December 2012. Dan Lorang had come to the German Triathlon Union as U-23 national trainer and was in charge of swimming training at the Saarbrücken Olympic base when Jan Frodeno appeared.
He was not doing well, he had a cold.
Frodeno was already a star back then, Olympic champion in 2008, Lorang was a young trainer.
Even so, he said it would be better if Frodeno took his things, went home, took a rest, and didn't come back until he was well.
To Lorang's surprise, the star followed his advice, and when Frodeno walked into his office the next evening, he thanked him, saying it had been good advice.
Then he told of his intention to switch from Olympic to Ironman distance and asked Lorang if he could imagine making him the Hawaii winner as a coach.
Lorang swallowed.
Triathlon is not just Ironman
Yes, he said, he sees 2015 as a realistic goal.
Later that evening, considering the surprising offer and his reaction, he swallowed again.
What did he say?
But his prognosis turned out to be correct: With him as coach, Frodeno won the first of three World Cup titles in Hawaii in 2015.
Today Frodeno, 40 years old, is the superstar on the long haul. And Lorang is the starting coach who not only led the Olympic champion to the Hawaii victory, but also Anne Haug in 2019. Dan Lorang has outgrown the association structures, today he turns professionals into champions, but is also a trainer whose heart beats for the amateurs. If you ask him what is important when you start with a triathlon, with swimming, cycling and running, it quickly becomes clear that he has never lost touch with the grassroots.
The first thing that is most important, he says, is "that you are approved for sports medicine, cardiovascular and orthopedic".
Body weight doesn't matter, just the doctors' okay.
It is also helpful to know that not all triathlons are the same as Ironman.
Triathlon can also be done over very short distances.
If you understand that and basically have fun with the thing, you can get started.
Without a high-tech bike, with completely normal material.
Swimming is often the problem for beginners.
“But swimming,” says Lorang, “is a sport in which you get better relatively quickly if you have the technique.
I recommend everyone to go to the swimming club at the beginning or to look for someone who will teach you the technique, crawl, breathing, then the hurdle will soon be much smaller. "
The first goal for a beginner should be a sprint triathlon: 400 meters swimming, 20 kilometers cycling, five kilometers running, a manageable distance.
How much time should you invest in training right from the start?
“Five hours a week are necessary,” says Lorang, “eight are optimal.” One or two hours of swimming, two or three hours of running, plus two cycling sessions, a shorter one during the week and a longer one at the weekend.
This means that the sprint route can soon be mastered.
The next step leads to the Olympic distance: 1.5 kilometers swimming, 40 kilometers cycling, ten kilometers running.
Lorang recommends looking for a training group in preparation, at least a training partner.
He now mentions eight to ten hours as the time required.
Some could get there when they were five.
When it comes to equipment, racing bikes in particular are expensive. You should look for a dealer, says Lorang, who won't talk you into anything but recommends a bike that is functional. “The quality is usually very good even at a medium level,” says Lorang. Buying a bike should always involve at least a rough fitting in terms of frame height and seating position. Whether the bike is light or not is not important at first. It has to fit.
The same applies to running shoes.
They would have to match the individual running style, the statics of the runner.
The best thing to do here is to seek advice from a specialist dealer and try out different models on the treadmill.
Buying a wetsuit now also makes sense.
"As a beginner, I would always buy it used," says Lorang.
“The problem is, it has to fit right, so I have to be able to try it on beforehand.