{"id":7564,"date":"2021-03-14T00:03:24","date_gmt":"2021-03-14T00:03:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsnewsforyou.com\/?p=7564"},"modified":"2021-03-14T00:03:24","modified_gmt":"2021-03-14T00:03:24","slug":"tim-don-the-goal-is-to-go-to-kona","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/?p=7564","title":{"rendered":"Tim Don: \u201cThe goal is to go to Kona\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tim Don doesn\u2019t want dwell on his (frankly quite amazing) recovery from a near-fatal neck injury that ruled him out of Kona 2017. Oh no. He has bigger fish to fry than that. Much bigger. Like, winning-Kona-sized bigger\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s during our exclusive interview below that the multiple world champ, Ironman world record holder and 220<\/em> columnist reveals the mindset that has seen him go from lying on the roadside after a horrific bike crash, to undergoing a brutal rehab in a halo neck brace (a near-medieval torture style device that was screwed into his skull), to completing the Boston Marathon in 02:49:22 \u2013\u00a0a time close to his Ironman run time.<\/p>\n

Tim Don on coming back from a broken neck<\/p>\n

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Tim Don back racing after breaking his neck<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing about Boston Marathon was it marked the end of the last 6 months. It\u2019s not that I\u2019m not focusing on recovery, I am, but I don\u2019t want to see myself as a recovering athlete. Now it\u2019s like \u2018I\u2019m back, I\u2019m a professional, I need to do my rehab but I also need to compare myself to the guys that are breaking course records\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Got that? Good. Then here\u2019s the full story, from the man himself\u2026<\/p>\n

Was there ever any doubt in your mind that you\u2019d return to triathlon?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Click Here: liverpool mens jersey<\/a><\/p>\n

Tim Don:<\/strong> You know, initially, it wasn\u2019t on the horizon. The first couple of days you\u2019re more practical, thinking about the pain and how to deal with a broken neck. Once they\u2019d fitted the halo, they said \u2018ok this is it \u2013 now come back in 3 weeks for scans unless you\u2019ve got issues\u2019\u2026 They don\u2019t really give you much advice and it\u2019s quite a peculiar contraption. I had to sleep in a chair bolt upright, it was hard to swallow at first because my neck was in a strange position\u2026 so no I definitely wasn\u2019t thinking about training! Three weeks later though, I was itching to do something.<\/p>\n

Was having the halo a hard decision to make?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tim Don:<\/strong> It wasn\u2019t, because when you go to the doctors and you\u2019re sick and they give you antibiotics, do you question them? You just say okay. This was the same thing \u2013 you\u2019re seeing these experts and it\u2019s their area of expertise. They gave me three options [a cast, surgery or the halo] but said \u201cto be honest, if you want to get back to what you were doing this is the only option.\u201d I wanted to get back, so there was no real choice.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll be honest, knowing what I know now I\u2019d go for a fusion \u2013\u00a0I would never have a halo again! The doctor that fitted it looks after loads of hospitals in Denver \u2013 so maybe 3-5 million people \u2013 and he only fits three halos a year maximum, because everyone goes for the fusion.<\/p>\n

It was at one of my later appointments, when he had to tighten the screws, that he told me that most people only last between three days and a week before they have it taken off because as well as the pain, the practicality isn\u2019t so good. They tighten the screws to 8 newton metres (when you tighten your seat post it\u2019s only 4-5 NM), at least a centimetre into the skull and the metal frame goes all the way down to your belly button and if you knock it that vibration goes up to your skull\u2026 Plus every time the screws came loose my head would swell up and they\u2019d need tightening again. I was in it for three months exactly. It felt like an eternity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tim in the \u2018halo\u2019 neck brace he had to wear for 6 months.<\/em><\/p>\n

When you starting training again (still in the halo), did you have your doctor\u2019s blessing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tim Don:<\/strong> I kind of had his blessing \u2013 it was kind of \u2018don\u2019t do anything stupid\u2019 though! It wasn\u2019t so much the fracture they were worried about, as bone takes 6-8 weeks to heal, it was more the curvature of my spine and the gaps between my vertebrae which they didn\u2019t want to change. The surgeon who put the halo on is an accomplished surgeon, but he\u2019s also an Ironman triathlete. He\u2019s been to Kona and is doing Alaskaman this year, so he gets it.<\/p>\n

I literally started with 5 minutes on a gym exercise bike at 80 watts and then with John Dennis, my physio, we came up with a plan to make the rest of my body (neck aside!) as strong and as injury-proof as possible so when I came back to being able to train, after about four and a half months of no running, I wouldn\u2019t tear a calf, get Plantar Fasciitis, or a stiff lower back from being back on a bike\u2026 So we tried to do a lot of S&C around those groups for prevention, so that was my new goal \u2013\u00a0my new fix!<\/p>\n

Have you learnt anything during that period that\u2019s a positive thing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tim Don:<\/strong> Never give up! I learnt a lot about the community as well though. I mean I\u2019ve been racing since 1992 and a professional triathlete since 1997, I\u2019ve won medals, I\u2019ve been to the Olympics, but never before have I had so many well-wishers. It meant a lot to me and I\u2019ve been blown away by how people reached out. I\u2019m lucky.<\/p>\n

Your race comeback was the Boston Marathon \u2013\u00a0was there a reason you chose a run first?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tim Don:<\/strong> I knew the first thing I could come back and do would be a run! It wouldn\u2019t be a 1500m swim race in the pool, that would be horrifically painful \u2013\u00a0and as for cycling, I still can\u2019t turn my neck enough to see behind me \u2013 so of the three disciplines running is what we all do first and so I knew I could do it. Then the opportunity came up to run Boston Marathon with support from On [Tim\u2019s run sponsor] and I said yes!<\/p>\n

Originally the goal was just to finish, then as we got closer we were hoping for under 3 hours, then the founder of On said he\u2019s give me $1000 if I could run under 02:56 so it was like \u2018yes, game on!\u2019 Then the NY Times ran an article where they suggested 02:44 because that was my time in the Ironman world record run, and I said \u2018no way, if I can get near 02:50 I\u2019ll be happy\u2019, so then the goal became 02:50 \u2013 and I did it in 02:49!<\/p>\n

Click to the next page to read more of our exclusive interview with Tim Don >>>>><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/b> : <\/p>\n

Has your running gait changed since your injury?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We haven\u2019t done video analysis on a treadmill, but Julie videos me a lot in Boulder and my lower half is very similar, but I\u2019m still very stiff through my thoracic spine, my shoulders, my upper traps and going into my neck, I\u2019m more rigid. This is the most comfortable position for my neck [Tim demonstates, with his head just tilted a tiny fraction off-centre] and it\u2019s not straight \u2013 but if I put it straight I get a massive pain all down the side, so we\u2019ve definitely got a lot of work to do. Especially if I want to come off the bike and do a 02:44 again!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tim in Brazil, on his way to breaking the Ironman World Record by more than 4 minutes with a time of 7:40:23.<\/em><\/p>\n

How about your swimming and your cycling now? Are you still swimming with a snorkel until you get that mobility back?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019m swimming without the snorkel as well, I just can\u2019t do the whole session without it. I\u2019m up to 3,000m which you might think is great, but it\u2019s not great when you consider that right now Jan [Frodeno] and Sebi [Kienle] are doing 6,000m sets no problem.<\/p>\n

That was the other thing about Boston \u2013 it marked the end of the last 6 months. It\u2019s not that I\u2019m not focusing on recovery, I am, but I don\u2019t want to see myself as a recovering athlete. Now it\u2019s like \u2018I\u2019m back, I\u2019m a professional, I need to do my rehab but I also need to compare myself to the guys that are breaking course records etc etc.\u2019<\/p>\n

I think swimming is going to be the toughest though. Matt Bottrill, my coach, is loving the biking though as it\u2019s quite hard to lift my neck up, so I\u2019m actually keeping myself more aerodynamic!<\/p>\n

For the run, it\u2019s about getting everything firing again as it\u2019s not used to moving. The run\u2019s especially important too, as that\u2019s my weapon. So yeah, lots of work to do, but it\u2019s different work to normal, so I\u2019m quite excited in a perverse sort of way!<\/p>\n

Has your attitude to cycling changed at all since the accident?<\/strong><\/p>\n

I was worried initially that I was going to ride 100m on the road and go \u2018oh my god I can\u2019t do this, the cars are too close, the noise\u2026\u2019, but I\u2019m actually a very practical person and so no, I didn\u2019t feel emotional. Also remember I\u2019ve been a pro for a long time and it\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve been hit by a vehicle. I\u2019ve fallen off, I\u2019ve had pins, stitches, but it\u2019s always been because of mechanicals \u2013 a blowout, failed equipment \u2013 but this was just a freak accident.<\/p>\n

I do all my riding now with a rear light on, even in the day, just to say \u2018I\u2019m here!\u2019, but apart from that no changes\u2026 Also I\u2019m lucky as I train in Boulder and the hard shoulders are like 2 metres wide and cars are on the whole amazing at giving us a wide berth.<\/p>\n

What advice would you give to any 220<\/em> readers who are injured or facing time out?<\/strong><\/p>\n

First up, don\u2019t break your neck! But if you do, then don\u2019t have a halo fitted!<\/p>\n

D\u2019you know what though? You need to remember there\u2019s always something you can do. Maybe you can still move your legs, train differently in some way \u2013 unless it\u2019s a terminal state you will come back from your injury and you will do a triathlon again, so what can you do in the meantime to help?<\/p>\n

If need be take a physical or a mental break, take some time out, spend time with the family and don\u2019t dwell on it. Don\u2019t get me wrong though, it wasn\u2019t all bells and whistles for me \u2013 there were dark times! I\u2019m a real believer in being positive though, as who knows what\u2019s just around the corner?<\/p>\n

So what\u2019s the goal for you, now you\u2019re back training as a pro?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, the goal is to go to Kona! I\u2019m going to hopefully do a 70.3 at the end of June, then in July do either Zurich or Hamburg Ironman \u2013 they\u2019re on the same day \u2013 and then that should hopefully give me enough points to do to Kona. If I finish say 5th at Hamburg but I\u2019m 22 minutes after the winner, then I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll go to Kona. If I go, I want to be where I believe I can be.<\/p>\n

There are goals \u2013 so we know that by a certain date I need to be able to swim 3.8km without a snorkel, hold X power on a bike \u2013 so there will be training milestones. The first was to finish the marathon and the second was to do it under 3 hours, so we\u2019re looking good, so far! It\u2019s a long road.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You\u2019ve had a lot of support from On \u2013 and now they\u2019re producing a film about you?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A film, ha! No it\u2019s a documentary! I haven\u2019t seen the ending yet because they haven\u2019t edited the parts from Boston yet, but I\u2019ve seen the rest and it\u2019s a bit peculiar as it\u2019s not me playing a character, it\u2019s just me\u2026 So it was a bit uncomfortable for me to watch! I hope people will watch it and think \u2018he doesn\u2019t give up\u2019 and see that there\u2019s always light at the end of the tunnel. I hope people take something positive from it.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The documentary \u2018The Man With The Halo\u2019 will be available to watch through www.on-running.com on 28th May. See the trailer here now.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tim Don doesn\u2019t want dwell on his (frankly quite amazing) recovery from a near-fatal neck injury that ruled him out of Kona 2017. Oh no. He has bigger fish to fry than that. Much bigger. Like, winning-Kona-sized bigger\u2026 Advertisement It\u2019s during our exclusive interview below that the multiple world champ, Ironman world record holder and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7564"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7564\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/googmn.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}