Athlete Interview: “Buzz” Li Pengcheng
One of the protagonists in the Elite category of our upcoming Shangri La Duathlon Challenge will be Beijing’s ‘Buzz’ Li Pengcheng, one of China’s best known triathletes. Li Pengcheng joined us a few months ago at the event venue, and was thrilled to see the potential of the Shangri La Duathlon Challenge as a new highlight on the race calendar! We also took the time to briefly sit down with him for an interview.
1.Can you briefly introduce yourself?
Hi, everybody, I am Li Pengcheng, in triathlon circles people call me “Buzz”, buzz lightyear, rushed to the universe! (yes the name come from the famous cartoon, as we all know, Toy Story)
(In fact, Buzz keeps a low profile. But there is one thing we can not ignore is that he finished triathlon for 9 times in China, won 5 times in 20-29 age group. Meanwhile, he is the only one Chinese who participated in highest level event of IRONMAN, IRONMAN KONA world championships and Kona 70.3 for 2 consecutive years and made excellent results! )
2.What is your weekly training frequency? Where do you fix your training every week?
I train myself every day, training has become my habit. And sports is big part of my life , just like three meals a day. My training place is quite fixed: riding a tacx at home, doing some swimming training at the school standard swimming pool, running on the playground. Sometimes my triathlon friends from different cities will do training together in a place. In the past three months, I mainly to do long distance aerobic training to improve my physical fitness. I hope I can get higher levels in the next season.
3.You often take part in triathlon or IRONMAN competitions at home and abroad. Your love of the sport has inspired many people. Are you the kind of person who is training by doing competition? What are your favorite events? Why do they appeal to you?
I won’t regard myself as the type who does training by competition. If I sign up for a race, I will carefully review all information of the event, make adequate preparations. Because any triathlon competition is serious, so I tell myself to take it seriously.
Unlike most people, I prefer to play at a high level of competition. New type of competition with some difficulty to make it more challenging is the type I like, and it’s easier to get myself to find my limits and go beyond those! Although this is hard, it is worth remembering afterwards.
4. As the first triathlete who, together with Katrine Amtkjær, was able to examine the course of the 1st Shangri La Duathlon Challenge, do you have any suggestions for other participants in the upcoming event? Especially regarding race equipment, training plan, training supplies and sports recovery.
Because of the special geographic location of Shangri-La, at high altitude, I suggest that people go to Shangri La maybe 2 days before race. It can be helpful for athletes to carry out some adaptive training. It will also help you become familiar with the game and adapt to the rhythm of the high altitude.
Personally I think, racing in such conditions is a very cool thing. When the athletes train before the race, they can make some low-intensity, short-distance training, so that their body gradually adapts, and they must ensure adequate sleep and rich nutrition to improve the performance. Deep muscle stretching and relaxation, attention to the preservation of body temperature are also essential after the race.
5. As an experienced athlete, do you have any suggestions for the service of the organizing committee?
I think the most important thing is security. Closing the track to ensure the safety of the race, reasonable and abundant refreshments stations and ensure healthy food. Try to avoid all possible sports risks.
I worked with the organizing committee for three days when I tested the track, they have good experience and a rigorous attitude. I believe they will be able to provide the best service for everyone.
6. before the race, will you pay attention to your diet? Which diet plan would you like to share with everyone?
Yes, in fact I have some food taboos before the race, for example I will not eat foods high in protein two days ago before race.
I mainly eat carbohydrate foods, especially potatoes and noodles, vegetables can provide a lot of vitamins which is good, essential minerals for the body is also needed. Breakfast on the day of the race, I dont eat eggs, because eggs contain a lot of protein, and protein digestion process takes a long time. So try some food easy to digest to reduce the burden on the stomach.
7.In addition to cycling, running and swimming , what kind of sport you also advise for triathletes? Why?
In fact, these three movements are complementary, they can exercise most of the body’s muscle groups, improve our physical coordination and cardiopulmonary function. If you have enough time to train, you can try skiing to help the balance of muscle development, and yoga and pilates can help you to improve the coordination and balance of the body, different types of swimming can also help you becoming more adapted to the feeling of water
8. How do you evaluate your current achievements? What is your personal goal in 2017?
The purpose of sports is to improve the overall quality of health. As such, I am willing to challenge myself, this is the charm of sports. To check your own sporting results, to explore different places and cities in the context of a race, which is also a recommended way to travel.
I also hope that in the new year I will be able to break through my limits again. In the international competition, I can achieve more brilliant achievements in the name of Chinese athletes. To promote the development of the triathlon in China is my long-term goal.
Buzz ran in Shangri La
Buzz tested the cycling track in Shangri La