In an effort to increase the cachet and add an indirect revenue stream to its fledgling virtual racing offering, Ironman has dangled the carrot of qualifying for the yet-to-be-rescheduled Ironman 70.3 World Championship in New Zealand.
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It’s the latest initiative from the race organiser that has witnessed tens of thousands of triathletes sign up to compete or complete its free weekly virtual challenges on either the turbo and treadmill or by uploading data files.
As part of its Ironman Virtual Club, slots to the postponed 70.3 World Championship in Taupo can now be won through a four-race duathlon series – comprising one 70.3 distance and three standard-distance race formats – with points weighted towards the longer distance. For the 70.3, a 5km run replaces the 1.9km swim. A 3km run starts the shorter event.
The Championship Series kicks off with its VR10 challenge this weekend (5-7 June), with each event having to be completed within a 12-hour period and the top three results counting. It’s free to take part, but while it might add a welcome incentive for many triathletes, it also raises yet more questions over the veracity of virtual racing that can be largely brushed aside when it’s just for fun.
Launched in partnership with training set-up Rouvy, Ironman VR was announced on 1 April and was no April Fool – although if you were to put too much faith in the results you might be taken for one. It was hastily and understandably rolled out in reaction to Ironman’s Covid-related quandary. After all, few industries are hit harder by a pandemic than global events organisers. Timing for its cash flow running dry could hardly have been worse. Ironman was already facing legal proceedings from investors over a disappointing share flotation, and was on the cusp of pushing through an agreed sale to new owners.
Ironman does deserve credit for acting swiftly, though, and all too aware of potential for result manipulation, the organiser is now ratcheting down and set to introduce new rules that will weed out eyebrow-raising performances and attempt to give virtual reality racing increased credibility.
It’s already split its offering into Classic and Challenge divisions, the latter for the more serious contenders and the one that will be used for Ironman 70.3 Worlds qualification. In this class, cycling is restricted to the stationary bike on Rouvy (not on the road), with runs conversely having to be completed outdoors (not on a treadmill).
Without losing ourselves in the weeds of this, Ironman CEO Andrew Messick has pledged to imminently release updated rules including pulling together an ‘e-racing bio athlete passport’ that will provide a holistic look at individual race performances and assess if any mistakes (aka cheating) has taken place. The forensics mean results won’t be posted until the Tuesday following the weekend’s racing.
Ironman is trying a fail-fast policy and prepared to make tweaks as it goes. If it doesn’t pass muster for the community, Messick says his instinct will be to “shut it down”, the chief exec being well aware opinions remain divided about whether virtual racing has any compatibility with the traditional side of the sport.
Certainly, many professionals, while embracing the concept of virtual racing with Ironman or the popular pro Zwift races, have been at pains to point out it shouldn’t be seen as a proxy for regular racing. The Professional Triathlon Organisation recently pulled back from attempting the 2020 Collins Cup in a virtual format on Zwift.
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As for the prize on offer, Ironman is not a brand associated with subtly, but this is about as light-touch as it gets for morphing virtual racing into real world scenarios. It’s been reported by triathlete.com that only ‘around 100’ [Ironman Will Award 70.3 World Championship Slots At Virtual Races] slots will be given out initially – a tiny percentage for a 70.3 world championship that is typically packed with 6,500 age-groupers over two days of racing.
Of all the potential triathlon races for 2021, it also has to be one of the more questionable to take place, particularly with anything close to resembling an international field. New Zealand, helped by its geography, is just about the gold standard for managing Covid, and staging a half-Ironman with triathletes flying in from all over the world won’t rank highly in the Kiwi’s health-centric list of priorities.
So, while purists becoming hung up on Ironman handing out a handful of Taupo spots cheaply shouldn’t be an issue, what might be more concerning to traditionalists is if this is the direction of travel for triathlon, and the thin end of the wedge.
If Ironman can make VR racing work just enough, it’s only a short hop to attaching sought-after places for the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii, and with two editions planned for 2020, in February and October, and scarce opportunities to qualify at ‘real world’ events there are currently a few going around.
It might also be worth noting that Ironman’s modus operandi is to demand entrance fees immediately after qualification, when the adrenaline is still pumping. Given its track record for refunds and that future races currently hang in the balance, you might want to give some considered thought before handing over the cheque.
Enervit‘s nutritional package is worth over £50 and contains a wide selection of nutritional goodies, and includes energy bars, organic bars, protein bars, omega 3, as well as a hand gel.
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Enervit is an Italian Nutrition Brand based in Milan, celebrating over 40 years in positive nutrition with products across sport, wellness and snacking. Our business is 100% in-house and the manufacturing plants are on the hills of Lake Como preserving its bonds with the area and the people and supporting industrial development which has is integral part of the mission – to become a leading International Health & Wellness brand supporting everyone’s personal active and fitness goals.
Enervit are Official Nutrition Partners for the Ironman European Series, UAE Pro Cycling Team, TREK Segafredo Pro Cycling team, Dublin Race Series including the Dublin Marathon, Peterborough Marathon, Wicklow 200 sportive and the Ring of Berra sportive.
Always Aim High Events have confirmed that the Snowman Triathlon has been cancelled for 2020 and moved to next year. The Snowdonia-set event had been set for the first weekend of August and follows AAH’s Harlech and Cardiff Triathlons in being moved to 2021.
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September’s Sandman in Anglesey and Snowdonia’s Slateman races are still on their race calendar for 2020, and there’s an Always Aim High virtual series of races.
Here’s the statement from the race organisers…
“Thank you to everyone for their continued support since our last update on the impact of COVID-19 on our 2020 events.
Working closely with everyone involved, we have taken the difficult decision to postpone the 2020 Odlo Snowman Triathlon & Duathlon, and the Aqua Sphere Snowman Swims to next year.
As always the health, safety and well-being of everyone at our events is at the heart of everything we do. Our decisions have been based on discussions and with Plas y Brenin, public bodies, sports governing bodies, and other parties, as well as taking note of any official Government guidance. Our priority is to minimise disruption and do everything we practically can to support and protect our athletes, staff, volunteers, spectators and suppliers.
If you have entered the 2020 Odlo Snowman or Aqua Sphere Snowman Swims, you will already have been sent an email giving further information about the options available to you. Currently, all events in our calendar after the Odlo Snowman Triathlon weekend will remain in place. However, we are constantly monitoring the situation and taking advice from all relevant bodies. We will communicate developments as they unfold and will maintain regular contact about the status of our events.
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In the meantime, we have been working hard behind the scenes on ways to keep the Always Aim High Community active. Our Virtual Events have been extremely popular helping to keep you active while raising very welcome funds for some amazing local charities. Thank you for your continued support with this not for profit community initiative. Thanks again for all your patience and understanding.”
In sad if unsurprising news, the Ironman Europe team have just announced that early September 2020’s edition of Ironman Wales has been cancelled.
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The race, long sold out in 2020 and one of the most popular events on the worldwide Ironman calendar, will next be held in Tenby on 11-12 September 2021. Ironkids Wales is also off until 2021.
Here’s the short statement from Ironman on the cancellation.
“With the health and safety of our community being an utmost priority, and in alignment with Pembrokeshire County Council in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can confirm that IRONMAN Wales and IRONKIDS Wales originally scheduled for the September 5-6 weekend cannot take place in 2020 and will return on September 11-12, 2021. Athletes that are registered for the event are receiving an email with further details.
“While we are prevented from holding the event on the original event date, we are looking forward to providing athletes with an exceptional event experience in the future.”
The triathlon racing calendar may be on hold, but that doesn’t have to mean that competition has to stop. Since April, triathletes have been racing virtual events from back gardens, conservatories and garages around the globe.
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While it’ll never match the real thing for enjoyment and satisfaction, virtual racing has plenty of benefits for keeping athletes focussed, helping with training goals and technique refinements, and getting you to use some of that dusty race kit.
As we’ve personally found at 220 via the Ultra X virtual run series this summer, they’re also a massive amount of fun; a (slightly) competitive venture to look forward to at the weekend and a reason to create another WhatsApp group between your mates. And a good excuse for a celebratory glass of your preferred cold tipple on a Saturday night.
CASTLE VIRTUAL SERIES
WHAT A series of three-day weekend events from the Castle Triathlon Series organisers
When The Cheshire Cat 19-21 June; The Kentish Horse 3-5 July
COST £10-20
CHARITY 20% of the entry fee to Macmillan Cancer Support
DISTANCES 40 race types, including Duathlon, Triathlon, Run only, Swim only, Cycle only, Aquabike and Aquathon
WEB ENTRY
www.castletriathlonseries.co.uk
ALWAYS AIM HIGH EVENTS
WHAT Monthly challenges from the race brand behind the Slateman and Sandman Triathlons
WHEN From 1-30 June
COST £12
CHARITY 20% of the entry fee going to five charities via Always Aim High Community Events
FREE STUFF Bespoke slate coaster and Always Aim High Events buff
DISTANCES
DUATHLON 25km RUN – 100km BIKE
RUN/WALK 25km,50km, 75km, 100km
RUN Half Marathon in 24hrs
CYCLE 100km, 150km, 200km, 250km
KIDS 3km, 5km, 10km
STAIRCASE30 Climb the cumulative height of Mont Blanc (4808m) in 30 days
WEB ENTRY alwaysaimhighevents.com
XTERRA CONNECT SERIES
WHAT Less a virtual race series than a collection of instructive videos on training tips, strength and conditioning advice, and skills tutorials to aid improvements in off-road triathlon performance while Xterra’s race calendar is on hiatus.
WHEN Ongoing
COST Free
WEB INFO www.xterraplanet.com
IRONMAN VC
WHAT Ironman’s Virtual Club is the brand’s hub for virtual racing and information, with the Ironman VR (Virtual Racing) element seeing athletes compete in challenges while earning points. It’s since become the platform for Ironman qualification as well, with 70.3 Worlds slots up-for-grabs via a duathlon race format (cycling is restricted to a stationary bike on the Rouvy platform) on the Ironman VR Championship Series.
Are Ironman’s virtual 70.3 worlds qualifiers a good idea?
WHEN Weekly. Virtual races will begin on Fridays at 6pm (GMT) and close on Sundays at midnight GMT.
COST Free
DISTANCES A range of distances, the 5-7 June Ironman VR10, for example, was a 3km run, 40km bike and 10km run.
WEB ENTRY www.ironmanvirtualclub.com
OUTLAW LOCKDOWN TRIATHLON
WHAT A monthly series of races from the Outlaw Triathlon organisers, OSB, with the aim of involving the whole family as well as Outlaw entrants.
WHEN 30 June 2020
COST Free
DISTANCES Three events are on offer. The Future Outlaw involves one “lap” of swim-specific S&C exercises, an 8km turbo bike and 1.5km run. The Outlaw Sprint is two laps, 25km on the turbo (or 35mins on a bike if no smart trainer) and a 5km run, while the Outlaw Half is three laps, 56km (or 86mins) and a 13km run.
Tri returned to the British Isles on Sunday 7 June with the Grandes Rocques Guernsey Triathlon super sprint. Unfolding over a 400m sea swim, 10km bike and 3km run, it will forever be known as the first live British triathlon event to be staged since lockdown started at the end of March.
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As Club President of the Guernsey Triathlon Club, I felt pretty proud of both the club and the island to be able to put this event on. Guernsey has been Covid-19-free for 40 days, so we were able to relax some restrictions and crack on with the show!
Unsurprisingly, even with the restrictions relaxed, it meant the race was a bit different to your normal triathlon. To adhere to the new guidelines we split competitors into two waves, with a maximum of 30 athletes going off in each; released in groups of five at one-minute intervals; doubled our draft zone on the bike; and asked athletes to maintain social distancing on the run – unless overtaking.
Guernsey Tristhlon returning towards normal service. @BritTri @220Triathlon https://t.co/mOCItEk51c
— Guernsey Triathlon (@GuernseyTri) June 11, 2020
We had around 60 athletes take part in total, and I arrived early to do the race briefing. It was just so great to see everyone and also see how most of our top athletes have maintained their fitness throughout lockdown! The first race was for our island’s most competitive athletes, so those wanting to represent Guernsey at the Island Games. I went in the second race, and as it was my first actual race for about eight months it was a bit of a shock to the system!
The weather had been amazing throughout lockdown, and the sea had been looking inviting… until race day, obviously! By the time race two set off the swell had really picked up. I’d been put into the first swim wave, so we lined up in groups of five with one metre in between us. It took a while to get through the swell, and sighting was virtually impossible, but fortunately one of the water safety crew put on a bright jacket, so we all headed towards him. I was pretty pleased with my swim, but unfortunately my wave included a Channel swimmer and one of Guernsey’s top pool swimmers. It was their first triathlon experience – they left me for dust!
The bike course was a technical out-and-back along Guernsey’s coastline. I’ve been mountain biking a lot through lockdown, so the TT bike hadn’t been out much. My transition skills were also a bit rusty as we’ve missed our duathlon season. With the wave starts it was hard to know who you were racing, but I managed to pick off a couple of people from my wave!
The run was fast and furious as always, even along the coastal paths where there were several areas of deep sand. On finishing, and once the results had been sorted, I was thrilled to find out I’d come second! All in all it was a great event, and the whole club is now really looking forward to being able to race a full calendar of races from here on in.
Check out the September issue of 220, on sale 6 August, for a seven-page race report from another Guernsey competitor and more great images from the British Isles’ first event.
Ironman have announced that it will add a fourth race in Italy in 2021 – the Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo triathlon. The inaugural event will be held on May 2, 2021 and joins the three existing Ironman events in Italy –Ironman Italy, Ironman 70.3 Italy, and Ironman 70.3 Sardegna.
Located 18 km Northeast of its world-famous neighbour Venice or “La Serenissima”, Jesolo today is one of the most popular tourism destinations in Italy and Central Europe. Jesolo boasts seemingly endless beaches and a distinctive natural lagoon overlooked by the famous lighthouse located at Jesolo Beach or Lido di Jesolo. The race site is easily accessible by car and train and located only 30 minutes away from Venice’s Marco Polo International Airport as well as 40 minutes from Treviso International Airport.
“The city of Venice and the surrounding region are arguably one of the best-known destinations in the world and we are thrilled to add this race venue to next year’s race calendar,” said Stefan Petschnig, Managing Director for Ironman Europe, Middle East and Africa. “Also, there is only one thing Italians are more passionate about than sports and that is their incredible hospitality. We are looking forward to our fourth event in Italy and an amazing race location right at the Adriatic Sea,” he added.
Starting at the popular Lido di Jesolo, athletes will complete a single-loop swim course of 1.9km (1.2 miles) in the Adriatic Sea. With the lighthouse as the backdrop, athletes will get a true feel for the destination right from the start before delving deeper into the Veneto region on the bike.
Athletes will enjoy a single loop 90.1km (56 mile) bike course, where they will discover charming locations that showcase the beauty of the Veneto region. Traversing the northern and southern expanses of Jesolo, the course will take athletes across both sides of the Sile river. After crossing the Sile, the course heads south taking athletes in the direction of Venice towards Punta Sabbioni where it skirts the Venetian Lagoon before returning north to Lido di Jesolo to start the run.
The 21.1km (13.1 mile) run course consists of two loops, crossing the Jesolo promenade for a beautifully coastal route taking in one of Europe’s longest pedestrian roads. An ideal supporter hotspot, the promenade not only offers views of the Adriatic, but also gives athletes the opportunity to enjoy the cheers from their supporters all the way to the finish line at the Lighthouse Beach.
The 2020 Ironman 70.3® Venice-Jesolo triathlon will offer qualifying slots to the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship in St. George, Utah, USA.
General registration for Ironman 70.3 Venice-Jesolo will open on June 30, 2020. For more information please visit www.ironman.com/im703-venice-jesolo
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As mass gathering cancellations sweep through the 2020 race season, Castle Series is responding by hosting a virtual event for every physical event they have to cancel.
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Their cancelled season opener at Lough Cutra Castle, Galway Ireland, saw the final leg of their Spring Virtual Series with Race 4, “Luck of The Irish” garnering huge support. The Spring Virtual Series was a fantastic success, bringing together 2931 racers, from 23 countries, aged 7 – 72 years old, to stay connected, keep fit.
With the cancellations of their Cholmondeley Castle and Festival of Endurance at Hever Castle events, Castle Series is delighted to announce their next virtual event is on 3 – 5 July The Kentish Horse. They’ll be distances for triathlon, duathlon, aquabike, aquathlon, swim only, cycle only and run only races.
So far, the Castle Virtual Series community has raised over £30,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support. Their races will continue to raise vital funds for their national charity partner by donating 20% of each race entry. They are also committed to help raise money for local charities for each region and are proud to announce these will be, Neuro Muscular Centre in Cheshire and Jigsaw South East in Kent. Competitors will be able to make additional donations when they sign up or via JustGiving fundraising.
Prizes
– Posted surprises for gender winners in each age and distance categories
– 35% off race entry for Castle Series 2021 for Club Championship Winners
– 35% off race entry for Castle Series 2021 for Company Championship Winners
– Podium places for gender, age and distance categories
– Special mentions for best dressed and most inventive course
The problem with Ironman age-group world champion Ruth Astle returning to Hawaii as a neo pro is that by the standards of 2019, she’ll have to slum it. “We were supported better than 90% of the pros,” she told 220, describing the Zwift house that played host to the group of high-performing amateurs the online software firm sponsored last season.
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Roll on a few months and it’s not just a house on the Big Island the smart-trainer brand has infiltrated, but the home of just about every triathlete the world over. Those supplying online training software have seen a spike in interest as rampant as a Covid-19 tracking graph.
Over 60% of the Kona pro field were converts, and many more are hopping on to host group rides with thousands of amateurs. Zwift won’t release subscriber numbers but says 25% are triathletes.
The message devotees have been preaching for years has filtered to the mainstream and it’s a virtual epiphany for technophobes wrestling with the social acceptance of being on two wheels in the real world. Now it’s going up a gear.
A Super League Triathlon team was pitched against pro cyclists on Zwift. Ironman has already jumped onboard and launched its Virtual Club with rival software firm Rouvy. But there are teething problems. Ironman’s Facebook Live coverage was a painstaking watch, only livened by three-time world champ Mirinda Carfrae’s novel DNF when husband Tim O’Donnell tripped over the power cord and yanked it from the mains.
The bigger risk though is authenticity. It’s known that treadmills struggle with calibration and the majority max out at 20kph. And as the stakes increase, so does the spotlight on subterfuge. An individual’s personal ‘pain cave’ can be hard to police. ‘Losing’ 20kg from your racing weight is an obvious deception, but more high-tech hacks extend to squeezing the trigger of an Xbox controller to increase the watts.
The whiff of cheating’s contentious enough anyway, but even more so when Ironman is doling out 70.3 World Champs slots, or prize money is on the line. To combat the problem, Zwift has re-launched ZADA, which now stands for Zwift Accuracy and Data Analysis (originally the Zwift Anti-Doping Agency) that evaluates analytics around performance to spot potential red flags.
Are Ironman’s virtual 70.3 Worlds qualifiers a good idea?
Whatever your view, smart-trainer racing is no passing fad. Platforms were seeing a rise in popularity before the virus hit and the UCI, cycling’s governing body, had already struck a deal with Zwift to develop an eSports platform. Even the International Olympic Committee has made overtures in the direction of ‘more healthy’ eSports. The IOC cannot ignore an industry worth nearly $200 billion that attracts a predominantly younger audience. Its president Thomas Bach even cited Zwift as a blueprint to follow.
How fast the cadence of this new world? The treadmill and the turbo trainer once had all the appeal of a blister and a saddle sore, now they’re a golden ticket to join an increasingly popular virtual club.
Huawei has attracted many unfavourable headlines in the UK of late because of security fears. Yet despite these concerns, GB’s government allowed the Chinese company to play a significant role in building the country’s 5G network. But let’s keep politics out of this, and focus on the brand’s next-generation smartwatch and its potential tri benefits.
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Let’s start with the good – the display. We tested the 46mm version – 42mm is also available – which featured a 1.39in AMOLED screen with a resolution of 454 x 454 pixels and is beautifully clear on the fly. Just note that the mooted two-week battery time means the screen sleeps unless activated by time lapse, touchscreen or the two buttons. You can deactivate this feature, which cuts battery length by half and is worth it, but it then retreats to a standard analogue or digital watch face rather than the one you’ve chosen.
The GPS is also impressive, supporting both GPS and GLONASS satellite-positioning systems. This gives you the usuals of current speed, average speed, distance… which you can analyse in detail post-training via the Huawei Health app. This is pretty good for a general overview but, understandably, nowhere near as comprehensive as something like Garmin Connect. Mind you, the virtual pacer function is a neat one, showing you, via a cute graphic, whether you’re ahead or behind your target speed.
Unfortunately, the wrist-based heart-rate measurer is a big letdown. It uses Huawei’s TruSeen 3.0 tech that’s the typical combination of light sensors and algorithms. Sadly, one or both of them are way off as our exercising HR regularly hit 20bpm over what it actually was. We hoped the tech might ‘bed in’. It didn’t. Which then meant the VO2 max predictor was out. Sadly, we couldn’t test its swim HR claims but, based on its dryland readings, we predict inaccuracy.
The HR isn’t the only feature that flatters to deceive. Let’s talk music. Firstly, the sound is impressive, whether Bluetoothed to your wireless headphones or even blaring out of the watch. The GT2 can hold up to 500 songs, uploaded via the Huawei app. The problem is, we could only listen to the song the watch came with as you can’t transfer music via iOS devices. Yes, this is Android only, making one of the strongest features for triathletes redundant for many. You also can’t directly connect to Strava, which again will put many off. All in all, there are numerous features such as notifications, messaging and sleep analysis to satiate the general public. But, as an accurate sports watch, look elsewhere.
Verdict:Great battery and price for many features, but let down by hr and usability