Does a Sold-Out Race Suggest Industry Strength?

TOGETHER WITH MAUNA APPAREL

Good morning everyone,

I’m excited to share our first edition sponsored by Mauna Apparel! Mauna is a dynamic triathlon apparel brand based out of Oceanside, California and it’s been a pleasure working with the team and learning about their passion for performance and people. First up, a review of their flagship trisuit which I’ve found provides a solid balance of high-performing attributes and value!

• Also, I definitely goofed on one of the links from Tuesday’s edition! Here is the correct link for the five common swim mistakes that could be slowing you down.

In today’s edition:

• 📈 Does a sold-out race suggest industry strength?

• 🤝 A trisuit that respects your performance AND your wallet!

• 🚴‍♂️ Plus: How to improve your cycling efficiency.

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.

HEADLINES

Does a Sold-Out Race Suggest Industry Strength?

What is it: IRONMAN has announced that general registration for April’s IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside has officially sold out.

• According to the press release over 3600 athletes have registered. There are still limited entries available through the IM Foundation and Nirvana Enhanced Athlete Experiences.

Tempo’s take: In a world with ever-growing endurance racing options like ultra running and gravel races, seeing red-hot demand like this is a healthy signal for the sport. Oceanside is usually a sought-after race due to early season scarcity, but a pre-race release in 2024 suggested approximately 3000 athletes were registered.

• And IRONMAN isn’t just showing strength. In a recent Tempo News poll many of our readers stated that they would be competing at independent races this year.

But registrations are just one sign of industry health. Along with competing in Oceanside, we’re looking forward to connecting with industry and brand representatives to get a sense of how the triathlon ecosystem is positioned now, and into the future!

New research says your smartwatch might be making you sick

What is it: A recent study has suggested that high levels of toxic PFAs, also known as “forever chemicals” have been found in popular watches from companies like NIKE, Apple, and Fitbit.

• This article from Triathlon Magazine Canada explains why runners and triathletes could be at a higher risk of absorbing these dangerous chemicals from their watches and how you can avoid absorbing them yourself!

Olympic rematch on tap at SupertriE World Championships

After battling for the podium in Paris, Olympic gold medalist Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) will be looking to get another win over Beth Potter (GBR) at the SupertriE World Championships this April in London.

• Last year’s bout between the two was exhilarating, and we expect nothing less from these two.

• And this weekend Beaugrand will give her competitors an early season form check as she takes on the 5k at the Monaco Run.

TOGETHER WITH MAUNA APPAREL

Tempo Reviews: Mauna Apparel Ourea Pro Pacific Aero Trisuit

A trisuit that respects your performance and your wallet!

“Never try anything new on race day!” 

A classic mantra the world over for triathletes. Forged over countless experiences of brutal chafing, nutrition issues, and mechanical woes. 

• After twenty years in the sport, you’d think I’d have taken that advice to heart. But of course, I didn’t.

And as I stood on the start line at IRONMAN 70.3 Pucon, about to compete in my new Mauna Apparel Ourea Pro Pacific Aero Trisuit that I’d only received the day before, the new gear nerves really kicked into overdrive!

• “Is a new level of chafing about to be discovered?!”

• “Will the suit keep me cool in the unrelenting Chilean sun?”

Thankfully, from the starter’s gun to the final push for the finish, the Ourea Pro suit left me with zero “new suit regrets.” And I was impressed by how it helped me get the most of myself on race day!

Matt’s Ourea Pro Pacific Aero Trisuit highlights

Aerodynamic advantage: Mauna’s Ourea Pro Pacific Aero Trisuit is designed to help you cheat the wind. The honeycomb pattern built into the sleeves is proven in the wind tunnel to help you move faster on the bike.  

Compression control: The compression fabric built into the legs was a welcome surprise and helps keep your legs feeling fresher throughout the race.  

Unbelievable breathability: The Ourea Pro has been extensively tested with industry-leading fabrics that help remove heat - critical for race day performance. 

• Although I traveled from winter into the heat of Chile’s summer, I found the suit kept me cool even during the brutal sun-exposed sections of the run. 

Performance and value: Some triathlon brands want to sell you a race suit for almost $1000…😒😒😒

So, given the world-class features and race day performance, I was surprised and impressed to learn the Ourea Pro Pacific Aero Trisuit sells for only $299!

• It’s refreshing to see a brand respect your performance AND your wallet! 

If you’re looking for a race suit that will provide performance and value, then I highly recommend Mauna Apparel’s Ourea Pro Pacific Aero Trisuit! 

• Are you and your team interested in bringing your unique design to Mauna’s incredible products? Check out Mauna’s brilliant club order options here!

FAVORITES

🚴‍♂️ Cycling efficiency achieved: We all want to be more efficient and effective on the bike. But how do we actually achieve this? High-cadence training could be the answer! And this article explains how. [Wahoo Fitness]

🏃‍♀️ Long run pace: Are you having a hard time dialing in your best long run pace? Well for starters, pace might actually not even be relevant. They are other methods to determing how to get the most from your long runs as explained in this article. [McMillan Running]

🤧 Avoid illness: Have you noticed yourself or others getting sick after exceptionally hard training or racing? There is a theory for why this happens - the open window effect - and this article explains why it might occur and how you can keep yourself healthy! [BMW Marathon]

🔥 Train better with age: Is it really necessary to ingest 180 grams of carbs per hour to perform your best? Lol, no. But in a way, Big Carb™ may actually have your best interests at heart. Case in point, this excellent article from current endurance icon David Roche that explains how consistently fueling with more carbs can allow you to train harder and race faster - even as you age! [Feed Insider]

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THE REST OF WILDFLOWER INTERVEIW

It’s the “Woodstock of Triathlon” and You’re Invited!

Part two of our interview with race director Colleen Bousma who is fighting to bring back the iconic Wildflower Triathlon! 

• Read part one here.

• Interested in your own Wildflower experience? Learn more here!

What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced bringing the event back?

This question is twofold. First and foremost is that putting on a race has become extremely expensive. Between government policies, local permit expenses, the rapid rise in product costs, and a tripling of the rental costs, it really is hard to keep the fees down for the athletes to race.  

• For some reason, athletes feel independent races shouldn’t charge as much yet we are not able to get any of the benefits of large corporate events like bulk pricing and namesake deals to keep our costs down.

• Another big factor is later and later athlete registration trends.  Most of our product orders are due in January, yet athletes are registering closer to the event to assure they don’t get injured or don’t have other plans. 

The lack of commitment early on makes for extremely high costs in either delayed shipping or overestimating on needs, ultimately creating a lot of waste.  

We announced a registration insurance program this year to try and assist with the peace of mind, which took a lot of research to find a policy that had good reviews, and that we trusted enough to share with our athletes.  

• If athletes committed to Wildflower by January / February our costs dropped nearly 20%, which is why we have early registration pricing, but athletes want “deals” even when registering late and it’s just hard to sustain on budgets like this.

It’s called the Wildflower experience for a reason: what racing and non-racing options are available for those in attendance?

Wildflower is a complete Endurance Weekend with,

• Three distances of triathlon, 

• a newly added gravel triathlon, 

• 20K Trail Run, 

• Open Water Swim, 

• 5k and 10k runs

• Along with plenty of relay options. 

However, we also have yoga and fitness classes all weekend, five bands from bluegrass to country to reggae to funk. We have presentations on everything from training to nutrition to the battles of menopause for women in sports.

• We also claim one of the largest outdoor sports expos that also features local artisans and wine tasting/craft beer. There is even a non-alcoholic option that can be amazing for recovery or to rotate between enjoying a frosty one. 

We may be the only triathlon that has media coverage from Food+Wine Focus, Outdoor, Triathlete, and other lifestyle magazines. We have a partnership with a local radio station group that ensures we have all the top bands, where many discover a treasure of unknown talent that they’ll add to their playlist. 

• Even if you are not a triathlete, there’s a full weekend of things for you to enjoy. And for locals, it’s quite the staycation considering we build a city for a weekend at this beautiful park in California on the Central Coast.

Why do you think athletes NEED to experience Wildflower? 

Because you can’t explain Wildflower – only those that experience it can really understand. You will walk away feeling amazing and hopefully be able to share Wildflower with your children and their children later in life. You may meet your future spouse, best friend, or training partner around the campfire!

• You also never know when it may be the last so don’t miss out because life is too short to say maybe next time. This event breathes life into the sport that can’t be duplicated and while it may be such a wonderful memory for others it’s a future adventure for many!  

I recently met someone at the Cal Poly Career Fair who was on our student committee back in the late 80’s. He was on our PR team and used to call in race updates on a pay phone from the general store at the lake and was also one of our first announcers as a student. He had such a huge smile on his face and was looking forward to bringing back his family to enjoy the weekend and maybe even try the 5K.  

• It’s stories like that which we all remember from the past 35 years and I can’t wait for many more crazy stories to come!

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

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