FIGHTING FOR FIVE

He has the resting heart rate of a bear in hibernation but the VO2 max to rival any elite athlete. He’s run, swam and pedaled through more (and more gruesome) injuries than he can remember. But he’s not Superman – he’s the Caveman. 39-year-old Conrad Stoltz is one of the most recognized and decorated triathletes there is – and with good reason.

With 20-plus years of racing experience as a professional, he has 50 XTERRA career wins and is a fourtime XTERRA World Champion. He also has three ITU Cross Tri World Titles and is a two-time Olympic triathlete.

in Maui, I won it by 10 minutes,” says Stoltz. “It felt so easy, row.”

That was in 2001. Since then, the Suunto ambassador and South African athlete has had many trials and tribulations in his quest for 5 World titles on this course into four very very tough XTERRA Championship wins.

Born and raised in South Africa, Stoltz started his subsequently turned pro upon graduating from high school.

His early years as a pro athlete were far from glamorous. “I slept on benches and in a Police station (willingly) before a race and I’ve won races on cheap, borrowed bikes.”

TRI BOILS DOWN TO HOW MUCH PAIN YOU CAN TAKE. WITH XTERRA YOU GET A LOT OF ADRENALINE

It’s this hand-to-mouth lifestyle combined with a reputation for being hard on equipment that earned him the nickname ' the Caveman'. He got into XTERRA after the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

“After Sydney I was a bit burnt out and thought I'd just do one or two just to clear my head for fun. But I fell in love

“I'd been racing tri since 1988 and it boils down to how much pain you can take — you just go as fast as possible. But with XTERRA there's a whole lot more to it. For a start the courses vary hugely, from volcanic beaches in Hawaii to the mountains of the Alps to the forests of Brazil.

”That adds a new strategy to it, from your suspension set-up to what tires you select. Some courses take 4-5 rides to memorize. But the technical aspect is what makes it interesting. Along with the lactic acid you get a lot of adrenaline and that's what makes it fun.”

Stoltz continued to compete at both disciplines for a