It’s been a year since he fulfilled his sporting dream. Dominik Neumann can only take part in the legendary »Ironman« in Hawaii on October 8 following being postponed several times. “Under the conditions, my only goal is to arrive,” explains the ultra athlete.
Woffelsbach (Foe). “Right following the finish, I was hoping that it would be enough,” Dominik Neumann remembers the anxious hours at the Ironman European Championships last summer in Frankfurt. He finished 18th in his age group 35-39 years with a total time of 9:39 hours, 14 starting places for Hawaii were up for grabs. Only a few days later did he get the message: pack your bags!
It was supposed to go to the Pacific island in February – but the corona pandemic forced the organizers to cancel the 2021 edition. “The preparation was a great physical and mental challenge,” says the 36-year-old, looking back on two years as an athlete affected by the pandemic. Again and once more he intensified his training, only to then have to throttle it once more. He is all the more pleased regarding his performance and that he is allowed to travel to the largest event for triathletes on the third attempt.
When the plane to Hawaii takes off on September 24th, his partner Anne van Meegern will be there. “We’ll be arriving two weeks beforehand to acclimatize, but also to take a little vacation – who knows when we’ll have the opportunity to visit this spot once more,” says Neumann, full of anticipation. Until then, he has a lot of training ahead of him: “My weekly workload is currently around 23 hours,” explains the Woffelsbacher. He practically has the Rursee for swimming on his doorstep. “It’s not as easy as in a swimming pool and yet not comparable to an unknown ocean with waves.” Anne van Meegern accompanies him from the stand-up paddle board for safety reasons.
Since the legendary “Ironman” was cancelled, there are now two days of competition. On Thursday, October 6th, the women and the younger and older age groups of the men will start. Among others, Markus Ganser from the Stolberg cycling team of the same name will be there.
The professional men – there will be around 50 – will then hit the track on Saturday, October 8th at 6.30 a.m. local time. Dominik Neumann will leave the track 15 minutes later. “The age groups start at intervals so that the 2,500 athletes don’t all jump into the water at the same time.” 3.86 kilometers have to be mastered in the open sea, then 180 kilometers on the bike before a marathon distance has to be run. Although he was able to prepare perfectly during the very hot Eifel summer and will continue to do so, he already pays tribute to the track: “Temperatures over 35 degrees, high humidity, hardly any shade and glowing asphalt – for me the goal can only be: To finish in Kona.«
The start of the Ironman will be broadcast live by ARD from 6:25 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. in the sports show. From 9 p.m., Hessischer Rundfunk will be broadcasting live from Hawaii. And from 11:55 p.m., ARD will take over the live transmission once more.
Dominik Neumann sits in the saddle for up to 20 hours a week, even during normal training times, doing lengths or lacing up his running shoes. “It’s great fun, but it also fits in well with our job,” assures the professional firefighter. Strength training can also be done following work, provided that the operational situation in Aachen allows it. The family must also support the time-consuming hobby.
In his last big competition before Hawaii, Dominik Neumann finished sixth in his age group at the Challenge in Walchsee, Austria, and qualified for the World Championships in Slovakia next year. “It’s still completely open whether I’ll start there,” Neumann’s focus is fully on the origin of the “Iron Man”.
He also competes for the Indeland team in the NRW triathlete league. There are five competitions across the country, each for a quartet. The rankings are summed – the fewer points, the better. The competition in Bonn was recently won. Interested parties can find information and stations at www.nrwtv.de
