ICONS

M O D CAVEMAN E R N
BY HOLLY BENNETT
Nils Nilsen

THE

A childhood in South Africas bundu helped shape Conrad the Caveman Stoltz into the greatest off-road triathlete in history, and training in these wild lands in a wild way has him tter and faster than ever.

INSIDETRIATHLON 61

ICONS

PROUD.

Thats the translation of Conrad Stoltzs German-derived surname.Yet it could easily mean free-spirited, fun-loving, unorthodox, sweet-tempered, humble, endearingly disorganized, outrageously talented or pretty darn toughbecause Conrad Stoltz is all that and more. Chances are youve heard a tale or two about Stoltzs eccentric, South African bush-born, farm-bred nature. The abundant Stoltz lore offers a glimpse of the curiously complexyet never complicatedman. Hes a man who has raced triathlons for more than 20 years, earned early success on the ITU circuit, competed in the Sydney and Athens Olympics, and who has dominated the Xterra off-road format, winning an unprecedented But bunnies beware: Steer clear of the Caveman. In the late 90s, four world titles and the inaugural ITU Cross Stoltz trained with a group of South African triathletes on the Olympic short list, living together in an old farmhouse in the village of Cahors Triathlon World Championships in Extremadura, in Southern France. Driving home from a swim session one morning, Spain, in April. He is a man with his sights set Stoltz struck a rabbit. squarely on a fth Xterra world title, and theres I hopped out and saw that luckily I hit it in the head only. Well, not so lucky for the rabbit. I took it home, skinned it and cooked it with red even talk of an Olympic bid in the time trial. wine and rosemary, Stoltz recalled. One of my training partners looked Indeed, Stoltzs day-to-day reality is the stuff of in the oven and was shocked to see that our chicken had four legs! legendsthe stuff that expressly earns his oftStoltzs resourcefulness was ingrained at an early age. Says his father, Gert Stoltz, I gave him a copy of the booklet issued to the bush pilots, used nickname, the Caveman. Dont Die in the Bundu. I think he must have tried out every bit of Hes as tough as iron when you meet him on the advice given on survival. He would disappear for the day and return in race course, says longtime friend, former training the afternoon covered in dust, and of course famished. His legendary cycling skills were honed early on as well. partner and global sports marketing manager for SpeConrads life virtually started on a bike, claims the elder Stoltz. As cialized Bicycles, Bobby Behan. But off the course a high school teacher I cycled to work with Conrad on the top tube, hes a true gentleman. Hes gentle like a bunny. Continued on page 66

The only fancy gadgets that impress the Caveman are those that allow him to play hard and fastbikes and motorcycles.

62 INSIDETRIATHLON

Nick Salazar

ICONS

Stoltz winning the 2011 ITU Cross Triathlon World Championships, left, and the 2002, 2007 and 2010 Xterra world titles, right. His 2001 win is not pictured.

64 INSIDETRIATHLON

ITU Cross Triathlon: Janos Schmidt/triathlon.org; XTERRA Photos

ICONS
Continued from page 62

dropping him off at the crche on the way. When he got on his rst bikea pink one we bought from a swap shophe just rode off. Perfect balance. He must have been all of 3 years old. Stoltz stuck with cycling, not only for pleasure but as necessary transport. I was never driven to schoolI had to cycle the 4K no matter the weather. Because I hated school so much I was always the last to arrive. Many a morning I had to time trial at out to avoid being late. When I had time I would detour and ride through the dirt. The example set by Conrads parents (Gert and Liesbeth) for their only child was a strong one, ripe with equal parts compassion and tough love. I once showed him a dung beetle that was trying to roll his ball of dung up a very steep incline, Gert Stoltz recalled. The ball kept rolling back, but the beetle kept retrieving the ball and pressing forward. I said to Conrad, Thats how one should live ones life. One never gives up. It only takes a glance at Gert Stoltz to see where this school-of-hard-knocks resilience originates. Friends call him Tarzan for a reason. The man is cut, Behan said, and not from the gym, but from hard work. At 67 [years old] hes got a six-pack, a bulging chest, biceps, tricepshes We train as little as possible to still be able to win. Whereas everyone else trains as much as utterly ripped. they can and hopes for the best, Stoltz said. Conrad Stoltzs rural roots and his parents penchant for the outdoors instilled a love of nature, which resonates deep within the Caveman to this day. Youll only ever meet the real Caveman on the ing a train to Cape Town followed by a ship to Amsterdam. Despite farm, Stoltz admitted. Perfectly calm, collected, centered and totally his grandfathers forfeit of the Olympic dream, athletics have always in touch with my surroundings. played a primary role in the immediate clan of the Caveman. His faThe farm he refers toa working cattle farmis his family home ther coached track and eld, and his mother taught PT (the South Afin Mpumalanga (the place where the sun rises), deep in the South rican equivalent of American PE), and when Stoltz took on triathlon, Liesbeth Stoltz found the sport to her liking, working her way through various federations I gave him a copy of the booklet issued to the bush pilots, DONT to her current post as president of the African Triathlon Union. DIE IN THE BUNDU. I think he must have tried out every bit of The young Stoltzs rst multisport competition advice given on survival. He would disappear for the day and return in the was an IronKids event at the age of 14, followed afternoon covered in dust, and of course famished. Gert Stoltz soon after by a father-son sprint race. There were older boys and younger fathers in African bush. It was a weekend and holiday retreat from Pretoria durthe race, Gert Stoltz recalled. But when I said, Lets go! we outing Stoltzs childhood and has since been his parents full-time home. sprinted them all. Theres limited solar electricity, powering ve lights for the entire place Stoltz was seldom beaten in any triathlon. When he won the African as well as Internet access. The connection is weather-dependenta Championships in 1993 as a 19-year-old he caused a stir. When he won few cloudy days can literally cut the farm off the grid. In 2008, lacking the South African Championships the following year there could be no a proper pool, Stoltz famously hand-dug a single-lane sandbag-lined doubt of his sporting talent. That made it easier for Stoltzs parents to 25-meter ditch to enable his swim training while on the farm. bid adieu as he pursued a professional triathlon career in France. Grit and sacrice are no strangers to the Stoltz family. Liesbeth Our only condition was that he sustain himself, Gert Stoltz said. Stoltzs father qualied for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics in the 880 Otherwise he had to come back and start a real life. It was quite a yards and the mile. But he was a sheep farmer and could not be three hard time for him, but I am sure the dung beetle philosophy pulled months away from the farmcompeting in the Games involved takhim through. Although Conrad is a very likeable and caring person, he
66 INSIDETRIATHLON

Nick Salazar

ICONS

Last year, at 37, I was the fastest I had ever been. Thats a very powerful thought. Age is not my limiting factor, Stoltz said.

has a head as hard as a rock, and once made up, is not going to change it for anything. Combine that determination with talent, courage, fearlessness and a relaxed temperament, and you have the makings of a great athlete. Stoltzs early experience overseas was far from easy. From his base in Cahors, he traveled the country, chasing money and gloryor at least adventure. One weekend, he hopped a train for Le Triathlon Internationale de Narbonne, a prominent race where the organizer had agreed to meet him and provide accommodation for the night. The race director was a no-show, and with hotel prices in the touristy enclave beyond his hand-to-mouth means, Stoltz dined on a can of corn and pondered his options. I gured the police station might have a vacancy. Probably not too spacious and I couldnt be guaranteed a view, but certainly within my budget. I reckoned sharing space with supervised criminals was safer than sleeping under a bridge or on a park bench, Stoltz reminisced. The bemused gendarme gave the Triathlte Sud-Africain a lengthy once-over, but agreed to let him sleep on the hard foyer oor, bedded down atop his bike bag and amidst a smattering of cigarette butts. My dad would say, Every year you come home with nothing but a big bag of dirty laundry.You better pull up your socks and make a living, Stoltz said. I was really shy back thenEnglish was my second languageso to go after sponsors was very hard. It took a huge mind
68 INSIDETRIATHLON

shift. Rugby and cricket were the only sports where you could earn money at that time in South Africa. My parents were supportive, but they also gave me a kick in the backside when I needed one. Nowadays, the nancial side of things may be easier, but Stoltz is hardly swayed by the trappings of wealth. As Behan said, Hes not supercial in any way whatsoever. He still drives this Toyota Cressida his dad bought back in 1988. Its falling apart, but that doesnt bother Conrad. Hes such a down-to-earth, low-key guy. Its one of the things you love about him. He would never tell you hes a world champion. The only fancy gadgets that do impress the Caveman are those that allow him to play hard and fastbikes and motorcycles. My mountain bikes and dirt bikes combine two of my passions nature and the challenge of negotiating technical terrain. Covering beautiful, rugged terrain at high speed helps me balance my mental and physical game, Stoltz said. His longtime sponsorship with Specialized (Stoltz is the longest-term sponsored athlete currently racing in the elite ranks for the cycling company) is a perfect pairing. It affords Stoltz direct access to the latest and greatest toyswhich he frequently breaks and needs replaced. The relationship also allows him to provide the most extreme eld-testing imaginable for the company. Says Behan, Hes a big guy and hes really hard on his equipment. I mean really hard. Instead of nding the smooth line, Conrad rides straight through, and whatever the hell is in

Nick Salazar

ICONS
whose every minute is tied to a tightly disciplined training regimen. But Stoltz is the last person to lay out an organized plan. Early on, he trained under the tutelage of notoriously hard-driving triathlon coach Brett Sutton (lasting all of six weeks), followed by a decade with South Africas ITU sport development director Libby Burrell. Then, feeling he knew his own body best and preferring a less structured approach, Stoltz set out on his own. In 2009, however, struggling with a return to form following the Richmond foot incident, Stoltz looked up former colleague Ian Rodger. In 1999, as part of the Olympic team selection we had a series of lab tests. Ian was the sport scientist in charge. Halfway through my Peak Power test he called the rest of the staff to come watch something special. I was pushing 512 watts, Stoltz said. Stoltz found his old friend on Facebook. Their newly paired training method emphasizes minimalism, yet produces undeniably powerful results. We train as little as possible to still be able to win. Whereas everyone else trains as much as they can and hopes for the best, Stoltz said. When asked about his peak training volume, he confesses, I have no idea. Maybe 20 hours? Ask Ian. All I know is that 8K is a good swimming week, training seems easier than ever and I dont feel like I need three months on the couch at the end of the season. He continues, Last year, at 37, I was the fastest I had ever been. Thats a very powerful thought. Age is not my limiting factor. Motivation doesnt seem to be, either. Im not that goal-driven. I enjoy the journey more than being able to say I did (blank). Although being world champion does feel much better than not being world champ. I figured the POLICE STATION might have a vacancy. Behan has rst-hand experience with Stoltzs casual attitude toward training. Probably not too spacious and I couldnt be guaranteed a Hes the best procrastinator in the world. When we view, but certainly within my budget. I reckoned sharing space with trained together, everything would be put off. At 10 SUPERVISED CRIMINALS was safer than sleeping under oclock at night hed say, Shit, I have to train! Wed a bridge or on a park bench. Conrad Stoltz end up running through the middle of Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in the pitch black. Id be deathly worried about snakesa reasonable thing to worry about run again. Within weeks I was cycling one-legged. Ten months later I in Africathinking, This is the CavemanIm in trouble! won the All African Triathlon title in a three-man sprint. Indeed, Stoltzs preference for procrastination often puts his training Then there was the wrist. In 2005, Stoltz broke the scaphoid bone after dark. He also tends toward some rather unusual sessions. After in his hand and tore the cartilage in his wrist. The doctor threatened a his twice-over foot surgery, he nally followed his doctors orders for a series of screws and bone transplants if Stoltz did not adhere to strict tediously slow return to running. ordersthree weeks of complete rest, followed by a gradual return to I hadnt run for three months. Then I was cleared to run for six minthe treadmill and the indoor trainer. So Stoltz ran hard on the beach and utes. Every second day. Then eight minutes. Every second day. Finally, trails, mountain-biked and even wake-boarded. Sick of the stench from one day I could run pain-free. I was a new man. I ran shirtless on a the sweat-drenched cast, Stoltz had a friend slice the plaster open with warm African evening on my beloved grassy sports eld at Stellenbosch an angle grinder. He washed it thoroughly, replaced the cotton gauze University. The full moon was up over the silhouette of the mountains. with a Gore-Tex T-shirt, drilled ventilation holes all over the cast and I was oating along as if on a cloud. I felt incredibly alive. In fact, I felt zip-tied it back together. His doctor was mortied. so alive I decided that running without any clothes would make me feel Stoltz explains his lack of patience: Overcoming injuries caused by even more alive. It did. Every now and then I would pass through the trauma seems a lot easier to deal with than overuse injuries. We athsprinklers, which was even more fun. letes recover much faster than normal people. And after the horric Despite his semi-bohemian lifestyle, Stoltz is not one to shy away things I see the cattle recover from, I think we tend to be a bit sorry from hard work. for ourselves. When we were training under Libby, she couldnt gure out why we While the Cavemans approach to injury may follow a grunt and were always so tired, why I had blisters all over my hands, recounts Bego forward philosophy, his athletic record could easily belie an athlete han. Conrad had had me help renovate his house in Stellenbosch. It was
70 INSIDETRIATHLON

the way, he hits it. We basically have to custom-make tires for him that are Caveman-proof. Hes tough on his gear but he also communicates in an incredibly articulate way how the equipment performs and how it might be improved. When it comes to R&D, his feedback is indispensable. Hes the reason we have the Epic 29er down to almost nine kilos. Stoltz rarely lets mechanical failures derail his rides. Armed with a big rock or an old inner-tube, I can usually x anything, the Caveman claims. Stoltz has been vital to the development of Avias trail shoes as well, and he takes great pride in his namesake model, the Avia Avi-Stoltz. He also derives an edgy sort of pleasure in showing how the shoes color palette balances against the red of a bloodied foot. On more than one occasion, Stoltz has nished an Xterra run bathed in rednowhere more frighteningly than in the 2009 Xterra Richmond race. Having gouged his foot on an underwater rusty steel girder at the swim start, and sporting a makeshift bandage, Stoltz raced to victory before nally succumbing to shock and blood loss. Emergency surgery immediately followed, along with a second surgery soon after to battle an ensuing infectionlargely due to Stoltzs insistence on training with the intent to race one week after the original injury. When I was 18, I almost lost the same foot after I got a bad case of gangrene from a chainring gash, Stoltz recalled. I was scheduled to race ITU worlds a few weeks later, and I begged the doctor not to cut my foot. I had no idea how serious it was. The doc said he thought the gangrene had gone into the ankle joint and hed have to amputate. But I was so young he wanted to give me a ghting chance. After some hectic surgery he told me to forget this pro sports thingI probably wouldnt

ICONS
tion from clean-cut high school student to athlete journeying the road less traveled, Hugo said. His infectious perspective, paving his way to the top with a casual yet passionate doing-it-my-way approach inspired me to go against conventional wisdom. It was mythical and appealing, this Stoltz thing. Of course, boys will be boys, even if an icon, and Stoltz loves nothing more than a prankish laugh. Recalls Hugo, A favorite memory is of Conrad trying to t a condom over his plaster of Paris wrist cast so he could compete in a post-race midnight naked mile swim, kitted with ns and a boogie board. I unfortunately lost the lot between three guys and had to purchase the rubber. Now, Stoltz and Hugo compete side-byside as Specialized teammates. I still idolize much of the character, the deance, that is Conrad, Hugo said. I get the impression he often enjoys racing more than any other. Its a style that never takes it too seriously but will crush you around the rst swim buoy. Never too seriously, that is, until the 2010 Xterra World Championship, a race dedicated to his father. Gert Stoltz may seem like a rm man, the kind whose feelings remain inside, who greets his only son with a strong handshake and a smile after spending the majority of the year a continent apart. But the bond between father and son Stoltz is clearly apparent. According to Behan, Its not the kind of relationship where theyre hugging and saying, I love you. But the deep respect and love is there in the silence. In the quiet between the two, the love and pride is obvious. Stoltzs love for his father was never more evident than in the raw satisfaction he exhibited at the nish of the 2010 race. Gert Stoltz had successfully battled colon cancer a few years prior.Yet the disease reared up again in June 2010, and by October the ever-stoic elder Stoltz had taken a turn for the worse. Usually I just race for myself. But the 2010 Xterra worlds was much more emotional, the younger Stoltz recounted. When my dad started getting really sick I wanted to go home, support him and help my mom run the farm. But my dad said no, that I must race worlds and make him proud. And race he did, demolishing the eld by more than ve minutes (the second largest margin of victory in Xterra World Championship history) and crossing the line with a look of pure primal ferocity. My dad is an exceptionally proud man, so it was the only time I crossed the line with built-up aggression, Stoltz acknowledged. The victory certainly seems to have been bigger than the race

Stoltz spends his off-season laboring on his cattle farm in South Africa.

hard manual labor, working a sledgehammer for days. Hes not afraid to get down and dirty if theres work to be done. He spends his off-season laboring on the farm. And hell rope you in if he can. He roped me in, and Ive never been back for that sort of work! Behans obvious admiration for his friend stems in part from this man-of-the-land ethic: Hes grown up hard. He really is a caveman; theres no other way of saying it. Hes an enigma. Ive never met another guy like him. And yet theres no badness in Conrad. Theres not a bad bone in his body. He would never wish anyone ill, Behan said. Not to say theres nothing that rufes the Cavemans fur. When asked what irks him, he answers without hesitation, Cheats, smokers and arrogance. In that order. Stoltz is a popular figure in small-town Stellenbosch, the endurance sports hub of South Africa and his home away from the farm. Dan Hugo, South Africas next generation of Xterra athlete and likely someday successor to Stoltzs crown, speaks with reverence for the local icon. As 12 years my senior, Conrad played a lead role in my corrup72 INSIDETRIATHLON

Nick Salazar

ICONS

It was mythical and appealing, this Stoltz thing, said fellow South African and Xterra athlete Dan Hugo.

in which it was wonsince March 2011 Gert Stoltzs health has test positive without taking drugs! laughs Stoltz. dramatically improved. As for the legacy of the Caveman, perhaps the future is best portendThough the Caveman possesses absurd strength, its his softer side that ed from his angle toward the present. is core to his beingan aspect which teammate Hugo has witnessed. I want to feel really alive. Every day if I can. For that I need regular You need only see some of his photography, or his smile when talkdoses of adventure, adrenaline, lactic acid, caffeine, chocolate, love, ing about y-shing, to appreciate the subtle sides to the man, Hugo said. Sick of the stench from the sweat-drenched cast, Stoltz had a friend slice Ask Stoltz about his budding new the plaster open with an ANGLE GRINDER. He washed it thoroughly, romance and youll swear he sounds replaced the cotton gauze with a Gore-Tex T-shirt, drilled ventilation like a gushing schoolgirl. As he proclaimed in a recent blog post titled holes all over the cast and ZIP-TIED it back together. His doctor was mortified. The Caveman Has Met His Match, he has forged a fast connection with now-ance Liezel Wium, a South African professional netball player. nature.You create your world by what you think and talk about, so I try We spent a weekend on a friends houseboat three weeks and six to stick to the things I like and ignore the negatives as much as I can. days after we started dating. We had a lot of quality time together, and by Its easy to imagine those nighttime runs, under the full moon and the way we bonded I knew there was no point beating around the bush. the South African sky, will continue to gure prominently, whatever We get on like a house on re. The clich is right:Youll know when you Stoltzs future holds. know. Were not traditional and we dont care what people think. What people do think is that it just might be the greatest athletic Bennett is a frequent contributor to our sister publication, Triathlete magazine. Her prole of Conrad Stoltz marks her pairing to grace South Africas green and gold. Inside Triathlon writing debut. The joke in Stellenbosch is, When those genes mix, the kids will
IT

74 INSIDETRIATHLON

Nick Salazar