Erhard Wolfaardt: Hungry like the Wolf

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Tuesday, 24 August 2010 07:38

Hungry like the Wolf

Former Grey College student Erhard Wolfaardt has had a meteoric rise to the top of local triathlon, dominating the last two seasons of the BSG Energade Series and winning the SA and African Champs for the last two years.

But the 27-year-old hasn’t always had it HIS WAY. In 2005 after finishing varsity, he went to race for a team in Germany and learned that he still had DUES to PAY.

What was Germany like?
I decided to race for the OSC Potsdam team. Triathlon is popular there and I knew I would learn a lot. I had no idea what to expect. It was a different country with a different language, culture compared to what I was used to and I was forced to grow up quickly.
The racing over there is so different. I got a good wake-up call. I was used to being a good swimmer back home, but I just could not make any of the swim packs over there. I had to learn to fight and swim smarter.
Even the bike and run was at a much higher level and I had to come home to improve on basically everything. I went back the next year and managed some top tens and some good solid swims. The experience proved to be invaluable.

Career highlights
I always go back to my fourth place finish at Worlds as a junior but recent successes are definitely more of a highlight to me. I am the reigning South African and African champion, but I believe my true highlight is still coming.
Do you have sporting heroes?
I never read autobiographies, but Rosalyn bought a book on Sebastian Coe, the British athlete who dominated middle distance running in the 1980s. It gives an insight on just what hard work really is and what he achieved through talent and a lot of sweat and determination. That is something I admire.

Favourite event award goes to...
I love the local BSG Energade Series races. They are short and fun and provide good local racing.

Tempers and racing
I get frustrated, more than angry, especially when I make mistakes which hurt my performance. I’ve learned that I can’t control what other people do, so I need to work around it and make the best of the situation. There are always those who put their frustration into words and actions.
Athletes are in a different mindset when racing.

We hear you take your training seriously!
You have to train to race. There must be a goal and reason behind every training session. So yes, I take it very seriously. I train everyday with the occasional rest day on Friday or on days where I really need it. I will do about 350km cycling, 60-80km of running and 20km of swimming per week.
I do a lot of quality training with easy recovery sessions in between. I try to make every session count, and with my coach Libby Burrell I can definitely see improvements.

Could triathlon races be safer?
I think all events should have full road closure. Safety should be the number one concern when it comes to a race or venue, and sometimes this is overlooked by the organisers.

Craziest race moment
That was at a BSG Energade Series race in PE a few years. I racked my bike close to my brother’s, and when I got off the bike I unknowingly put my bike in his spot.
Of course I also put his running shoes on as mine weren’t there.
My brother spent a couple of minutes in transition trying to figure out what happened, before having to run in my shoes which were a couple of sizes too small. I only realised something was wrong about 500m into the run, but that was too late.

Favourite training location
Potchefstroom. I live there now and training at home is always better for me. Potch has all the facilities and it’s great for cycling with lots of options. I have a running group and lots of space for the longer runs. It is a very laid-back student town, small enough to get anywhere within 10 minutes.

Plans for the future
I am racing a couple of World Cup races and World Champ Series for the next two years. The main focus being qualification for 2012. Other than that I will still be doing as many of the local races as I can.

Personality test
We asked Erhard to visit iPersonic.com for a personality evaluation. According to that site, Erhard is an Independent Thinker. They are normally self-confident and do not let themselves get worked up by conflicts and criticism. They are very much aware of their own strengths and have no doubts about their abilities.