IRONMAN Says Goodbye to Iconic Host City

Good morning everyone,

As we get closer to the Olympics it feels like a lot more “Olympic content” is being inserted into the algorithm. Mine anyways. And the article featured in today’s newsletter, which covers how the Games organizers are feeding the athletes brought me back to my own Olympic experience.

Due to COVID restrictions in Tokyo, there wasn’t much to do other than train, race, or eat.

So, we ate. Within reason…mostly.

The hosts took their assignment seriously, and the food was incredible even at the scale they had to produce it. Of course, it was all very good, but there was something next level about the Japanese food. The sushi was sensational, the Gyoza’s gourmet and the Takoyaki was tantalizing.

• So with French cuisine on the menu in Paris. I’m sure the athletes will be racing, and eating, like gold medalists!

In today’s edition:

• 👋 IRONMAN says goodbye to iconic Triathlon host city.

• 🍌 Three million bananas?!? How Paris will feed thousands of Olympic athletes.

• 😖 And how you can avoid devastating muscle cramps!

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ONE BIG THING

IRONMAN Says Goodbye to Iconic Host City

What is it: Since 1983, IRONMAN Canada has been synonymous with the city of Penticton, British Columbia. But, as recently announced by IRONMAN, this year’s race will be the final edition held on the iconic course.

• One of the first five IRONMAN events, the race in Penticton was known for its storied course in the Okanagan Valley, its global appeal as a destination race, and the community spirit of the city and its army of volunteers.

• In 2013, the race was shockingly moved to Whistler, and the race void was briefly filled by Challenge. In 2018 it was announced the race would return to Penticton and it appeared as though it would return to its former glory.

Troubled years: Recent years saw tremendous difficulty for the event as COVID-related cancellations hit the event in 2020 and 2021.

• In 2022 the race finally took place 10 years after it had left Penticton.

• And in 2023 regional wildfires forced the event to once again be cancelled.

Ominous announcement: On April 16th IRONMAN announced that the first edition of IRONMAN Canada-Ottawa would take place on August 3rd, 2025.

• It is now clear that this new full-distance race was meant to replace, not complement, the original IRONMAN Canada in Penticton.

Tempo’s take: Given Penticton’s five-year agreement with IRONMAN was set to expire at the end of this year, it was clear something needed to happen ASAP to see the race return to the Peach City.

It’s been hard to find details on why IRONMAN decided not to renew the contract. It’s easy to go down the money road and that could very well be the reason. Certain jurisdictions, like the Lake Placid-area, will pay “marketing fees” to IRONMAN to help subsidize the cost of hosting a large-scale event.

• These can also be directly subsidized by state governments, as evidenced by the recent announcement of the new IRONMAN 70.3 Rockford-Illinois event.

Perhaps when IRONMAN and Penticton went to the table the incentives just weren’t there. The reality for IRONMAN is that the Ottawa region is over 15x larger than Penticton, so they may have been able to offer a better deal for the corporation.

However, it is confusing when IRONMAN states that the Penticton race has been, “one of our longest-running and most popular events,” and then they end up leaving. If they left simply due to dollars, then it’s a pretty shortsighted decision. History is one thing, but leaving the community infrastructure and human capital that sits behind a 30-year event can’t exactly be delivered by Amazon Prime to the next host city.

As a Canadian, I’m pretty sad that the race will be leaving Penticton. The legend and pedigree of the event was incredibly inspiring, and most athletes I knew had incredibly fond memories of the event.

• And I’d be lying if I said winning the event wasn’t a huge future race motivator!

Ottawa certainly has big shoes to fill. But it is a beautiful city that has plenty of unique draws as a race destination. Who knows, I could even find myself on the start line next year!

FAVORITES

🍌 Olympic eating: Quinoa muesli, Gnocchi in Chicken sauce, and over 3 million bananas! These are just a few of the menu options available to the 15,000 athletes and staff who will be in Paris for the Olympics. So how do they source and prepare the food for this massive eating endeavor? Find out here. [Eater]

😖 Muscle cramp causes: Muscle cramps can quickly take you from the race of your life to a devastating DNF. So what can you do to prevent them? Firstly, avoid these risk factors. [My Sports Science]

🚲 Cycling recovery: After finishing a big ride it can be tempting to hop right in the shower and put your legs up. But if you’re looking to recover well AND make the most of your key session, you might want to do (at least a few of) these post-ride mobility exercises. [GTN]

World Champs courses: As over 6000 athletes descend on Taupō, New Zealand for the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships, they’ll be taking on quite the race course. Hills, scenic vistas, and new roads highlight the recently revealed World Championship courses. [IRONMAN]

Incredible athlete: Germany’s Jonas Deichmann is in the middle of his mind-blowing Challenge 120 - 120 full-distance triathlons in 120 days. He just hit the halfway mark by competing in the iconic Challenge Roth. Follow along in his journey here. [Jonas Diechmann]

REEL TIME

We’ve definitely had a few close calls with Tommy Texter!

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RACE WEEKEND

IRONMAN Vitoria-Gasteiz

Reigning IRONMAN World Champion Sam Laidlow (FRA) looks to validate his slot for Kona while Kat Matthews (GBR) will be hoping to make a big jump in the IRONMAN Pro Series rankings!

Watch live: Watch live on ironman.proseries.com (US + Canada on Outside Watch)

Other Pro races 👇

World Triathlon Championship Series Hamburg

QUICK NEWS

Course cutting: After denying claims of cheating, Syed Saddiq, a Malaysian Member of Parliament admits an “honest mistake” was made when he didn’t fully complete the full triathlon course. [The Star]

Fantastic Findlay: After an incredibly inspiring weekend becoming the Canadian National Time Trial Champion, and winning IRONMAN 70.3 Mt. Tremblant, Paula Findlay (CAN) has been named the PTO Athlete of the Month. [Professional Triathletes Organization]

Amazon delivers: For the third year running Amazon will sponsor the kid’s races at the upcoming Boston Triathlon. This means all kids who want to participate in the fun run or splash and dash will receive free race entries! [Triathlon Magazine]

European Championships: Jönköping, Sweden has been awarded the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 European Championships. The race will take place on July 6, 2025. [Endurance Sportswire]

T100 course revealed: The Pro and Age Group courses have been revealed for this September’s Ibiza T100 Triathlon on 28-29 September. [Professional Triathletes Organization]

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