In a Crowded Professional Race Calendar, Which Ones Matter Most?

Good afternoon everyone,

A bit of a clickbaity subject line today, but in a world where everyone is competing for your attention (Tempo included), it can be unclear where to divert your most scarce resource - your time.

• And if you’re interested in professional triathlon, it can be overwhelming to decide which races you should be following*. Especially amongst a crowded pro calendar!

So check out our list of the pro races that we think will make the biggest impact this year. And if you can’t watch or follow live, you can always get the recap here!

*We love all pro races at The Tempo - just to be clear.

In today’s edition:

• 🏁 In a Crowded Professional Race Calendar, Which Ones Matter Most?

• 🏃‍♂️ How to fuel your long runs - the right way!

• 🍳 And are you making the six most-common breakfast mistakes?

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

In a Crowded Professional Race Calendar, Which Ones Matter Most?

What is it: This weekend’s IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong kicks off the second edition of the IRONMAN Pro Series.

• In 2024, the IRONMAN Pro Series debuted as a means to provide a “season-long narrative” along with consistent, high-impact media coverage for professional IRONMAN races.

• The inaugural edition of the pro series saw Kat Matthews (GBR) and Gregory Barnaby (ITA) take the overall championship crowns - and the lucrative 200k first-place bonus.

18-ring circus: After starting in Geelong, the series will visit 17 other well-known race destinations including 70.3 Oceanside, IRONMAN Frankfurt, and the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona/Nice.

Tempo’s take: The IRONMAN Pro Series would never exist if it wasn’t for the pressure put on it by the T100 Triathlon World Tour. And out of this inter-entity competition, even more opportunities for professional triathletes have been created - which is great!

• But with the professional triathlon field more crowded than ever, which ones will have the biggest impact? Here’s what we think:

70.3 Oceanside/T100 Singapore: The April 5/6 weekend will feature a heavyweight bout for the triathlon world’s attention when these two races go head to head. Both start lists are exceptional, and along with the on-course heroics, we’ll be looking to see which event captivates the triathlon world’s attention.

IRONMAN Texas: With the Pro Series placing a massive premium on full-distance performances, most athletes will want to nail an early season IRONMAN to ensure maximum bonus-earning potential. Other than the World Championships in Kona and Nice, Texas could enjoy some of the most competitive fields of the season!

Challenge Roth: As one of the most iconic race experiences in the sport, Challenge Roth always features many of the best athletes in the sport, and has recently seen course records absolutely obliterated. 2025 will see many intriguing athletes like France’s short course World Champion, Vincent Luis, make their full-distance debut.

• Behind the scenes, Roth is also trying to capitalize on IRONMAN’s questionable World Championship split and establish itself as “the new Kona.”

IRONMAN CAIRNS/IRONMAN Frankfurt: With both these events being the final full-distance races before the World Championship qualifying window closes, the competition for these scarce slots will be absolutely relentless. Marquee athletes who may have struggled in early seasons events will arrive at these races desperate to keep their World Championship/Pro Series ambitions alive!

WTCS Hamburg: With some of the best crowds and atmosphere in the sport, the World Triathlon Championship Series event in Hamburg is can’t-miss triathlon action. And with Olympic medalists doing battle with the next generation of short-course superstars, the Sprint and Mixed-Team relay events should deliver non-stop drama.

IRONMAN World Championships: This year, the men will compete in Nice while the women will take control of Kona. The eyes of the triathlon world will be on both events, and with a new crop of athletes jumping up to the full distance it could lead to some of the most unpredictable racing we’ve ever seen!

IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships: IRONMAN’s Pro Series tagline is “every second counts” and at 70.3 Worlds it may literally come down to a matter of seconds for who takes the Pro Series crown, and the 200k first-place prize!

T100 Qatar Championship Final: By the time the T100 Triathlon World Tour arrives in Qatar we could still have no idea who will take the World Championship title. With many new faces on tour this year we could yet see surprise winners of the series, and the 200k first-place bonus!

What do you think? Did we hit the most important pro races of the year? Let us know below!

TEMPO TALKS PODCAST

Are You Ready For Faster Transitions?

Which pro races are worth your attention?

And will millions of new dollars mean the T100 can compete with IRONMAN?

All this and more in the latest episode of the Tempo Talks podcast. 

Together with The TriDoc, we bring you the biggest stories in Triathlon,

• Training tips to make you faster,

• And breakdowns of the latest in sports science and performance!

Don’t miss a moment; listen Tempo Talks on Apple, Spotify, and more! 

FAVORITES

🍳 Breakfast mistakes: The most important meal of the day can also be the hardest to get right! It’s why this article explains how to avoid the six most-common breakfast mistakes so you can nail your training, and everything else! [Self]

🏃 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]

🚲 Zone 2 demystified: Another zone 2 video? Yes, another. In this video, elite endurance coach Steve Magness helps demystify Zone 2 - explaining how easy to moderate training can enhance your overall fitness and performance! [Steve Magness]

👏 Incredible athlete: Billy Monger has officially been rewarded his Guinness World Record for being the fastest Kona finisher ever as a double leg amputee. Ahead of the record he also raised an astounding amount for charity. [IRONMAN]

💰 T100 transfer: The T100 has received a new investment of USD $10m from alternative investment firm, Cordillera. The CEO of Cordillera says the T100 is a “prime example of an emerging sports league…that is growing in popularity.” [Sport Industry]

🎊 Muscatine madness: The inaugural Muscatine Triathlon presented by Sqwincher is set to feature an USD $16k pro prize purse - unprecedented for a sprint-distance event! [Endurance Sportswire]

REEL TIME

It’s not unproductive, you’re just getting a head start on bedtime! 😂

thedentalathlete

26K followers

View more on Instagram

INTERVIEW

How Blueseventy's CEO Built an Iconic Triathlon Brand: Part 2

John Duquette is the CEO of Blueseventy. In today’s edition he takes us through his toughest moments as CEO, his thoughts on the Kona/Nice World Championship split, and the one Blueseventy product he can’t live without!

Part one of the interview is here.

What’s been your biggest challenge during your time with Blueseventy?

The challenges are non stop but we had a rough few years right after I purchased it. In 2018 our factory made 2500 suits and when they were packaging the completed suits they found the SCS coating was wearing off, Yamamoto had sent a defective batch of neoprene. We were fortunate that our factory caught it but that left us with nothing to sell at peak season. 

The next year in 2019, Yamamoto simply wasn't able to provide enough neoprene to all of their customers and we were once again short on inventory at peak season. 2020 brought the pandemic and in 2022 our distributor for the EU went insolvent, a setback we're still recovering from. 

How do you feel about the Kona/Nice split? What does your ideal IMWC look like?

As stated above, I got into the sport because I wanted to do the Hawaiian Ironman. I didn't care that it was the world championships, I just knew that I had to qualify for it and that it was among the hardest one-day athletic disciplines in the world. It was the motivation for almost every workout I did. 

• I know that 20-30 years ago I wasn't alone in that mindset, everyone wanted to get to Kona. However, I think the mystique of Kona has worn off for various reasons and clearly there are significant challenges for both Ironman and the Kona community considering how big the race is now. Things evolve and just because old folks like me used to be obsessed with Kona doesn't mean that it can never change. 

I'm not qualified to say what's right and we all know what opinions are like considering everyone has one. In the end, I trust Ironman to make the best decisions for them, the affected communities, and the athletes.

• One thing is for certain though, the women deserve their own day of racing!

Why are you excited about Blueseventy’s 2025 product releases?

This year we're releasing a new version of our three entry-level suits. Each suit has an increased focus on comfort and I think novice athletes will appreciate the details in the neck, shoulders, and lining.

Blueseventy continues to dominate pro races, but why do athletes of all abilities love the brand?

Nothing makes me more proud than when an athlete leaves for a bigger contract and then comes back a year or two later because they simply swim faster in our Helix. We don't have the budget that some bigger brands have but we're close to the sport, we can relate to athletes and we can get creative to find a solution when there's a gap between what the athlete is asking for and what our budget allows. 

• In the end I've had a number of top level athletes over the years test a series of suits and decide to wear the Helix. Most recently Kat Mathews' team started working with us over the winter because she loves the suit so much. I'm proud that she'll be wearing a Helix and swimskin with custom graphics this year and even more proud that we were approached by her team rather than us begging her to wear the suit. 

Today's professional athletes truly seem superhuman and I feel lucky I get to work with them.

What will a successful 2025 look like to you and Blueseventy?

We've taken control of our own distribution in Europe and I'm excited to see what the growth looks like there. In the United States, we're pretty low on inventory right now but that will be resolved in the coming month and I'll be excited to see us have appropriate inventory levels to meet demand. 

If you could only own one Blueseventy product, what would it be?

This is where I'm supposed to say the Helix wetsuit but the honest answer is our Transition Bag. I use that bag every single day. It's my commuter bag, my race bag, my ski bag, my travel bag, and my workout bag.  The way it fits on my back, under an airplane seat, and everywhere else really makes it the perfect bag!

RACE WEEKEND

IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong

The first event in the IRONMAN Pro Series sees stellar men’s and women’s fields led by current 70.3 World Champion Jelle Geens (BEL) and Grace Thek (AUS).

Watch live: Sunday Mar 23 7am AEDT / Saturday Mar 22 3pm EST on proseries.ironman.com, YouTube, Outside TV, DAZN, & more.

Full start lists here 

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• After recent high-profile deaths, how safe are triathlons?

• Why you need to train faster (not harder) vol. 2

• Build it, but will they come? The crazy story behind the Triterium!

LATEST EDITIONS

• A CEO’s incredible story, Plus: is FTP dead?

• Fatal finances forces push for growth, and open water skills

• Has triathlon struck generational gold? And superfoods for your training.