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Dominance & Disaster at T100 Dubai
T100 Dubai recap, Kona qualification overhaul, and gut training for you!
Matthew Sharpe
November 17, 2025
TOGETHER WITH CATERPY
Good morning everyone,
Well, A LOT happened in the triathlon world in the past few days. Dubai disaster, Kona qualification overhaul, it’s too much for one newsletter! So expect another edition in the next couple of days.
Just what you need…more triathlon! 😂
In today’s edition:
💣 Dominance & disaster at T100 Dubai
🚨 IRONMAN overhauls Kona qualification after errors
🍝 And gut training for you!
-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor
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ONE BIG THING
Dominance & Disaster at T100 Dubai
T100
What is it: This past weekend, the T100 Triathlon World Tour landed in Dubai for its penultimate stop. In the women’s race, Julie Derron (SUI) put in a dominating display, taking her second T100 victory of the season and setting the stage for an all-out women's world title battle in Qatar.
The men’s race appeared to be following the usual script - a Hayden Wilde (NZ) win. But miscounted laps on the bike and a malfunctioning lap count board on the run led to disaster, and a surprise victor!
Women’s Race
It was set to be a Dubai duel featuring T100 frontrunners Kate Waugh (GBR) and Derron. And out of the water, Waugh had a 30” lead over the Olympic silver medalist.
But it didn’t take long for Derron to find the front of the bike. As the ride unfolded, the Swiss star, along with Waugh and Jessica Learmonth (GBR), gapped the field and eventually entered T2 with a massive 4-minute gap ahead of Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) and Holly Lawrence (GBR).
On the run, the Dubai duel was reduced to Derron domination.
She would power through the 18km run, finishing 2+ minutes ahead of Waugh. Learmonth would round out the podium in 3rd, while Taylor-Brown and Lawrence ensured Britain had 4 of the top 5 placings!
🥇 Julie Derron (SUI)
🥈 Kate Waugh (GBR)
🥉 Jessica Learmonth (GBR)
The stage is set for a fantastic T100 Triathlon World Tour Grand Final in Qatar, with the leaderboard as follows,
Kate Waugh (GBR) - 128pts
Julie Derron (SUI) - 122pts
Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) - 119pts
Men’s Race
With the bike in the men’s T100 race nearing completion, all was going according to script. Hayden Wilde (NZ) was leading. With him were last year’s T100 World Champion, Marten Van Riel (BEL), and Mathis Margirier (FRA).
But as Wilde approached the entry for T2, his feet remained in his shoes. He would ride past the entrance flashing a “1” with his finger, seemingly indicating he was continuing for another lap. Van Riel and Margirier, unfortunately, would follow.
Sam Dickinson (GBR) and Mika Noodt (GER) were previously sitting in 4th and 5th - 2:30 back from the leaders - improbably, they were now leading the race as they entered T2.
At the start of the run, Noodt would quickly jump into the unexpected lead. But behind, Morgan Pearson (USA) was setting an unbelievable pace, and in the latter half, he would take the race lead - a first T100 victory minutes away.
Then another shock as the broadcast showed Noodt crossing the finish line and lifting the tape in a confused state.
Further chaos would ensue as many other athletes also continued to the finish. The culprit? A digital timing board that mistakenly displayed “go to finish” a lap early.
Pearson would eventually be the 11th athlete to cross the finish line. Hours later, after protests, counter-protests, and an “athlete vote,” he was finally declared the winner and would enjoy his finish line photo in the darkness of Dubai.
🥇 Morgan Pearson (USA)
🥈 Mika Noodt
🥉 Jessica Learmonth (GBR)
Even after the chaos, Hayden Wilde holds a solid lead in the men’s T100 standings heading into the Grand Final in Qatar.
Hayden Wilde (NZ) - 140pts
Jelle Geens (BEL) - 122pts
Mika Noodt - 113pts
Tempo’s Take
It’s a good old-fashioned social media pile-on. The victim? Triathlon’s favorite punching bag - the T100.
Of course, when you unexpectedly axe races, change race courses last minute, and don’t pay athletes until an emergency funding round comes through, you’re an easy target.
But the Dubai disaster isn’t black and white, cut and dry, throw the T100 in jail.
Post-race, it’s become clear Wilde was fixated on the distance displayed on his bike computer - 76km (not 80km) - as to why he continued riding. He’d completed the correct number of laps, but not the distance. This was a mistake.
Van Riel and Margirier made a mistake in following him. It happens. At 70.3 Oceanside in 2023, I followed IRONMAN World Champion Patrick Lange off course. It wasn’t IRONMAN’s fault; it was my fault.
The run lap issue is unfortunate. A digital scoreboard that is meant to tell athletes how many laps they have left to complete malfunctioned, telling them to head to the finish a lap early.
And similar to the bike lap issues, an external factor influenced athletes to make the wrong decision.
It’s hard to keep track of multiple laps when you’re going to the well mid-race, especially when you see other athletes duck into the finish chute ahead of you. But Pearson and others completed the eight run laps, showing this isn’t 100% on the T100.
People love to take digs when others are down. But in the Dubai disaster, the athletes AND the organization should share the blame.
Post race, many athletes have taken the high road and acknowledged mistakes were made on both sides. Others have not.
On first glance, this may appear to have been an L for the T100. But in today’s attention economy, bad news is always an opportunity for engagement.
And I have to say, after Dubai, I’m now A LOT more interested in next month’s Grand Final!
Who's to blame for the Dubai disaster? |
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FAVORITES
🚨 Kona qualification overhaul: In response to issues with IRONMAN World Championship qualification slots disproportionately going to men, IRONMAN has once again overhauled its qualification system to ensure more slots go to female athletes (we’ll discuss this further in the next edition!). [IRONMAN]
🍝 Gut training for performance: Are you ‘gut training’ your body to absorb more carbohydrates for improved performance? Check out this infographic and learn the surprising ways your body improves its absorption. [YLM Sports Science]
🤕 Pain in the: You’re out for a run, and all of a sudden, a weird pain strikes! But how do you know if it’s nothing, or if it’s a potential season-ender? Here are three things to consider! [Believe In The Run]
👟 Most clicked link: The most clicked link from Friday’s edition was an article on how to pick the right running shoes for you! [LifeHacker]
REEL TIME
This is good. But we might need to commission a non-AI version with David Attenborough!
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World Triathlon World Cup - Tongyeong
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