the modern caveman

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A childhood in South Africas bundu helpedshape Conrad the Caveman Stoltz into thegreatest off-road triathlete in history, and

training in these wild lands in a wild wayhas him fitter and faster than ever.

BY HOLLY BENNETT

NilsNilsen

MODER

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CAVEMAN

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PROUD.Thats the translation of Conrad Stoltzs German-derived surname. Yet itcould 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 ec-centric, South African bush-born, farm-bred nature. The abundant Stoltz lore offers a glimpse of the curiouslycomplexyet never complicatedman. Hes a man who has raced triathlons for more than 20 years, earnedearly success on the ITU circuit, competed in the Sydney and Athens Olympics, and who has dominated theXterra off-road format, winning an unprecedentedfour world titles and the inaugural ITU CrossTriathlon World Championships in Extremadura,Spain, in April. He is a man with his sights setsquarely on a fifth Xterra world title, and thereseven talk of an Olympic bid in the time trial.

Indeed, Stoltzs day-to-day reality is the stuff oflegendsthe stuff that expressly earns his oft-used nickname, the Caveman.

Hes as tough as iron when you meet him on therace course, says longtime friend, former trainingpartner and global sports marketing manager for Spe-cialized Bicycles, Bobby Behan. But off the coursehes a true gentleman. Hes gentle like a bunny.

But bunnies beware: Steer clear of the Caveman. In the late 90s,

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

in Southern France. Driving home from a swim session one morning,

Stoltz struck a rabbit.

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

wine and rosemary, Stoltz recalled. One of my training partners looked

in the oven and was shocked to see that our chicken had four legs!

Stoltzs 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,

Dont Die in the Bundu. I think he must have tried out every bit of

advice given on survival. He would disappear for the day and return inthe afternoon covered in dust, and of course famished.

His legendary cycling skills were honed early on as well.

Conrads life virtually started on a bike, claims the elder Stoltz. As

a high school teacher I cycled to work with Conrad on the top tube,

The only fancy gadgets that impress the

Caveman are those that allow him to play hardand fastbikes and motorcycles.

NickSalazar

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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.ITU

CrossTriathlon

:JanosSchmidt/triathlon.org;XTERRAPho

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dropping him off at the crche on the way. When he

got on his first bikea pink one we bought from

a swap shophe just rode off. Perfect balance. Hemust 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 flat 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, ripewith 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

utterly ripped.

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

farm, Stoltz admitted. Perfectly calm, collected, centered and totally

in touch with my surroundings.

The farm he refers toa working cattle farmis his family home

in Mpumalanga (the place where the sun rises), deep in the South

African bush. It was a weekend and holiday retreat from Pretoria dur-

ing Stoltzs childhood and has since been his parents full-time home.

Theres limited solar electricity, powering five lights for the entire place

as well as Internet access. The connection is weather-dependenta

few cloudy days can literally cut the farm off the grid. In 2008, lacking

a proper pool, Stoltz famously hand-dug a single-lane sandbag-lined

25-meter ditch to enable his swim training while on the farm.

Grit and sacrifice are no strangers to the Stoltz family. Liesbeth

Stoltzs father qualified for the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics in the 880

yards and the mile. But he was a sheep farmer and could not be three

months away from the farmcompeting in the Games involved tak-

ing a train to Cape Town followed by a ship to Amsterdam. Despite

his grandfathers forfeit of the Olympic dream, athletics have always

played a primary role in the immediate clan of the Caveman. His fa-

ther coached track and field, and his mother taught PT (the South Af-

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

to her current post as president of the African

Triathlon Union.

The young Stoltzs first multisport competition

was an IronKids event at the age of 14, followedsoon after by a father-son sprint race.

There were older boys and younger fathers in

the race, Gert Stoltz recalled. But when I said, Lets go! we out-

sprinted them all.

Stoltz was seldom beaten in any triathlon. When he won the African

Championships in 1993 as a 19-year-old he caused a stir. When he won

the South African Championships the following year there could be no

doubt of his sporting talent. That made it easier for Stoltzs parents to

bid adieu as he pursued a professional triathlon career in France.

Our only condition was that he sustain himself, Gert Stoltz said.

Otherwise he had to come back and start a real life. It was quite a

hard time for him, but I am sure the dung beetle philosophy pulled

him through. Although Conrad is a very likeable and caring person, he

I gave him a copy of the booklet issued to the bush pilots, DONTDIE IN THE BUNDU. I think he must have tried out every bit of

advice given on survival. He would disappear for the day and return in the

afternoon covered in dust, and of course famished. Gert Stoltz

I C O N S

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.

Continued from page 62

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has a head as hard as a rock, and once made up, is not going to changeit 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 touristyenclave beyond his hand-to-mouth means, Stoltz dined on a can of

corn and pondered his options.

I figured 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 floor, 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 liv-

ing, Stoltz said. I was really shy back thenEnglish was my second

languageso to go after sponsors was very hard. It took a huge mind

shift. Rugby and cricket were the only sports where you could earnmoney 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 financial side of things may be easier, but Stoltz is

hardly swayed by the trappings of wealth. As Behan said, Hes not

superficial 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 thatallow 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 field-testing

imaginable for the company. Says Behan, Hes a big guy and hes re-

ally hard on his equipment. I mean really hard. Instead of finding the

smooth line, Conrad rides straight through, and whatever the hell is in

I C O N S

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.

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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 indispens-able. 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 fix 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 finished 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 finally

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 orig inal 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 thegangrene had gone into the ankle joint and hed have to amputate. But I

was so young he wanted to give me a fighting chance. After some hectic

surgery he told me to forget this pro sports thingI probably wouldnt

run again. Within weeks I was cycling one-legged. Ten months later I

won the All African Triathlon title in a three-man sprint.

Then there was the wrist. In 2005, Stoltz broke the scaphoid bone

in his hand and tore the cartilage in his wrist. The doctor threatened a

series of screws and bone transplants if Stoltz did not adhere to strict

ordersthree weeks of complete rest, followed by a gradual return tothe treadmill and the indoor trainer. So Stoltz ran hard on the beach and

trails, mountain-biked and even wake-boarded. Sick of the stench from

the sweat-drenched cast, Stoltz had a friend slice the plaster open with

an angle grinder. He washed it thoroughly, replaced the cotton gauze

with a Gore-Tex T-shirt, drilled ventilation holes all over the cast and

zip-tied it back together. His doctor was mortified.

Stoltz explains his lack of patience: Overcoming injuries caused by

trauma seems a lot easier to deal with than overuse injuries. We ath-

letes recover much faster than normal people. And after the horrific

things I see the cattle recover from, I think we tend to be a bit sorryfor ourselves.

While the Cavemans approach to injury may follow a grunt and

go forward philosophy, his athletic record could easily belie an athlete

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 SouthAfricas 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 pairedtraining method emphasizes minimalism, yet produces undeniably

powerful results.

We train as little as possible to still be able to win. Whereas every-

one 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 swim-

ming 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.

Behan has first-hand experience with Stoltzs casual

attitude toward training.

Hes the best procrastinator in the world. When we

trained together, everything would be put off. At 10

oclock at night hed say, Shit, I have to train! Wedend up running through the middle of Jonkershoek

Nature Reserve in the pitch black. Id be deathly wor-

ried about snakesa reasonable thing to worry about

in Africathinking, This is the CavemanIm in trouble!

Indeed, Stoltzs preference for procrastination often puts his training

after dark. He also tends toward some rather unusual sessions. After

his twice-over foot surgery, he finally followed his doctors orders for a

tediously slow return to running.

I hadnt run for three months. Then I was cleared to run for six min-utes. Every second day. Then eight minutes. Every second day. Finally,

one day I could run pain-free. I was a new man. I ran shirtless on a

warm African evening on my beloved grassy sports field at Stellenbosch

University. The full moon was up over the silhouette of the mountains.

I was floating along as if on a cloud. I felt incredibly alive. In fact, I felt

so alive I decided that running without any clothes would make me feel

even more alive. It did. Every now and then I would pass through the

sprinklers, which was even more fun.

Despite his semi-bohemian lifestyle, Stoltz is not one to shy away

from hard work.When we were training under Libby, she couldnt figure out why we

were always so tired, why I had blisters all over my hands, recounts Be-

han. Conrad had had me help renovate his house in Stellenbosch. It was

I C O N S

I figured the POLICE STATION might have a vacancy.Probably not too spacious and I couldnt be guaranteed aview, but certainly within my budget. I reckoned sharing space with

SUPERVISED CRIMINALS was safer than sleeping undera bridge or on a park bench. Conrad Stoltz


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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 fr iend stems in part from thisman-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 an-

other 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 ruffles 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 endur-

ance sports hub of South Africa and his home away from the farm.

Dan Hugo, South Africas next generation of Xterra athlete andlikely someday successor to Stoltzs crown, speaks with reverence

for the local icon.

As 12 years my senior, Conrad played a lead role in my corrup-

I C O N S

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 yetpassionate 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 fit a con-

dom over his plaster of Paris wrist cast so

he could compete in a post-race midnightnaked mile swim, kitted with fins and a

boogie board. I unfortunately lost the lot

between three guys and had to purchase

the rubber.

Now, Stoltz and Hugo compete side-by-

side as Specialized teammates.

I still idolize much of the character, the

defiance, that is Conrad, Hugo said. I get

the impression he often enjoys racing morethan any other. Its a style that never takes it

too seriously but will crush you around the

first 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 firm man, the kind whose feel-

ings remain inside, who greets his only son

with a strong handshake and a smile after

spending the majority of the year a conti-nent apart. But the bond between father

and son Stoltz is clearly apparent. Accord-

ing to Behan, Its not the kind of relation-

ship 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 finish of the 2010 race. Gert Stoltz

had successfully battled colon cancer a few years prior. Yet the diseasereared 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 field by more than five minutes (the

second largest margin of victory in Xterra World Championship his-

tory) 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 cer tainly seems to have been bigger than the race

Stoltz spends his off-season laboring

on his cattle farm in South Africa.

NickSalazar


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in which it was wonsince March 2011 Gert Stoltzs health has

dramatically improved.

Though the Caveman possesses absurd strength, its his softer side that

is core to his beingan aspect which teammate Hugo has witnessed.

You need only see some of his photography, or his smile when talk-

ing about fly-fishing, to appreciate the

subtle sides to the man, Hugo said.

Ask Stoltz about his budding new

romance and youll swear he soundslike a gushing schoolgirl. As he pro-

claimed in a recent blog post titled

The Caveman Has Met His Match,

he has forged a fast connection with

now-fiance Liezel Wium, a South African professional netball player.

We spent a weekend on a friends houseboat three weeks and six

days after we started dating. We had a lot of quality time together, and by

the way we bonded I knew there was no point beating around the bush.

We get on like a house on fire. The clich is right: Youll know when you

know. Were not traditional and we dont care what people think.What people do think is that it just might be the greatest athletic

pairing to grace South Africas green and gold.

The joke in Stellenbosch is, When those genes mix, the kids will

Sick of the stench from the sweat-drenched cast, Stoltz had a friend slicethe plaster open with an ANGLE GRINDER. He washed it thoroughly,

replaced the cotton gauze with a Gore-Tex T-shirt , drilled ventilationholes all over the cast and ZIP-TIED it back together. His doctor was mortified.

test positive without taking drugs! laughs Stoltz.

As for the legacy of the Caveman, perhaps the future is best portend-

ed from his angle toward the present.

I want to feel really alive. Every day if I can. For that I need regular

doses of adventure, adrenaline, lactic acid, caffeine, chocolate, love,

nature. You create your world by what you think and talk about, so I try

to stick to the things I like and ignore the negatives as much as I can.

Its easy to imagine those nighttime runs, under the full moon and

the South African sky, will continue to figure prominently, whatever

Stoltzs future holds. IT

Bennett is a frequent contributor to our sister publication,

Triathlete magazine. Her profile of Conrad Stoltz marks her

Inside Triathlon writing debut.

It was mythical and appealing, this Stoltz thing, said

fellow South African and Xterra athlete Dan Hugo.

NickSalazar

the modern caveman

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