Drama On and Off the Course at Upcoming World Triathlon Championship Finals

TOGETHER WITH BLUESEVENTY

Good morning everyone,

A big edition today, so let’s toss on our shoes and get into it!

In today’s edition:

• 🌍 Race action and election drama ahead at the upcoming World Triathlon Championship Finals.

• 🏊‍♀️ A top pro’s secret to next-level swimming? Band only!

• 🏃 And six key tips to improve your run!

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

Drama On and Off the Course at Upcoming World Triathlon Championship Finals

What is it: This week features the pinnacle of the World Triathlon calendar; the Championship Finals. Starting on Wednesday triathletes will take over Torremolinos, Spain in what will be a jam-packed four days of racing. The action includes:

• The Elite World Triathlon Championship Grand Final

• Age Group Standard, Sprint, and Aquabike World Championships

• Paratriathlon World Championships

• U23 and Junior World Championships

• AG and U23/Junior Mixed Relay World Championships

Elite women’s race: The women’s race will see a new dynamic play out as key breakaway instigators Taylor Knibb (USA) and Flora Duffy (BER) will forgo this race for a chance to win big at this weekend’s T100 event in Las Vegas.

Current series top three Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA), Beth Potter (GBR), and Lisa Tertsch (GER) will all be looking to take the win and potentially the World Championship title.

• All three athletes are within 150 points of each other, so any slip-up on race day could be devastating for one and exhilarating for another.

• Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) has been dominating the recent Supertri races and is a dark horse pick for the win if any kind of breakaway can create a meaningful gap.

Elite men’s race: With three wins in three races it would appear Alex Yee (GBR) is in the driver’s seat for taking the win and the world title in Torremolinos. But after disappointing Grand Final performances in 2022 and 2023 that saw him finish outside the winner’s circle, he will hardly be relaxed heading into this one.

• A hungry Hayden Wilde will be looking for Olympic redemption, plus an ever-consistent Leo Bergere ready to pounce, so the race and the world title are anything but settled.

• Brazil’s Miguel Hidalgo, who finished third at the recent WTS Weihei is a dark horse pick who could sneak by for the win if a group has a gap over Yee heading onto the run.

Start lists

Paratri performers: After inspiring performances at the Paralympics, the Paratriathletes will be looking to tear it up in Torremolinos.

• Men’s PTWC Paralympic champion Jetze Plat (NED) is just coming off an impressive 5th place at the Chicago Marathon and will be hoping to finish his tri season with another big win.

• With gold in her pocket from Paris, Grace Norman (USA) will be looking to take another World Championship win in the women’s PTS5 category.

• And Susanna Rodriguez (ESP), who now has her own Barbie, will be looking to take a huge win in the women’s PTVI category on home soil.

Start lists

How to watch: Catch all the action on Triathlonlive.tv starting with the U23 women’s World Championship Thursday, Oct. 17 at 9 AM CEST.

Tempo’s take: It will be a massive race weekend and with so many world titles on the line there will be incredible drama from start to finish.

• There will be drama on and off the course as the World Triathlon Congress will also be meeting to elect a new President to succeed Marisol Casado (ESP) who has held the position for 16 years.

It’s a make-or-break moment for the organization. At a time when live sports has never been more lucrative, World Triathlon seems to be missing the moment as they struggle to retain and entice cities to host their flagship Championship Series races.

The next leader will have to have an incredible urgency to leverage World Triathlon’s extensive global infrastructure to build mutually beneficial commercial relationships and honestly deliver a more compelling product.

• If a 150-year-old sport can change its rules to modernize the game and make it more compelling to fans, there is no reason why an organization with innovation in its DNA can’t try something new to improve its product.

🚨 Free idea 🚨 An equal-time triathlon - ~ 1500m swim, 15km bike, 5km run.

• More gaps in the swim, a faster, more aggressive bike, and a 5km run where it’s not clear who would take the win.

• It’s about 45 minutes so there’s plenty of time for some commercials.

• A new racing product like his could be exciting, intriguing, and more commercially viable.

It’s a massive opportunity for World Triathlon to make its mark other than once every four years. Let’s hope the next leader can make it happen.

TOGETHER WITH BLUESEVENTY

Jackson Laundry’s Secret to Leveling Up his IRONMAN World Championships Swim? Band-only!

Jackson Laundry is a 70.3 Champion who will be looking to fight for the podium at the upcoming IRONMAN World Championships. He tells us his secrets to leveling up the swim, what Kona success looks like, and how he’ll navigate the chaotic big island swim start!

After your win at 70.3 Michigan, how have felt heading into your final prep for the IRONMAN World Championships?

Winning Michigan 70.3 was a good confidence booster for me heading into my final Kona block. I have a few small tweaks to the bike position and nutrition plan I’d like to try, and racing a few weeks out from Kona gives me the ideal amount of time for that last specific block.

Are there any Kona-specific workouts or heat adaptation you’ll be doing to prepare for the race day conditions?

I’ll be staying with Matt Hanson in Castle Rock CO for the last training before Kona. That is at about 6000ft of elevation, which will give me a bit of a blood volume boost before Kona. Although altitude doesn’t directly train heat adaptation, I’ve always found I do better in hot races after an altitude camp. I’ll also be doing plenty of passive heat prep in the sauna (20-minute sessions about 5 times a week) before I get to altitude and also while I’m there.

• For active heat prep, I’ll be doing some indoor biking and running sessions with no fan as it quickly gets hot and humid in the basement. I do want to be careful not to overdo the heat prep as it can be draining and result in too much fatigue.

I’ll also be arriving in Kona 8 days before the race which will be enough to get a couple of good heat sessions without burning myself out too much. 

You didn’t grow up as a swimmer, so other than training a lot, what has helped bring your swim to an elite level?

In 2012 when I was 19 I started learning how to swim with proper technique with my coach. I had swam a bit before that but not with any real technique work. Since then I’ve put in quite a lot of 22-28k swim weeks which is the most important thing.

I try to do my hardest swim sessions as the first workout of the day whenever possible so I can maintain the best technique I am capable of. Beyond that, I’ve had to learn what technique cues help me improve and constantly incorporate them into my training. I find I maintain a much better hold on the water through the entire stroke when I do a fair bit of band-only work. I’ll wear a band every time I pull, and do some band-only for shorter reps as well.

• The swim is always the biggest question mark for me and I am always pushing to minimize that gap to the leaders. All my best days have started off with a good swim, so it’s always a huge focus of my training. 

Do you have any specific swim workouts that help you build confidence in the water?

The session I go back to check up on my swim fitness is typically 5x400m (usually short course meters) on a 6:00 interval time. As long as I’m at around 5:00 or a little quicker for the 400, I know I’m in good enough shape to have a good swim on race day. That being said, if the rest is shorter or there are more reps, I expect to go slower and don’t worry about it.

• I try not to put too much weight on test sets in general though because I know my fitness is based off the average of all my workouts more so than one specific day.

Why do you love working with the Blueseventy team? And do you have a favorite product? 

I’ve been with Blueseventy for quite some time, longer than any other sponsor. The products are fantastic, I’ve been so happy with the Helix wetsuit and the PZ4TX swimskin from the beginning. It says a lot when Blueseventy is by far the most well-represented wetsuit on every pro start line.

• My favorite product would have to be the new Helix wetsuit, but I also can’t say enough good things about the Contour goggles as the best goggle for any swim scenario I can think of.

What are your key objectives for executing your best race in Kona? What does a successful debut on the big island look like to you?

Kona is a tough cookie to crack and most people don’t have a good race on their first attempt, but I fully believe I can be competitive despite my lack of experience on the Big Island. Having a good swim where I’m out of the water not too far back would allow me to work with some other strong riders to stay in the mix.

• I’ll be using my strength on the bike to stay in the mix, while also trying to use less energy than others by staying conservative and not moving up too quickly. The good thing about Kona is that absolutely everyone who qualifies is a great athlete, so I should have plenty of strong people to work with.

If I can get off the bike right in the mix while not being dehydrated or overheated, I know I’ll have a good chance for a top 15 and a shot at a top 10 with a well-paced run. I’ll be dialing in my nutrition and hydration plan over the next few weeks and testing it thoroughly, the key is to know what works for me and trust it. 

What Blueseventy gear will you be trusting on your IRONMAN World Championship debut?

It will definitely be a non wetsuit swim in Kona so I’ll be wearing the PZ4TX swimskin. I always use the Contour goggles as well and will decide whether I need the tinted or clear lens based on the lighting conditions. 

Do you have a pre-swim warmup you’ll be doing on race day?

I’ve struggled with my swim starts in quite a few races this year and I’ve concluded that I need to commit to doing a better swim warm-up whenever possible. Usually, I only swim about 200 meters with 2 short 25-stroke pickups.

• Moving forward I’ll be trying to do at least 300 meters with 3 pickups. That should help to make the race start to feel like less of a heart rate spike!

How will you manage the chaotic first meters of the Kona swim? Will you settle into your own pace or fight to position yourself among the main contenders?

For Kona, there will be a huge number of strong swimmers, so I plan to start solid but try not to have too big of a fight. It’s so easy to go way above threshold and I’ll try to avoid that.

• I’ll jump on feet as soon as possible and sight frequently to get across any small gaps that may form. If I can get out of the water and feel fairly relaxed while being in a good group, I’ll be happy.

We’re wishing Jackson the best of luck in Kona! And if you want to save on the incredible gear he uses than head to blueseventy.com and use code “TEMPO20” at checkout. Now available in the U.K. 🇬🇧

FAVORITES

🏊‍♀️ Swimming solution: A well-timed freestyle catch and kick can result in incredible swimming improvements. Take a couple of minutes to learn how to nail this crucial skill. [Effortless Swimming]

🏃‍♂️ Tips for better running: Running can be hard and unforgiving, but with these six helpful tips, which include incorporating walking into your runs (a Tempo subscriber favorite) you’ll be able to enjoy your training a lot more. [GTN]

🍎 Improve your healthspan: The healthspan revolution is here, and athletes like yourself are looking to extend the time that they are at their healthiest. So what can you do to extend your healthspan? Other than stay physically fit, there are a few key interventions. [The Guardian]

🚴 Thankfully there are plenty of options for triathlon-specific bike saddles nowadays. So how do you choose the right one for you? Comfort for sure. But there are other factors to consider! [GTN]

REEL TIME

Those TPS reports will have to wait, it’s time to achieve a paradigm shift in our FTP! 👔

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