Andreas Raelert started out in triathlon in 1993 and has gone on to become one of the sport’s most well-known athletes.

ANDREAS RAELERT started out in triathlon in 1993 and today stands as one of the sports most decorated athletes. He broke the world record time for an Ironman Triathlon distance race at the  Challenge Roth event in Roth, Germany, and competed in the first Olympic triathlon event at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

At the 2008 70.3 Ironman World Championships Raelert won the silver and took second at the Ironman World Championships in 2010, 2012 and 2015. He also claimed third at the 2011 Championship event.

His younger brother, Michael, is also a triathlete and the 2009 and 2010 Ironman 70.3 World Champion

When did you first start out in triathlon and who first encouraged you to give the sport a go?

My first official triathlon was in 1993, I started at the Rostock Triathlon in my hometown Rostock. I saw a documentary from the Ironman in Kona and was fascinated. Then it was just like: let’s give it a shot. I loved to run and swim, but I had no idea how what triathlon would look like. What should I say: I started loving it!

Tell us about your experience of the Olympics and how they helped you grow as an athlete?

The Olympics isn’t something you can describe in just a few words. It is definitely an outstanding experience to take part. It is an honor to represent your country at the Olympics and to experience the whole event. It’s not only about the fantastic opportunity to race, about the chance to show your best-possible performance on your personal race day. It’s much more, the opening ceremony, the Olympic village, thousands of athletes from so many different countries, cultures and sports. The Olympics are definitely something you’ll never forget.

Andreas Raelert has competed in two Olympic Games.

What made you make the change from Olympic to long distance and tell us about your fast rise to name to be reckoned with in the world of Ironman?

The year 2008 changed a lot in my career as an athlete. I made the decision early in the year to focus on some longer distances. My start into this season was very unlucky and when the German squad has been selected for the Olympics in Beijing and it was clear that I would not be part of the team I concentrated on Ironman 70.3 and Ironman in the second half oft he 2008 season. What should I say: It was a good decision not only thanks to my rookie win at the Ironman Arizona and winning the silver medal at the Ironman 70.3 world championship. 

Tell us about your experiences of Kona?

Similar to the Olympics: hard to describe in words. It’s a very special race: Extremely tough in each single year, a hard course, sometimes crazy wind and a lot of humidity, the best athletes of our sports – the whole race week is heating up day by day. And the race is the climax of it all. I didn’t discover a perfect day yet in Kona, but very special and emotional races.   

And what about that incredible record you set and continue to hold?

Outside Hawaii I experienced a few ‘nearly perfect days’, race days you really get to know early and you know that you are on a great way. When I was on my bike on the course in Roth in 2011, I could really feel that I was on that ‘good way’. The run was extremely hard then, but to finish this race with a new world record was amazing. The crowd in Roth is crazy, just as at the Ironman European championship 2010 and at the Ironman Austria 2013 these guys really got me going.

What’s it like training, competing and sharing this career with your brother? What are the areas of his performances you sometimes wish you could emulate?

Brothers in the same sport, can’t there be anything else than competition? When we are on the bike, it’s a real battle sometimes. Micha is a great racer, and he is really pushing it sometimes in training, too. We avoid taking on the same races, but we really share our career. It’s a great gift to be allowed to race as a team, to live our life as the Raelert-Brothers.

Andreas Raelert find it an honour to be able to race with his brother as a team.

How hard and for what are you currently training and what other projects do you have lined up for the months and years ahead?

I hope that I can be back to racing very soon. I had a crash when I came back from my bike training about a few weeks ago. I still have to wait a bit until I can give races ago, but in general I still want to race, an I’m ready for this.  I have still the dream of a perfect race in Kona.