FITNESS The drive to stay in shape seems to be paying dividends

Nextel Cup driver Mark Martin uses a personal trainer to keep his back in shape.
By JOHN KEKIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
When Tony Kanaan had a rare off-week last month, he still went racing -- in a half-ironman triathlon. His teammate, Dan Wheldon works out up to three hours a day, five to six days a week during the season.
They even have a certified athletic trainer, who advises them on ways to fine-tune their physical strength, treat injuries and eat healthy.
"It's very important" to stay fit, said Kanaan, who finished the 1.2-mile swim, 56-mile bicycle ride and 13.1-mile run in just under six hours. "When you get in one of the top series, all of the drivers are talented. You have to have something else."
That drive to stay in shape appears to be paying off -- Wheldon leads the IRL points standings followed by Kanaan -- and catching on in auto racing circuits. Besides Andretti Green Racing, at least five other IRL teams work with a personal trainer.
"There has to be an understanding that if you invest in the fitness of your pit crew, it pays dividends from an injury reduction standpoint," said Ralph Reiff, the athletic trainer who works with the six IRL teams. "It makes your performers perform better. We can address so many facets of their activity."
Crews, too
Reiff, who is also the director of the St. Vincent Sports Performance Center in Indianapolis, even works with crew members.
He videotapes them charging over the wall during a pit stop to change those 36-pound tires and fill the tanks with fuel.
"We know they've got to improve their quickness, lower back strength and balance," Reiff said. "They're able to analyze their movements, and we teach them to enhance those movements. They're bent over race cars all day in the shop, so the lower back and hamstrings take a beating."
Improved pit stop times have not been the sole benefit.
"We have improved team morale," Reiff said. "These guys are really excited that they've got somebody looking out for them and given them a focus and competitive advantage. They've created a psychological bond."
For Kanaan, 29, staying fit has been second nature for a long time. He grew up in Brazil idolizing former Formula One great Ayrton Senna, who could regularly be found working out in his private gym at 5 a.m. And besides, when he was trying to break into the top levels of racing, the 5-foot-5 Kanaan weighed only 105 pounds.
"I was too skinny. I had to build up," said Kanaan, an avid cyclist who began using a personal trainer in 1991 and now weighs 145 pounds. "It's good to be healthy. Half my team has already bought bicycles."
Wheldon, 24, works out almost daily -- even in the off-season.
Potential consequences
"When you get fatigued, your vision can be impaired and a lot can happen. That's always a good motivator," Wheldon said. "Being fit prevents you from getting sick, and recovery time after a race is quicker. Sometimes, I test the next day and feel 100 percent."
Mark Martin, driver of the No. 6 Ford for Roush Racing in the Nextel Cup series, uses a personal trainer to keep his back in shape and is one of the fittest and most successful drivers in the series with 35 career wins.
"I think when nobody was physically fit, it didn't matter," he said. "But once somebody started working hard at it, if you want to keep up, it's like anything else."