In this episode, Craig Alexander (the oldest athlete ever to win the IM World Championship title) joins me to talk about how important it is to really enjoy your fitness routine – whether you’re a world champion or a mere mortal (like the rest of us).
Craig “Crowie” Alexander grew up playing a range of sports soccer, cricket, water polo, golf and tennis, although soccer was his main game. The sport you know Crowie best for, triathlon, he didn’t compete in until the age of 20.
Alexander raced his first professional triathlon in Sydney, Australia on the ITU World Cup circuit in 1995, finishing in 8th place. He also claimed his first professional victory later that same year. He went on to have many wins and with his 2011 victory in Kona Hawaii, he also broke the previous course record which had stood for 15 years and became the oldest athlete ever to win the IM World Championship title (38 yo).
In 2014, Crowie stepped away from Ironman racing and launched his own brand, Sansego. He teamed up with an elite group of endurance coaches and experts to deliver coaching, consulting, clinics and training camps/experiences.
To this day, Alexander has maintained a high level of fitness and professional results, even though only racing sparingly. As a professional athlete, Crowie has won at least one pro race every year of his career (1995-2019).
Main Topics:
Since Crowie didn’t actually take up the sport that he is most known for until he was 20, what was his fitness life like before triathlon?
How did playing soccer, cricket, tennis allow him to “go pro” a year after switching to Triathlon? Not only go pro but win races?
How did he balance going to University (BS in Physiotherapy) and being a professional athlete? How did he stay motivated in both arenas?
What gear and recovery tools did he use when training and racing so hard?
Because a main theme of this podcast is addressing how to stay fit as we age, I had to ask him about being “the oldest athlete” to ever win the IM world champs at 38yo. Was there anything he changed in his training at that time?
Craig still pops up in races – and wins them – now (at age 47) which gives people like me (50) hope. What training advice would does he have for an ageing age grouper like me?