Race Announcements Highlight Competitive and Cutthroat Racing Landscape

Good morning everyone,

It’s a big edition today, so let’s get into it!

In today’s edition:

• 🏁 Race announcements highlight competitive and cutthroat racing landscape.

• 💻 The past, present, and exciting future of remote coaching.

• 😎 And how you can win a free pair of sunglasses!

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

Have a triathlete in your life who can't stop swimming, biking, or running? Fire this off to them. Forwarded from a friend? Sign-up for free. 

ONE BIG THING

Massive Race Announcements Highlight Competitive And Cutthroat Racing Landscape

What is it: Two big race announcements from Ironman and the Professional Triathletes Organization (PTO) highlight an emerging battle for age group racing attention.

2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championships

On Wednesday, Ironman announced that the 2025 Ironman 70.3 World Championships would be awarded to the city of Marbella, Spain.

• The elite and age group women will race on Saturday, November 8th, while the men will compete on Sunday the 9th.

The Andalusian city is a popular tourist destination, and like Nice, France (co-host of the Ironman World Championships), it is located on the Mediterranean.

2024 PTO Lake Las Vegas Open

After teasing that they would announce their long-awaited 2024 race calendar on January 30th, the PTO hastily revealed that they would be hosting the PTO Lake Las Vegas Open on October 19-20.

• According to Triathlon Magazine Canada, the early race announcement was due to a leak on the PTO website that revealed the location.

• The race will be held in Henderson, Nevada, which is 20 miles east of the iconic Las Vegas strip.

Tempo’s take: OK the PTO leak is just kind of funny. I’m not sure they absolutely needed to address it immediately. But it looks like they had the nice graphic already prepared, so…

Usually, the dates around the Ironman World Championships are quite light, given the significance and importance of Kona to the triathlon ecosystem. However, the PTO Las Vegas Open will be held the week before, which is certainly a shot across the bow of the juggernaut. It shows the PTO isn’t afraid to smash norms in its quest to become a major pro and age group racing entity.

• The timing also ensures that certain male professional triathletes will have to choose between Kona glory and PTO payouts. On the other hand, the women’s race should attract the best athletes and will be absolutely electric!

FAVORITES

😲 World Champion grit: “I ran a marathon with a calf tear.” Yes, you read that correctly. At last year’s Ironman World Championship, Lucy Charles-Barclay was having the race of her life, and battled through an insane injury to take the crown. [Lucy Charles-Barclay]

👟 Carbon shoes for you: Do you really need carbon shoes? They’re a huge reason why run records around the world are being smashed. But do they make sense for all athletes? All is revealed in the lab. [GCN]

🩸 Important iron: Having healthy Iron levels is critical to performing well at endurance events (and life!). This video does an iron deep dive and explains why you might need more of it! [Dylan Johnson]

🗝️ Transition keys: Are you new to the sport and trying to learn about how to transition properly? Or just need a T1 refresher? This video helps break down how to nail your transition from swim to bike. [Taren’s Mottive Method]

😫 Ironmom guilt: For “Ironmoms” who are trying to train for triathlon and take care of their families their can often be crippling mom guilt. An ongoing study aims to help change the narrative for these incredible women. [Triathlete]

GIVEAWAY

Win a Pair of High-Performance Rudy Project Sunglasses

Have you checked your sunglasses lately? A little scuffed up? Not as much visibility as before?

Here’s your chance to win a new pair of sunglasses (and help your friends out at the Tempo).

From now until Feb 6, every person you refer to the newsletter enters you to win a new pair of racing glasses from Rudy Project.

• Entering is easy. Use this URL to refer your friends: https://www.thetemponews.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

Want some sweet Rudy Project gear now? Tempo subscribers can use this link to access 35% off everything!

TOGETHER WITH LANCE WATSON’S TRICLUB

Remote Coaching 2.0 - Improved Performance And Lifelong Friendships

Lance Watson is an Olympic gold medal and Ironman-winning triathlon coach who is also a pioneer in the field of remote and online coaching.

As a pioneer of remote coaching, what did your process look like when you first started?

“Remote coaching” preceded online coaching. In the early to mid 90’s I would fax programs overseas and then pay 25c a minute to talk long distance on the phone! Sometimes you would have to wait a week to get race results (faxed, again). Planning was done according to pace targets, and duration. Eventually, I also started using heart rate regularly.

• In the late 90’s dial-up internet and e-mail were a game changer providing more fluid interaction with athletes at a distance. We also saw the early cycling power meters emerging, although they were cost-prohibitive at over $4000 and with wires running all over your bike.

In the past 10-15 years, what have been the most significant changes in remote coaching?

Between 2000 and 2010 as the internet developed, online training platforms like TrainingPeaks emerged. Workout files became uploadable, cell phones were mainstream, and feedback was quicker and more directive. It was about this time that age group triathletes started to realize having a professional triathlon coach was not only something that pros did. 

• The performance level and depth of amateur athletes improved immensely between 2005 and 2015 as triathlon races branched out into further corners of the earth and more and more athletes were being coached on a properly periodized schedule. 

Smart cycling trainers have become very stable, reliable, and in my opinion, are the most effective bike training tool for the dollar. They allow the coach to prescribe power-based controlled progressions. The net result is athletes are training more specifically and are improving faster than ever. It is harder for a new athlete to perfectly manage their output on the road or an old-school indoor trainer. A coach-programmed smart trainer workout guarantees the session will be executed as prescribed.

How do you maintain a strong personal relationship with the remote athletes you coach?

My TRiCLUB gathers together for up to 10 workouts a week - all online - and these workouts are incorporated into a structured training plan that can be adapted to the individual’s goals. Athletes take part in live or recorded sessions like,

• Functional strength and core.

• Bike interval workouts.

• Weekend endurance rides.

• Run intervals.

• And even run races!

We also do educational Chalk talks, group challenges, and host a participation-based Zwift racing series. The athletes can work “with” me multiple times a week and I’ve developed incredible coach-athlete relationships through the TRiCLUB. 

• The technologies allow us to do all this incredibly affordably as well. We can offer all this for only $95 a month. Our individually coached athletes also attend these workouts.

What are your keys to helping your remote athletes get the most out of their training?    

High-touch coaching: When I launched this program what was unforeseen to me was how impactful it would be on athlete development. We had veteran athletes, long-time Kona qualifiers, and beginners as well having massive breakthroughs and it was not only because of the training periodization.

Within practicesm there is encouragement and cheering of course, but also biomechanical feedback and a deep dive into sports psychology while developing racing skills. Because audio is in the athlete’s ear the coach is an educator for the entire practice; every practice is like attending a clinic with athletes being exposed to that environment multiple times a week. My athletes say they've “never been run-coached like that,” or had such specific cycling feedback. 

Community: Historically LifeSport has been a coaching network - a collaborative group of coaches that help each other out while sharing knowledge. With the advent of online group training, we have built an incredibly engaged community.

For example, we have athletes in different corners of North America independently making plans to connect and train or race together, homestay each other, and meet for coffee at different events.

• Last season I hosted an event at my house with over 30 athletes in town for Ironman 70.3 Victoria. The sense of connection and community hit me as the athletes all knew each other from the online training practices, but they were meeting in person for the first time. It was cool!

A personal relationship: Online training and current technologies help coaches deliver a more specific program than ever. Live workouts build community, allow for an intimate coaching environment, as well as the accountability of having a practice to show up for. 

1-1 personal coaching means really getting to know the athlete, their lifestyle, and training opportunities including routes and facilities, the athlete’s skill set and, sport background to develop the program needed to strive for their goals. 

• Of course, there is also the opportunity to work together in person. In May we’ll be doing a cycling-focused camp in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the First Bourn training property in North Carolina and it is guaranteed that the skill acquisition and fitness from that will fast track an athlete towards their race season and build their long-term toolkit. 

What does the future of online coaching look like?

The coming wave of AI into all elements of life and training will be interesting. It's never going to replace the need for human contact and coaches who truly care about their athletes. Platforms like Humango.ai will help us curate larger amounts of data quickly, including things like HRV and sleep data. 

• This will trigger notification and refinements due to training achievement or any recorded outlier variables like increases in performance or sleep-related fatigue. It will be a super tool for coaches that will provide deeper data much quicker. This will enhance athlete learning and further refine the coach-athlete journey.

REEL TIME

As one commenter said, “I need this measured in minutes.” 😮🤣

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QUICK NEWS

Kinloch success: After 40 years the Kinloch triathlon continues to stay true to its roots and shows no signs of slowing down! [NZ Herald]

Duffy’s redemption: After a difficult 2023 that saw reigning Olympic gold medalist Flora Duffy miss the season due to injury, 2024 looks to be brighter as she hopes to return to the start line in May. [Royal Gazette]

Brick and mortar meltdown: In a sign of the shifting retail landscape, well-known Canadian triathlon store Tri-It will now solely have an online presence. [Triathlon Magazine Canada]

Powerful athlete: Stage four cancer won’t keep this triathlete down as he plans to raise money for charity ahead of his next race. [The Reminder]

Community support: i-tri, a long island community-based triathlon program has received a $4,750 grant from USA Triathlon to help adolescent girls train for triathlon. [Patch]

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• How this triathlete manages vet school AND elite triathlon.

• How to nail your triathlon training nutrition.

• Legal performance enhancers- that actually work!

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