The 2017 Hamburg men’s WTS race came down to a 5km blast-out, with almost the entire field having sat in for the six-lap 20km bike.
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Heading the standings going into the fifth race of the season was Spain’s Fernando Alarza, looking for his first victory of 2017 having collected a string of silver and bronze finishes to date. But a crash at the end of lap one of the bike leg, coming through transition over the blue carpet, cut those hopes short.
With the remaining top four in the standings – Spain’s Mario Mola and Javier Gomez, GB’s Thomas Bishop and South Africa’s Henri Schoeman – left in the mix, the final 5km would provide the viewing public with the race they’d been expecting.
In the first half kilometre, reigning world champ, defending champ and two-time 2017 WTS winner Mola took his place at the front where he remained to the finish line; compatriot Gomez (and 2017 Abu Dhabi victor) running into second before the end of the first lap.
Trading places with New Zealand’s Ryan Sissons throughout, Gomez started to drop off the pace with just 300m to go, eventually crossing the line in fifth behind Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), who outsprinted Sissons for silver, and France’s Vincent Luis in fourth. For ITU stalwart Sissons, 30, Hamburg was his first WTS podium finish.
GB’s Tom Bishop was the top-finishing Brit in 12th, and stays fourth in the overall standings, where Mola has now succeeded Alarza for the top spot. Gomez remains in third position.
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Next up in the 2017 WTS is Edmonton on 28-29 July.
The organisers of the new Super League Triathlon, which debuted in Australia in March, have announced that Jersey will be the second location of the event. Fifty of the world’s leading male and female triathletes, including 25 Olympians from around the world, will compete in the Channel Islands, UK, for the Super League Triathlon crown from 23-24 September 2017.
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The men’s line-up will include the Brownlee brothers, Spain’s Javier Gomez Noya and Mario Mola Diaz, and Richard Murray from South Africa, who won the first event, as well as 20 other leading men’s triathletes.
The women’s racing will see leading Brits including Vicky Holland, Jodie Stimpson, Lucy Hall and Non Stanford taking on reigning ITU world champ Flora Duffy of Bermuda, Olympic bronze medallist Erin Densham from Australia and the current American World Triathlon Series leader Katie Zaferes, among many other leading female triathletes.
The Super League Triathlon event in Jersey is offering equal prize money of $130,000 for both the men and women triathletes. Super League Triathlon co-founder Michael Dhulst commented: “With $130,000 in prize money on offer at Super League Jersey, it’s high-stakes, high-octane racing with huge consequences for any mistakes. This is a sensational race course and an incredible location for spectators.”
The Men’s Event Commenting on the men’s rivalries, two-time Ironman world champion and Super League Triathlon co-founder Chris ‘Macca’ McCormack said: “The Brownlee brothers have been the gold standard, and they respect long-term rival Javier Gomez Noya. The new wave of rivalry is coming from Richard Murray and Mario Mola Diaz. The new athletes to look for are Jake Birtwhistle and Ben Dijkstra.”
Jonny Brownlee, who was sidelined for the debut Hamilton Island event due to injury, will debut the number 05 race suit in Jersey. Jonny commented: “I had to miss Hamilton Island because of injury but I watched the races and know that the Super League Triathlon format will suit me as an athlete. Jersey will be brilliant, with the conditions not as humid as Hamilton Island, and I’m looking forward to racing Super League there for the first time.”
South African Richard Murray flourished under the new Super League Triathlon format, winning the title in Australia. Murray commented: “Super League Hamilton Island changed triathlon racing and showed fans how exciting it can be when showcased properly. I can’t wait for round two at Super League Jersey. Athletes and fans should expect wild, exciting and full speed racing from the fastest triathletes in the world. It’s big gear, no fear! I’m planning for this event already. My competitors will need to turn up in peak condition. I’m ready for them!”
The Women’s Event “Super League Jersey will see the world’s finest female triathletes enter the fray of Super League Triathlon for the first time alongside their male counterparts. Like the male professional fields, the best female athletes from short and long course racing will face-off in a best-of-the-best battle. Separate races will be conducted for the male and female fields each day,” said Super League Triathlon Co-Founder Leonid Boguslavsky.
Twenty-five elite female athletes will be announced soon to take part in Super League Triathlon Jersey, including 2016 World Triathlon Series Champion Flora Duffy from Bermuda, and Rio 2016 Bronze medalist Vicky Holland from the UK. Vicky commented: “Having spent a lot of this season sidelined due to injury, the prospect of being back on a start line to race in Jersey in September is really motivating.”
Jodie Stimpson missed Olympic selection despite being a Dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist. The British women are the world leaders at the moment. Jodie missed out to Non Stanford and Vicky Holland who went on to finish 3rd and 4th at the games. Despite not being true rivals, they have to compete against each other for Commonwealth and Olympic selection for Tokyo and Gold Coast as there is a very high chance of a gold medal for the UK in these events. You also have a young new star in Sophie Coldwell. This is a friendly but tense rivalry because of the depth in UK women’s triathlon.
Race Format Saturday’s Triple Mix format will see athletes complete three stages of competition with alternating sequences and a ten-minute break in between stages. Stage 1 is swim-bike-run, Stage 2 is run-bike-swim, and Stage 3 is bike-swim- run. The winner of Triple Mix is the athlete with the lowest time across the three stages.
Sunday’s Eliminator format will again be conducted in three stages each in a swim-bike-run format with a ten-minute break in between. Eliminator is about speed and strategy with athletes finishing 16th and above in Stage 1 being eliminated; they do not progress to Stage 2. Athletes finishing 11th and above in Stage 2 are eliminated and do not progress to Stage 3. Stage 3 sees the remaining ten athletes battle it out for the Eliminator title.
On both days racing will take place in the afternoon, with racing between 2pm and 6pm each day.
McCormack added: “Super League Hamilton Island changed triathlon forever. The made-for-television racing is exciting, action-packed and full of entertainment. It set the stage for the forthcoming season, which comprises four events, all to be held in iconic destinations around the world between September and April.”
All racing will be broadcast live with programming distributed across international broadcast partners and digital channels making it easy for any fan in any time zone to view programming live or on demand. Full programming schedules will be announced prior to the event.
Expanding upon the Championship format, Super League Jersey will also feature a corporate triathlon event, offering the opportunity for corporate participants to race on the Super League Triathlon Championship course prior to racing each day. Corporate racing is open exclusively to official corporate package partners. Spectator travel packages will also soon be announced via Super League Jersey’s travel partner, Nirvana Europe.
Ironman have announced that the full 226km distance Ironman UK will remain in Bolton, Greater Manchester, until 2022. Bolton will also continue to host the world’s biggest Ironkids event, with 2,500 children participating annually.
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The announcement comes off the back of a 2017 event, won by Lucy Gossage and Cyril Viennot, which saw over 2,000 athletes finish the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run finishing in the Bolton town centre. Since moving to Bolton in 2009, the race has grown from 1,500 athletes to over 2,500 each year.
Ironman UK race tips and everything you need to know
“Having just completed another fantastic event in Bolton, we’re delighted to announce that Bolton will remain the home of Ironman UK for the next five years,” said Ironman UK Race Director, Sam Brawn. “This year was just another reminder of why this race and destination has become such a popular choice amongst athletes from all over the UK and the world. The course offers a real challenge and the support from the people of Bolton and surrounding areas is simply incredible.”
The boisterous local support has become a major feature of the race and that’s been recognised by the athletes. In 2016, triathletes voted the Ironman UK bike course as one of the top 10 in the world and fourth best in Europe with the spectator support playing a big part in the ranking.
Bermuda’s Flora Duffy claimed her fourth consecutive WTS win of 2017 on Saturday to head the overall standings with three races to go. The defending champ won with an even bigger margin of victory than in Hamburg two weeks ago, in a time of 1:00:22, a full minute clear of second place Taylor Knibb of America.
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WOMEN’S ROUND-UP
On a warm and sunny day in the Canadian city, 33 women dived into the water for the 750m swim, which was led from the off by Spaniard Carolina Routier. Joined at the first buoy by America’s Summer Cook and Brazil’s Vanessa Lopes, the three of them led the pack out of the water.
But clocking sub-9mins to join the leading trio was the American quartet of Kirsten Kasper, Katie Zaferes, Taylor Spivey and Knibb, as well as Duffy.
Duffy soon made light work of the new 20km bike course, whose new mid-course hill allowed the Bermudan to break away with Knibb, the19-year-old American in only her third-ever WTS race.
On the final lap, Duffy dug in deep and used her considerable race experience to go it alone into T2 alone, with 12 seconds over Knibb. and a further 90 to the chase pack.
The run then was just a formality for Duffy, cruising to her fourth straight win in a row since returning to racing later than planned due to injury.
Former series leader Zaferes, with the fastest run of the day (17:14), completed the podium.
“It was pretty spot on, so thank you, Edmonton”, said Duffy after her victory. “Taylor (Knibb) is riding super strong at the moment, I have been in a breakaway with her before, in Montreal last year, We worked together really well, but she was so strong I thought she might be running really strong too, so I attacked her on the last hill to get a little buffer”.
MEN’S ROUND-UP
A furious sprint in the last kilometre gave Spaniard Mario Mola his fourth victory of the 2017 WTS season. Second place went to Australian Jake Birtwhistle (10 secs behind), while South African Richard Murray claimed bronze.
The race started with Slovakia’s Richard Varga leading the 750m swim. Only a couple of seconds behind him, a strong group of swimmers followed, including GB’s Jonny Brownlee back on the start line having had to withdraw from Hamburg due to a magnesium definciency.
In a repeat of Hamburg, the 20km bike leg became a procession as alost the entire field raced together. Continuous lead changes saw them arrive into T2 together, with all to be decided on the run.
But again, it was defending champ Mola who demonstrated that he’s the one to beat this season. Not that he had it easy, as his training mate Jake Birtwhistle flew past him with two laps to go.
It didn’t faze the Spaniard, who kept to his own pace, pushing hard on the last kilometre and retaking the lead ahead of Birtwhistle, who claimed his third silver medal in his WTS career and showcased the best run of the day (14:45). In the battle for bronze, South Africa’s Richard Murray finished third, 8secs ahead of Brownlee.
“I feel fantastic. I did the best I could, I won another sprint distance, so I think I am performing better, doing better on the swim and doing a better performance overall”, said Mola, who has won two sprint races in a row. “I saw Jake moving on the second lap and I thought it was the end of the world, but I could get back to win”, he said.
Bermuda’s Flora Duffy claimed her fourth consecutive WTS win of 2017 on Saturday to head the overall standings with three races to go. The defending champ won with an even bigger margin of victory than in Hamburg two weeks ago, in a time of 1:00:22, a full minute clear of second place Taylor Knibb of America.
WOMEN’S ROUND-UP
On a warm and sunny day in the Canadian city, 33 women dived into the water for the 750m swim, which was led from the off by Spaniard Carolina Routier. Joined at the first buoy by America’s Summer Cook and Brazil’s Vanessa Lopes, the three of them led the pack out of the water.
But clocking sub-9mins to join the leading trio was the American quartet of Kirsten Kasper, Katie Zaferes, Taylor Spivey and Knibb, as well as Duffy.
Duffy soon made light work of the new 20km bike course, whose new mid-course hill allowed the Bermudan to break away with Knibb, the 19-year-old American in only her third-ever WTS race.
On the final lap, Duffy dug in deep and used her considerable race experience to go it alone into T2 alone, with 12 seconds over Knibb. and a further 90 to the chase pack.
The run then was just a formality for Duffy, cruising to her fourth straight win in a row since returning to racing later than planned due to injury.
Former series leader Zaferes, with the fastest run of the day (17:14), completed the podium.
“It was pretty spot on, so thank you, Edmonton”, said Duffy after her victory. “Taylor (Knibb) is riding super strong at the moment, I have been in a breakaway with her before, in Montreal last year, We worked together really well, but she was so strong I thought she might be running really strong too, so I attacked her on the last hill to get a little buffer”.
MEN’S ROUND-UP
A furious sprint in the last kilometre gave Spaniard Mario Mola his fourth victory of the 2017 WTS season. Second place went to Australian Jake Birtwhistle (10 secs behind), while South African Richard Murray claimed bronze.
The race started with Slovakia’s Richard Varga leading the 750m swim. Only a couple of seconds behind him, a strong group of swimmers followed, including GB’s Jonny Brownlee back on the start line having had to withdraw from Hamburg due to a magnesium definciency.
In a repeat of Hamburg, the 20km bike leg became a procession as alost the entire field raced together. Continuous lead changes saw them arrive into T2 together, with all to be decided on the run.
But again, it was defending champ Mola who demonstrated that he’s the one to beat this season. Not that he had it easy, as his training mate Jake Birtwhistle flew past him with two laps to go.
It didn’t faze the Spaniard, who kept to his own pace, pushing hard on the last kilometre and retaking the lead ahead of Birtwhistle, who claimed his third silver medal in his WTS career and showcased the best run of the day (14:45). In the battle for bronze, South Africa’s Richard Murray finished third, 8secs ahead of Brownlee.
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“I feel fantastic. I did the best I could, I won another sprint distance, so I think I am performing better, doing better on the swim and doing a better performance overall”, said Mola, who has won two sprint races in a row. “I saw Jake moving on the second lap and I thought it was the end of the world, but I could get back to win”, he said.
Great Britain’s paratriathletes produced strong performances to win two gold, four silver and a bronze medal in the final World Paratriathlon Series (WPS) race of the season in Edmonton, Canada. Gold medals came from Iraq veteran, Steve Crowley, and former England Cerebral Palsy footballer, Ryan Taylor.
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In his first WPS event, Steve Crowley, led from gun to tape to win gold in the men’s PTS4 category. Crowley commented: “It feels great to have taken part in my first World Series race and, more importantly, to have secured the win. Hopefully the points will help to secure an automatic start for the World Championships later this year.”
It was also gold for Rio Paralympian, Ryan Taylor, now competing in the PTS3 category. After a period of illness a couple of months ago, Taylor was delighted to take the victory in Edmonton: “I had one of my best swims in a triathlon and pushed hard on the bike on a tough course. I had a controlled run and so I’m very happy to take the gold medal.”
In the women’s PTS5, Paralympic silver medallist, Lauren Steadman, took silver behind Paralympic champion, Grace Norman from the USA. Four women exited T1 together, including Steadman and Rio Paralympic champion swimmer, Claire Cashmore. Steadman entered the transition from bike to run in the lead before the fast running Norman pulled away.
Cashmore fought hard on the run to finish fourth, just 12secs behind bronze in her first WPS event after taking up paratriathlon earlier this year.
There were also silver medals for Rio Paralympians, George Peasgood (PTS5) and Joe Townsend (PTWC), who both finished behind the Paralympic silver medallists in their respective categories.
Dave Ellis and his guide, Jack Peasgood won Great Britain’s fourth silver medal in the PTVI category. Despite a strong swim, Ellis and Peasgood were unable to match the bike power of American, Aaron Scheidies, who is unbeaten in ITU competition since Ellis won the World Championships in 2013.
Also making her WPS debut for Great Britain, Fran Brown took the bronze medal in the women’s PTS2 category.
ITU Edmonton World Paratriathlon; Friday 28 July 2017; 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run:
Following the success of June 2017’s inaugural The Championship, the Challenge Family have announced that the X-Bionic Sphere in Samorin, Slovakia, will be the host venue of the Championship for the next three seasons.
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The 2018 Championship will take place on the 2-3 June 2018, and will adopt the same racing rules, including the new 20m drafting rule enforced on the bike leg. “We continue to listen to athletes’ requests and we recognised that maintaining a fair race for all is an absolutely integral part of the Challenge Family and the new legacy of The Championship,” said the Challenge CEO Zibi Szlufcik.
The event will again be live streamed on the official website. Live commentary throughout will keep the worldwide audience up to date with accurate and relevant information as the race unfolds.
BRIT SUCCESS IN 2017
The British female champion of the 2017 event, Lucy Charles (pictured), said: “I’m having a great year and winning the first ever Challenge Family The Championship is certainly a highlight of 2017 so far. From start to finish, the atmosphere at the X-Bionic Sphere was electric. The line-up of pros was off the scale and I’m excited that The Championship will be returning to Samorin next year.”
The course has been specifically designed so that the X-Bionic Sphere forms the backdrop of the start, transition and finishing stages of the race. The majority of the run course is inside the venue grounds across a variety of different terrain including grass, asphalt, sand and gravel creating an unparalleled experience for both athletes as well as spectators.
Featuring a 50m outdoor pool and a 25m indoor pool, quiet surrounding roads and the adjacent Danube river, the X-Bionic Sphere offers a wealth of triathlon training facilities. The venue also has a three-floor gym, a four-track training oval and a separate eight-lane track and field athletic oval with IAAF certification.
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On the 2nd June, a portfolio of side events with number of options for those travelling with athletes will take place. The middle-distance pro and age-groupers race will commence on the 3rd June.
For more information visit: www.thechampionship.de
The Promoter is Immediate Media Company Bristol Limited
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Entrants should enter by the website or by post. Entries received after the closing date of the promotion will not be considered.
Entrants must supply to Immediate Media Company Limited their full name, email address and daytime telephone number. The Promoter will use entrants’ personal details in accordance with the Immediate Privacy Policy (www.immediatemedia.co.uk/privacy-policy).
Only one entry will be permitted per person, regardless of method of entry. Bulk entries made by third parties will not be permitted.
The winning entrant(s) will be the first correct entry drawn at random from all the correct entries after the closing date. The Promoter’s decision as to the winner is final and no correspondence relating to the promotion will be entered into. The Promoter may share the winner’s details with the prize provider.
The winner(s) will be notified within 7 days of the close of the promotion by email. If the winner cannot be contacted, or fails to respond within 7 days of such notification being sent, the Promoter reserves the right to offer the prize to a runner up, or to re-offer the prize in any future promotion.
There is no cash alternative and the prize will not be transferable. Prizes must be taken as stated and cannot be deferred. The Promoter reserves the right to substitute the prize with one of the same or greater value.
The name and county of residence of the winner[s] will be available [by sending an SAE to 220 Triathlon, Second Floor, Tower House, Fairfax Street, Bristol BS1 3BN within two months of the closing date of the promotion.
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The run stride length you naturally choose to run with is the best, whether you’re an experienced or inexperienced runner, a new study from Brigham Young University (BYU) finds.
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“Don’t worry about changing your stride length,” said Iain Hunter, a professor of exercise science at BYU. “You should just leave it alone or you’re going to use more energy in the end.”
The study measured the energy use of 33 runners while carrying out various strides during a 20-minute run. Of those runners, 19 were experienced runners (meaning they averaged at least 20 miles a week) while 14 were inexperienced runners (people who have never run more than 5 miles in a week).
During their runs participants used five different stride lengths: their natural stride, and then strides of plus and minus 8 and 16 percent of their normal stride.
Subjects maintained the adjusted strides thanks to the assistance of a computer-based metronome, which beeped each time their foot should’ve hit the treadmill. Meanwhile, researchers measured the energy output of the runners with masks that recorded the amount of oxygen used.
The results found both the experienced and the inexperienced runners were most efficient when they were using their preferred stride. Thus, athletes and coaches don’t need to alter a runner’s stride length when economy is the main concern.
“Just let it happen; it doesn’t need to be coached,” Hunter said. “Your body is your best coach for stride length.”
Fellow author Jared Ward finished 6th in the marathon at the 2016 Olympics and recently finished in the top 10 of the 2017 Boston Marathon.
He said the takeaway is similar to that of elite runners: Be very careful if you’re trying to alter your stride if efficiency is your main concern.
“Many people are advocating for various ‘optimal’ running forms, but this study shows even novice runners shouldn’t try to run any different than their body naturally does,” he said. “Enjoy running and worry less about what things look like.”
220 run coach Paul Larkins says: “It’s really interesting study and makes me feel quite good! For years athletes have come to me and talked about changing their stride length and I’ve always replied ‘let’s work with what you’ve got’. That’s not ignoring their request, more modifying their expectation. My own coach in America would work to the theory we are who we are, but we can maximise that as much as possible using drills etc.
“I guess Paula Radcliffe must have known that. I remember I once met her at a training camp in the Pyrenees and she spent ages on her drills – yet, as any TV viewer will agree, she wasn’t the smoothest, long striding athlete out there!”
Iain Hunter carries out biomechanical analyses for USA Track and Field for the past 14 years. He is headed to London this August with Team USA for the World Championships, where he will help film and analyse U.S. athletes during competitions.
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The study was published in the International Journal of Exercise Science
It wasn’t to be five wins out of five for WTS leader Flora Duffy in Montreal, as she has to settle for second place behind Australian Ashleigh Gentle, who wins her first her first ever WTS race. Andrea Hewitt of New Zealand finishes the podium in third place.
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It was the first time a WTS race has been held in Montreal and it came just a week after WTS Edmonton where Duffy won her fourth WTS race of the season.
American Katie Zaferes led the swim from the start, followed close by Carolina Routier (ESP) and Emma Jeffcoat (AUS).
Zaferes managed to get a small gap of a couple seconds as she exited the waters, but was chased and caught soon after transition by a group of strong bikers, which included Duffy, Hewitt and Kirsten Kasper.
When it came to the run, Gentle pushed hard from the first metre, being the fastest of the field this season in the Olympic distance, to leave all of the other athletes behind.
Gentle got a lead of nine seconds in the first lap, with only Duffy, Hewitt and Kasper keeping up with the frantic speed on the Montreal streets. With every pacing lap that lead only grew and eventually as she hit the bell it was enough to allow her to cross the finish line, stopping the clock on 1:59:04.
Second to the finish line was Duffy, 23 seconds behind, while Hewitt took third and her 20th podium of her career.
The second place keeps Duffy at the top of the Series leaderboard with 3940 points, while Gentle climbs up to second place with 3286 points, followed by Zaferes with 3192.
After the race, a bursting in tears Gentle said: “I had so many things on my mind coming into this race… I needed to focus on the little things rather than the results, and I did. I made it. It has taken me six years to get on top of the WTS podium, six years of up and downs, a few second places… and I finally made it”.
Duffy was also “very happy for my second place”, but “really happy for Ashleigh. I knew this was gonna come at some point”.
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Hewitt said: “I’ve been in this city 10 days training and I think that this has helped me a lot today. I loved the city and the course, and to be back to an Olympic distance race”.
It was an elite field in Montreal with Spaniards Mario Mola, Javier Gomez and Fernando Alarza, and Brit Jonny Brownlee in the mix. With the Spanish making up the first three in the WTS rankings they have certainly been dominating the 2017 season but although he may not have a chance at the title Jonny Brownlee wanted a win and to start with it looked like everything was going his way.
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As predicted Richard Varga (SVK) led the non-wetsuit swim, followed by Brownlee and Ben Kanute (USA) with current WTS leader Mario Mola (ESP) 53secs behind the leaders when exiting the swim.
Aussie Aaron Royle joined the trio of Varga, Kanute and Brownlee out of T1 to form a leading group of four. However they were soon joined by Javier Gomez, Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt and Seth Rider from USA.
Over the next nine bike laps this group of seven kept the lead between 40 and 55secs and entering T2 they were one minute ahead of the chasers.
Out on the run Gomez, Blummenfelt and Brownlee made their move and strode away from the remaining four. Then at 3km Gomez increased his pace, not wanting it to come down to sprint finish, and Blummenfelt and Brownlee were unable to respond. From then on a win for the 34 year old never looked in doubt and his winning time was 1:47:50.
Blummenfelt then strode away from Brownlee to take second place. While after some fantastic running South African Richard Murray made his way through the field up to fourth place and with just under 2km to go challenged and overtook Brownlee to take the final place on the podium.
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This 14th WTS victory from Javier Gomez was his meant he has become the oldest man to have won a WTS event.