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This year’s Challenge Wanaka has attracted its strongest-ever pro field of 27 athletes who’ll be racing next month (22 February), with Britain’s Joel Jameson among them.
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Jameson, whose career highlights include victory at the Outlaw (2011) and bronze at Challenge Henley (2013), will be facing competition from defending champion Dylan McNeice (NZL), Jose Jeuland (FRA) who placed third at Challenge Vichy 2014, and Braden Currie (NZL) making his long-course debut.
In the women’s pro field, Gina Crawford (NZL) returns for a crack at her sixth Wanaka win, and is joined on the start line by three American athletes, Kristin Lemos, Charisa Wernick and Katya Meyers, all Wanaka first timers.
Challenge Wanaka is New Zealand’s largest triathlon festival and starts with a 3.8km swim in the crystal clear waters of the South Island’s Lake Wanaka (wetsuit compulsory), followed by a two-lap 180km bike along two alpine lakes in the Southern Lakes region, finishing with a 42.km run along the Clutha River to finish in Albert Town.
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Entries to Challenge Wanaka 2015 remain open until 25 January 2015 at www.challenge-wanaka.com.
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Are you racing this year’s Challenge Wanaka? Let us know in the comments!
Redefining ‘brave’, Travel Channel presenter Rob Bell is planning to run seven marathons in seven days across all seven of the world’s continents, starting in Antarctica today (January 19th).
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“I’ve done endurance events before, but nothing like this,” says Bell, who is doing the challenge with five friends. “The running itself will of course be a challenge but having any sleep confined to the few hours I can grab on planes between locations adds a whole new element. And I like my sleep.
“We are doing this in order to raise money for charity. We have selected: KEEN London (UK) and The John Maclean Foundation (Australia). These charities provide access to sport for disabled children as well as helping them lead normal lives. This adventure is self-funded and all donations go directly to the charities.”
Bell and chums start today on Antarctica’s King George Island then fly up to Punta Arenas in Chile for tomorrow’s instalment. From there they head to Houston in the US, then London for the European leg, flying on to Cairo in Egypt to tick off Africa, then Singapore for the Asia stopover, before finishing in Sydney, Australia on 25th January.
The total distance they’ll cover on foot will be 295km, and they expect to be running for around 42hrs. Total flying time will be 52hrs, and the total distance covered (including running and flying) will be 43,500km.
We’re all here together!! @777epic @travelchannel @fly1above We fly to Antarctica first thing tomo. Night night. pic.twitter.com/BRjlv0kfHi
— Rob Bell (@MrRobBell) January 18, 2015
“I am unbelievably excited to take part in such a mammoth endurance sports challenge. Not only am I eager to push my body to its absolute limits, my key motivation is the two amazing charities that the boys and I are doing this for.”
Rob has kindly agreed to share his kit list for this mammoth challenge with us:
– 7 x 2XU running tops – mix of vests and tees
– 1 pair Nike & 1 pair Umbro general sports shorts – anything with pockets I like
– Range of running and generic sports socks
– 3 pairs 2XU compression tights (cold weather running & recovery)
– 2 pairs 2XU compression socks for flights recovery
– 1 x headsweats running visor for sunny / hot climes
– Ronhill hat & gloves set for cold climes
– 1 x Garmin Forerunner 620 & heart rate monitor
– Many hours worth of 1Above flight drink – to remain hydrated in the air and help prevent DVT
– 2 x 2XU polo shirts for travel
– 1 x 2XU hoody for travel
– 1 x 2XU down jacket for warmth & comfort in cold climes
– Therabands for mobilising and conditioning muscles
Rob Bell’s 777 marathon challenge will feature this April on Travel Channel, Virgin Media 288, Sky channel 249 and 251 and on Freesat, channel 151.
In order to donate anyone can go to the website: www.1above777.com.
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On a scale of one to ten, how hard do you rate this challenge? Let us know in the comments!
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The International Triathlon Union plans to combine four World Championship races into the biggest multisport festival yet – and they are looking for a host city.
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Bidding is now open to host the 2017 ITU Multisport World Championship Festival, an inaugural 10-day event featuring World Championship events in Duathlon, Aquathlon, Cross Triathlon and Long Distance Triathlon.
“Combining all of these World Championship events into one festival will serve to further strengthen and evolve them, and will be very attractive to cities wishing to attract thousands of active visitors,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado.
The host city can benefit from a significant boost in tourism and global media exposure. Previous world championships in triathlon have attracted at least 45,000 visitors per day and generated over $8m (£5.3m) worth of local spending on accommodation, transport, retail shopping and food and beverage.
The ITU Multisport World Championship Festival will also include both elite and mass participation races and is expected to draw 2,500 to 3,000 athletes, not including their support teams and families.
Interested cities must submit their bid packages to [email protected] by March 27, 2015. The winning cities will be announced on May 15, 2015.
For more information, visit www.triathlon.org.
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(Main image: Delly Carr / ITU)
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Do you think it’s a good idea to combine these four events? Let us know in the comments!
Henley is back on the triathlon map with the launch of the Henley Highwayman, an inaugural multisport event happening on June 5 to 7. Organisers touted a brand new format in which competitors can mix and match distances according to their abilities – and promised there will be no road closures this time around.
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Henley was home to the Challenge UK triathlon from 2011 to 2013, until race organisers moved the event to Weymouth in 2014.
While Challenge Henley had grown in participation over its three years, Just Racing UK had also faced criticism from the local community, including Henley’s MP and mayor, for road closures that lasted up to 12 hours.
But the Henley Highwayman won’t be closing any roads, race organiser Jeremy Laming told The Henley Standard at the event launch on January 15.
In fact, the Henley Highwayman isn’t your standard tri at all. Instead of a single race, it will spread out the three disciplines over three days, and a “sportive”, point-based format will provide competitors with plenty of opportunities to smash personal records in events of their choosing.
There are four individual categories, which are as follows:
Full: 4km swim / 182km bike / 25km run
Mid: 2km swim / 120km bike / 17km run
Sprint: 1km swim / 62km bike / 9km run
Pick & Mix: participants can play to their strengths and opt for any distance in each discipline. This option also allows an entrant to join a single event only.
Two group categories are also available: Team, in which all three members compete in all three disciplines, and Relay, in which each team member completes a designated leg.
The swim leg comprises a 1km loop in the Upper Thames along the Mill Meadows. In a “sportive” format, swimmers choose their own start times and can opt to complete one, two or four laps.
Whether competitors are gunning for a 62km, 120km or 182km bike leg, the ride begins at Henley’s marketplace, and offers the challenge of cycling the rolling Chiltern Hills before finishing back in the town centre.
Finally, the run is a scenic mix of road, trail and hills, taking competitors from the town hall to a loop up and down No Man’s Hill. Runners can target either 9km, 17km or 25km.
Winners will be determined by a scoring system which assigns equal weight to all three disciplines and takes both distance and performance into account. For example, while more points are available for longer distances, you’ll be better rewarded for a superb performance in a shorter distance than a poor showing in a longer distance.
Organisers are still ironing out the scoring system. It will be published in full detail at the end of February.
For the complete event details, visit henleyhighwayman.co.uk.
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What do you think of the Pick & Mix race format? Let us know in the comments below!
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Want to race with reigning world champ Sebastian Kienle? Book a ticket to Cannes, southern France.
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The Kona 2014 winner, who also has two Ironman 70.3 world titles under his belt, is headed to the Cannes International Triathlon on April 19, 2015.
Joining Kienle in Cannes are Jan Frodeno, who bagged the men’s tri gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and M-dot titleholders like European champ Bart Aernouts and IM Lanzarote 2014 first-placer Romain Guillaume.
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@SebastianKienle @CannesTriathlon and I was looking forward to a nice ride in the beautiful mountains…
— Jan Frodeno (@janfrodeno) January 18, 2015
Meanwhile, the pro women set to compete in Cannes include Jenny Fletcher (the triathlon’s ambassador), Leanda Cave (2012 IM and IM 70.3 world champ) and Charlotte Morel (2013 Cannes International Triathlon winner).
Cannes International Triathlon offers two courses, the L (2km swim / 80km bike / 16km run) and M (1km swim / 40km bike / 8km run), as well as a 10km run race.
The triathlon will be contested over a swim off Palm Beach, a bike leg from Cannes up nearly 800 metres to Saint-Vallier-de-Thiey and back, and a run through the southern stretch of the Boulevard de la Croisette.
For more information about Cannes International Triathlon, visit www.cannes-international-triathlon.com.
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How do you think Kienle will get on in Cannes? Let us know in the comments below!
The inaugural Challenge Dubai triathlon on February 27 will be a star-studded affair, at least as far as pro competitors are concerned, and Spain’s Javier Gomez is the latest to join the party.
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The competition just heated up even further @challenge_dubai on 27 Feb with the addition of @Jgomeznoya to the field! #WeAreTriathlon!
— Challenge Family (@Challenge_Famil) January 19, 2015
Gomez was an unstoppable force in 2014, bagging the Ironman 70.3 World Championship title in Mont Tremblant just a week after being crowned ITU World Triathlon series champ for the fourth time. Challenge Dubai will be his first race in 2015.
“I like half distances races and I really look forward to racing against the best triathletes in this distance. I expect Challenge Dubai is going to be a very tough and fast race because of the highest pro field level,” Gomez said.
With a prize pot of $300k (£198k) and a route dotted with sand dunes and world-famous landmarks, Challenge Dubai has already attracted pro triathletes from around the world, including Germany’s Jan Frodeno and Michael Raelert, New Zealand’s Terenzo Bozzone, and Australia’s Luke McKenzie, Tim Reed, Brad Kahlefeldt and Pete Jacobs.
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Not to be outdone, the women’s field includes Switzerland’s Daniela Rfy and Caroline Steffen, Britain’s Jodie Swallow and Leanda Cave, and USA’s Meredith Kessler.
Challenge Dubai is the first race in the Challenge Triple Crown series, which also includes the recently announced Challenge Oman. Challenge Bahrain, whose debut in December 2014 was a tremendous success, will be the final race in the 2015 series, with a $1m (£660k) prize purse up for grabs.
“I’m happy to see how triathlon is growing in the Middle East countries. I’m sure it is something very good for the people, especially for the kids, and it is definitely very positive for our sport,” said Gomez.
Registration for Challenge Dubai is ongoing until January 31. Visit www.challenge-dubai.com for more information.
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Do you think Gomez is a shoe-in to win Dubai? Let us know in the comments below!
Saudi Arabia will host its very first Grand Prix in December of this year, but F1 could return to Jeddah just months later if the venue takes over Melbourne’s tentative early 2022 slot.
This year’s Australian Grand Prix, which was canceled in 2020 following the onslaught of the Covid pandemic, was pushed back to late November and then canceled again as the country projected that its border controls and travel restrictions would still be in force come next fall.
Melbourne’s organisers are hopeful of finally returning their event to the calendar in 2022, but shifting the race towards the end of the season would likely eliminate the risk of disruption as the coronavirus crisis will have hopefully subsided by then.
With F1’s 2022 season expected to start once again in Bahrain, it would make logistical sense to slot in Jeddah after Sakhir, with F1 therefore kicking off its campaign with two rounds of racing in the Middle East.
The plan is being promoted by the chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal.
Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Faisal
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“For us as a promoter we prefer not to be the last races,” he said, quoted by Motorsport.com.
“Teams can do good really in the first races and then the other races have become not so interesting, as a promoter.
“We wanted to have race in the beginning [of the season] but in the time we had to do the work for the track and prepare the track, we couldn’t have a race in 2021 at the beginning of the year.
“Our decision was to have a race at the end of 2021, or [wait to] have an early race in 2022. Our decision was we wanted the race in 2021.
“So we are now discussing with F1 about what is best for us to have our race in 2022, and hopefully we can get to an agreement.”
Regarding this year’s inaugural event scheduled on December 5, there were reportedly discussions at Silverstone about Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi trading slots on this year’s calendar, with Jeddah therefore bookending the 2021 season instead of Yas Marina.
The plan is being considered because the UAE is on the UK’s ‘red zone’ list of countries that constrains those travelers returning from a ‘red zone’ to quarantine for 10 days upon their entry into the UK.
Bringing Abu Dhabi forward and concluding the season in Saudi Arabia will allow for F1 personnel to spend enough time outside of the UAE to enable everyone to sidestep the 10-day quarantine upon its return to base.
Finally, Saudi Arabia has expressed an interest in hosting F1’s third Sprint Qualifying trial. F1 rolled out the new format at Silverstone and the concept will be tested a second time at Monza.
“I was there in Silverstone last weekend and I really enjoyed it as a spectator and as a promoter,” said Prince Khalid.
“I think it’s good. You have more races to see, more action on Saturday. We would love to be one of the countries that had the sprint race.
“The decision now is F1’s and we will see. Is it going to be another country, with three countries in Europe, or will the Middle East will be one of them? I would love to see it in Saudi.”
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Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel suffered a few run-ins at Ferrari but overall, the pair enjoyed a good relationship, and the Monegasque admits that his former teammate, on his day, was “incredibly difficult to beat”.
Vettel’s tenure with the Scuderia extended to six seasons, the last two of which were spent alongside Leclerc.
Although the German failed in his quest to bring the world title back to the House of Maranello, Vettel’s track record with Ferrari nevertheless includes 14 wins with the Italian outfit.
In a recent Beyond the Grid podcast for Formula 1, Leclerc offered a comparison between Vettel and his current teammate Carlos Sainz and admitted that the former was a hard nut to crack.
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“Seb, in his good days – I mean, the last year [in 2020] was more difficult for Seb, but in his good days, he was just incredible, and just incredibly difficult to beat, if not impossible,” said Leclerc.
“And Carlos is just very, very consistent, so it’s different approaches, but both of them were very, very strong.
“With Seb it was a little bit of a different relationship. I saw him a little bit more like an older brother.
“I mean, he had so much experience that it was different, it was not the same type of competition that I had with Seb than what I have with Carlos.
“With Carlos, we are more or less the same age, we are so competitive with everything. Seb had more experience, so he was a little bit… less competitive with everything.
“If I wanted to win something, he would basically a bit let me win this thing and I would be happy and he wouldn’t care.
“Then once you put on the helmet, this whole relationship stops. You just think about the performance, you just think about trying to extract the maximum from the car, and especially, beat the guy who has the same car as yours.”
As Ferrari – and the tifosi – transferred their infatuation from Vettel to Leclerc, signing up the Monegasque to a five-year deal while dismissing Vettel for 2021 even before the start of the 2020 season, a crumbling of the cordial relationship between the two drivers was expected.
But it never came to pass. In fact, Leclerc claims that despite the two drivers’ past clashes – in Brazil in 2019 and in Austria in 2020 – and the media’s need to fan the potential tensions, they always managed to maintain a good rapport.
“It wasn’t that hard actually,” said Leclerc. “I mean Brazil was probably the moment where it was quite difficult, but right after the race, only right after the race. Obviously with the heat of the moment, it’s not easy.
“Then I think the thing that was more difficult to manage is how much the media are coming into play and… trying to make things exciting, and trying to make people think there were actually tensions when there weren’t.
“We knew there weren’t tensions, but we were also asked at every race we came to whether there was tension, and I think we managed it very well.
“In Austria, I think it was quite straightforward, because whenever I do a mistake, I’m just putting my hand up, and that’s it.
“For Brazil, I had my opinion, he had his opinion, and we never really got the answer that we both wanted. So basically, it stayed like this. But we dealt with it very well and there were never any tensions.”
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Comme le rapporte la presse outre-Atlantique, la ville de Chicago a envoyé une lettre à Jussie Smollett lui réclamant le paiement de 130 106 dollars. Une somme correspondant aux frais dépensés par les forces de l’ordre pour mener l’enquête dans le cadre de son agression présumée survenue en janvier dernier.
L’acteur de 36 ans, qui ne sera pas jugé car la procureur de la ville a préféré abandonner toutes les charges qui pesaient contre lui, est soupçonné d’avoir orchestré une fausse agression avec l’aide de deux complices afin d’augmenter sa notoriété et, par extension, ses possibilités de revenus. Malheureusement, dans la mesure où il échappe à la justice, on n’aura jamais le fin mot de l’affaire… Jussie Smollett, qui a été vu quittant la ville le 27 mars 2019, avait été arrêté et mis en examen pour faux témoignage après avoir lui-même porté plainte pour une agression à caractère raciste et homophobe.
La ville de Chicago compte bien obtenir de l’acteur d’Empire cette coquette somme pour apaiser la colère des forces de l’ordre, au lendemain de la décision de la justice de ne pas le poursuivre. “Dans une tentative de résoudre cette affaire sans mener d’autres actions juridiques, la ville réclame le paiement immédiat de 130 106, 15 dollars, dépensés en heures supplémentaires pour mener l’enquête sur cette affaire. Si la somme devait ne pas être réglée, le département de la justice pourrait lancer une procédure contre vous pour faux témoignage en vertu de l’article 1-21-010 du code municipal de Chicago ou exercer tout autre recours légal possible“, indique le courrier.
L’entourage de Jussie Smollett a répondu via un communiqué publié dans le Chicago Tribune : “C’est le maire et le chef de la police qui doivent à Jussie des excuses pour avoir traîné un innocent dans la boue. Jussie a assez payé.“
Thomas Montet
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Après Demain tout commence, le réalisateur Hugo Gélin revient avec la comédie romantique Mon inconnue. Dans ce long métrage, il filme François Civil et Joséphine Japy, qui forment un couple plus qu’uni. Sauf que du jour au lendemain, le héros se retrouve plongé dans un monde où il n’a jamais rencontré l’héroïne. Comment va-t-il s’y prendre pour reconquérir la femme de sa vie, devenue une parfaite inconnue ? Un pitch alléchant qui a attiré une foule de personnalités lors de l’avant-première à Paris le 1er avril 2019.
L’équipe du film, qui comptait également sur la présence de Benjamin Lavernhe, Camille Lellouche et Amaury de Crayencour, a été chaleureusement applaudie par Nathalie Baye et Laura Smet. Mère et fille complices ont travaillé ensemble dans Dix pour cent, – série dans laquelle joue également François Civil –, Les Gardiennes, ainsi que le court métrage de Laura, intitulé Thomas.
Fils du producteur Xavier Gélin, petit-fils des acteurs Daniel Gélin et Danièle Delorme et arrière-petit-fils d’André Girard (peintre, résistant), Hugo Gélin a un passif familial ancré dans le cinéma. Lors de cette projection, c’est avec sa soeur Sarah Gélin qu’il a pris la pose mais pas seulement. Il a également partagé cette première avec son épouse, Nina Rives, directrice artistique du film. Non loin de lui se trouvaient deux des comédiens qui ont joué dans son premier long métrage, Comme des frères, Nicolas Duvauchelle et François-Xavier Demaison, ravis de se retrouver.
Audrey Lamy et Manu Payet qui ont joué ensemble dans Tout pour être heureux, Thibault de Montalembert – qui joue le père de François Civil dans Dix pour cent –, Frédéric Chau de Qu’est-ce qu’on a fait au bon dieu ?, Myriam Boyer et la bien-aimée de son fils Clovis Cornillac, Lilou Fogli, n’ont pas manqué l’invitation. Tout comme les comédiennes Aure Atika, Marie-Ange Casta et Laurence Arné, ainsi que la chanteuse Élodie Frégé. On peut également citer la présence de Michel Jonasz, César Chouraqui, Jean-Pierre Castaldi, Évelyne Gelin, Jean-Loup Dabadie, Louka Mellava, Michaël Gregorio, Sophie Mousel et Manon Niego et sa mère Elisa Servier.
Mon inconnue, en salles le 3 avril 2019
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