Heat x Altitude Descent: Why Kona 2015 Broke Me
I lived at altitude. I raced at sea level in Hawaiian heat. The compound failure mode I didn't plan for produced my worst Kona.
Rob Gray — Race Reports & Training Insights
Race reports, training frameworks, and coaching insights from Rob Gray, 2017 Ultraman World Champion and head coach at enza.team.
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Three Ironmans in Nine Weeks: The Formative Season
My first Ironman was 11:02. Twenty days later I PR'd by 44 minutes. The 2011 trifecta taught me that lessons travel between races over years, not weeks.
Compound-Conservative Targets: How IMAZ 2014 Produced Four Simultaneous PRs
I PR'd my swim, bike, run, and overall time on the same day. The plan called for it. Here's the structure that makes that possible.
The Expression Deficit: Why Sub-9 Existed for Years Before I Ran It
In 2013 I had sub-9 Ironman fitness. I didn't run sub-9 until 2018. The gap between fitness and expression is where most athletes lose their best races.
The Build-Test Race: A Half Ironman You Don't Taper For
Five weeks before Kona 2013, I raced a half Ironman with no taper. It told me everything I needed to know about my fitness.
Why Your Ironman PR Is Course-Conditioned, Not Absolute
I raced three Ironmans in 2014 and finished 32 minutes apart on the same body. The difference wasn't fitness. It was course.
The 13.5/1.5 Was a Cooling Protocol Disguised as a Pacing Protocol
I won an ultra without ever crossing the hyperthermia threshold. The pacing protocol that made it possible was doing two jobs at once.
How a 400m Athlete Won Third Place in an Ironman
With 2km to go at Ironman South Africa, a guy ran up behind me and looked at my number. I looked at his wristbands. Then I became someone else.
When Peak Fitness Produces a DNF
I was in the best shape of my life. A stomach virus hit 36 hours before the start. The DNF that followed taught me more about race planning than any win.
A Whitish Lie
How a Black Friday impulse buy, a hidden bike, and a suspicious wife accidentally launched an ultra-endurance career.
I Walked Off Kona at Mile 11. 41 Days Later, I Won Ultraman.
It wasn't a comeback. It was a priority call followed by a build followed by an execution. And I won by exactly the amount the plan was designed to produce.
Ironman Arizona 2014
My chain snapped in the first minute of the bike. Six and a half minutes later I was back in the race, chasing a field of nine sub-9 contenders for one of four Kona slots. The result was a 29-minute PR.
Ironman South Africa 2014
A bucket-list race on home soil, low training volume, and a sprint finish in the final 800 meters to take a podium spot, with my dad screaming 'Take him, Rob!' from the sideline.
Ironman World Championship 2013
My first Kona. I left no stone unturned in the preparation: CTL at an all-time high of 163, wind tunnel sessions, metabolic testing, heat prep in ski gear. Then my glute seized in the first minute of the bike.
Ironman Los Cabos 2013
Three months after a gut-wrenching DNF in Cozumel, I returned to Mexico with all my own food, drank only bottled water, and lived like a hermit. The result was my best race ever and a Kona slot.
Ironman Cozumel 2012
I arrived in the best shape of my life. A stomach virus hit 36 hours before the start. Five porta-potty stops during the bike, unable to keep down food or water. The DNF led directly to my Mexican Revenge three months later.
Ironman Switzerland 2011
My first Ironman. An 11-hour baptism in Lake Zurich with 2,200 athletes, a driving rainstorm on the run, and a finish that left me wanting more.