Ironmanlife: Meet the Raelerts

Kevin Mackinnon catches up with Andreas and Michael Raelert

Here's the good news for any of the men's contenders at the Ford Ironman World Championship this year: you'll only have to take on one Raelert - Andreas - in Kona this October. Here's the bad news: In 2011 they'll be racing Kona together, so watch out everyone else because these two are the real deal.

So, for those who don’t know, Michael Raelert won last year’s Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 in impressive style and has been on a 70.3 tear ever since. He won Ironman 70.3 California, Wildflower and even won an Olympic distance event here in Germany a few weeks ago.

Andreas Raelert finished second in Clearwater in 2008, won Ford Ironman Arizona a few weeks later, finished fourth at the Frankfurter Sparkasse Ironman European Championship last year, then made sure that his Ironman record doesn’t have a result worse than fourth when he finished third in Kona last October.

Here’s another frightening stat: Andreas might be a better coach than he is an athlete – he’s little brother Michael’s coach.

Oh, and while I’m on this roll listing their great qualities, let me list one more: they are possibly the two nicest guys in the sport. Andreas has run himself ragged all week making appearances and meeting with the press because he’s incapable of saying no to anyone. Michael’s the kind of guy who will talk to a group of kids at a training camp on a few hour notice. (Not that I would ever ask anyone to do something like that, really.) Put the two of them together and it gets frightening. At a race here in Germany last month the two finshed first and second, then spent the next hour pouring beers for the rest of the participants in the race. So much for a warm down.

I’m not the only one around who feels that either one, or both of the Raelert’s, will someday win in Kona. It seems all to appropriate as I sit here in Frankfurt listening to the city celebrate the country’s victory over Argentina to be writing about a couple of guys who have already brought their country one world championship.

I asked Andreas earlier this week what happens when the two race against each other. Does Michael’s training program suddenly have a couple of back-to-back 200-mile rides followed by hard 10 mile runs as a taper?

“We don’t race against each other – we race with each other and try to help each other,” Andy said. (I did say they’re about the nicest guys in the sport, right?) “I’m so proud of my brother. We have such a close relationship – it makes me feel great to see him racing so well.”
Andreas, a two-time German Olympican, turned to long distance racing when he was left off the German team for Beijing. Now he’s set his sights on ripping up the Ironman scene with his brother.

“It’s our future goal to race together in Kona, to follow our dream. I think we both have the potential to win the race in the future. You always need the perfect day and a bit of luck, but I hope that we’ll do it someday.”

I’m not the only one who’s fairly sure that’s going to happen. For now, though, the Raelert’s will continue to tear up the world Ironman and Ironman 70.3 scene.

With defending champion Timo Bracht and Andreas (not to mention a host of other talented German triathletes) racing here in Frankfurt tomorrow morning, Germany could very well continue it’s celebration tomorrow night, too.

Don't forget to check out our Ironmanlive coverage from here in Frankfurt that will include text, photos, athlete tracking and video
You can reach Kevin Mackinnon at kevin@ironman.comComments powered by Disqus.