From Surfer’s to Triathlete’s Paradise as T100 Gold Coast Set for 2026

TOGETHER WITH BLUESEVENTY

Good morning everyone,

It’s only a few days till my race at IRONMAN 70.3 St. George, and after what I can only describe as a period of “panic training,” I actually feel ready to race!

It’s bittersweet knowing its the final edition of the race, but that just means we’ll have to give it a proper sendoff!

• An of course, I’m looking forward to seeing many subscribers in St. George!

In today’s edition:

• 🏄 From surfer’s to triathlete’s paradise as T100 Gold Coast set for 2026.

• 🏃 How to fuel your best long run.

• 📝 A female pro’s perspective on the return to Kona.

• 😴 And the ROI on your sleep!

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ONE BIG THING

From Surfer’s to Triathlete’s Paradise as T100 Gold Coast Set for 2026

What is it: The T100 Triathlon World Tour has announced that on the weekend of March 21-22, 2026 it will host the inaugural Gold Coast T100 Triathlon in a long term partnership with Events Management Queensland.

• The professional race will include a swim off the iconic Surfer’s Paradise Beach and bike/run sections will be held along the Esplanade.

Age group aspirations: Age group athletes will have the opportunity to compete in 100km and Sprint distance triathlons as well as a 10km run.

• The event will also host the newly-formed AusTriathlon Club National Championships.

Clash of competitions: The race timing is interesting as it falls on the same weekend as the popular IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong. Given Geelong was an IRONMAN Pro Series event this year, we could see another heated battle for pro talent, age group athletes, and attention between the global triathlon entities.

Tempo’s take: The timing of this news literally couldn’t have been any worse as it was released the same day as IRONMAN’s announcement of the return to a single day World Championships in Kona. And it was properly buried in the aftermath.

But this announcement is significant, and deserves a spotlight for a few reasons:

1. Gold Coast Glamour

I’ve had the pleasure of competing on the Gold Coast on a number of occasions including the Commonwealth Games and the World Triathlon Grand Final. It has the physical and human infrastructure to deliver a world-class event, and with the area’s rich triathlon history it feels like the T100 has jumped on a golden opportunity.

2. Olympic Overtures

As mentioned in the release, the event will be a part of a long-term partnership that leads into the 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games. As we’ve seen before, the Olympics can bring about attention and free up resources that aren’t always available.

• If the T100 can deliver a quality event that successfully showcases Queensland to the world, than it will benefit from an Olympic bump in engagement AND generous event subsidies!

3. Weaving in World Triathlon

Although it wasn’t explicitly mentioned in the release, the fact that World Triathlon President Antonio F. Arimany was quoted points to a more-than-likely World Triathlon tie in with T100 Gold Coast.

• What started as a 12 year-strategic partnership has turned into a full blown relationship that will see World Triathlon and the T100 co-host a race weekend in the French Riviera August 30-31.

Both entities see upside in this partnership. The T100 aligns with a stable organization that can provide key inputs like officiating, anti-doping, and a stable balance sheet. And World Triathlon enjoys increased media exposure and a compelling pitch to host cities - age group races!

• A triathlon-loving population, the setting for a spectacular race, and many of the best athletes in the world? Sounds like the right conditions for a world-class event!

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FAVORITES

🏃 Fueling long runs: Long runs can often be the most enjoyable training session of the week. So read this article and learn how to live, and fuel, your best long run life! Probably the best piece of advice? Stay clear of fiber! [Running Glow]

🚀 Train smarter, not harder! Are you a time-starved athlete looking for more energy and confidence heading into race day? Then check out Purple Patch’s free 7-Day TRAIN SMARTER Challenge! In 10–15 minutes you can start optimizing your training, eliminating stress, and unlocking real performance! Learn more here. [Purple Patch Fitness]*

🚴 Time efficient cycling: Like most working athletes, you probably have to make the most of every training session you can complete! So if you’re a busy athlete and you’re looking to level up your cycling, these 60-minute workouts can help you get the gains you’re looking for! And the mind behind them? The coach of IRONMAN stars Patrick Lange and Kat Matthews! [TrainingPeaks]

⛽ Insane fueling: Cam Wurf just set a world record for the fastest IRONMAN bike split. How did he do it? An absolutely mind-blowing 200gr of carbs per hour!?!?! And the craziest part, he was still hungry while he was on the run. This article breaks down the secrets of a world record ride! [The Feed]

😴 Your sleep ROI: Have you ever calculated the ROI of your mattress? Probably not. But as it turns out, according to the latest research, your best night’s sleep might not require a huge investment! Learn more here. [Lagoon]

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REEL TIME

But it was so easy at home, with a low heart rate and no pressure! 🙃😆

the_simonshi

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OPINION

Proportionality vs. Progress: Is Ironman Sending the Wrong Message to Women?

Professional triathlete Tamara Jewett’s thoughts on the IRONMAN World Championships’ return to Kona.

On Saturday April 26, in my first full Ironman, I qualified for Kona, fulfilling my coach and my hope to plan my 2025 pro season around Kona for the first time. A few days later, Ironman announced that 2025 would be the last women’s-only day at Kona (at least for now?) and that the Ironman World Championship would revert to one day at Kona combining the men’s and women’s races. 

My very first reaction was that I am so grateful that I will get to experience a women’s only day of racing this year. It sounds like the Women’s World Championship has felt deeply powerful, celebratory and satisfying to many women in the sport. My second was that I am disappointed by the one-day format but think that it is understandable in the circumstances. My third, as I started to see anecdotes from amateur athletes (men and women), dug into understanding this part of the announcement, and felt skepticism about applying different logic to the pro and amateur women’s fields, was concern about Ironman’s statement that – although importantly Kona slot allocation for pro men and women would be equal 50/50 – for amateur (age group) athletes, it would revert to being based largely on proportionality by looking at numbers of each gender signing up for races. 

I have spent the last year of my life interrogating my values in sport and part of my conclusion was that it is meaningful to me to have the amateur race going on in close proximity to the pro race as part of a broader triathlon community and event feeling that I care deeply about. I love Ironman’s events. I care that the amateur athletes are there. And I didn’t want to gloss over the amateur women being treated differently from the pro women on qualification.

As a relative newcomer to the sport (who grew up focused on track running and was only peripherally aware of Kona), I was startled to find out that women’s pro and men’s pro fields at Kona used to be based on proportionality, with fewer spots for pro women because fewer pro women were signing up to race. In a sport that has prided itself for a long time on gender equality, and that I do feel is generally a wonderful place for women athletes, this startled me a little bit. 

It turns out that for amateur races, roughly 20% of a field at any given Ironman is women. So, proportionality raises the possibility of an amateur race at Kona that is 20-25% women (Ironman is not currently saying pure proportionality to be clear, so I hope and assume they envision a number of spots for women that is at least more than 20% - more on that below). This may at first seem intuitively fair to some, but there are real concerns that 1) it is a terrible way to try to keep growing women’s participation in the sport; and that 2) when you start to dig into it and look at some data, it is not very fair.

Read the rest of the article and learn…

• Why IRONMAN could be turning away potential athletes,

• And how intriguing data shows the gender competitiveness gap may be closer than we think!

WEEKEND RACES

IRONMAN 70.3 Venice-Jesolo

Panagiotis Bitados (GRE) and Solveig Loevseth (NOR) took the wins in the first IRONMAN Pro Series race of the season.

• Anne Reischmann (GER) retained her position at the top of the women’s Pro Series rankings, while Jonas Schomburg (GER) now sits only 3 points back of Rudy Von Berg (USA).

Full race results

IRONMAN 70.3 Port Macquarie

A cancelled swim didn’t stop Natalie Van Coevorden (AUS) and Henrik Goesch (FIN) from winning in Port Mac.

Full race results

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• IRONMAN returns to Kona, and a go-to glute activation!

• IRONMAN Texas recap, plus: Protein-rich foods! 

• The benefits of foam rolling. And what run cadence is right for you?