The Future of Triathlon on Display in Hamburg

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning everyone,

In today’s edition:

• 🔮 Did we see the future of triathlon this weekend in Hamburg?

• 🏆 Do you need a coach? It depends! According to coach Megan Tobin

• ⌚ And will wearable technologies make you a better triathlete?

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

Hamburg Shines in Massive Weekend of World Triathlon Racing

What happened: Over the weekend, the port City of Hamburg, Germany, hosted over 1,700 athletes for the World Triathlon Sprint Distance World Championships for age-group and elite athletes. 

• Age-group athletes competed in the traditional sprint distance (750m swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run) and the mixed team relay.

• The elites competed in the fast and furious super-sprint eliminator format, three rounds of a 300m swim, a 7 km bike, and a mile run. They also competed in the mixed-team relay.

Why it matters: World Triathlon has been evolving its race offerings as the sport continues to develop and mature. Traditionally the age-group world championships have featured the Standard (Olympic) distance and Sprint distance events together.

• This year they’ve been split between Hamburg (Sprint) and Pontevedra, Spain (Olympic).

• The age-group mixed team relay has also been a new and welcome addition to the World Championships.

• And not too long ago, the sprint distance was changed to a draft-legal format, allowing age-groupers to experience the same race dynamics as the elites.

The elite super sprint event also changed format as the men’s and women’s finals were integrated into a three-hour triathlon extravaganza.

• Cassandre Beaugrand (FRA) and Hayden Wilde (NZ) took impressive wins as they build towards next month’s Olympic test event in Paris.

• Germany delighted the home crowd becoming mixed relay world champions. New Zealand took the silver, and Switzerland won a surprise bronze.

Tempo’s take: I spent an unhealthy amount of my weekend watching these races because they were just so damn exciting (and my wife was racing). The super sprint eliminator, inspired by Super League Triathlon’s eliminator event, was just three hours of pure excitement for the fans, and pain for the athletes!

👀 👀 👀 And we weren’t the only ones who noticed. Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, was spotted attending the event in person.

• It’s a bit too late for Paris 2024, but given the fast, unpredictable, and non-stop action, we’ll bet the big bucks that athletes will be shredding the streets of Long Beach in the super sprint eliminator at the 2028 Olympics.

Do you want to partner with The Tempo and almost 7,000 awesome and engaged triathletes? Respond to this email and we will get back to you!

TOGETHER WITH TMT COACHING

Do You Need a Coach? It Depends!

There are a lot of training plans online that are free or cheap. Why would I need a coach?

I’m not a pro, I just want to get faster and have fun. So, I don’t need a coach, right?

The answer to these is something you hear often from coaches: IT DEPENDS (but you probably would benefit from having a coach). IT DEPENDS is one of coaching’s most used phrases, because rarely can a coach give a direct answer without digging a little deeper.

Is a certain training volume right for you? It depends on your background, your training tools, possible previous injuries, your recovery strategy, your work schedule, your family or social commitments and so much more. All of these things need to be weighed when creating and executing a training plan. An experienced coach will weigh all these things, create a plan AND help you execute that plan, and adjust and pivot accordingly when life happens - and it so often does.

Here are five questions I ask athletes when they ask if I think they need a coach:

Do you think you will be able to follow a plan as written 100% of the time, with no need to make any schedule changes, swap workouts, ask questions, or take unscheduled days off? 

If the answer to any part of this question is no, then you would benefit from coaching. Really, we could almost stop here! A good coach doesn’t just give you a generic plan and walk away - they are with you every step of the way. This frees YOU, the athlete, to focus on the workout itself and bring your best to that.

Do you need an individualized plan?

The answer is a question, Are you an individual? If you have a busy and/or complicated life, having someone to help guide you when you need to change a workout and can help you get the most effective workout for your time is key. You would benefit from coaching.

During the throes of the pandemic, a doctor I coached messaged to say they had just spent 36 hours at the hospital but would “make up for all the workouts they missed right away.” I responded that they needed to sleep for at least 8 hours first, then do one specific workout, and then message me and we’d come up with a plan for the rest of the week based on how that went. While this may seem like an extreme example, endurance athletes tend towards perfectionism, and I hear variations on this OFTEN.

Are you equally strong in all disciplines of triathlon, including race nutrition, strength, mobility recovery, and mental endurance?

If you felt prepared for your last race, but bonked hard and suffered through the run, or overcooked the bike and had to walk the marathon, you would likely benefit from coaching. If you tend to nail your swim, bike, and run workouts, but NEVER focus on mobility, recovery, or your mental game and it shows on race day, a coach can help you find time in your training schedule for these critical disciplines that can help YOU show up better and healthier on race day.

Learn more from coach Megan including:

• Why you NEED an athlete mission statement.

• How a coach uses objectivity to unlock YOUR best athlete.

Want better results from your training? Learn more about TMT Coaching today.

QUICK NEWS

🔬 Good cause: Over $1.87 million was raised in the runup to this past weekend’s women’s-only Tri For a Cure held in Portland, Maine. In its 16-year history, the event has raised over $21 million for cancer research. [WMTW]

🏃 Almere altered: The course for the iconic Challenge Almere triathlon has been altered this year to manage crowds on the course better. The run loop will now be lengthened to 10km. [3athlon]

👏 Lauren’s race: Congrats to Lauren Eckendorf, who has been hired to be the race director for the upcoming Presque Isle Triathlon on August 5th. In a statement, she said, “I love the sport of triathlon…and I want others to love it too.” [Go Erie]

🙏 RIP Peter: We are sending our thoughts to the friends and family of Peter Norman, a former world champion triathlete. Peter is remembered as, “an outstanding character…and an inspiration for many younger people.” [Nation.Cymru]

TOGETHER WITH PILLAR PERFORMANCE

What do Jan Frodeno, Magnus Ditlev & Ben Kanute have in common?

Elite performance begins with the best recovery. Optimal recovery starts with PILLAR Performance.

Leading into the 2023 season, the biggest names in triathlon began placing a focus on micro nutrition to support training and racing. Podium finishes begin with PILLAR Performance Triple Magnesium.

It's as simple as one scoop of PILLAR Performance TRIPLE MAGNESIUM Powder with about 8 oz of water, mix, and drink before bed.

If you want to improve your sleep performance and see why Jan Frodeno, Magnus, and Ben use PILLAR, head over to The Feed to try yours today.

REEL TIME

How Much Does An Ironman Cost?

Here’s a great Tik Tok from Chase Bandolik as he takes us through the cost of racing an Ironman…And he did it on the cheaper side!

@chase_bandolik

this is how much I spent on my Ironman #ironman #ironmantraining #ironmantriathlon #running #runner

FAVOURITES

😃 Loreen’s liking: Loreen Pindera is getting older but still thriving in the sport. Check this uplifting article on the joys of training and competing in Triathlon as an older athlete. [Triathlon Magazine Canada]

💾 Data dump: With the advent of wearable technologies like Whoop and the Oura ring, tracking even the smallest performance interventions is possible. But will these devices make you fitter? Or just more overwhelmed with data? [GTN]

😰 Paradox of performance: Imposter syndrome is when high-performing and capable individuals become paralyzed by anxiety and feel like a “fraud” or “phony.” Sound familiar? This great thread from Adam Grant shows us how to turn the negativity of impostor syndrome into the positivity of a growth mindset. [Adam Grant]

🦾 Ultimate Ironman: Sean Conway is aiming for 102 Ironman-distance races in 102 days, and he’s two days away from finishing 🤯 Check out his Instagram to see how this insane endeavor comes together. [Sean Conway]

Are you an expert and want to share your wisdom with thousands of engaged triathletes? Fill out this form and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• What is the state of the sport? A chat with race director Mark Wilson.

• All eyes on Australian Olympian Jake Birtwhistle.

• Expert analysis: Nail your Ironman training nutrition.

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