Podcast Guest “It's a long road” is the world triathlon champion 60-64 years old and swimming coach Christos Garefis.
Christos Garefis was born in 1955 in Thessaloniki and graduated from the Faculty of Law and Economics of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
His experience and contribution to sports is great. He has received many starts in competitions of different sports in Greece and abroad and has introduced children and adults to the sport of swimming from 1980 until today, through the capacity of swimming coach, president of the Thessaloniki All Star Sports Center, director of the Municipal Swimming Pool Panorama and owner of the Salonica Tennis and Swimming Club.
The Greek super athlete started his sports career in sailing and continued as a swimming and water polo athlete with many awards and international participations. He has been the swimming coach of PAOK from 1978 to 1992, as well as the National Swimming Coach from 1982 to 1989. What is also impressive in his career that makes him unique in the whole world is that he has represented the Greek colors in 4 different Olympic sports, swimming, water polo, sailing and triathlon. In the triathlon is one of the most victorious Greek athletes. In 2015 he was crowned world champion in the 60+ category, winning the gold medal at the world championships in Chicago.
From 2000 to 2007 he was captain of sailing expeditions with Tornado type boats dedicated to people with disabilities.
He participated in the sport of Sailing at the Olympic games in Athens in 2004 together with Iordanis Paschalidis and they took 12th place. He has been involved in triathlon since 2012. From March 2013 until today he has in his possession 17 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals in Pan-European and World Triathlon Championships Ironman.
At the same time, he is one of the top tennis players at the veteran level, having won 68 tournaments from 1983 to 2011.
With Christos Garefis, we will have an interesting discussion, after we will refer to moments of his rich sports career, we will talk about the importance of exercise, especially at older ages, about coaching and how he approaches it, about triathlon, as well as about other equally interesting topics that concern all amateur runners.
Podcast Interview Highlights “It's a long road" with Christos Garefis.
06:41 Would it be an exaggeration to say that in your age category you are the person with the best physical condition on the planet?
08:20 Do you remember what prompted you to start sports and when did it happen?
09:16 Do you remember your first match?
09:30 Is it true that you interrupted your university studies, which you later completed, to go to America and study swimming coaching?
11:49 You have said and I have read somewhere your following phrase: "Creation takes many years, destruction takes a moment. The limits of victory-defeat, triumph-disaster are so close." Do you want to tell us a few things?
13:41 What gives you the greatest lesson and strength? Defeat or victory? And I say this because I have read that many times when you talk you highlight your defeats more than your victories in all these 4,000 matches you have participated in.
15:58 How difficult it is to set up on the starting line of one match;
18:28 What is it that made you at the age of 57 to start again the sport and the triathlon and even at a high level?
21:22 Why did you choose it? triathlon and not let's say something simpler like or individually running or cycling for example?
22:25 Would you like to talk to us about your work as coach. How do you work, how do you think, how do you deal with the coaching quality and process?
25:15 In conjunction with the two previous questions, after you started the sport again at the age of 57 and even the triathlon, you did it at a high level indeed. In terms of training, did you try any specific models to achieve this success?
29:45 You mention that you apply a holistic training program with 7 basic parameters that cover almost entirely the needs of an athlete. What is this; Do you want to tell us a few things?
31:45 How important do you consider her? diet us and did she also play a role in you?
32:38 What do you consider success based on your coaching approach?
35:47 How necessary is it to get out of our comfort zone and take risks?
37:43 What does gymnastics mean and why do you as a people think we are a little behind?
39:53 I read somewhere a phrase of yours "don't look at old photos, but imagine future ones". What do you mean by that;
42:38 It is worth putting sports and by extension the run in his life even in old age?
46:17 Since we're talking about matches, it's o Marathon for all; Should it be done for a runner as an end in itself?
48:24 Work in your 50s and you'll be younger in your 70s. Is it a gift to ourselves if we give it a little exercise?
49:56 I would like to ask you what does Einstein have to do with old age? And I refer to an article of yours about the theory of relativity being on the side of old age.
53:14 What does "Good aerobics ability";
55:06 What motivates you to keep going?
58:17 Is there one of all the sports you have played that you loved the most and why?
59:25 Do you think it is important to put the games in our schedule? What do they give us?
01:00:45 I'll mention something that I have to say is one of my favorite things I read in one of your articles where you say, "Gratitude will be found in its truest form in every ending that we raise our hands to sky. It is the moment that gives you the right to perfect mutual understanding and cooperation of mind and body for the sake of the soul and then you see life as it should be"
01:04:27 Are the games, as you have said, one of the most useful tools for the development of a society and a Nation? Can you explain it to us?
01:05:33 Why is every athlete where he competes a driver of support for the wider society?
01:08:30 To be able to endure over time you have to know when to withdraw from a fight?
01:10:16 What is your big bet for the future? Where do you want to focus?
01:12:18 What should she be teaching us? Ancient Sparta;
01:14:19 Where is the triathlon in Greece and what is the importance of the Greek Half-Ironman;
01:15:47 What wish would you give to all your friends, athletes and non-athletes?
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To have an image because we are talking about 3 sports
2015 60 years of recorded performance
1500m swimming 19min 15 sec
20min bike 320 watts
5000m run 18min 45sec
2025 70 years of expected performance
1500m swim 21min 30sec minus 12%
20min bike 294 Watts minus 08%
5000m run 21 30 minus 15%
Average 11,66%
Christos Garefis
https://www.salonicatennis.gr
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