Profile
Personal Stats:
Full name: Ryan James Redman
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 70-75kg
Occupation: Full-time Athlete
Date of birth: 27 July 1985
Coach: Ian Rodger
Education:
Highbury Preparatory School: ’92 to ’98
Thomas More College: ’99 to ’03
University of KwaZulu-Natal: ’05 to ’09
Qualification: Bachelor of Business Science
Majors: Economics, Finance, Management + Marketing
Honours: Marketing
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The trail left behind and what’s coming up ahead!
This has been put together to explain a bit about my background including achievements as a junior athlete, what I did in my “gap years” from competitive sport, to what I have achieved since I started racing again in August 2008. I will also explain what my goals were for 2009 and what I plan to focus on and aim to achieve in 2010 with a brief explanation of how I plan to achieve these goals.
My love for sport began when I was as young as 7yrs old. My dad, 
Jimmy Redman, is a huge cycling enthusiast having raced for many years so whenever he travelled to races, I would do the races too, even if it meant I would come stone last – the youngest age group at the time was U15. At 10 years of age, I was introduced to triathlon and very quickly started achieving in this sport, becoming SA u10 Triathlon champion at my 4th race. The same event incorporated Africa Champs where I placed 2nd in my age group. Whilst racing Triathlons, I continued mountain biking and began racing duathlons, road cycling and x-country running, making the KZN team a number of years for each sport. In 1999, I placed 4th at SA Triathlon Champs, qualifying for the SA team, which traveled to Zimbabwe for Africa Champs where I placed 4th (2nd South African). With the age categories jumping about 4 years, after 1999, I switched my focus back to Mountain Biking. Two highlight achievements during those years were to place 2nd overall at the Gateway 18hour mountain bike enduro and placing 4th overall in the Vernon Crookes MTB at age 16.
In my matric year, I decided to focus on my studies to ensure I achieved the results required to get into university, so I took a gap from ‘out of school’ sports and applied myself to my schooling responsibilities – swimming captain, 2nd team rugby vice captain, house captain, prefect, as well as serving on the awards, discipline and environmental committees. In 2004, I then worked as an instructor at an outdoor leadership adventure camp, Spirit of Adventure in Shongweni. My year saw me setting up, briefing, executing and reviewing many activities with the teams that came to S.O.A. These activities included abseiling, rock climbing, rafting, canoeing, orienteering and many others. In 2005, I then started my years studying a Business Science at UKZN. With my lecture timetables not allowing much time to train, I chose to enjoy being a student for a few years, having a good time with friends and participating in sporting events on a far more social level. During this time I did a number of races including two Comrades Marathons and an Ironman.
In 2008, my lecture timetable began to offer me far more time to train and this is when I decided that I was going to give Ironman a good go. Unfortunately, injuries including tearing ligaments in both ankles and suffering from septicemia only 3 weeks before Ironman, I was
unable to participate. After my injuries and illnesses were properly taken care of, I then rejoined the racing world again, winning, at my first race back, the intermediate event at the Tour De Krantz MTB race. For the rest of 2008, I then experimented at a number of different types of races including the Jeep Msinsi Multisport Series, the N3TC adventure race, Triple Challenge and various triathlon, running and mountain bike races. Knowing that 2009 would be my final year in the 20-24 age group, I then made the decision to make Ironman my main focus for 2009. As soon as I had finished my 2008 November exams, I began my heavy base miles required for Ironman, including spending a week riding up Sani Pass, into Lesotho and back down, everyday for 7 days. My goal for 2009 was then to attempt to place well in my age group at Ironman, and also use 2009 to try and build a platform to start a racing career, getting people to start recognizing me and to start producing some results. What made this goal more challenging was that in 2009, I would be doing my final year in my business science degree (marketing honours), coaching x-country, tennis and soccer at St Mary’s School and managing the Mr Bubbles Soap Factory whilst trying to find the time to train and race.
My 2009 racing then began unfortunately on a low note at Xterra Buffelspoort after having been sick just a few days before the race. That 
was soon overturned however when I finished 2nd at the Hermannsberg Mudman, just 1 min behind the winner, J.P. van der Linde. The very next day, I then won my age category at KZN triathlon champs, making the KZN team to race at SA champs. I then raced in as many long distance races I could find, often racing the day after joining Nic Kinsley and the Irnman Team to go on rides of up to 180km. As draining as it was, the results were starting to show, breaking all of my personal best’s in the various disciplines. 2 weeks before Ironman, having not done much speedwork, I came 7th at SA triathlon champs, making the SA team to race at World Champs in Australia in September. I then raced Ironman, placing 5th in the 18-24 age group, podium honours going to athletes who travelled out from Europe. I then managed to win the 2009 Mudman Series and placed 3rd in my age group at Africa triathlon champs.
From there, I then focused on Worlds. All my effort went into increasing my speed by participating in shorter races and much speedwork. Despite having wanted to race in the paddling versions, I also chose to race in the Multi-X events at the Jeep Apparel Multisport Series so as to assist with my running off the bike for Worlds. This proved to be a successful plan, placing 45th at my first World Triathlon Champs (1st South African). I also competed in my first Aquathlon placing 21st in the World Aquathlon Champs. I then competed in the Anaconda International Adventure Race Series in the Gold Coast placing 11th, despite paddling in an old plastic fishing kayak which saw me lose 38min to the leaders. I finished the race 48min behind the winner.
Returning to South Africa, I then had to catch up much missed university work so I took the time to rest and allowed my body to recover from the 2009 racing season, participating in only a few events without any training. I soon after found out that I had tendonosis (degeneration of the tendon) in my right knee so the rest came at a good time, allowing me to spend time rehabilitating it before preparing for the 2010 season.
European Tour Bronze!!!
