IRONMAN DE MELBOURNE (AUSTRALIA), previous interview with Alejandro Santamaría.

This weekend, the city of Melbourne (Australia) will host the first edition of the Ironman to be held in this town and in which we can count on the presence of Alejandro Santamaría and Eneko Llanos in elite category.

A test of the highest level, valid for the IronMan Ranking where triathletes go in search of the necessary score to get their place in the desired IronMan in Hawaii and where today, we have been able to contact Alejandro Santamaría who is already in the city of Melbourne, willing to add the necessary points in this test to maintain the place in the world ranking that will give it the possibility to participate among the 50 best triathletes in the world who will take part of the starting line next October in Hawaii.

How do you feel? How about your feelings after Cozumel and starting the season with Valencia LD?

The season has started very fast and it is still too early to be 100%. I have trained a lot these 3 months but I still lack rhythm. In Valencia it didn't go very well but I wasn't worried because it was just another training session. It will be a very difficult test because it is of the highest level but I hope to be able to make a good comeback in the marathon.

Have you had time to recognize the circuit? What do you think?

Although I have arrived in Australia a few days before the test I will only be in Melbourne from Thursday. Before I have been in the Gold Coast area with Ivan Raña where there are also many triathletes.

The circuit is quite fast, fast bike with some steep slopes and the race also with "slides". I like that the marathon is online. We leave the transition and do the 42km to the finish line. No twists or bends. So we can see exactly positions and references.

How is the atmosphere there? How do you live the days before the competition?

The atmosphere before any Ironman is… special. Australia is the country in the world with the most sports practitioners. Here everyone practices something, so the atmosphere is spectacular. In the days before, he usually trains little, with a lot of rest and busy with the preparations.

Alejandro Santamaría already participated in Australia in 2006, where he achieved a "Top 10" in the Ironman in Western Australia, achieving sixth place. His last podium in Ironman was only a few months ago in Cozumel (Mexico), where he achieved third position.

But this is not all, soon we will be able to see him compete again in Spain, his first date: Tristar Mallorca, then in the Spanish Duathlon Championship and Half Ironman of Mallorca.

These are the “a priori” plans of the Madrid triathlete, who confesses in statements made to the press “Everything will depend on how I know about Sunday and the points I have to be able to be at the Ironman in Hawaii in October, so I will decide whether to do another Ironman and which one. In July I will train with Iván Raña, to prepare for his fourth games, so I will take advantage of that training to make me compete at the top also in August"

From Triathlon News, we wish our two triathletes, Alejandro Santamaría and Eneko Llanos, good luck, who will represent Spain in the IronMan in Melbourne (Australia) next Sunday, March 25.