Registration is now open for the seventh annual Beijing International Triathlon, set to take place on Sunday 23 September at the Garden Expo Park in the Fengtai District of Beijing, China’s capital.
Advertisement
Last year’s 2,000 race slots for the Olympic- and sprint-distance races sold out within a week. To register, visit www.BeijingInternationalTriathlon.com.
The 2017 champions, Henri Schoeman (pictured) and Paula Findlay, will lead a field of elite pros as they compete for the $100,000 prize purse. The Beijing International Triathlon is now part of the Escape Triathlon Series, serving as a qualifier race for the world-renowned Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
The Olympic-distance course will showcase the cultural attractions in Fengtai, including a 1.5km swim through Garden Expo Lake, a challenging 40km bike and up into the Qian Ling Mountain, and a 10km run through the Garden Expo Park.
The sprint element of the triathlon will take triathletes on a 750m lake swim, a 20km bike ride and a 5km run through the lush grounds of the Garden Expo Park. In addition to the individual and relay team entries, the Collegiate Challenge returns as part of this year’s triathlon.
As part of the Escape Triathlon Series, the Beijing International Triathlon will award the top male and female finishers per age group a guaranteed race entry in the 2019 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon (entry fee is the responsibility of the racer).
An elite field of pros will participate with a point system tracking their progress as they vie for the 18 professional men’s and 18 professional women’s race slots for the 2019 Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon.
He’s back! Ali Brownlee from Great Britain has put last year’s hip problems behind him and has set down his intent for the season with a masterclass at Ironman 70.3 Dubai today.
Advertisement
In 2016, he hinted at what he was capable of with two wins at middle-distance racing (including an emphatic win at 70.3 St. George) before hip surgery curtailed his hopes of lifting the Ironman 70.3 World champ title. Could 2018 be his year?
The signs are there that he could. Conditions in the United Arab Emirates were good, sunny and warm but not blustery like previous years.
Leading men are out of the water – @AliBrownleetri leads the race #IM703Dubai pic.twitter.com/cGg3fDUjtF
— IronmanLIVE.com (@IRONMANLive) February 2, 2018
Finishing the one-lap swim in the Arabian Gulf in the lead side-by-side with Johann Ackermann, in a time of 22:36, Brownlee set out on the 90km bike course at a blistering pace and dominated from the start. By 22km he had over a minute lead over Sven Riederer in second place, which he had extended to almost 3mins by 45km.
Dynamic, strong – and pulling away from the rest: @AliBrownleetri has a lead of almost 3 minutes at km 45 – thx for the clip @TalbotCox Talbot Cox #IM703Dubai pic.twitter.com/AKNasH3tiK
— IronmanLIVE.com (@IRONMANLive) February 2, 2018
Finishing the bike leg with the best split of the day in 1:58:51, he set out on the mainly flat, three-lap, run leg along Jumeirah Public Beach with a 3:59 lead over Riederer and it wasn’t a lead he was going to relinquish easily. He ran the first 10.3km in 31:28 minutes and had extended the gap to almost 5mins. This pace continued and he also clocked up the fastest run split of the day with a time of 1:09:36.
His overall winning time was 3:35:32, with a 6:35 minute margin over Riederer who finished second.
“It did go over smoothly,” says Brownlee. “Didn’t feel great on the swim, had a couple of bad patches on the bike but on the run I just felt great, I was in control and I actually really enjoyed the last 10-18K. I was just kind of soaking it in, enjoying the cheers. Obviously it’s so fantastic to be back after too much time spent at the gym the past six months,” says Ali. What will the rest of the season hold for him?
The Ironman 70.3 Dubai is first race of the Nasser Bin Hamad Triple Crown series, with the other two being Ironman 70.3 Middle East Championship Bahrain and the Ironman 70.3 World Championships. If an athlete wins all three races they will take home $1,000,000 in prize money – could Ali Brownlee win it in 2018?
The top 10 in Dubai
Advertisement
1. 3:35:30 Alistair Brownlee 2. 3:42:05 Sven Riederer 3. 3:42:42 Ruedi Wild 4. 3:43:38 Maurice Clavel 5. 3:44:19 Nicholas Kastelein 6. 3:45:35 Ilia Prasolov 7. 3:45:41 Jesper Svensson 8. 3:47:08 Ronnie Schildknecht 9. 3:47:10 Bertrand Billard 10. 3:47:53 Kevin Maurel
Want to train like Ali Brownlee? Here’s his key triathlon training sessions with adaptions for age-groupers
From February 23 – 25, the UK’s largest triathlon show, Triathlon Show: London will return to London’s ExCeL for 2018. The show caters for swimmers, cyclists, runners and triathletes with 100’s of exhibitors, whilst providing visitors the opportunity to take part in swim coaching sessions, to test the latest bikes or to take part in a 10km run, as well as the best information on nutrition, training and events. British triathlete and four time World Ironman Champion Chrissie Wellington will be headlining the performance theatre on Saturday.
Advertisement
7 reasons to visit the Triathlon Show: London 2018
And of this wasn’t enough, we’ve prepared a gift bag, worth over £35, containing 220’s March issue, a Bontrager water bottle, 10% off entry into the London-Paris bike event with HotChillee, goodies from Vitabiotics, Alpecin, Vit Stix and more – all for just £5
If you haven’t bought your tickets to the show yet you can order your gift bag from the Triathlon show: London website when you purchase your tickets. Select the option 220 Triathlon Gift Bag with your show entry ticket and collect from the 220 Triathlon stand TR421
Are you a Zwifter? Do you want to become a Zwift national champion? Zwift are to host the first Zwift Nationals Championships event on Saturday February 24, 2018, when Zwifters from the top 15 nations worldwide will compete to earn the right to wear their national jersey in Zwift for a year.
Advertisement
Each national championship will include men’s and women’s individual races, which will take place on the Watopia Volcano Climb Course. The men’s will complete three laps of the 14.2 mile circuit, taking in a total of 2,007ft of climbing, while the women’s will take place over two laps of the same course, totalling 1,338ft of climbing.
The 15 countries with the most Zwifters have been selected to compete in the first Zwift National Championships. These countries are; USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, Japan, Netherlands presented KNWU, the Dutch National Cycling Federation, Norway, Belgium, Sweden, South Korea, Denmark, Switzerland, France and Poland. All events take place on Feb 24 with the exception of Australia. The Australian Zwift National Championships will take place later this year to fall in line with their winter cycling season.
As with all regular national championship events, you must enter the championship corresponding to your registered nationality, rather than country of residence. If your home nation isn’t featured, don’t worry, more countries will be added in 2019.
Riders are required to wear a heart rate monitor to be eligible for the win.
Riders will have to use a power meter or smart trainer to be considered for the win; ZPower on traditional trainers or rollers will not be eligible
Riders producing over 5w/kg average will be automatically disqualified. These riders can be reinstated after providing similar real-life matching performances verified by ZADA.
Strava data for the Zwift National Championship races must be open (not private or hidden).
Riders must register at www.zwiftpower.com before the race.
By entering this event, riders agree to the terms and conditions at www.zwiftpower.com.
Eligibility is based on a rider’s Zwift account country/flag, not the rider’s place of residence.
Advertisement
For more information on the Zwift National Championships, head to zwift.com/events/series/2018-zwift-national-championships/
Starts favourite having emerged from the shadow of five-time winner and countryman Javier Gomez to win the past two ITU world titles. Last year’s success was aided by a four-race mid-season winning streak that started on Gold Coast, so the Spaniard will relish the return to Queensland for this season Grand Final.
Jonny Brownlee
Losing a sprint finish in London in 2013 and overheating in Cozumel in 2016 means Brownlee still has just one individual WTS title (2012), despite being one of the most consistent triathletes in the world. Last year was mediocre by his exceptional standards. Struggling for form and fitness he won just once, in Stockholm. Likely to be joined by cameo appearances from older brother Alistair in both Abu Dhabi and Leeds.
Kristian Blummenfelt
The Norwegian burst into serious contention for honours with three consecutive runners-up spots to conclude last season’s World Series, including in the Grand Final in Rotterdam where he defeated world champion Mola. Still improving at 24 years old, he further proved his mettle in winning the new mixed format Super League Triathlon contest in Jersey in September.
Richard Murray
The South African has already put down a marker with victory at the second-tier World Cup event in Cape Town in February. The 29-year-old hasn’t placed lower than seventh in a race since a disqualification in Hamburg in July 2016, but has also not won on the WTS circuit since Edmonton in 2015.
Tom Bishop
The emerging Derbyshire athlete finished a creditable seventh in the WTS rankings last year having enjoyed a breakthrough race to open the season and finish runner-up in Abu Dhabi. Steady improvement would see him add more WTS podiums and look for a top five finish in the series.
Top 5 women to watch
Flora Duffy
Will take some stopping. Seized the mantle from Gwen Jorgensen by beating the newly-crowned Olympic champ in the 2016 Grand Final in Cozumel and then strung together a run of victories almost as impressive as the American. Duffy has suffered defeat just once in her past eight WTS races and has landed two world titles in the process.
Ashleigh Gentle
A traditional powerhouse of triathlon, Australia hasn’t had a WTS champion since Emma Moffatt in 2010, but it may not be beyond Gentle’s reach. The Brisbane triathlete had the best season of her career in 2017 and became the only woman to beat Duffy in landing a first WTS win in Montreal. Will be buoyed by home crowd support should she reach Gold Coast’s Grand Final in September in contention.
Jess Learmonth
A latecomer to the sport, Learmonth was originally considered as a support athlete in big races due to her strong swim-bike combination and comparatively weak run. That changed last season after she sacrificed a race in Leeds, but unshackled from team orders won the European title five days later. A third place in the Grand Final in Rotterdam suggests a first WTS win is not beyond question.
Jess Learmonth reveals her swim training secrets
Katie Zafares
Despite Jorgensen pledging her future to marathon running, the US remain the No 1 nation in draft-legal women’s triathlon. Current top dog is Zafares, who finished third in last year’s series and was second in the Grand Final behind Duffy. She has also tasted individual success in the WTS with a 2016 win in Hamburg.
Taylor Knibb
While compatriots Zafares, Kirsten Kasper, Summer Cook, Taylor Spivey and Renee Tomlin all rank higher than Knibb, the back-to-back world youth champion has age on her side. She became the youngest triathlete to make a WTS podium in Edmonton last season, and only turns 20 this year. If her rate of improvement continues, expect more top three finishes in 2018.
The courses
Abu Dhabi, March 2, Sprint
Now the regular WTS curtain-raiser, the sprint format means a sharp jolt back to racing after the winter break. Flat, fast and hot, it can throw up surprise victors given its early scheduling, but this season may be different with Commonwealth athletes looking to peak early due to the Games on Gold Coast. That also suggests high calibre racing, underlined by both Brownlees being on the provisional start list.
Bermuda, April 28, Standard The North Atlantic island hosts a WTS event for the first time, with all eyes on the women’s race as reigning champion – and home hero – Flora Duffy looks for a third successive world title. After a sea swim, it promises a challenging bike leg to suit the 30-year-old’s strengths, followed by a 10km harbourside run in Hamilton, the island’s capital. As a new venue a seven-hour flight away, expect the Brits to turn up in force.
Yokohama, May 12, Standard
A frequent host of WTS racing, the Japanese city just south of Tokyo has been an annual stopover since 2011. A flat course but often beset with heavy rainfall, the most challenging part of the event can be staying upright on the bike. Has been dominated by the Spanish on the men’s side in the past four years, with Javier Gomez and Mario Mola sharing two wins apiece.
Leeds, June 10, Standard
Back to Leeds for a third successive year on a course made for – and by – the Brownlees. Alistair and Jonathan finished one-two in 2016 and 2017 and should the Yorkshire duo be fit and motivated, don’t rule out a repeat. The challenging test – a fierce climb straight out of T1 – plays to their strengths, and with triathletes scoring from a maximum five WTS races, their major rivals often decide this chillier venue is a good one to skip.
Hamburg, July 14, Sprint
The only city to have hosted a race every season since WTS inception in 2009, Hamburg claims to be the ‘world’s biggest triathlon’ with crowds estimated into six figures. The elite races are set over sprint distance on Saturday, with the four-strong mixed relay events taking centre stage in the city centre on Sunday. Jodie Stimpson, in 2013, is the only British woman to have won here.
220 named Hamburg as the 25th best triathlon in the world
Edmonton, July 27-29, Sprint
The Canadian city has embraced the series since hosting the Grand Final in 2014, and is again chosen for the season finale in 2020. Like Yokohama, results are often dictated more by conditions than the course. In 2015, temperatures dropped to seven degrees with driving rain and strong winds. It was a race that suited Britain’s Vicky Holland, who mastered the challenge of Hawrelak Park to claim the the second of her two WTS wins.
Montreal – August 25-26, Standard
Quebec marks the penultimate round of the WTS and a chance top up the ranking points before the Grand Final. Notable for its cobbled sections on the bike course, Montreal made its debut in the series in 2017 with wins for veteran Javier Gomez of Spain and Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle.
Gold Coast, September 12-16, Standard
After hosting the Commonwealth Games in April, the Queensland resort is certainly getting its triathlon fix for 2018. A flat, technical test, often raced in sweltering heat. It’s the first venue to play Grand Final host for a second time. In 2009, Alistair Brownlee ran away from Javier Gomez to win his first world title in an undefeated WTS season.
And don’t forget…World Mixed Relays (Nottingham, June 7; Hamburg, July 14; Edmonton – July 27-29) Having been accepted into the Olympic Games for Tokyo 2020 , the two-man, two-woman mixed relay is upping the ante for 2018. A standalone event in Nottingham, then a further qualifier in Hamburg, act as a precursor for the World Relay Finals in Canada. Britain, Australia and the USA will be among the favourites, but with a 300m swim, 7.5km bike and 1.5km run, the event can be as unpredictable as it is tactical.
Advertisement
220 named the National Club Relays in Nottingham, UK as the 26th best triathlon in the world
Sri Lanka’s capital city of Colombo played host to a new Ironman 70.3 event yesterday, with 63 countries represented in total across the age-group field.
Advertisement
The race took place at Galle Face Green urban park in Colombo’s port area, with closed road bike and run courses along the harbour away from the hustle and bustle of downtown Colombo. With the water a balmy 27c, a non-wetsuit swim kicked proceedings off at 6.15am in the Indian Ocean, with a three lap bike course that was windy in places but pan flat. The two-lap run course was similarly flat but exposed, heading along the harbour and back before finishing at Galle Face Green.
Male winner Olivier Godhart, who stormed to victory in a time of 4:06:06. Credit: Ironman
Just over 556 triathletes conquered the course, with many others succumbing to the heat as temperatures reached the 30’s. First over the line was Olivier Godhart of Luxemburg, who had no such problem by finishing with a huge 17 minute cushion over the second-placed finisher in 4:06:06. Godhart was only one of three to record a run split of under 1hr 30mins, preceded by a race-best 2:08:55 bike split. The first female finisher was Ling Er Choo of Singapore in a time of 4:43:23, with a three minute cushion over second-placed Svetlana Ushakova (Rus) in 4:46:40.
Despite triathlon being a very new sport in the country (Colombo’s only triathlon club was founded just last year), Sri Lanka was also very well represented at the event. The first local finisher was Suranga Nuwan Kumara in a time of 4:49.36, and thousands of local spectators lined the streets of Colombo to catch some of the action.
Advertisement
Look out for our feature on Ironman 70.3 Colombo in issue 350 of 220 Triathlon next month
British Olympic medallists Jonathan Brownlee and Vicky Holland are part of a stellar field, which include defending ITU world champions, Mario Mola (ESP) and Flora Duffy (BER), racing Abu Dhabi tomorrow.
Advertisement
The lineup features nine of last year’s top ten world ranked women, and eight of the top ten men, and names to look out for are Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt, and Spaniard Fernando Alarza in the men’s, and Aussie Ashleigh Gentle, Brits Non Stanford and Jess Learmonth and Americans Katie Zaferes and Kirsten Kasper, not to mention last year’s winner Kiwi Andrea Hewitt, in the women’s.
Jonathan Brownlee is targeting Series success this year as well as using this first race to help prepare him for the Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast in April.
Having not raced in Abu Dhabi since 2015, Brownlee said: “To race on a F1 track is very special. For actually racing, it’s more technical on the bike. You can make the race interesting and hopefully I’m looking forward to a good race on Friday.”
Team England Commonwealth Games team mate, Tom Bishop returns after memorably finishing second last year, achieving his first ever Series podium finish. Olympian, Gordon Benson, and Team Scotland Commonwealth Games athlete, Marc Austin are Britain’s other male competitors.
Vicky Holland arrives in Abu Dhabi having started the season with an ITU World Cup win in South Africa earlier this month following a nine-month injury lay-off. The Rio 2016 bronze medal winner is part of a strong British lineup, including ITU Grand Final podium finisher, Jess Learmonth, former ITU world champion, Non Stanford, and world U23 medal winner, Sophie Coldwell.
Holland said: “This is a really stacked race to begin the year with, you don’t often get that at the first race of the year. I’ll get to test myself against the best.”
Alistair Brownlee has withdrawn from the race to continue treatment of a pulled calf muscle. He plans to travel to Australia next week to join the rest of the home nations teams preparing for the Commonwealth Games.
The ITU World Triathlon Abu Dhabi takes place on Yas Island. The course covers a 750m sea swim, 20km bike and 5km run. The British athletes are Marc Austin, Gordon Benson, Tom Bishop and Jonathan Brownlee in the men’s, and Sophie Coldwell, Vicky Holland, Jess Learmonth and Non Stanford in the women’s.
How to watch
Elite men’s race: BBC Red Button & online live from 9:20am (start 9:36am)
Elite women’s race: BBC Red Button & online live start 11:36am.
Advertisement
Highlights: BBC One from 1:15pm on Saturday, 3 March.
Professor Greg Whyte is to join Elivar Sports Nutrition as their nutrition expert. Elivar Sports Nutrition develops sports nutrition exclusively for 35-55 year olds
Advertisement
A physical activity expert and world-renowned sports scientist, Professor Greg Whyte OBE is a former Olympian in modern pentathlon and a World and European Championship medalist. Well-known for his involvement in Comic Relief for well over a decade, training and coaching unlikely heroes such as David Walliams and Davina McCall, and more recently Jo Brand and Radio1 DJ Greg James, to achieve the near impossible. As a result of his work, Greg has helped to raise over £37 million for charity.
As part of the deal with Elivar, Professor Greg Whyte will feature in a series of videos to educate middle-aged athletes about using nutrition to improve performance and support long-term health. In particular, the campaign will focus on addressing issues around the use of carbs during training and protein for recovery.
Advertisement
Elivar was founded in 2014 by Donal Hanrahan and Len Dunne, two former international rowers who were frustrated at the poor quality of sports nutrition for over 35 year olds. elivar.com
With 8 out of the top 10 male triathletes lining up, it was an elite field that descended onto Abu Dhabi for the regular WTS curtain-raiser.
Advertisement
Two not competing were Spaniard Javier Gomez, who is concentrating on his 70.3 races, and Ali Brownlee, who had to pull out due to his pulled calf muscle. However the rest of the high calibre field included his brother Jonny, who would be hoping for a strong performance to put last year’s disappointments behind him, and reigning World Champ Mario Mola.
It was back to the sprint distance for the United Arab Emirates race, and conditions were far from favourable, with rain falling for most of the day. The rain though did not affect the 750 metre swim and it was the South African Henri Schoeman who exited the water first, with USA athlete Ben Kanute in second, and Brownlee in third.
Because of the rain the technical bike leg, which took place over the twisty F1 track, would prove even more technical with slippery conditions, and there were some fallers in the early stages of the race.
The early leading group included Schoeman, Brownlee, Vincent Luis, and Kanute, with Mola some way back. Brownlee caused some drama, and British hearts to drop, in the latter stages of the first lap when, trying to push the pace, he went down. Luckily for the Commonwealth selectors, a grazed knee was all the damage he occurred, and by the end of lap two had managed to rejoin the leading group.
However the leading group wouldn’t stay at the front for long as in the early stages of the third lap Schoeman made a break and was soon 7secs up, which had extended to 14secs by the end of lap four.
With Mola putting in a sterling performance on the bike to join the chasers just after his break, this proved to be a great tactical move from the South African. Schoeman entered T2 with a 22 second lead over Mola and Brownlee, but could they chase him down on the 5km run?
With Brownlee’s run fitness still not quite there, it would be up to the Spaniard to catch him, and by the start of the last lap of the 5km run Mola was just 11secs behind. It looked like we were looking at our top two, but which way would they fall?
Schoeman carried on running strong and just managed to hold off Mola by 6 seconds to win his second World Triathlon Series race in a time of 57:05. He also became only the second man to lead from the start to win a World Triathlon Series race – the other being Alistair Brownlee back in 2014.
“I am so happy there are no words. Mario is a fantastic runner so I was running scared! I am so thrilled,” said Schoeman
Frenchman Vincent Luis finished in third with Brownlee in 7th.
Advertisement
Brownlee said: “I didn’t realise how slippery some parts of the circuit were, and then I lost a bit of confidence and didn’t really get it back on the bike. I knew I wasn’t going to run very well, but that’s the first race done.”
It was another stellar field for the women’s sprint race in the United Arab Emirates. Nine of the top ten women would race, including reigning world champ Flora Duffy and Rio bronze medallist Vicky Holland. The only notable absentee was Olympic champ Gwen Jorgensen who has moved to marathon running.
Advertisement
If you were a betting person your money would be on Flora Duffy for the victory. The double world champion dominated the 2017 season, and with a technical bike course WTS Abu Dhabi looked like it would all play out to her strengths
The early indications were that it would. Brit Jess Learmonth would lead the swim, with Duffy just behind. Out on the bike Duffy and Learmonth then made a leading duo until Duffy pulled away at the end of the first lap. It looked like it was about to become the all-familiar Duffy show.
However like in the men’s race, conditions in Abu Dhabi were not favourable with the rain and oil on the F1 track making life slippy for the triathletes. Duffy fell victim to this, falling in the tunnel where it was particularly bad. There was no way back for the Bermudan and suddenly the race was wide open.
Crashed out. I’m fine. Super slick course. So disappointed. https://t.co/YD5NSSG3sp
With about 5km to go there was a lead group of about eight triathletes, including Katie Zaferes (USA), Rachel Klamer (Netherlands), Sophie Coldwell (GB), Jess Learmonth (GB), Kirsten Kasper (USA), Natalie VanCoevorden (AUS), Lotte Miller (NOR) and Melanie Santos (POR) all in contention. But then the infamous tunnel claimed its next victims as Zaferes and Coldwell both fell. For the six remaining it was now just about survival and riding safely until T2.
Which they did and when safely out on the 5km run the six soon became four as Kasper, Klamer, Learmonth, and VanCoevorden broke away. Then as the bell went for the last lap of the 5km run it became two as Learmonth and Klamer made their move.
Running strong Klamer then left a tired Learmonth with about 800 yards to go and claim her first WTS victory. A penalty for Kasper assured a tiring Learmonth of second and a sprint finish from VanCoevorden earned her the final podium place.
“I am so happy, there was no way I was expecting this,” says Klamer. “I have to say I was quite scared on the bike because the last few months I have been training on only straight roads and didn’t do any corners. There was a lot of women crashing so I just decided to take it easy, ride hard, but just go easy through the corners. I ended up sitting behind a couple crashes, which wasn’t smart so I had to chase one whole lap to get back to the front pack. But I am happy I stayed on my bike.
Advertisement
“When we started running I tried to focus on my breathing because normally at the start of the season I often get side stitches. I stayed at the back of the back on the first lap, but on the last lap I thought I would just give it a try.”