British Triathlon Axes High Profile Race

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning everyone,

I’m currently enjoying a more relaxed training schedule because it’s race week. I’ll be heading to Ironman 70.3 Maine this weekend. I’m stoked to race and see how my training translates, and hopefully enjoy a post-race lobster roll! If you’re also going to be there, be sure to say hi 😃

In today’s edition:

• 😤 As economic woes persist, British Triathlon axes high-profile race.

• 🦸 Can super shoes help you train longer and harder? Probably.

• 🏊‍♀️ And take your swim to the next level with these simple changes!

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

British Triathlon Axes High Profile Race

What is it: Ahead of this weekend’s World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) event in Sunderland, U.K., it has been reported by TRI247 that British Triathlon has decided it will not be hosting a WTCS event in 2024.

• The current economic climate in Britain, which has seen consistently high inflation and cost-of-living pains, is cited as the critical factor in the decision.

• In a similar move, Ironman has also recently cut back on its U.K. race offerings.

Why it matters: 2024 will be the first year since 2009(!) that a WTCS event will not be held in Britain. And although hosting a top-level event does come with global exposure, the costs associated with hosting an event are not cheap. Event costs include:

• $150,000 World Triathlon sanctioning fee.

• $200,000 levy for elite prize money.

• And at least $250,000 must be spent on live broadcasting production.

Tempo’s take: British Triathlon states that “hosting major events is a major part of its strategy.” But external factors they can’t control have put hosting an event next year on ice.

• The success of the Brownlee brothers in the 2010s always made a pretty straightforward case for hosting these events. If British Triathlon can continue its podium ascendance in next year’s Olympics, maybe we’ll see a 2025 return of WTCS racing?

It would be awesome to see the return of WTCS racing to the U.S. with the exciting and dynamic super sprint eliminator format. It could be a game-changer. Here are a few spots we’re just going to throw out there:

• Las Vegas - surely there’s a hotel with a big enough pool!

• Atlantic City - Fast racing on the boardwalk? It’s been done before.

• St. Petersburg, Florida - an awesome city with a rich triathlon history. 

Do you want to partner with The Tempo and almost 7,000 awesome and engaged triathletes? Respond to this email and we will get back to you!

TOGETHER WITH TMT COACHING

Stress Less About Your Finances So You Can Focus On Your Training

Training is all about finding the right mix between swimming, biking and running. And maybe eating. Too much of any, and you suffer. We’ve all been there…

Investing is no different, except unlike buying a new bike, you can’t return a bad investment. Yikes!

David Winnell at Foster & Associates Financial Services gets it. As a fellow triathlete, he knows you’d rather be out racing, not crunching numbers or stressing over investments.

• As a Canadian Portfolio Manager, David will help you stay focused on diversifying your training while he helps you diversify your portfolio.

Whether it's preparing for retirement, buying that first home, or saving up for that new bike, David and his team are here to help Canadians take the worry out of finances, so you can spend more time doing what you love.

Contact David today to hit your financial goals. Or send him an email directly to learn more.

TRAINING THOUGHT

Super Shoes Equals Super Training

What is it: Super shoes - the thick-soled and carbon-plated sneakers, like Nike’s Vaporfly 4%’s - have been a massive reason for the recent trend of incredible running world records. And as reported by the New York Times, leading researchers say that although elite athletes certainly benefit from these shoes, recreational runners can also see similar astounding results.

Injuries be damned: Although some studies do suggest that super shoes can potentially be a cause of injuries, Geoff Burns, a physiologist and biomechanics expert with the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, says, “Because the shoes are a new tool, the more we run in them, the better we adapt.”

Better recovery: The article cites Bill Salazar, a 77-year-old runner from Arizona, who has been training in them for over three years. Bill cites better recovery while training in the shoes, “the big benefit for me is that I recover faster in super shoes.”

Big takeaway: With the chunky midsoles that damage muscles less at a given effort, coupled with the energy return of the carbon plate, the super shoes are clearly the way of the future.

• Of course, as alluded to earlier, athletes need time to adapt and understand how their body responds to the new shoe architecture.

But as anecdata goes, here at The Tempo, we’ve never done workouts as hard or as long before the super shoes showed up!

Thanks to Tempo supporter Jordan Blanco for flagging this article!

QUICK NEWS

🏁 Schooling switches: Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, an Olympic gold medalist in swimming, will be taking on the 100km PTO Asian Open triathlon as an “experienced amateur.” [Swimming World]

👮 Swim, bike, jail: A Wacounda, Illinois man was accused of driving through a children’s triathlon Saturday morning. Police stopped him after he drove through the barriers and onto the course. Yeah…this guy is probably gonna do some time. [Daily Herald]

🇿🇦 African Championships: The dates have been set for the 2024 Ironman African Championships. The Iron and 70.3 distance events will be held in Nelson Mandela Bay on Sunday, April 21st, 2024. [Herald Live]

🏆 World record: Congrats to Levi Lukacs for most likely setting a Guinness World Record for the longest single event triathlon. Levi swam 7.67 miles, biked 197.4 miles, and ran 47.21 miles 😲

REEL TIME

You’ve spent so much time working on your swim stroke, only to have the realities of race day happen!

emelyruns

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FAVOURITES

🏊‍♀️ Swim smoother: Swimming isn’t easy, but as this video shows, just a few quick corrections can make a huge difference! The head position tip is especially key. [Effortless Swimming]

🩺 The doctor is in: The TriDoc podcast is your best source for helping you figure out what actually works and what doesn’t to help you train, race, and recover better. Download, subscribe, learn, and be entertained all at once!*

💉 D.A.R.E: Cheating the anti-doping system is much easier than it should be. This eye-opening article with pro triathlete Joe Skipper shows the key gaps in testing for athletes and what needs to be improved. [Triathlete]

🌡️ Summer sizzle: It’s been brutally hot this summer, and sometimes that means switching up training strategies. This great thread from high-performance coach Steve Magness is a great resource for modifying your training when it heats up. Steve trained in Houston, Texas summers, so he knows what he’s talking about! [Steve Magness]

*Sponsored post

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• Are you making the four most common nutrition mistake?

• Expert analysis: Hot out? Here’s how to train in the heat.

• Expert analysis: Nail your Ironman training nutrition.

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