Not Your Co-Drivers workout
Wednesday, January 26, 2011 at 12:20PM 
Craig Stanton’s workout on Wednesday, January 19 started at 6am at the Long Beach Rowing Association’s weight room in Marine Stadium near Belmont Shores in Long Beach, California, for about two and a half hours of weight work.
It ended twenty-four hours later when he returned to the LBRA’s dock to row for a couple of hours on the tidal waters of the Long Beach Marina.
As part of his preparations for the Rolex 24 at Daytona, Stanton puts himself through a simulated 24 hour torture test every year ten days before the green flag drops in Daytona. His goal is to replicate the periods of workload and recovery that a driver experiences over the 24 hour race – including the lack of sleep which can prove to be a real physical and mental drain towards the end of the event.
To help him keep his intensity and motivation up, he recruits friends to join him for a workout or two throughout the day. High on his priorities are eating and hydrating well enough to keep his energy up, while resting enough to recover between each session.
Here is a breakdown of the Craig Stanton Daytona Mega Workout:
6:00 AM – 9:00 AM Circuit and weight training, with a variety of weights, medicine balls, pull-ups, pushups, stability exercises, and presses. All are done with little recovery to keep heart rate up.
BREAKFAST A plate of raisin toast, fruits, vegetables, and egg whites. Craig also augments each meal with Recoverite from Hammer Nutrition, which accelerates the recovery process.
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM Rowing in a two man boat with friend. The two rowed approximately eight miles in the Long Beach Marina.
LUNCH After eating a sweet potato and two waffles with almond butter, Craig went to Wahoo’s and powered down some Chicken Tacos with rice and beans.
3:30 PM – 5:30 PM Craig and Magnus PR guy Efrain Olivares jumped on their road bikes and went for a 31 mile bike ride. The two averaged around 19 mph with some major head and crosswinds.
DINNER Craig’s wife, Joy, made a dinner of turkey burgers, a large salad, and cauliflower. Craig also downed some more Recoverite.
9:30 PM – 11:30 PM Craig jumped back on his bike and went for another two hour bike ride, with the bike decked out in lights to deal with the dark. Riding at night presents similar challenges to racing at night, even though Daytona International Speedway is extremely well lit.
MIDNIGHT SNACK Oats, tree bark, and some soy, and a cup of coffee.
3:30 AM – 5:00AM Instead of exercise, Craig jumped on the racing simulator he has set up in his garage. His nephew, Drew, had set some fast times on BAJA: Edge of Control that Craig would attempt to match. The simulator would test Craig’s mental clarity and concentration levels after nearly 24 hours of workouts and a lack of sleep similar to what you have around sunrise at the Rolex 24.
7:00 AM – 9:30 AM Craig and wife Joy – who herself is a competitive rower – returned to the LBRA’s docks for one final workout. Although it exceeded the twenty-four hour timetable that he had set for the workout, it allowed Craig the chance to assess his fitness with a workload greater than he would experience in the Rolex 24 at Daytona.
The workout not only allows Craig to physically prepare for the 24 hour contest, it also reminds him of several elements of competing in the race that often crop up.
“There’s stuff that comes up during the workout that reminds me of other things I need to keep in mind for the 24 hour,” said Stanton. “Because the recovery between stints is so critical, I need to plan to have all of my food and drinks ready right when I get out of the car to maximize the time I spend resting. But things always come up – we have a long yellow, or a long pit stop to fix damage, I end up talking to the crew or doing an interview – and this can eat up a lot of time and throw off your rhythm. Minimizing the distractions is one of the hardest parts of these endurance races.”
This year, teamed with Magnus Racing’s John Potter and Porsche factory drivers Marco Holzer and Richard Lietz, Stanton is the best prepared he’s ever been for Daytona.
“I feel great and we have a really strong team,” he said. “I can’t wait to get this race started!”
As the Fittest Man in Motorsports, it is the insanity such as this that lets Craig be as fast behind the wheel of the no. 44 Magnus Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at 3:30 PM on Sunday as he was at 3:30 PM on Saturday.
For more information about Magnus Racing and Craig Stanton, visit www.magnusracing.com, or follow them on facebook.com/magnusracing and twitter.com/magnusracing.
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