Alec Riddle chats to Kyle Buckingham about more than Ironman:
Did you do any endurance sports at school? I Played a bit of tennis and hockey in high school, but not very much.
What did you do after school sports-wise? I didn’t do any conventional sports, but surfed quite a bit as a teenager. 
When did you start taking an interest in Triathlon and Ironman? In 2008 in April after watching the Ironman in PE I started with running first & then I bought a bike.
How hard was it getting started in those early days and what your first goals? I set a goal of 10hrs for IMSA 2009. Training was a lot tougher than I had anticipated, largely because of the training in the London winter. Time was limited and there was hardly any daylight so I could only train on a turbo trainer and a treadmill.
- Kyle the fisherman
How did your Ironman debut turn out? I only managed 10hrs 29 min, but it was my first ever Triathlon, Marathon and Ironman so perhaps I was aiming too high, but I prefer to shoot as high as I feel I can.
You mentioned it’s tough training in the UK winter, exactly how tough? REALLY, really tough, winters are really bad, with a lot of snow. We always had to double up on the clothing and wear balaclavas for training. It did help make me as tough as nails though so I guess it was good in that sense. The worst was the rain and when it’s cold it makes it terrible, as soon as you get home you jump straight in the shower with all your clothes on and then you still have to go for a brick run while your feet are still numb!!!!
How on earth did you find time to train in London, while working an 8 hour day? It was really hard to stay motivated as I worked from 8-4pm every single day. I used to get home from work at 5pm, then jump on the turbo trainer and bike for 2-3hrs. Then I would run and swim till about 9:30 at night. In the early days when I first started in my first year it was really bad because I had no girlfriend to cook for me after training so I ended up still having to cook healthy meals, only eating at 10:30pm.
Training for 2012 IM I used to run from home to the gym at 5am in the snow, to swim or do weight training and then run from the gym to work which started at 8am. Then I’d get home after work and cycle 100k on the turbo trainer 3 times during the week. I think everybody I knew thought I was mad, but I had a dream and was prepared to put in the hard yards in an effort to achieve my dream. 
What did being an Electrician in London involve? 8 hours a day of intense labour which meant no recovery what so ever. Chasing walls to run cables; lifting up floor boards; bashing down walls; rubbish clearances and lots, lots more. It was not easy at all, I remember a lot of times I used to go mad because I so badly wanted to be competitive, to go pro and get sponsored. But it wasn’t happening because I couldn’t specialize in the training how I wanted too. Now I mean I look back and I am so grateful for what God has given me and what he’s done for me. Everyday I think about it and I’m really so, so happy. I do feel sorry for my brother though, because we worked together everyday for 6 years and swam together and he’s still out there working his butt off!!!!
Tell us about your first few race experiences? IMSA 2009 was my first race and I finished 66th in 10:29. Then I went back to the UK, &did UK 70.3 and qualified for Clearwater 70.3 World Champs. I then did another 3 X 70.3 in Europe before finishing the 70.3 World Champs in 4hrs 08minutes.
When did you realise you had better than average talent? After doing IMSA 2010 in 9:24 and coming 2nd in my AG (I qualified for Kona but wasn’t able to go). I think beating my previous time by more than an hour led me to believe I could go far at this.
Kyle with his girlfriend Lauren in Kona, Hawaii 2011
Did your brother Blake inspire you, what role did he play? He definitely did, my brother is a great sportsman. Throughout his whole schooling career he was a wonderful swimmer, water polo player and hockey player. He even got an opportunity to go to the US with a bursary to swim but ended up not going. We swam a lot in London together and he helped me get so much better at swimming.
Brothers in Arms
Most South Africans saw a glimpse of your ability at IMSA 2012, tell us about that race? Well I had much higher expectations as I was trying to go top 10. I went in really fit and strong on the bike that year and thought I was going to have a cracker. My run let me down a bit but we had hectic winds on the bike to fight throughout the 180km bike, so my run legs were a bit shocked. I also wanted to win my AG and be the first Amateur which happened so I was very happy with my end result. (Note: Kyle finished 13th in 9hr27, one position in front of his coach Raynard Tissink who came out to say Good Bye to the ironman community before Retiring from the sport-thanks for the memories Raynard!)
How did Las Vegas 2012 go? Vegas was a shocker for me, getting sick with a cold on the Wednesday before the race so I didn’t feel too strong at all and when I got on the run I thought I’d better call it a day. I was soon off to the medical tent and on a drip trying to recover before doing any further damage for Kona a month later.
Tell us about Kona 2012? The experiences, the Pros?
- Kyle & Alec with Chris Lieto & Leanda Cave
Kona was amazing, I was there for a month so I had great preparation for the race, getting used to the heat and race conditions. I went on a few training sessions with Leanda Cave (who went on to win the ladies race) a few times which was awesome and even got to have a ride with Chris Lieto which was truly amazing. I spent a lot of time with the Riddle family in Kona and doing a lot of training sessions with Alec which was fun, we even had his son Jamie and Daughter
Kyle learning from IM legend Chris Lieto on the Queen K
Camryn joining us for a few runs. Man those kids have a lot of talent. We also had great support from Michelle and the children seconding us on our long runs out to the energy lab and long rides to Hawi, which was a massive help in those conditions.
Jamie Riddle, followed by Alec & Kyle in the Energy Lab
When did you start working with Raynard Tissink? I started working with Raynard and Natalie Tissink for my Ironman 2010 in SA, initially just receiving programs to try stick to, which was tough with my busy work schedule in London. But I completed nearly every session, but not without a lot of struggle.
When, why & how did you return to SA? I owe a great deal of gratitude to Trevor Mclean Anderson for helping to make my dream come true after Ironman SA 2012. Trevor is the Founder of Axis House and Velocity Sports Lab and they have had a massive role in my development over the past year. My girlfriend Lauren has been given a job as the massage therapist as well and our new lives started in August 2012 when we moved back from London to sunny South Africa.
After Kona (7th in AG) did you aspire to joining the Pro ranks? Not at all although I was still dreaming of being a Pro one day. I thought it would be stupid because coming 7th was good but not good enough to turn pro. As I don’t want to be beaten by age groupers when I’m a Pro. I would like to try and win Hawaii and Vegas in my AG first and be a world champion Age Grouper and then try and move up the ranks. No rush anyway I’ve still got 10 years left at being Pro.
Kyle entering the Energy Lab
Kyle cruising on race day Kona 2012
What role has Raynard played in your career to date? Huge, he has always given me great advice and I have so much faith in him. He said it wouldn’t be a good idea to turn Pro yet. Why would I not take his advice as he knows what he’s talking about having been in the sport for more than 20 years.
Having Ray as your coach must give you a great deal of confidence? Yes, Ray has been the guy I’ve looked up to and my mentor since I watched him in PE in 2008. I’ve watched Ray’s YouTube videos about a thousand times over and over again. I used to read his articles on his website and just having him right here is awesome, enabling me to get advice on anything I need.
2013 has been incredible thus far, tell us about 70.3? I had never done IMSA 70.3 before so I didn’t know what to expect, a lot of people said the bike was tough which was great for me cause I’m usually very strong on the hills. I wanted to come top 10 and have a great race for all my sponsors, so there was a little bit of pressure as well, but I tried not to think about it. I just remembered really putting down everything on the bike that I had, but also leaving a little something for the challenging run course. My legs felt great all day, the support was awesome & I had my whole family there, as well as my sponsors so that helped a great deal. To finish it off with a 7th place (on time) and to be the first South African was amazing, as well as first amateur and breaking the AG course record by 12 min in 4hrs17m.
Abu Dhabi? Abu Dhabi was only a preparation race for IMSA, but it turned out to be a great result finishing 9th overall. I had no clue that I would get that result there, because it’s always stacked with a big pro field every year. My swim was fantastic ‘cause I was in the lead the whole way with quite a margin. The bike was very challenging, we had a head wind for about 80km on the bike and the rest of it was pretty fast. Biking around the Formula 1 circuit was awesome but for the rest, it was really tough. I got to the 160km mark and just blew, I had nothing left in the tank and getting back to town the last 40km was absolutely horrible. I got off my bike coming into T2 but couldn’t even run, so I just walked into the tent ,sat down and thought this is it I’m done, I can’t go anymore.
Then I thought now is not the time to quit so I ran out at a really slow pace and before I knew it I was running at my targeted 20km run pace. I had friendly rivalry from Nick Baldwin who was about 3-4min back the whole way on the bike and we kept passing each other on the run and I knew I could not give up. I was really happy with my result even after such a gruelling bike ride and I knew I was in great shape for IMSA.
Then the big one – Ironman South Africa? Wow what can I say, first to say thank you to everyone for the support and messages I am truly grateful. I still can’t believe what I achieved in IMSA but I was in amazing shape going into the race, hitting every session with 110% effort. I was a little jolted by the news of the separate starts, but wasn’t going to let that change affect my race as I had worked far too hard to throw it all away now and I just decided to race my own race.
My swim was amazing leading most the way in the amateur field, the bike was very lonely ‘cause I was on my own the whole way and working really hard but also just focusing on what I needed to do. The run just went to plan, apart from the last 4km’s, I was consistent the whole way leaving something left for the last lap. For most of the run I was on target for about a 2.55 marathon but with 7km left to go near the university the wheels just started coming off and then the last 4km it was more like surviving thinking about every hard run session I’ve done trying to get to the finish line. Seeing Raynard at the finish was amazing ‘cause of all the hard work I’ve done & following every session to the T and for him being my mentor and coach was so rewarding for both of us.
Kyle Specsavers IMSA 2013 finish
Looking at these results, do you regret not having turned Pro or are you committed to the plan that Raynard and Velocity Sports Lab have set for you? No I’m still happy we made that decision because I know I can be in top shape to race the best age groupers in the world now and have a chance at the world champs.
Are you fully Pro as in your training yet, or do you still have to work?
Yes I still have to work 3-4hrs a day and the odd weekend, but my sponsors are very supportive and are encouraging me to train and race overseas for the big races in September & October.
What advice would you give to a youngster aspiring to be a triathlete?
I would say the best advice is buy a diary, write down your goal you want to achieve and go & get it. Even if you still write a small goal every week and chase that goal, soon you can look at a bigger picture. And you know what, it’s never too late! I started running at the age of 24 and biking shortly thereafter so ‘Anything is Possible!’ Eat well, look after yourself and if you feel you need to rest take the day off, change your program around for the week if you have to. Communicate with your coach & don’t do anything the program says you shouldn’t. Get a Coach & listen to your coach!!! 🙂
Kyle in high spirits on the Queen K
In closing how do SA races compare with Intl races, example 70.3 or IM? The best in the world, South Africans are the best supporters, I just love everyone shouting their heads off, braa-ing on the side of the road and going mad. The events are very well organised to amazing!!
Could Kyle Buckingham become SA’s first Kona Ironman Gold Medallist? http://ironmansa.com/2013/05/05/kyle-buckingham-a-future-world-champion/
Kyle would like to thank his Sponsors:
Kyle & Alec at Dawn on D Day
Axis House
Velocity Sports Lab
GU energy
2XU
BTS
Lauren (Massage, Cooking & so much more)
Raynard Tissink Coaching
The Riddle of an Ironman's Life 