Martin Andrš: Between the lab and the finish line

Perseverance, patience, and determination are part of both scientific research and IRONMAN training. Martin Andrš from the Department of Genome Biology knows both worlds well. Alongside his research into DNA damage, he competes in triathlon and qualified for this year’s IRONMAN World Championship in Hawaii.

In this interview, he shares how he balances laboratory work with training and what he gains from science and sport.

What is the focus of your research? What does a typical day in the laboratory look like for you?

Put simply, we study DNA damage. We investigate how this damage leads to mutations, cancer and other diseases, and how we can use these insights to develop treatments. Specifically, we focus on damage that occurs during DNA replication and examine the mechanisms cells use to protect themselves against it.

Laboratory work is quite varied. We maintain cells, keep them healthy, and run various experiments on them. We then carefully analyse the results. I spend roughly half my time in the laboratory and the other half at the computer.

How could your research contribute to a better understanding of how cancer develops?

We conduct basic research, which means studying fundamental cellular mechanisms. Understanding these processes is essential for developing effective and specific treatments. Let me give you a concrete example: some tumours have impaired DNA repair mechanisms. If we identify the backup mechanisms that allow cancer cells to survive, we could pave the way for new treatments that specifically target tumour tissue while sparing healthy tissue.

In science, results often take years to appear. What motivates you to keep going?

Yes, progress is slow, and periods of advancement alternate with periods of frustration. On the other hand, this is the profession I chose, and I enjoy it. Even if it is not always immediately apparent, every result, whether positive or negative, teaches us something new and moves us forward. In our field, the journey from basic research to clinical application can take more than ten years. Triathlon also involves alternating periods of progress and frustration, but the results do tend to come more quickly.

How have your experiences in sport influenced the way you think about your work in the laboratory?

That is a difficult question. I believe any sport changes you. Endurance sport has taught me patience and ambition, but I don’t think my way of thinking has changed much.

What do you think top-level science and IRONMAN have in common?

Both show that hard work brings results. You spend years training, preparing or pipetting in the lab, all working towards a single goal. In sport, that means finishing an IRONMAN race; in science, publishing your findings in an international journal; and for students, defending a master’s or doctoral thesis. It takes a great deal of work, and you go through a lot along the way. Sometimes things go well; at other times, you have to grit your teeth and keep going. Then you cross the finish line, whether literally in a race, figuratively when your paper is accepted for publication, or when you successfully defend your thesis. You feel a rush of euphoria and a sense that all the work was worthwhile. After one IRONMAN race, you want to enter another and experience that feeling again. With a doctorate, though, most students don’t want to go through the whole process again.

How do you manage to balance scientific work with a demanding training schedule?

With difficulty. Science is not particularly easy to combine with demanding sports training. A typical IRONMAN competitor in my age group, or in older groups, is a manager or business owner who can fit their working hours around training. I have to fit my training around work, even though my working hours are not entirely fixed. Then there are seminars and conferences, which sometimes leave no time for training at all. Besides, I enjoy science, so I won’t let it take a back seat.

How much time do you spend training each week? What does your usual training routine look like?

I train for roughly 6 to 12 hours a week, depending on the training cycle. In winter, I do fewer hours, mainly because I ride on an indoor trainer. Once the weather improves, my training time increases, largely thanks to long bike rides. I aim for three running sessions, three cycling sessions and one swimming session a week. I am a good swimmer, so an hour is enough, and my atopic eczema also keeps me from doing more swimming sessions. I supplement my training with strength work once or twice a week. Of course, that is the ideal. In practice, I often manage less.

How has your training changed since your student days? And what is it like to train while regularly travelling between Prague and Zurich?

It has changed quite a lot. As a student, I did not train as much, and it was more spontaneous. For the past few years, I have had a coach who plans my training. Fitting the sessions around work can be difficult, but I try to complete at least most of what is on my schedule.

Travelling to Zurich is demanding, both because of the journey itself and because I have to transport my bike. On the other hand, Switzerland is a beautiful place to train. Mountains, lakes – it is simply stunning. I don’t go there often, though; I spend most of my time in the Czech Republic.

Is training for an IRONMAN an escape from the lab, or is science an escape from training?

I know that, for many people, an IRONMAN is a goal and a way to switch off from work. But science is also my hobby; I enjoy it. So, at work I think about training, and while training I think about work. Some scientific questions keep me awake at night – that is a scientist’s lot. I quite often think about experiments while running, and sometimes an idea comes to me. At other times, I manage to switch off and keep moving. They say that one of the most important aspects of training is knowing how to rest and recover properly. I am not very good at that, though. I feel as if my brain is always working.

Do you have a sense of who is standing next to you on the start line? Are they mostly professional athletes, or people like you who combine sport with regular jobs?

I have a fairly good idea. I compete in the age-group category for non-professional athletes, divided by age. Professionals have their own category. I start on the same line as them, but I cannot compete at their level. The age-group category brings together people from all sorts of professions, including business owners and doctors, as well as semi-professional athletes who might work part-time as coaches and spend the rest of their time training. I do not know any other scientists, though. At the World Championship in Hawaii, I expect more of the competitors to be those semi-professional athletes. From what I’ve seen of my rivals, they train as much as 15–20 hours a week and have sponsors and other support. That is unimaginable for me.

What do you see as the greatest similarity between the life of a scientist and that of a top-level athlete?

Both are a long-distance race.

Does your scientific background help you plan your training, nutrition or recovery?

I have never really thought about it. I would say it helps a little, but anyone can find information online. Plenty of methods and insights can help you achieve the best possible results.

Has sport helped you become a better scientist?

It is hard to say what kind of scientist I would be, or whether I would be a scientist at all, if I had never taken up sport. But I would say yes. Perseverance and resilience are useful in science.

What are your next ambitions in sport and science?

In sport, my main goal right now is the World Championship in Hawaii in October. It is the biggest event in triathlon, bringing together the very best competitors. The weather conditions there are also quite changeable, which makes it difficult to set a specific target. In the longer term, I would like to stay involved in triathlon and push my limits further.

In science, my priority now is to get my own laboratory up and running. My main ambition is to build a well-functioning, productive research group and guide my students through to their thesis defences.