Davy Vanderheyden came to Coach Robb Solutions as an ultra runner with aspirations to complete his first triathlon. He had sustained consistent nagging injuries and was not getting any faster; the more he trained, the slower he went. Over the last year we worked on reducing the overall fatigue in his body, both mentally and physically, making him more resilient to absorbing the training volume without getting injured. We started with functional strength and sport-specific range of motion exercises. We also changed his eating habits both from a quality and quantity standpoint and focused on sleep quality to ensure he was getting the benefits associated with deep sleep. Davy completed his Phase 6 re-assessments in June 2020 and surpassed his own expectations by improving his time trial results by a staggering 3 minutes.

What is your athletic history?
Growing up in Belgium, unfortunately sports was not part of school culture the way it is in the U.S.  I aspired to become a motocross racer, but only was able to purchase my first motorcycle 3 months into my first job at the age of 21.  I have been racing motorcycles even since. Unfortunately, conditioning was never a big part of my schedule at that point, so my biggest athletic feat came at the age of 29.  I had realised that my professional career and sedentary lifestyle had brought me to 220 pounds.  I was very proud to be able to lose 60 of those mainly by running and changing my food habits.  As a result, I scored my best moto finishes in Belgium at the age of 31 with a second in the Vet class of the Belgian Enduro Championship as well as some top results in endurance races. After moving to the US, I kept on riding dirt bikes. Thanks to some good friends I got involved in different other events such as Ragnar relays and local Mountain bike races.  On top of that, I fell in love with the adventure you can find living in Utah.  This all led to taking on new challenges ever since.

What drew you to ultra sports?
In a way, the fear of getting old.  It had always been my goal to enter and finish a triathlon before turning 40.  But the idea was pitched during a pairing of cheese and beer by one of my wife’s friends.  She convinced me to run the Bryce Canyon 50k – even though I had never even attempted a regular half or full marathon at that point. The race sounded appealing to me because it looked more like an adventure than a running race.  You are to run 50k in an area with some of the most beautiful trails.  On top of that, I had to create a plan and train accordingly which added to the challenge of getting in my best shape possible.

What do you find your biggest challenges are as an ultra runner?
There are a couple, but the first one has definitely been finding the time to train.  Combining the training hours with a demanding job and family life – I have 2 young kids at ages 4 and 5 – has been a challenge.  Secondly, wondering if you are training enough, eating the correct food, resting, etc.  That has been the big change to me in working with Coach Robb.  I do not have to worry about my training schedule. I know going into the week what I have to do, and the results from my tests every 6 weeks show the improvements I am making.  I can’t wait to see the results at my next ultra marathon when I run the Dead Horse 50k in Moab, Utah.

What made you decide to venture into triathlons, specifically Half Ironmans?
It has always been one of those things where a triathlon was the ultimate challenge, it is such a complete and well rounded sport. Finishing more and more of these running and cycling events, it just felt like I was ready to make the next step.  Even though it was mentally tough to finish the swim during that first race, once I got on the bike I was able to appreciate how the three categories make it such a complete sport.  The exhaustion of the swim sets in as you transition towards the bike but make sure you save some energy for that run at the end.  It really is a sport where you have to be fit, strong and smart to do well.  You have to come in with a plan, eat and hydrate at the right time, keep an eye on your heart rate, and make it so you can finish strong.  I loved it and can’t wait to do more.

Of all the races you have done, what has been the most challenging and why?
Definitely my first Utra – Bryce Canyon 50k.  All went according to plan – I thought – and at the 40k mark I was on target to finish around the 8 hour mark.  I had prepared very well with my drop bags and food intake, but forgot to stick to that plan and ended up not eating and drinking enough.  As a result, my fingers became the size of breakfast sausages and my legs the weight of heavy logs that lost the ability to bend.  Even though the majority of those last 10k were downhill, unfortunately it took me three hours to complete.  On the good side, this fed the hunger to do better at the next event!

Furthermore, my first triathlon was mentally challenging in particular because of the open water swim.  This was the one part I had never done before, and the combination of cold, dark water and being in the middle of the lake definitely caused some loss of sleep the night before. Thanks to the training exercises received from Coach Robb, I remembered my stroke count per 50 meter.  Keeping my mind counting down every 50 meters allowed me to forget about everything I worried about and actually finished the swim.