Clash of Titans in Daytona

Huge Ironman Kona news, Clash Daytona preview, and are carbs really king?

Good morning everyone!

Ironman just dropped some crazy news for their World Championship for next year. Have any thoughts on it? Good? Bad? Would love to hear what you think.

In this edition, we have a breakdown of the huge Ironman World Championship news, a preview of today's Clash Daytona race, and why carbs truly are the 👑 of fuel.

Thank you for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW

Ironman Will Host Separate World Championships

What is it: After speculation of a change in location for the Ironman World Championships (IMWC) Triathlon Today reported that Ironman confirmed that the race will be split in 2023.

  • The Men will race in Nice, France on September 10th, 2023

  • The Women will race in Kona, Hawaii on October 10th, 2023

Why it matters?

  • After 40 years of iconic racing, 2023 will be the first year that Kona will not fully host the IMWC, the “2021 Ironman World Championships” notwithstanding.

  • With the dates separate, it could add complication to those whose significant other qualifies for a separate World Championship

  • Nice has a history of hosting renowned Triathlon events including the Ironman 70.3 World Championships and 1989 ITU (World Triathlon) World Championships.

Quick thought:

In 2022 Ironman made the decision to have two separate days of racing in Kona. This enabled a surplus of athletes and spectators, which quickly led to a deficit of rental accommodation and locals’ patience. It’s a bummer for folks who wanted to race “Kona” but will be competing in Nice.

  • The 2021 IMWC hosted by St. George set the precedent for the race to be moved from Kona.

  • Given the discontent from Kona locals, there is no doubt Ironman will take this opportunity to shop future IMWC to communities in search of an influx of triathlete spending

OFF TO THE RACES

Short and Long Course Athletes Clash in Daytona

Olympic medalists, World Champions, Ironman and 70.3 winners will truly clash this weekend in Daytona. And no, it's not a Nascar race.

The men's race

Key players: Leo Bergere (FRA), Vincent Luis (FRA), Henri Schoeman (RSA), McDowell (USA, Jason West (USA), Jackson Laundry (CAN), Matt Hanson (USA)

Analysis:

With half of the breakaway group from the World Triathlon Grand Final in attendance, athletes like Bergere, Luis, and Schoeman will try to establish a gap in the swim and push the early stages of the bike.

  • Laundry, West and Hanson will need to work well, and possibly together to stay within striking distance on the bike.

  • On the run, look for Bergere and Luis to push the pace early and stay out of sight of the chasers.

Matt’s take:

The swim pedigree of this field is of the highest quality. There will certainly be a solid group out of the water who will work to stay away from the likes of West and Hanson.

  • The World Triathlon athletes are a known quantity in their race ability. The only wildcard is their experience and pacing over a longer distance.

  • The water temperature is currently in non-wetsuit territory, which will certainly assist the short course stars.

The women's race

Key players: Jackie Hering (USA), Julie Derron (SUI), Valerie Barthelemy (BEL), Rach McBride (CAN), Angelica Olmo (ITA)

Analysis: 

Look for Olympian Valerie Barthelemy and Sarah Perez Sala (ESP) to take the race out hot in the swim.

  • No doubt Ironman 70.3 champion Jackie Hering will be looking to show her skills over the longer bike distance and should quickly bridge back to the leaders.

  • If Rach McBride (CAN) can swim within a reasonable range of the short course specialists, then they will be in the driver's seat for a podium position.

  • Angie Olmo is one to watch as this will be her first event since the Tokyo Olympics.

Matt's take:  

This race is the perfect mix of short and long course athletes. There will be loads of lead changes, and we’ll see who will “shake and bake” the field on the iconic Daytona 500 race track.

  • If the short-course athletes can truly take advantage of their swim, than folks like Barthelemy and Olmo will cruise to the podium. However, limited time on the time trial bike could make for an excruciating run.

  • Hering should use her experience to take the day, but as we've seen, many ITU athletes easily made the jump to long course.

Race details:

  • Women's race starts at 9:45 AM EST, the men start at 1 PM on Friday, Dec 2nd

  • Watch it live on the Clash Endurance Facebook and Youtube pages

Other races

THEY SAID

“I just want to give it a shot, last chance to kind of see what I can do this year. I’m also here to have fun, it’s a bit of a holiday."

  • Tom Bishop (GBR) on his Clash Daytona race [Tri247]

TRAINING THOUGHT

Carbs, Carbs, Carbs

Remember that whole low-carb thing? Atkins? It's all a blur now. It's also what happens when you don't eat enough carbs, your vision gets a little fuzzy.

Carbs are proven to improve endurance performance. Here are three tips for getting the most out of the most important fuel.

🦵 ATP

  • ATP or Adenosine Triphosphate is the main source of energy for cells, which is helped to be produced by carbs!

⏰ Longer lasting

  • After about 60 minutes of exercise, the body starts to run out of glycogen stores. Fueling with carbs helps keep the body going after these stores are used up!

🧘 Better decisions

  • The brain needs a crazy amount of fuel to operate well. Without enough carbs then bad decisions will compound through training or racing.

FAVOURITES

🧵 On lactate: Steve Magness is an elite running coach/performance leader. He just published a thought-provoking twitter thread on the process of programming an elite 5k runner. [Steve Magness]

💣 Knowledge bombs II: The second part of an interview featuring the sports physiologist of Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden. The methods they use are insanely cutting-edge! [How They Train]

🥑 Fuel to win: Do elite athletes a) not eat veggies, b) not eat fats or c) not eat before swimming because they might drown? Read this article to find out. [Outside]

COMMUNITY

Well gang I will also be racing in Daytona this weekend. It's been a really fun experience to ride on the NASCAR track. Although we definitely won't be going as quick as those cars! The goal is to race hard and try to take down some of those short course guys I used to race! 😛

And are you racing this weekend? We'd love to hear about how Send us through your photos or a race recap, and we will feature them in next Tuesday's edition!

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