Age Grouper For Life Podcast · Age Grouper For Life Triathlon Podcast

AGFL Triathlon Episode 132: Raymond Botelho, Coach and Former Pro Triathlete

·1 hr 25 min·5 clips

Raymond Bartolo took a five-minute lead at Eagleman, then crashed his bike in front of a silent crowd.

Colin hosts the Age Grouper for Life triathlon podcast, focusing on optimizing training for amateur athletes. His guest is Raymond Bartolo, a longtime triathlete and coach who began racing in 1994. Bartolo shares his journey from a novice to a professional competitor and now a coach. Bartolo was dared by a friend to do his first triathlon in Newport, training indoors on a treadmill during winter. Mentor David Nathan introduced him to Jim Merchant, who won the 1994 Ironman on Martha's Vineyard. Merchant guided Bartolo to his first Ironman in 1996 at the Esprit event in Montreal. Bartolo switched from the Olympic distance to the full Ironman on Merchant's advice, despite having limited running experience. He worked overnight gym shifts to finance his early pro career, sleeping only a few hours before training. His first major pro race was the 1999 Gulf Coast Triathlon, where he logged a top-five bike split averaging 24 miles per hour. At the 1999 Eagleman race, he led after the swim and bike but struggled in extreme heat, finishing with a run time around 4:21. Bartolo emphasizes that a key early lesson was using a heart rate monitor from his first days in the sport. He credits coaches at QT2 Systems later for revolutionizing his approach with proper fueling and power meter data. A pivotal moment was being instructed to drink five bottles per hour on long rides, which dramatically improved his performance. He recalls bonking severely on a 130-mile Cape Cod ride, having to walk the final 10 miles home. Bartolo achieved his long-standing goal of a sub-nine-hour Ironman in 2014, in his early 40s. He notes that top age-groupers like Clay Emge and Ryan Giuliano were running marathon splits in the 2:40s during races. The conversation is informal and anecdotal, driven by shared experiences between two veteran athletes. The tone is educational but relaxed, focusing on practical lessons learned from decades in the sport. Age-group triathletes seeking motivation and training insights from a seasoned competitor would appreciate this episode. Listeners primarily interested in cutting-edge science or short-format interviews might find the detailed personal history less engaging.

As heard by us

A practical age-group triathlon conversation about a dare, winter training, and a hard-earned fueling shift.

This triathlon conversation stays close to the ground, moving from Raymond Bartolo's dare-led first race in 1994 to winter training on a treadmill and, later, a fueling shift that changed how he handled long-course work.

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Why you'd press play

For the age-group triathlete chasing a fueling plan that actually holds up on long days.

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