news / athletes

AGE IS NO EXCUSE

21.06.23

In our last swim camp a very kind lady approached me and started: "Stephan, I am turning 70 in a few weeks. So I can't do two sessions a day, just the one in the morning. I know that I won't get faster anymore, but I just want to keep fit."
I just thought: we will see...

After 6 days of drill sessions I could see the lady looking at her watch every 50m and smiling. At one point she looked at me and said: "Stephan, I can't believe it, but I am 6sec faster on every 50m than ever before :-) "
I just thought: I told you ;-)

3rd place for Roger & Markus at the Tortour

18.08.18

Cycled around Switzerland, 2 drivers, one team, 17 stages, 1000km, 13,000 meters elevation!
I'm really proud of you, drivers and helpers, and I am very grateful that I was allowed to be part of the team as a supplier and coach (Roger).
Ingrid - Lanzarote

With the coaching of Stephan I finally regained fun in training and racing again. 3 years ago somehow I lost the desire for triathlon or ironman and somehow I had the feeling that I could not get any further, but then I meet Stephan on Lanzarote. We talked and I explained what was going on. One day later, he took over my training control.

From the beginning I had a good feeling with him, his training plans and his well organized camps. Within a short time I became much stronger and faster in all 3 disciplines and gained more confidence in myself and my performance! Before I met him could not finish a 10km race under 60min and now I ran 55min in an Olympic distance several times - and I'm not 30 anymore ;-)

Quality is and will always be the most important thing for me, because injuries caused by too much training will not help. The desire for the fun in training must be there! Meantime I won twice a slot for 70.3 WC with his training, once for the 70.3 WC 2016 Sunset Coast Mooloolaba and the second time for the 70.3 WC Chattanooga 2017!

And today I'm here in Kona and fulfill my biggest dream, the participation in the Ironman World Championship Kona 2017.I did not get Kona through a slot, but because I finished 18 IRONMAN in 8 years! I am sooooo happy!
Mahalo Stephan, for everything, mainly for your confidence and the fun I gained back through your training !!

THANK YOU
Don - New Zealand

"Dear Coach, I do really really want to say thanks to you from the bottom of my heart, you've taken an extremely overweight and too big wannabe kiwi and turned him into an IRONMAN. I've seriously enjoyed the entire journey, and you've been considerate of me, our family and how I've felt week by week. But most of all, you've gifted me a lifetime of hassles for Chris, what is completely priceless! Thank you, now I AM AN IRONMAN!"
Uli - Germany

"Dear Coach, a few lines are not enough to thank you for the many successes you've coached me in. You changed me from a 5k runner into a marathon runner and into a triathlete, you brought me from success to success and through all the highs and lows that you can go through as an ambitious hobby athlete. Only with one thing you have never had to help me: training related injuries which did not exist. A very special thanks to keep me healthy! Season 2017 is almost over and with my first middle distance in 5h 35min and the Berlin Marathon in 3h 30min we have only one more PB on the journey to IM HH 2018: the 10k! But I'm confident that we will make it, too! 140.6 times thank you! "

Commentating Ironman Hawaii 
for German TV

10/8/16

Together with Nicole Leder and Dirk Froberg I commentated Ironman Hawaii. For the first time ever a large part of the race was broadcasted live on  ARD. Many thanks to  ARD for giving our sport such a platform. And the results need no further comment ;-)

Little season review 2016

Now I have to tell a little bit about the season of my athletes with great pride:

I want to start with my runners, who have achieved their bests this year. Julia had a best time of 43:50min last year for 10km. We did not change the running distance, but with regular lactate tests we were able to more accurately determine the speeds of the various running units, especially the interval units, and introduced various athletic exercises. The result was a new marathon best time of 3:18h and last week 39:09min for 10.2km! Also, Daniela did a great job this year. The training started with me at the beginning of the year with a 43min best time for 10km. At the end of the season there were new best times for a marathon of 2:58h and a 9.1km in 36:09min! Susy has been training with me for 2 years and after improving her times on all tracks in the last year, she has done a lot this year: 10km in 46:52min, HM 1:45:31, Marathon 3:44:11 ( 2014: 48:59, 1:51:27, 4:14:22).
Girls, my greatest respect ;-)

Now to my triathlon ladies, besides from Sonja (sonjabarth.de) and Sandra, who did a great job this year, I want to briefly talk about my 3 ladies, who qualified for the 70.3 World Championship in Australia. 3 ladies, 3 different stories: Bettina is my rookie, so to speak. She has not done triathlon for very long and did the first lactate test of her life with me in spring. Actually, she just wanted to survive the 70.3 in Rapperswil, but came out with an incredible 5:58h and qualifying for the World Cup. Although she caught a bad cold on the flight to Australia, she even ran a best time over the HM distance at the 70.3 World Cup. According to her, these results were not what she was most proud of, but "that she survived my nasty workouts" :-) Rebekah has only been with me for a few months and was extremely disappointed at the beginning of the year and became increasingly slow in recent years. After a few weeks of very defensive training, her performance improved again, she has got the bug and qualified for the 70.3 World Cup. Ingrid, on the other hand, has been with me for almost two years now, and amazes me again and again with her competitive performances. In 2014, she just barely completed a 60min run in a 10km competition, and this year she has stayed a few times under 55min in Olympic distances. She, too, qualified for the 70.3 World Cup and was overjoyed to experience such a thing in her long career. In addition to these successes, she enjoys the most that I "brought her back the joy of triathlon" again.

As the last lady I want to mention Gabi. Gabi and swimming have never been big friends, but she is well on the way to becoming a swimmer. Last year, she completed her sprint and Olympic distances in 100% breast stroke. 25m front crawl was not even on the cards. For 2016 she has set herself the personal goal of being able to scratch through an OD. In fact, she has achieved this goal, not only that, several half-distance afterwards she has also completed completely in front crawl.

For the men I want to start with Martin. After only 3 months of structured training, Martin completed the London Marathon 2016 in a grand time of 2:48:39h after a 2:58h in 2015, and not by an increase in his size, which would not have made his job possible anyway, while maintaining 4 running sessions per week, through targeted interval training in very narrow speed ranges. Even with Chris, we have not increased the scopes and left at just 40km a week, but with the right dose of intervals and the corresponding GA speeds, he was able to improve his PB on the Marathon Drone by just under 20min to 4:28:50. Just a few weeks ago, Andi also achieved his long-awaited goal of running the HM under 1:30. For him, we have achieved this mainly because he completed his GA runs significantly slower than he was previously doing.

Roger, YOU ARE AT IRONMAN! Even if he did not believe that at the beginning of the year. Congratulations. In addition, Matthias had a great season with a terrific season finale: matthiasfackler.de/saison-2016/

Above all, I want to congratulate Jannik on having beaten his friendly "permanent rival" Tobi in the triathlon for the first time this year, and then several times, which he had never managed in the years before. Incidentally, he has also increased his HM best time by 5 minutes to 1:25h. Andi had 3 ODs and 3 MDs on his plan, all finished in times he never thought possible. His feedback on the coach at the end of the season was just: "Thanks, MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!" Anke and Andreas, who used the couple's coaching with me, had hesitated a while before they decided on coaching, but both were overjoyed with their results and especially with this brand new training philosophy this year, Especially since Andreas has landed in almost every competition in his age group on the podium.

Actually, all my athletes make me proud, but one of them has done exceptionally this year: Jens! For a good year I have looked after Jens at the club AST Süßen. When I saw and met Jens for the first time, I immediately noticed his motor skill limitations. While running, his feet "slammed" across the floor, he has "heard" himself so to speak, he could not implement many running exercises and only some athletic exercises possible. An illness that I will not go into, weeks of coma, severed muscles and numerous surgeries have led to these motor skill limitations, which have also caused a tremendous wear on running shoes.

Over time, every running drill he practised, he improved at, at every athletic training session he improved, it has happily been seen that Jens has been able to do individual exercises better and better, even though he initially had a great deal of motivation and concentration. Obstacles he was faced with in completing these drills and exercises have not kept him from trying again and again. His achievements in the competitions this year have improved enormously, but that's not what I am most proud of. Seeing that he was able to motorise a particular running drill exercise, an exercise that he had practiced for a full year (!!!), was immensely pleasing to me, and that he is now able to keep his feet running so far that I do not "hear" him and therefore he does not have to buy new shoes every few weeks is a great result.

Lastly, I want to thank all my athletes, including those who I have not mentioned in the small summary, for the great 2016 season. Heres to the new season 2017!

Your Stephan

Commentating Ironman Frankfurt
for German TV

3.07.16

It was once again lots of fun to commentate the entire PRO race Ironman Frankfurt live on German TV. Especially with the great result of Sebastian Kienle and Andi Böcherer.

Professional triathlete supports football youth

Professional triathlete Stephan Vuckovic becomes jersey sponsor of the E1 youth of BSV 07 Schwenningen. From now on the Vuckovic logo "Runningman" graces the jerseys of the youth players.

When Stephan heard about the media that the E1 youth of the BSV 07 Schwenningen urgently needed new game clothes he spontaneously contacted the board of the association.

"I remembered my own first football shirt and how proud I was of it. That's why I want to support the kids, "says Stephan Vuckovic. "The promotion of young talent and team sports are very important for me" continues Vuckovic.

Arvin Davitian, the coach and youth leader was relieved: "There were a few companies that wanted to equip us. Unfortunately the potential sponsors expected further promotional consideration from the club. Stephan Vuckovic explained to me that he wants to make the children happy in the first place. Our team chose a jersey and Stephan took over the full cost. I was very surprised about the great offer and the whole team was really happy, "said the coach.

Stephan Vuckovic is the first professional triathlete to use his own logo on the jerseys of a football team. The official jersey handover took place today at the training ground of BSV 07 Schwenningen.
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