IRONMAN Set to Crown QOM - Queen of Marbella - at Weekend’s 70.3 World Championships

TOGETHER WITH PRECISION FUEL & HYDRATION

Good morning everyone,

Triathlon’s championship season rolls on, and this weekend brings us what will no doubt be another pair of classic competitions. Nice was incredible. Kona, indescribable.

Marbella? Most likely magnificent!

In today’s edition:

• 👑 The QOM - Queen of Marbella - will be crowned at weekend’s 70.3 World Championship!

• 🚴 How “riding the terrain” can lead to your next best bike split.

• 🏃 And how to safely - and succesfully - build your run mileage!

-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

IRONMAN Set to Crown QOM - Queen of Marbella - at Weekend’s 70.3 World Championships

What is it: This weekend, the women kick off the IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships in Marbella, Spain, featuring an all-star field that includes Kona Champions and middle-distance masters.

The Course

The swim features plenty of turns that could stretch the field out. But once the athletes leave the water, the real race begins.

The bike is the hardest 70.3 World Championships course - ever. Over 5500 feet (1670m) of climbing, with grades of up to 20%.

• The run is mostly flat with a couple of punchy climbs. Nothing like the bike!

The Favorites

Taylor Knibb (USA) will be looking to claim her fourth 70.3 World Championship in a row. But she’ll have plenty of competition!

• Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) - Always a threat for the win. But unconfirmed if she will be competing after her shocking Kona collapse.

• Solveig Løvseth (NOR) - The surprise IRONMAN World Champion comes in with momentum. But will her competitors let her get away again?

• Kat Matthews (GBR) - The oh-so-close second place in Kona has her wanting more in Marbella.

• Paula Findlay (CAN) - It’s a cyclist’s race, and Paula knows how to press the pedals!

Middle Distance Masters

Although not advertised as the favorites, middle-distance athletes - many of whom feature in the T100 Triathlon World Tour - will hope their speed will win the day.

Jessica Learmonth (GBR), Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR), Caroline Pohle (GER), India Lee (GBR), and Lena Meissner (GER) will all feature heavily as the race shifts to the bike.

Marbella Madness

So how will this race play out? For starters, the bike will blow the race apart.

At the top of the first long climb, about 18 miles in, we may see a small group of 1-3 athletes in the lead. Think Knibb, Charles-Barclay, and maybe Findlay.

• And behind? Løvseth will want a gap on the runners of the field. But will Matthews let her get away like on the Queen K?

The second climb, starting at mile 33 and continuing all the way to mile 45, will truly separate the best from the rest. But if the leaders fail to grow their gap before this section starts, then we could see a run with plenty of intrigue!

Podium Predictions

With a Kona victory denied by seconds, Kat Matthews (GBR) - and the championship-sized chip on her shoulder - will use a devastating bike/run combo to take her first World Championship.

Knibb will fall short in her bid for a fourth title, while Findlay will fly to the final podium position.

• 🥇 Kat Matthews (GBR)

• 🥈 Taylor Knibb (USA)

• 🥉 Paula Findlay (CAN)

How to Watch

The gun goes off at 7:50 AM CET Saturday, November 8th.

• That’s 2:20 AM EST.

• Watch free at proseries.ironman.com or OutsideTV for North Americans.

TOGETHER WITH PRECISION FUEL & HYDRATION

How Kristian Høgenhaug “Rode the Terrain” to the Performance of His Life!

Kristian Høgenhaug (DEN) - one of the strongest cyclists in triathlon - talks to us ahead of the 70.3 World Championships about how “riding the terrain” can lead to your next best bike split, why increasing his sodium eliminated “brain fog,” and what inspires his hilarious triathlon memes!

Did your incredible podium performance at IRONMAN Frankfurt surprise you? How did you feel crossing the finish line that day?

Yes and no. I had some really crazy sessions on both the bike and on the run. I did a 6x10 min effort on the bike 2.5 weeks out at 400W each and felt in control - 3 days later I did a solo long run with 20km tempo @3:18 min/km directly into 10 km @3:35 min/km(on just 2 gels).

• Those sessions were a new level for me and something I had never done before, so I knew I had it in me, in some way. I walked into the race pretty confident, knowing that on a solid day, I would have a good performance in me!

When I crossed the finish line, I felt a huge amount of gratitude. I had a lot of support from family and friends on the course, and I managed to pull off the best performance of my life, and along with that, I impacted the race, which is something I always strive to do.

Looking back on the IMWC in Nice, what were your highest and lowest moments from that race?

The lowest moment was probably the climbing on the course! 😂

• I was around 79kg and wasn’t in the best shape, so I knew it would be a struggle to push the required power. Suddenly, one of my strongest disciplines ended up being one of the worst.

The highest moment was getting on the run and feeling good. I’ve done a race on the course two times prior (Ironman Nice and WC in Nice, both in 2023) and DNF'ed twice. So you can imagine that I was a little worried about how the run would unfold.

Has the new IRONMAN Pro Series format changed how you approach your training?

From the 2024 season, I learned that I can’t be in absolute top shape the entire year. I was so burned out at the world championship in Taupo in 2024. So for this year, we changed it a bit and focused big time on Frankfurt as a big peak.

We wanted to do a peak for Nice as well, but the huge race block during the summer and becoming a first dad a few weeks before Nice probably was what stuck a stick in the wheel. So we didn’t succeed entirely. But most importantly, I don’t feel burned out at this time of the year.

How has working with Precision shaped your training and race-day strategy?

I’ve always had a big focus on the carb intake. But working with Precision completely changed my fuelling plan regarding sodium intake.

• I sweat quite a lot, so even though I’m “only” in the moderate sodium loss group, my total volume lost per hour can be really high.

After dialing it in this year and I’ve felt a lot better later into an Ironman - a lot of the brain fog I sometimes had late into the marathon has completely disappeared. 

If you could recommend just one Precision product to other athletes, which would it be and why?

Probably the Electrolyte Tabs - they are very gentle on the palate, taste great, and they make it easy to get in the sodium number you want with all the different options they have. 

You’re known for being a powerhouse cyclist. What’s your best tip for athletes who want to improve their bike split?

"Ride the terrain” - Know where to apply the power to get the most speed out of the bike (while being aero). Steady watts won’t give you your fastest possible split. Something everyone could and should experiment with in training.

And finally…where do you get the inspiration for your legendary triathlon memes?

My DM’s from friends 😂👌

🏆 Ready to level up your fueling? Then check out the awesome lineup of PF&H products!

• And save 15% off your first purchase using code TEMPO-FUEL.

• Or, use this link and get 15% taken off at checkout! 

FAVORITES

🏃‍♂️ Building run mileage: Looking to make a jump in run volume, without succumbing to frustrating injuries? This article explains three key tenets of building your running mileage - sustainably and successfully! [Run]

🔗 Most clicked link: The most clicked link from last Friday’s edition was an article that explains - with hard data - exactly which bottle placement is the most aerodynamic! [Slowtwitch]

🔬 Major micronutrients: We know that nailing our macronutrients - like protein - helps us train and race at our best. But what about the micronutrients? Which ones matter most for athletes? Iron is critical, and so are these four other ones. [The Manual]

↩️ New race technique: If you’ve run a race with plenty of U-Turns, you know how quickly they can steal your momentum. So next time you’re heading into one, use this novel technique to maintain momenum and keep your race on pace! [Running Magazine]🔬 

TEMPO TALKS PODCAST

Is This the Best-Ever Women’s 70.3 World Championships?

And who is actually prepared to take on the hills in Marbella?

All this and more in the latest episode of the Tempo Talks Podcast!

RACE WEEKEND

Noosa Triathlon

Matt Hauser (AUS) and Jessica Fullagar (GBR) claimed the titles in Noosa!

Full race results

IRONMAN 70.3 Langkawi

 Julie Derron (SUI) and Josh Ferris (AUS) locked in wins in Lagkawi!

Full race results

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