With the strongest line-up of pro athletes ever seen at a triathlon, we didn’t envy whoever had to pick names for the pre-race press conference line-up. To give you some idea of the calibre of elite rolling into the desert for the inaugural Challenge Bahrain this coming Saturday, silver medallist Lisa Norden was absent, as was former ITU world champ and fast-rising 70.3 star Tim Don and bronze medallist Jan Frodeno (although the Beijing Games gold medallist has pulled out of the race due to illness).
Taking to the elevated podia then was the following roll call of multisporting greats: 2013 Roth champion Dirk Bockel; 2 x ITU LD world champ Caroline Steffen; three-time Kona winner Mirinda Carfrae; 2014 Kona bronze medallist Rachel Joyce; Commonwealth gold medallist Jodie Stimpson; reigning IM world champ Sebastian Kienle; 2012 Kona winner Pete Jacobs; and two-time 70.3 world champion Michael Raelert.
Here’s what a few of the ladies had to say ahead of this unique and history-making event…
MIRINDA CARFRAE
“I’d be lying if I said I was in great shape for this event. After Kona, there’s always a whirlwind of activity, but I like to take every opportunity that’s given to me, which has meant a lot of travel, some holiday, some work. But I think it’s important to celebrate victories when they come. So what I’m saying is that I’m not in the best shape possible for this race. I think I’m going to get beaten pretty soundly on the weekend but I’m okay with that. I’m happy with my year, and I’ll go out there and do my best but I’m pretty sure it’s not going to be anywhere near enough for this one. Top 10 would be amazing”
JODIE STIMPSON
“I’m not really know for my pacing in Olympic distance so this is going to be a challenge as it is. But I’ve been training with [Olympic silver medallist] Lisa Norden, who I’m lucky has done a few. But to be honest, after the Commonwealths, which was my first champs, I was quite drained. But it’s nice to have this challenge, and just getting back into training. I don’t think these girls are going to do the bike slowly, they won’t take it easy for me, I’ll just be waiting to get to the run leg. It’s been great to share a hotel with these idols, and I’ve got nothing but respect for them. I’m just excited to be on the start line with them.”
RACHEL JOYCE
“It’s going to be a super fast day and that’s kept me motivated since Kona. I’ve kinda had fun, some time-trials, joining a different swim group in Perth. I’m excited to see the mix of athletes and I think that’s going to impact on the race dynamic. But no one knows what’s going to happen. I’m just looking forward to throwing my hat in the ring, going for broke. It’s going to be a boom or bust strategy, I think!”
CAROLINE STEFFEN
“Mirinda says she’s not in good shape, but sorry, I don’t believe her! I think we’re going to see some surprises on Saturday.”
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The race gets underway at 7.30am local time (4.30am UK time) on Saturday 6 December, and a live online feed will be broadcast on race day at www.challenge-bahrain.com.bh. We’ll be hosting a liveblog from 7am local time right here on the 220 Triathlon website, and there will also be regular updates on our Twitter account.
We’re being cowards here at 220. Never before has a field of multi-platform multisporting greats come together for one race. And for that reason, we’re reluctant to call it for the first-ever Challenge Bahrain this coming Saturday.
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Hell, even the pros were having trouble remembering all the names when asked for their predictions. So while we mull, ponder and deliberate, let’s hear from a few of the men on their thoughts ahead of this weekend…
Having missed out on Kona due to injury, the first question is posed to 2013 Roth champion and Olympian Dirk Bockel if he thinks he’s in better shape than most, ie more recovered, heading into the race?
“This is bigger than Kona and everyone sitting up here today will treat this as their A-game. And if I’m more recovered or not, that’s definitely [my] game plan [to go out and win].
And what of Pete Jacobs, 2012 Kona champion? “I’m well rested coming into this event but I think this course really suits people who are a bit rested because the bike’s flat, there’s a big tailwind and if you can survive through the bike then anything can happen with fresh legs, you never know.
“I’ll be really happy with a top ten, it is going to be a race like I’ve never been with such a talented field, it’s great to be a part of the race,” added Jacobs. “So not great shape, but still pretty optimistic that things could go alright.”
Whereas fellow reigning world Ironman champ Mirinda Carfrae had already declared her lack of fitness and played down her chances for victory on Saturday, Sebastian Kienle was not sharing what could be construed as a defeatist attitude.
“I don’t know if I’m in shape to be a factor but I will definitely give my best. And we’ll figure it out on the course. I’ve done a lot of races where I’ve not been able to do a lot of prep and then I’ve had a really good race. I think we’ll see on Saturday but I’m not in bad shape.”
But with a field as strong as this, who does he think will be his biggest rivals come race day?
“I’m not as diplomatic as Dirk [who swerved the question as to who would be a factor in the race]. For sure, Tim Don because he has the legs for putting in one of the best run splits. And of course Michael [Raelert], as he’s very hungry for success. So those are my two favourites.”
For a full line-up of the pros taking part in this weekend’s event head to: www.challenge-bahrain.com.bh.
The race gets underway at 7.30am local time (4.30am UK time) on Saturday 6 December, and a live online feed will be broadcast on race day at www.challenge-bahrain.com.bh. We’ll be hosting a liveblog from 7am local time right here on the 220 Triathlon website, and there will also be regular updates on our Twitter account.
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Who do you think will win Challenge Bahrain on Saturday? Let us know in the comments!
Are you excited about Challenge Bahrain this Saturday? We are – most of the world’s best long-course triathletes will be on the start line at 7.30am local time (4.30am UK time), including both Kona winners plus a smattering of Brits.
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Yet how to watch Sebastian Kienle, Mirinda Carfrae, Tim Don, Rachel Joyce et al? The good news is that there will be a live video stream on the event website, with two-time Kona winner Chris ‘Macca’ McCormack on commentating duties.
But that’s not all! We’re also hosting a liveblog on the 220 website, where deputy editor Liz (who’s already out in Bahrain) will deliver lots of course-side insight and debate from 7am local time (4am UK time). Plus there will be the usual real-time updates on our Twitter feed.
The official race schedule for Saturday 6th December runs as follows:
5:00am – Transition opens 7:30am – Start Challenge Bahrain 2014 7:30am – Pro Men 7:35am – Pro Women 8:05am – AG 50 years and older, all sub-4:40 athletes 8:15am – AG Women 8:25am – AG 18-34 Men 8:35am – AG 35-49 Men 8:45am – Relay Approx 11:00am – Finish of the male race winner Challenge Bahrain Approx 11:30am – Finish of female race winner – Challenge Bahrain
Nearly 100 professional athletes will be lining up on Saturday, including both current Ironman world champions Sebastian Kienle and Mirinda Carfrae, and various Olympians and Commonwealth champs.
There are three British men on the start line (Tim Don, Ritchie Nicholls and Fraser Cartmell) and three British women (Rachel Joyce, Jodie Swallow, and Jodie Stimpson on her middle-distance debut). The full pro start list can be found here.
There will also be more than 1,000 age-groupers racing next Saturday, with the course involving a fast flat point-to-point course that takes in a 1.9km swim, 90km bike and 21km run, all spread out over a point-to-point course that passes both ancient Mesopotamian sites and high-tech landmarks, and finishes at the F1 motor circuit (maps here).
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Who do you think will triumph in Bahrain? Let us know in the comments below!
With so many of the world’s top long-course triathletes lined up for the first Challenge Bahrain, we’ll be right there course-side to cover all the action.
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Join us right here from 7.30am local time (4.30am UK time) on Saturday 6 December for live and in-depth coverage of all the action. A live video feed can be found here.
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P.S. We’d love you to dive into the comments below and tell us your opinion, don’t be shy!
Two-time 70.3 Ironman world champion, Michael Raelert set the pace on the 1.9km swim, leading out Kiwi Dylan McNeice and former IM world champ Pete Jacobs into and out of T1. British hopes were firmly pinned on Tim Don, who had a solid swim to exit the first transition in the top 10.
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Reigning world champ Sebastian Kienle, meanwhile, had a day to forget, with a less than stellar swim before a mechanical early on in the bike put pay to a big win in Bahrain.
Another big name to DNF was Dirk Bockel, who pulled to the side 40km into the bike due to increasing pain in his hip.
In Kienle’s absence, fellow German Andreas Dreitz destroyed the 90k bike leg to enter T2 with a several minute cushion over Raelert and Australia’s Tim ‘two-‘piece’ Reed.
Don meanwhile continued to make his way through the field, as Jacobs quickly fell off the pace.
Two thirds of the way through the 21.1km run, Raelert passed a flagging Dreitz for the lead, which he would retain to the line, crossing the tape in 3:36hrs.
Dreitz followed in for second, just over 2mins later, Reed third a further 1:30 back.
Fourth-place finisher at this year’s Ironman Worlds, GB’s Jodie Swallow came to the desert with victory on her mind. Flying under the radar in the event lead-up, Swallow was always going to be a threat on the middle-distance course. Predictably she rocketed out of the swim in 22:39mins, taking the lead throughout the majority of the 90km bike, until the last few kms when ITU athlete Annable Luxford (AUS) pipped her into T2.
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Joining the leading duo was Denmark’s Helle Frederiksen in third and GB’s Rachel Joyce in fourth. The same quartet would exit T2 together, but it was Frederiksen who shot to the front, as Swallow retained her second place and Luxford and Joyce faded.
Halfway through and Joyce had managed to retain third place, some 3mins off Frederiksen, as Melissa Hauschildt (AUS) took up fourth place a further minute behind.
But it was to be Frederiksen’s days as the young Dane pulled out a 2min advantage over the chasing Brits to win in 4:49hrs.
Within the closing kilometres, Joyce took second from Swallow, positions the Brit duo would retain to the line.
The Brits once again cluttered the top-10, with Rachel Joyce finishing second, Jodie Swallow third, Tim Don fourth and Jodie Stimpson eighth in her first half-distance race.
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At time of writing, 220 is waiting to speak to the podium sextet, but we managed to grab Don and Stimpson before the recovery tent came a calling’…
With his luggage only turning up at 10.30pm the night before the race, Don had spent his ‘taper’ buying new kit. Further still, he was recovering from a calf injury, which had seen him reduce his run training to just 30km a week.
Nonetheless, the now-seasoned middle-distance podium botherer and 220 columnist would have a strong day in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
“It was a tough race. The swim wasn’t too fast, got in a good position, and then the first 30k of the bike I was like ‘where’s this tailwind that everyone’s talking about?!’ And then Sebastian [Kienle] went past us, he was just crazy fast.
“But on a course like that we were spread out so early, so I just rode my own race. I ended up with Nils Frommhold and Luke Bell.
“I wasn’t sure how my run was going to go, I’ve had a pulled calf. So I’m really happy with fourth.”
Athletes were treated to a safari on the half-marathon run course as it weaved its way through the Al Areen Wildife Park.
“I saw camels, gazelle and two ostrich ran in front of me! Ha ha!” exclaimed a delighted Don. “This kind of event is so unique and is done so well, so to be a part of it is fantastic. I hope this kind of event stays, cause they’re great for the sport, great for Bahrain and great for the athletes.”
Bahrain was Don’s last race of the year, rounding off a successful season for the former ITU world champ.
“I’ve podiumed in every race I’ve done this year except for this one, so I can’t complain. With that kind of field, those kind of high stakes, everyone was coming here to win.”
NEW KID ON THE HALF-DISTANCE BLOCK
Stimpson, meanwhile, was trying on the half-iron distance for size, a challenge set her by her coach Darren Smith as a pre-Christmas hit-out and before knuckling down for what will hopefully be her Rio Olympics qualifying year.
“It was quite nice not to have to fight so much in the swim, like you do in the ITU field,” enthused Stimpson at the finish line. “It started really fast so it took me a bit to get on feet. I think I was with Rachel Joyce, which I was happy with. But I was quite happy to just come out as I know how fast the other girls are.
“On the bike, all I had in my head was [coach] Darren [Smith] saying ‘pace, pace, pace’. So I just had to concentrate. I think knowing the field was a bit of an error, as I was sat behind Mary Beth Ellis and that’s when the front four got away. But I was feeling fine, I just couldn’t do anything about it at that point. They’d gone. And then as the bike went on, obviously the leg’s started to hurt. I got to 60k and I was like, ‘okay, now I’m hurting a bit. I just can’t cope, just hold on now.’
“I got onto the run and I felt okay, and I pulled in Caroline [Steffen] and ran with her. I couldn’t have done any faster anyway. The pace was as fast as I could go. And then I got to just before 20k, and me and Caroline shook hands and said ‘good job’. We’d pushed each other through. At 20k, though, she had more legs than me and I started to get a stitch, and cramp up. Oh I was in all sorts of trouble that last k!
“When Darren first set this challenge I just wanted to finish the bloody thing! Maybe get top 10. But these girls, they’ve done numerous ones of these, they now how to pace, they know the field. To come into this field, I’m lining up next to my idols really. They’re people who I watch Kona in awe of.
“But I won’t be leaving the ITU circuit anytime soon. This was a challenge, this was something new. I’ve got Rio to focus on. It was a good hit out before Christmas. And now I’m so excited to go home!”
Scotland’s David McNamee finished seventh in last year’s Commonwealth Games and looked a genuine contender to make the British team for next year’s Olympic Games.
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Yet the 26 year old has taken the decision to abandon the Rio goal and the lottery funding that accompanies it to turn his attention to Ironman racing and qualifying for the 2015 World Championships.
What makes the switch more surprising is McNamee’s 2014 results suggest he has not yet peaked. His 14th place in the ITU Grand Final was set against a bike crash at the start of the year that meant he missed critical months of training and left him with a permanently damaged wrist.
In his first in depth interview since the decision, 220 columnist Tim Heming caught up with him to find out why….
220: Hi David, good to catch up. How’s the training going?
I’m currently in Spain avoiding the cold weather. Scottish Triathlon come out here every year and I’ve tagged along with them for a couple of weeks. I fly to Mallorca on Sunday and join Joel [Filliol’s] squad. I also won the 10k Boxing Day Ayrodynamic Turkey Trot in Ayr in 31:39, which is ok.
If we rewind to winter training last year, describe what happened with the crash in February and the rehabilitation that followed?
There was a touch of wheels and it was just unfortunate the way I landed. I managed to snap and dislocate both my radius and ulna and also damaged the joints. I had a follow-up operation in September and all the bones have healed now.
I’ll never have proper range of motion in my wrist again but it’s something I’ve adapted to. I don’t have the same strength and range of motion for the catch when swimming, and for biking the saving grace is electronic gears. I can use mechanical shifters a little but after a while it hurts too much, so now I just use Di2.
Despite the setback, your 2014 results were not a disaster. Talk us through the racing…
The European Championships in Kitzbühel was my first proper race back and I came sixth, the best result I’ve had at the Europeans and that was off just two months of training. I came seventh in the Commonwealth Games, which wasn’t the result I wanted back in January, but [given the crash] I was happy with it.
Regarding that race in Glasgow, when you reached T2, the Brownlees were away and clear but did you feel you had a chance in the race for bronze [South African Richard Murray who came third is a training partner of David’s]?
I suppose, knowing the run course and how good Richard is when it comes to running up short hard climbs – which isn’t my strength whatsoever – I realised that I’d always struggle. I also knew the shape Richard was in. It was still a tremendous experience, even if the result wasn’t what I dreamt about.
From there you finished 44th in Stockholm and 14th in the ITU World Series Grand Final in Edmonton…
After Glasgow, my aim was Edmonton. Stockholm was the week before and sprint distance races have never been my strength. I went into that race mentally defeated.
The result in the Grand Final, in the highest quality race of the year, wasn’t bad having missed key months when I should have been ramping up the training.
Then came the bombshell to abandon your Olympic dream. At 26, is that not a premature decision?
I’ve been racking my brains over why and there are 100 different little reasons combined. I waited until the Olympic selection policy came out, read through it and asked people I trust to look at it objectively.
From my viewpoint it was going to be extremely difficult to make the Games in my own right. I would never want to go as… I think it’s called a ‘pilot’ now, not a domestique to the Olympic Games, but the underlying issue is I no longer have the excitement and drive to go to to Olympics that I used to. I realised I needed to look elsewhere and see what drives me.
Spain’s Mario Mola and South Africa’s Richard Murray are in your training group under Joel Filliol. As two of the quickest runners in the sport, did you find it hard to match up, and did this influence your decision?
At times it is hard to train with some of the best athletes in the world, but in training I do pretty damn well. It’s not as if I’m going to track sessions and getting my arse kicked by them. It’s maybe not translated as much – especially during this last year – to racing, but when I see the excitement they had for the new ITU calendar, it was an infectious enthusiasm that was missing for me.
Training was still going well, but if you don’t have the same drive, something is going to be missing. Ultimately, when you get to 7km on the run and everything aches and everybody around you aches, nobody is enjoying themselves. But that’s where races are won and lost.
I could easily blag it for another season or two, get my UK Sport lottery funding, still go and get respectable results, still get some top 10s in the World Series, but I know I’m capable of doing better. No-one else would though, and that would haunt me.
To continue reading click here
Our interview with Scottish triathlete David McNamee (part one here) continues…
So if you have lost the spark for draft-legal racing, why do you have more passion for Ironman?
Going long, I could look back in two or three years and say “that was a disaster,” but at least I’ll have tried whilst I’ve got passion. Change is always good. I was a swimmer as a youngster and I knew what Ironman was before I knew what triathlon was.
I remember being 12 years old watching crazy men on TV in the early hours on Transworld Sport before I went to do my early morning swim training. I’ve always said I wanted to do long course at some point. It’s something that intrigues me.
But rather than take a gradual step with a year or two of middle distance racing, you’ve jumped straight in to try and qualify for Hawaii this year?
I sat down with Joel in Portugal after I decided I didn’t have the motivation for another year of ITU. I said I’d probably do 70.3s and try Hawaii in a couple of years. It seemed the sensible option. Joel asked me what I wanted to achieve and felt if my dream was to get on to the podium in Hawaii, that’s the dream I had to chase.
Most people advise becoming used to 70.3 racing and then go up again, but having the faith of Joel made me think: ‘Why not try it?’ And if I want to go to Hawaii and perform I need to get there this year to find out what it’s all about.
So starting from scratch to qualify, how do you propose to do it?
I’m going to get my WTC licence and do Ironman South Africa [African Championships] on March 29. I need points and that’s the best place to get them early on. I chose it because I know it will be a good field and I want to know how I stack up, can move on and improve.
I’m not going to be the best prepared on the start-line, but I have been training full time for six years so won’t be unfit. I’m not going to be used to a time-trial bike, or know whether my nutrition strategy or pacing will work, but if I blow up and have to walk for 20km on the run, next time I can produce better.
I’ll hopefully make Hawaii this year and aim to be at competitive by the end of next year. I’ve always been someone who does well off a lot of high volume training. The 180km doesn’t faze me, but 180km in a TT position holding a fixed pace is completely different and I have no idea how my legs will cope over the marathon.
Have you been running long in preparation?
I ran 32km last week, that wasn’t too bad, but doing it fresh on a Sunday morning is one thing, it’s quite another after racing for five hours. That’s what excites me about South Africa. Anything can happen.
Have you built in any warm-up races?
I’ll probably do Challenge Dubai next month. The organisers said they’d give me a start. Then I’ll fly straight to South Africa for four weeks, so there is some sort of progression there.
Dubai will give me the chance to see whether I’ve thought of all I need for non-drafting racing and a taste of running off the bike after 90km in a time trial position. I’m assuming my swim will be fine; 3.8km is absolutely fine for me.
Another of Joel’s athletes is Uplace-BMC team member Helle Frederiksen, a former ITU racer who won the big money races of Hy-Vee and Challenge Bahrain last year. Has her success given you a boost?
A little. It’s good to see you can leave the draft-legal racing and transfer, but Helle has her own training set-up.
Most of Filliol’s group are short course racers, will this alter your training structure?
It’s quite a nomadic existence. I go to Mallorca then come home for a few days before I’m off to Dubai then South Africa for a month. I’ll swim with the guys in Joel’s group and do some running and riding.
When I’m back in Stirling, Fraser Cartmell has a spare room he rents to me. I think he’s racing Dubai and South Africa and it’s good to have someone to race and train with.
Do you think you’ll finally be able to help British men challenge for honours in Hawaii?
We seem to do embarrassingly badly at Kona every year, but looking at Tim [Don] and Will [Clarke] doing it [in 2015] it has to change. The girls have done so well and there is no reason that the guys cannot step up and deliver. We’ll soon find out. If we have three or four high quality athletes competing, somebody is going to crack it.
How well do you handle the heat?
I’ll find out in Dubai. I’ve never had a problem with heat or humidity, but then I’ve never been out and raced for eight-and-a-half hours in it either.
This decision means you will no longer be a funded triathlete. Is that liberating or frightening?
Before I made anything public, I contacted the federation and let them know I no longer wished to be considered for the programme. It is scary but if you back yourself and have confidence, you should be fine.
It’s nice having some guaranteed money in the bank every month because you do not have to worry if you are injured or sick, but hell, I’m 26, and it’s time to fend for myself.
Finally, would you ever rule out a return to ITU short course racing?
Maybe after two or three years of Ironman, ITU will seem exciting again. The Gold Coast Commonwealth Games are in 2018 and we’ve seen Chris McCormack come back and try for an Olympics. I know he ultimately failed to make the Australian team but he gave it a good effort and enjoyed the process.
It’s not unimaginable for me to step back down again. A lot of people say it’s a one-way street but I think it just takes someone to come along to challenge that thinking and we’ll see that maybe it was a load of b******* all these years.
A new team has been launched to raise awareness of tri in the Middle East and North Africa and develop future champions.
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The Alameda ON Team features four-time World Champion Leanda Cave, Laurence Fanous, Arab triathlon champion and Jordanian no.1, Egyptian pro Omar Nour and Irish multiple Ironman and 70.3 winner Eimear Mullan.
Plans include nurturing 10 young talents from across the region who will be supported in taking part in events and training camps. Longer term, the hope is to set up triathlon academies in different countries to encourage people into the sport, as well as improve triathlon’s status in the region.
There are no Arab women in the pro side, because of the dearth of female Arab pro triathletes – something the team is hoping to help change.
“It is a team formed to make a difference, not just to reward its pros. So it is a way of developing tri in less well off regions, which is something that I have always been interested in doing,” says Laurence Fanous. “I just didn’t expect to still be racing while doing it – I thought it would be something I could do when I was done, so it is great all round!”
GB elite Aaron Harris has been rewarded for his 2014 performances, including sixth at the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, with a move into British Triathlon’s Podium squad.
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Harris, 26, joins the Brownlee brothers Alistair and Jonathan and regular World Triathlon Series top-ten finisher Adam Bowden on the men’s top-tier team, while there are no surprises for the women’s Podium squad: Jodie Stimpson, Non Stanford, Helen Jenkins and Vicky Holland.
With qualification for Rio 2016 in their sights, British Triathlon has picked a further 14 athletes for its Podium Potential squad, though Scotland David McNamee and England’s Katie Hewison aren’t included, having both retired from international triathlon.
Hewison’s departure makes way for Jessica Learmonth to join the squad, after taking bronze at the Madrid ETU European Cup last September. Speaking to 220 recently, McNamee said that he chose to quit ITU racing as qualifying for Kona 2015 is “the dream I had to chase”.
British Triathlon’s 2015 World Class Programme is as follows:
Podium
Adam Bowden, 32, Loughborough Alistair Brownlee, 26, Leeds Jonathan Brownlee, 24, Leeds Aaron Harris, 26, Loughborough
Vicky Holland, 29, Leeds Helen Jenkins, 30, Bridgend Non Stanford, 26, Leeds Jodie Stimpson, 25, Oldbury
Podium Potential
Marc Austin, 20, Stirling Gordon Benson, 20, Leeds Tom Bishop, 23, Leeds Mark Buckingham, 29, Leeds Miles Burton, 18, Bath Morgan Davies, 20, Loughborough Matt Sharp, 25, Bath Grant Sheldon, 20, Stirling
This year’s World Triathlon Series gets underway in just seven weeks’ time with its first-ever visit to Abu Dhabi on March 6-7, and the World Cup gets going with a trip to Mooloolaba, Australia on March 14. For the complete race calendar head to the ITU website.
We’ll be covering all the WTS action right here on the 220 website and Twitter – don’t miss it!