Daniela Ryf

Daniela Ryf

Triathlete

Bio/standing results :
Ironman World Champion 2015/2016

List of 2XU gear you use/prefer (3 fav products) Women’s Custom Triathlon Race suit
Women’s Cycling jersey

What does your standard training week involve?
My training always varies. I never have the exact same week.
I swim, bike and run. Mostly 3 times a day. From 3-6 hours per day.

Favourite training venue/environment:
For winter training, I like Gran Canaria. It’s great for riding in the hills and makes you strong for the season. In Summer, I am at altitude in St. Moritz, which helps me to get to the extra level I need for the races.

Favourite 2XU garment, when you use it and why:
I am a big fan of the Custom Triathlon Race suit. I think it sits nicely, cools you when its wet and warms you when its dry.

Favourite training accessory (ie. heart rate monitor, power meter, pool buoy):
I like swimming with Swim paddles. It gives me lots of power.

Toughest experience in your career & what you learned from it:
When I got sick after my WTC win in Seoul 2010 I didn’t get better for almost 2 years. It was a tough phase, where I put in a lot of, or maybe too much effort into training and nothing came back. Once I got my balance back in life I started to feel better.

What’s the most common training mistake you see on the circuit? Any suggestions on how to avoid it?
More is not always better. Many athletes like to train too much. The quality is just as important and you can’t compensate for one day by doing the double on the next day.

What motivates you to train and race harder?
I love the feeling of getting fitter and finding out how fit I can get. This motivates me to train every day and get the best out of myself.

Describe your diet/meal plan in the week leading to a big race:
I normally eat quite normal till 2 days before the race. From then I tend to eat less vegetables and salad, as they contain fibers. Two days before the race I like to have some steak and red wine. On the day before the race I would have chicken and pasta.

How do you balance out your training/racing regime with life outside sport?
Balance is important. I used to study next to my training, which helped me to find a better balance and puts the sport into a different prospective. Still my training regime is a huge part of my life and I feel fortunate it is that way.

What type of nutritional supplement do you find most helpful (either for training or competition)?
I try to get most of the supplements through the food I eat. If I do a lot of indoor sessions or train at hot places where I sweat a lot I like the supplement taps, which help to refill on the supplements.

Best and worst thing about being a professional athlete:
negative thing: You’re an athlete 24/7. You can’t just switch it off at one evening and then go to work like normal the day after. Good thing: Get to be active all day, which other people must do after their real job.

In five years time, I’ll be:
I am glad I don’t know that, otherwise the journey would not be as interesting.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• U23 World Champion 2008
• 7th Olympic Games Beijing 2008
• WTS Win Seoul 2010
• 2x Ironman 70.3 European Champion (13/14)
• 2x Ironman 70.3 World Champion (14/15)
• 2x Ironman World Champion (15/16)
• Winner Triple Crown 2015