Triathlete and Freising Ironman Niklas Ludwig (18) from Kirchdorf will in future be working in a sports hotel in Fuschl am See - and will continue to work on his professional career.
Kirchdorf
- Niklas Ludwig has reached the next milestone in his still young life: The 18-year-old, who fulfilled a dream in July 2020 and did his Ironman across the district 3.8 kilometers on water, 180 kilometers on the triathlon bike and afterwards has mastered 42.195 kilometers at a run, has just successfully completed his training.
Professionally, it's now - in the truest sense of the word - on to new shores.
But the focus is still on the professional career.
He can't hide the fact that he's a little bit proud: “I think I managed it quite well alongside the sport,” says Ludwig.
The Kirchdorfer, who trains day after day to earn his bread with the triathlon sport, is now a trained cook.
But that's not all: He not only passed his apprenticeship at Hohenkammer Castle, which he continues to support as a sponsor: He even received an award from the government of Upper Bavaria.
Cooking food for Red Bull employees
So it's time to start a new chapter: Niklas Ludwig will in future be working at the Mohrenwirt in Fuschl am See, Austria - typically a “racing bike and triathlon hotel” where professionals like to stay in order to complete a training camp there.
The 18-year-old can kill several birds with one stone: “I come into contact with a lot of athletes and can learn a lot from them.
And I also have enough time for training because I can work part-time.
That works because I don't have any additional costs, accommodation and food are included. ”Another aspect:“ I can educate myself about healthy eating - that interests me very much. ”A little anecdote: Ludwig will be the Red Bull employee there cook.
The group has its headquarters in Fuschl am See.
Since the catering in Austria will not open until the beginning of April at the earliest due to Corona, the 18-year-old wanted to use the lockdown time for a training camp in Girona in northeastern Spain lasting several weeks.
“The temperatures there are always pleasant,” reports Ludwig, who wanted to travel south with triathlon professional Vincent Bartscher.
But in the end it did not turn out: the athlete from North Rhine-Westphalia wanted to combine the training camp with a competition.
His focus was on a race in the Portuguese capital Lisbon at the end of March - but this was canceled due to the corona.
"That's why we left it."
Speaking of competitions: Ludwig certainly has hope that important triathlon events can take place this year.
There is a big question mark behind the Challenge St. Pölten at the end of May, and the 18-year-old also wants to start in Nice in mid-September and in Barcelona at the beginning of October.
"Now I just train as if St. Pölten could be played," says Ludwig.
The spring-like temperatures in Bavaria play into his cards.
The competitions that Niklas Ludwig wants to contest in 2021, however, are not iron men: "I go down to the middle distance in order to build up speed in the long term," explains the Kirchdorfer.
The loads on the long journeys are simply too high for his age.
"Of course I want to compete in the Ironman Hawaii at some point, so now I have to lay the foundations in the middle distance."
The big goal: world champion in the middle distance
Ludwig has already set himself the next big goal: next year he wants to win the Ironman 70.3 World Championship as an amateur.
There are 1.9 kilometers of swimming, 90 kilometers of cycling and a half marathon to be completed there - in December 2022 in New Zealand.
“It's a long journey.
But you can certainly combine that with a family vacation. "
And then there is the matter of entering professional triathlon sport.
"You always have to apply for the necessary license in the previous year by September at the latest," says Ludwig.
"If I have the level of performance that I can win the World Cup, I would register for professional sport in 2023.
And if not, I'll do it a year later. "
Now Niklas Ludwig is looking forward to his start of work at the racing bike and triathlon hotel in the Salzkammergut: “It will be exciting, I'm really looking forward to it.
Because I can still learn a lot from the athletes I will get to know there. ”So that the next milestone in his young career as a triathlete will soon work out.
Also read:
Running tips from Ironman Niklas Ludwig
