Completing an Ironman triathlon is a daunting enough feat. Swimming over two miles, biking over 100 miles, and finishing off with a marathon is not an event for the faint of heart. Indeed, it is an athletic activity that needs to be trained and not done on a whim.
Unless, of course, you're F1 driver Valtteri Bottas.
As we covered earlier this month, while other F1 drivers are taking a three-week break to get some rest and relaxation, Bottas decided to complete a triathlon at home. The F1 driver documented the entire journey on social media, including a swim in the pool, a long stint on the stationary bike and finishing a marathon on the treadmill.
If that sounds incredible enough, wait because Bottas saved the best part. FIA press conference Ahead of this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix.
He decided to try a home triathlon the night before and didn't eat the most nutritious pre-triathlon meal.
“That's a good question,” Bottas said on Wednesday night when asked why he decided to take on the triathlon the night before. “I've had some regrets. I think sometimes you just decide to do something and prove to yourself that you can do it and challenge yourself. And then we were together that week. A friend of mine has done an Ironman as well… No, I've never heard of anyone actually doing an Ironman alone in a small room, without any preparation at all. All I had was water, Coca-Cola, and some food.”
Bottas told a press conference on Wednesday that his home Ironman, which took about 11 hours, was a “cool experience”.
“Eleven hours. Yes, just under 11 hours. And the pacing… pacing is easy because you can control it, but obviously I've never run a distance this long or I'm in Zone 2, like an Ironman. “I went and I was able to keep my heart rate pretty constant. Especially the last run was tough and managing the pain was tough, but I'm glad I did it,” Bottas said. “It's such an amazing experience and it shows you how much of a mental thing it is. If you don't give up in your mind, you can do almost anything.”
Given the hard work he put his body through in a day, one might expect Bottas to relax in the following days.
That would be a mistake.
“The next day I was a little stiff,” Bottas added. “The next morning I managed to get up and play pickleball. But I think I got stronger again after about a week. So, yeah.”
F1 drivers are completely different.
