Cata Barceló, 6ª Spanish classified for Kona 2015

Cata was proclaimed European Champion in GGEE 18-24 at the Ironman in Frankfurt

Hoy to the presentamos Cata Barceló, natural of the town of Muro, a small town north of the island of Mallorca. Cata will fulfill 24 years in September and is a nursing assistant. In the past Ironman of Frankfurt achieved the victory in his GGEE 18-24 being also European champion and becoming the Spanish 6ª that will run the Hawaii Ironman this season.

From Triathlon News we wanted to make an interview to know her a little better

- Good morning Cata, the first congratulations for your career in Frankfurt where you got slot to Kona, tell us first How were your beginnings in triathlon?

Good morning thank you very much. Well, I come from cycling. I have been almost 10 years competing in the world of cycling, but the last barely did it, work and studies took up a lot of time and I hardly took the bike on weekends. After this stage, some friends encouraged me to try the triathlon.

The truth is that I thought about it for a few days, I saw it a lot like doing three sports at the same time, because I did not know if I would really like this, even so, I decided to try it. From the beginning, I wanted to start with a coach.

A great friend recommended me a good coach, Toni Colom, who today I'm still training with him. That's how I started my first triathlon training and I started in this world. Now I have been in this world for two years, and I can say that it forms a large part of my life.

- What is your favorite distance and why? Which segment do you like the most, swimming, cycling or running?

After having debuted in several distances (Sprint, Olympic, Half and IM), the one that I liked the most and the one I have seen that best suits me is the Half distance. Swimming is not what I get better, then later on the bike and the running race I have a lot of space to move forward.

However, this year I have trained with several swimming instructors (Miquel Capó and Marilén Marquez) and (Nuria Granados and Llorenç Alou), in which I have managed to improve my technique a lot and not get so tired of the water as I did before.

Of the 3 disciplines, the one I like the most and the one that gives me the best is cycling. It's the one I've been practicing the most and the one I enjoy the most. Swimming is my weak point, and my psychological part when it comes to doing a triathlon. And running, although I do not run very fast, I defend myself.

- How is it usually a training day combining them with your work?

In my work schedule I have two shifts (morning or afternoon). Whenever I can I try to work in the afternoon and train in the mornings. I do this and I like to train more in the morning and if I train in the morning I feel that I do much more than in the afternoon. That means training me almost always alone, although I'm used to it and I do not care.

- How has your way to Frankfurt been? What triathlons have you run and how did you do in them?

The truth is that with work I have been able to combine it well. And the issue of training, removing a small slump I had a few months ago, I can say that I've done quite well, since the training that I like and enjoy the most are the background trainings in which I spend many hours.

This year, before the IM of Frankfurt, in April I did the Portocolom Triathlon (1000m-100km-10km), and then in May the Ironman 70.3 of Mallorca, where I was in a seventh position in my age category, and I downloaded 23min respect last year.

- Besides Frankfurt 2015, have you run another IM?

No. This year's Frankfurt IM was my first Ironman distance debut.

- Often debut, victory in your GGEE and ticket for Kona. Tell us about the competition in Frankfurt.

The day before I was quite nervous, the high temperatures that were expected for the day of the IM worried me, but hey, we were already there.

Swimming, swimming in a lake, and by the water temperature, they prohibited the use of neoprene. Of the three disciplines, it is the worst one that is given to me, my swimming is very slow, and I knew that I would be late from the water, so at the start I placed myself in the last rows to receive the least possible number of strokes and avoid getting nervous already in the beginning of the IM.

In the end, I got 4200m (in 2h 45”), I managed to pass the cut that was what worried me. Quiet transition (10' 42"). On the bike, the first km I felt very good and I was pulling, but as the day progressed, the temperature was rising and although I did not forget to eat and drink in the hours that I had planned, I felt like the heat was consuming me and the forces were falling.

Even so, I did not stop at any time, only at the aid stations to "get some air" and change the water cans. I arrive in Frankfurt, I do the 180km in (7h 34'), longer than I had planned, but I had arrived. Calm transition (6' 13”), and I start running the marathon, not knowing if I'll pass the 15:5 p.m. cutoff, since I only have 42.2 hours to do XNUMXkm.

In the first km I am already finding all of my family, my family (my father and my brother), the teammates who also debuted and were already running, the supporters of the team that were there cheering, and my coach , Toni Colom, my great support and the one that gives me the confidence I need at that moment.

A few kilometers away, I meet Alejandra, a triathlete who has the same rhythm as me and we decided to run together. As the km go by, I find myself getting better and better, and I focus on keeping a constant rhythm, I do not stop running at any time, I just walk in the refreshment stations.

I see many people standing and I see how many positions I advance. The marathon comes to me in (4h 50 '). The last 5km became very hard, but after 8 months of work, it is there when I realize that it has been worth so much effort and sacrifice.

So you had to get there, cross that goal line and hang that medal. Those moments, in which you see the sign that deviates you towards goal, that moment in which I make the turn towards goal, I raise that red carpet, I see all of mine that scream my name, those moments that one does not think is about to cross that finish line and become Ironman ... Those moments, I will never forget ...

I want to thank my coach, Toni Colom Mas, for all his work and support these months, and my family for their help and for the patience they have had with me this year. Without you, it would not have been possible to get here

- And now to Hawaii !!! How do you prepare the trip?

Although I am still assimilating it, I am already with the preparations for the trip, and I am already training for Hawaii. There are many things that you have to look at and have well planned (flight, hotel, passport, car ...), and the sooner I have everything, the quieter I will be and the more calm I will be able to train.

I am in a "Toni Colom World" Triathlon Club, and for now my sponsors are: Sport Hotel Hoposa, Tcw Training de Toni Colom, Forn de la Pau, Plaça Vuit, Sport Bequi and Test Plus triathlete clothing. I don't have any more help, so let's see if now with the classification for Kona any brand is interested in me and gives me some more help (nutrition products, sportswear, trainers, wetsuits, bicycles, wheels...). Any little help someone could provide would be great...

- Thank you very much Cata, share with you this little bit so that the readers of www.triatlonnoticias.com know you a little better. We wish you the best and much encouragement for Hawaii.

Many thanks to you for the interest in wanting to meet me and do this interview. Greetings to all followers and followers of Triatlonnoticias.

Juan José Martí Navio @jjnavio