10 Questions with South African XTERRA athlete, Dan Hugo

For starters, and the reader’s benefit, write a short paragraph about yourself:

I’m evading reality but painting a canvas with all the colour I can find. There’s a definite lack of technique, more just splashing lines and blobs of colour and allowing them to take on a story of their own. I was inspired, you see, by this blog’s animate owner. So the canvas is life, and the paint is sport, specifically triathlon, mixed with travel, odd characters, brilliant brands and the dream that perhaps, at the end, the canvas will look like a master piece (which it doesnt right now). I’m 24, feel somewhere between 15 and 40, depending on the time of day and how hungry I am. I base in Stellenbosch South Africa, and Truckee in California when over to the USA.

[Visit Dan’s blog, i-am-specialized.com or the amazing array of social network sites he maintains on dghugo.com. -Conrad]

How you feel about your season so far?

It’s been a mess really. Got clipped by a truck in February, and managed to handicap progress by repeated bad risk management since. It’s been a year of niggling in second gear, and the most recent (current) swine flu shit I’m in feels more like just another rock garden to navigate on the Specialized Epic than the major setback it is. That said, I’ve enjoyed the year immensely, and feel I’ve learnt a fair bit, which is that there is much left to learn. On the upside, I did win my first international event  in the US this season, very unexpected, and will be a sweet memory some day. Right now it feels more like a taste of creme brule I loved, now crave but cant get more of… Non performance wise, its been a great year with some opportunities in more main stream media and momentum growing with the brands I’m involved with.

1 )  Your favourite sporting memory?

Would have to be the experience round Xterra Brazil in 2006, a trip in celebration of 21st’s with a good mate of Conrad’s and I. A trip planned after seeing photo’s described by yours truly after you’d won the event in 05. I’d stopped triathlon, and this was more about the trip and opportunity than the race. It served as a turning point; The after party as much as the 4th place in the race.

2 ) Your biggest/ most memorable training day?

Somehow a day with my father, when I was ten or so, has stayed with me. Think I had a track meet, 1200m, in the morning. A swim gala midday with a few events. Before running up table mountain with my old man (timed as race of course – 39min – Platteklip Gorge to Cable Car), and a paddle in a double surfski from Clifton round to Camps Bay. I think we got Nando’s on the way home. Twas a mean day.

But actual biggest training day was prep for Speights Coast to Coast, in New Zealand – one of the bigger non-regret mistakes I’ve made. I did the run course guided by a stranger, which is 31km of the roughest boulder hopping trail running river crossing affair imaginable – I lacked specific conditioning. It was the better part of 4.5 hours. Pulling away in the parking lot after, some professional looking lads asked if I was going to paddle (which I’d decided against). They said join, I said why not. The paddle turned into a race, a four man race, till I bonked 3.5 hours in, as the sun was setting. The other three guys eventually got 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the race two weeks later.

3 ) Who will win XTERRA Worlds this year? (M&F)

Men’s: My heart says Stoltz, but my mind says a battle royal between Batelier, Le Brun, and Stoltz. Woman’s: Wouldnt bet against ms Dibens.

4 ) When racing, what do you think about when it is crunch time?

Nothing manly, nothing honourable. Generally I’m thinking of what I can better on for the next crunch time… Mmm. Well, I am not as gifted I reckon, but when the work is in the bag, it seems to happen, and if not, its a dog show. But when it works, it often feels much less pushed than the many dog fights. ie the bigger results were easier than the rest somehow.

5 )  The holidays got the better of you and all of a sudden the scale is telling an unhappy tale. How do you get rid of your blubber?

Nay, I’m into blubber. And blubber is into me. Like peas and carrots.

6 ) If you had to train to only 1 song for the rest of the year, which one would it be?

Is this a trick question? Eish. Makes me all panicky. As I love me music. Well, it is September now, and you did ask, so, let’s say its a track I downloaded yesterday, and am infatuated with today: Rage On, by Plush, a local South African band.

7 ) Send a picture of an earthly belonging that makes you happy.

Sadly iPhone came to mind. Fun toy of unlimited potential. Would hurt if you took it away… But the photo does show me bed too. A close second.

8 ) Tell us a funny/weird travel story.

I had been to New Zealand end of 03, to race ITU Junior World Champs. Stumbled onto work, in a vineyard. And so last minute a year later, I decided to return for the uni vacation. I left Monday morning, and landed in Queenstown their Thursday morning. Hadnt organized anything there, so walked the backpack and I over to the main road, and hitched, after 3 days continuous travel, with an old duck, to the farm entrance an hour away. A few km walk and I was where I’d set out to be, 4days on. There was 11 hours in Hong Kong airport, and a night in Auckland airport…

9 ) The worst place you have ever slept?

You’d not believe, but sand can be hard. Harder than expected at least. It was a valentines romance idea to sleep on the river side near the farm. I know I know, you’d be asking why I was trying to sleep. Which would be a valid point. But this was before your corruption. So hard sloped sand, incessant mosquito’s, and sleeping bags drenched from the unplanned capsize upstream… Could make for a worst night. [Sounds like you lost the wine in the capsize too! – Conrad]

10 ) You’ve done some pretty interesting photo shoots- how about throwing in a really good bonus pic? Like the trampoline running or a “behind the scenes” at the underwear shoot?

Ah, if only I had them good photo’s. Soon soon. I’ll ask again, but in the mean time my stolen ones will have to suffice. What one does under orders…

[OK kids- here you have it: How to become a Triathlete Superstar: Train hard, eat right, dont fall on your face too many times, and you too could be a superstar athlete/model. Not only does Dan get R100 000 Specialized bikes for free, he shops for free at Puma & Jeep clothing, he has a restaurant, a spa, and a sun screen sponsor.

And all the EAS games ever made... But its the cavorting with supermodels in skimpy underwear that should motivate you to eat all your vegetables and wind those 400s on the track really tight. Because at the end of the tunnel there could be this:

A career in soft porn!

Dan, hope the oke holding the wall up there didnt infringe on your privacy too much..