Gallat and his recent AG World Championship at IM1406WC’s St. George.

I got a chance to sit down with Steve after his race and dive a little deeper. I hope you enjoy our conversation:

Andy: Hi Steve, Congrats on a great race at the IMWC’s and being crowned AG World Champion! Coach Brian (Brian Fleischman is an AP Racing Coach, former professional triathlete and US National Team Athlete) has been telling our staff at our monthly meetings that you are ready for IMWC Glory. It was so great to see your race unfold on race day and to be able to see you at the finish line! I can’t wait to see what’s next, but let’s dig in a little here to how the last 6 months and race day unfolded- 

For everyone out there, what’s your name, what do you do or did you do for a living, where do you live? Tell us about yourself a little-

Steve:. I compete in the 60-64 Age group. I have been racing in triathlons for 10 years, coaching myself before joining AP racing this year. I am married with four grown children and two grandchildren; two children live in Colorado. I moved from Northern Indiana to Woodland Park, Colorado 4 ½ years ago following my children.

In Indiana I worked as a general and vascular surgeon for 20 years. After retiring from surgery, I taught as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Bethel University. I am now fully retired spending most of my days training and recovering.  

Andy: You are an AP racing 1:1 coached athlete- How long have you been working with AP racing? Tell us a little bit about your experience?

Steve: I have been working with AP racing 1:1 coaching for 5 months. Like the website says, if you want to go to the next level, get 1:1 coaching. My daughter had met some of the AP coaches while she was training in Colorado Springs. She convinced me, if I want to reach the next level I need a coach. I wasn’t sure if I could even listen to a coach. But I took the plunge and adjusted quickly. What Coach Brian has done for me in such a short time is amazing!  

Andy: How has your training this year been different than it has in the past? What are some things that were really good and some that were not so good?

Steve: One big change has been back to back intensity workouts on the same day. In the past, I would focus on only one hard bike, run, or swim per day. This year I have done intensity runs after intensity bikes. Some days I would look at my workouts and say, “there is no way I could do this!” But somehow I did it! I really like the challenging speeds of the workouts. It is so interesting!

I used to spend 5-7 days every third week doing low intensity workouts for rest. Now I recover on intermittent days instead of intermittent weeks. The only hard thing for me about being coached is losing the freedom to adjust on the fly for last minute plan but Coach Brian is always available if we need to make adjustments.

Andy- How did it feel to complete this epic world championship race and be crowned world champion in the process?

Steve: Now that I am home, I keep checking the results to see if they are real! It is hard to believe. For so long I was content just to qualify for the Ironman World Championships. I thought if I had a good race I could reach the podium. Getting first place was a secret goal I told very few people.

I literally couldn’t have done this without good people surrounding me; my wife and children, Coach Brian, and the great AP racing team. You can get lots of advice; but good and usable advice is hard to find. For instance, at St. George, I saw team member, Diane, at an AWA breakfast banquet. She wore an AP racing shirt and I introduced myself to her. She told me of a pro tips team meeting with Andy Potts and Daniel Brienza Imagine that, getting racing tips from coaches on the top of their game! I learned so much usable information for this race like taking nutrition as soon as you lose focus and how to go fast downhills! 

Andy: How would you compare your experience in Kona to St. George for the World Championships?

Steve: The atmosphere at Ironman World Championships is epic! The level of competition is high with both courses offering unique challenges. The Kona swim is incredible with warm waters so clear you can see fishes and turtles! The landscape in St. George is stunning especially through snow canyon. The St. George bike is more difficult with all the climbing. The marathons seemed similar except Kona is rolling. St. George is hot and windy. Kona is hot and windy AND humid. I struggle with heat and humidity so I don’t like racing in Kona as much. 

Andy: Talk us through your race- how did the day play out compared to how you thought it would play out? 

Steve: I did a St. George recon trip 1 month before the race so I had the bike and run course in my head. I could visualize things well. I planned to exit the swim feeling like it was a nice warm up for a hard bike. I wanted to ride hard without crushing it and eat and drink like crazy. I knew the second half of the run would be where I had my best chance so I needed to be hydrated and caught up on my nutrition. The race went almost exactly as I had envisioned.

Andy: I heard you had a pretty fun ‘interaction' with some of your competitors on the race course- Can you tell us about it and also let us know a bit about the race dynamics, if you knew where your competition was throughout the race, etc?  

Steve: My Garmin stopped when I took off my wetsuit so I didn’t have much reliable data. I could tell which competitors were in my age group by their numbers. At mile 45 on the bike, my wife said I was in first place with two people closing in. I knew if I would be patient I could win with a strong run. But I could easily lose it by starting the run dehydrated or behind in my nutrition.

I did meet up with a 2019 Kona podium finisher at mile 60. I was looking for him so when he caught up with me on the bike I struck up a conversation with him. Since I live at high altitude I was hardly breathing. Nice man and our conversation was brief and polite. He asked me if I was a good runner and I told him I didn’t want to brag but that is my specialty. I could tell he was disappointed.

Andy: You had a blazing fast run- is running your strength? Is there anything in particular you are doing differently now than you have in the past? Any advice for ‘aging’ athletes as you have found so much success at a more ‘mature’ age?

Steve: I listed running as my “limiter” at the beginning of the season because I lost so much of my speed. I couldn’t train much high intensity at high altitude where I live. I had gotten lulled into slow jogging. The best thing I changed is hill repeats and tempo runs for quick feet.  

Aging athletes need to recover right! I use Norma Tec, MarcPro, foam rollers and stretching. Everyone needs to eat right and sleep right especially as you age, there is little margin for error!

When your coach says to do a slow recovery in an interval work out, do it so you can complete the interval at a high level! Enjoy the process and realize you have fewer days ahead of you than what has already passed.

Andy- What did you do to celebrate post-race?

Steve: The finish line was about the most beautiful thing I have ever seen (besides my wife on our wedding day)!

I took my time crossing the finish line whipping the crowd into a frenzy with my whooping and hollering. So many happy memories… like talking with Andy Potts and Daniel Brienza at the finish line. Talking and reliving everything! Then meeting up with my wife and talking with my kids! Talking and reliving everything again! It is surreal. 

Andy- What’s next? Races? Life? 

Steve: I am looking forward to some half ironman races. Cour d’Alene 70.3 and Boulder 70.3. I hope to qualify and compete in Utah this October for the 70.3 World Championships. I finish the year with Ironman Arizona.

At some point in my life, I would like to complete the triple crown of long distance hiking trails. I have already hiked the Appalachian Trail and would like to finish the Pacific Crest and Continental Divide Trail.

Andy- Is there anything you would tell anyone who wants to compete for a World Championship or even someone trying to just get into triathlon?

Steve: In some ways triathlons are “just a sport”. Like any sport, the training requires commitment. Realize when you train for triathlons it will change every part of your life; what you eat, how you sleep, and what you do with your spare time. But there are so little chances in life to reveal your strength of character and will and passion. Besides, triathlons will get you in the best shape in your life.

So many triathletes spend their career trying to qualify for Kona. I never understood why. In my first Ironman, I missed qualifying for Kona by 3 seconds. The following year I raced the same race again and qualified. Once I made it to Kona, I understood the attraction. It is like no other race. It is electric and epic; a legitimate once in a life time experience. The competition is real, the course challenging, the conditions brutal, in the beauty of Hawaii. The only way not to qualify for Kona is to stop trying.  

Andy: Thank you so much for sharing with us and for letting us be a part of your triathlon journey! Keep up the great work and #GETSOME!!!

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