Interview with Duathlon World Champion Diego Van Looy
Hello Diego,
in preview to Powerman Alsdorf in August 2021, we would like to introduce our athletes and get to know them:
Please, introduce yourself and highlight some important moments/successes as athlete
Diego Van Looy. I am 29 years old Belgian athlete and currently, I live at Lanzarote (Spain).
I am “working” as a professional triathlete and I am pleased to count the following achievements to my major successes:
current ITU World Champion Duathlon Long Distance
Embrunman Champion
3x Israel 70.3 Champion
Vercorsman XL Champion
Powerman Mallorca Champion
Open French Champion Long Distance Duathlon Champion
International Lanzarote Marathon Champion
Besides duathlon and triathlon, I love to spend time with my Belgian Shepherd dog “Rio”.
How did you become a duathlete?
Honestly, this happened “par accident”. In 2015, I ran in preparation on the new cycling season without any running training a 10k in 32:25 min & a 15k in 48:50 min.
Thoses results showed me that I had some talent inside the body. Because I was quite a decent cyclist I didn’t want to give up this part of sport and so, I ended up competing in a duathlon for fun which I won in the first shot .
From your personal perspective, what is special about the run-bike-run format of Powerman World Series?
I like duathlon a lot , especially Zofingen because this is really the endurance race we train for very hard. The 10-60-10 format is in my opinion too short but hopefully, in the future there will be more possibilities for longer distances so that more long distance triathletes compete in duathlon as well.
How often did you compete at Powerman Alsdorf and what is you personal highlight of this particular race? (course, spectators, atmosphere, competitors…)
I can’t tell something about this as I never compete before. However, I am really excited to get my first race experience there, soon!
Have you participated in any other Powerman World Series races? If so, what is your „don’t-miss-race“?
Zofingen ITU World championships LD & Powerman Mallorca … Mallorca was really a great event. Ferrer Hotels is one of my main sponsors since 3 years, as well. Therefore, it is sad that currently, Powerman Mallorca is not on the race calendar.
How does a typical training week looks like in your preparation for a Powerman race (apr. 2 month proir to the race)?
I train in 4 weeks blocks (55km Swim – 2000km Bike – 460km Run)… This means in a short description :
Week 1 hard : Focus Intensity Run (10km swim – 400km bike – 130km run)
Week 2 hard : Focus Intensity Bike (10km swim – 600km bike – 100km run)
Week 3 hard : Focus Intensity Swim (20km swim - 400km bike – 100km run)
Week 4 hard : Focus Only Volume (15km swim – 600km bike – 130km run)
Week 5 Recovery Modus : Only recovery with 2 restdays (6km wwim – 100km bike – 30km run)
Then a new trainingsweek starts up again.
Despite the current uncertainties of racing in 2021, do you have a competiton schedule in mind?
My main goal is winning an Ironman & qualification for Ironman Hawaii on October 9th (as of today). Also, I want to win again the World Championships long distance duathlon in Zofingen.
Last but not least: What are your best advices for athletes who want to participate in a Powerman race?
Make time for 1 bricksession a month (bike-run-bike-run-bike-run-bike)!
Thanks for sharing your experiences and insights with us! We wish you the best for your individual and athletic goals.
We are excited to see you racing in Alsdorf on August 15th, 2021.
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