DR: So Canada was your first Ultraman. Which race was more difficult? I can see Hawaii was slower for you but that doesn’t necessarily mean it was harder.
HR: Hawaii was by far more difficult. The climate just killed me. It’s weird because Canada’s course is tougher, but the elements definitely evened the score and then some. I think also because Hawaii was towards the end of the year, and I had done Silverman three weeks before, that my body was just beat up and needed a break from the year. And on Day 1 I got really seasick during the swim, to the point that I couldn’t really drink or eat much on the bike. It got so bad toward the end that I got so dehydrated that I locked up three times on the bike and needed to stop and get massaged by my crew before I could keep going.
DR: Which parts of each race are the hardest? (e.g., the second day of biking) or does it depend mostly on what is your best sport?
HR: The hardest parts varied between the races. Hardest part of Canada (if you break the days out by themselves instead of the building fatigue from the days) was Day 2. 170 miles on the bike with all that climbing was just brutal. Really long day.
Hardest part of Hawaii was definitely Day 1. Being seasick, dehydrated, and cramping so bad (Day 1 ended 4,200 ft. higher than it started, so you had that net climb on the bike for the day) is what contributed to it all. Definitely had to dig down deep to finish it.
I think digging deep is an understatement and I cannot wait to see what Rob will do next.
