Lake Placid renewal reveals intriguing IRONMAN contract details

Good morning everyone,

What I thought was going to be a stellar week of training in Girona, Spain has been a bit of a false start. Lots of crazy rain and a couple of body niggles have held me back from what I hoped to achieve thus far.

But that’s part of the game, and it just requires a bit of expectation recalibration. On the plus side, the rain finally cleared later yesterday and I got out for a great ride with some gorgeous cloud-free views!

In today’s edition:

• 👀 IRONMAN Lake Placid renewal reveals intriguing contract details.

• 🏆 Triathlete Knibb qualifies for second Olympic sport.

• 💊 And should you take pain medication before running?

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ONE BIG THING

As IRONMAN Lake Placid is Renewed, Intriguing Contract Details are Revealed

What is it: After previously facing the threat of cancellation, it appears IRONMAN Lake Placid, one of the longest-running and most storied full-distance races will be continuing for another three years.

• According to the Adriondack Daily Enterprise, the North Elba town council recently voted unanimously to authorize the signing of a three-year contract extension with IRONMAN.

• This would ensure the event takes place through 2028.

Troubled times: In 2021 the community created the “IRONMAN task force” which addressed, among other issues; road safety, changing the race date, stakeholder communication, and whether the race should continue in the community.

• Now, according to the council, IRONMAN has been able to make, “tangible improvements in the competition and lines of communication between organizers and locals.”

Contract uncovered: Although IRONMAN is known for its incredibly covert negotiations, the article revealed a trove of intriguing contract details between the Lake Placid-area destination marketing organization; ROOST, and the endurance behemoth.

Several key amendments include:

• An increase of $20,000 of the “marketing fees” ROOST must pay IRONMAN for each race edition. Now equaling $110,000 annually.

• Local leadership’s input into how many race participants will be allowed. This year’s edition will be capped at 2500 participants.

• Fewer hotel nights for IRONMAN officials.

Also included in the amendments, new financial obligations for IRONMAN. Beginning in 2025, the IRONMAN Foundation - which is separate from the IRONMAN brand - must donate “a minimum of $40,000 to be used for the volunteers of the event and $10,000 to be used solely for community grants to local area non-profit organizations.”

• Also in the contract, a provision that “WTC (IRONMAN) will also be required to pay a minimum of $35,000 towards the Ironman “dine around” voucher program.”

Tempo’s take: It’s great news that IRONMAN will be returning to Lake Placid. It first started in 1999 and has been an athlete favorite for so many years.

The negotiations between IRONMAN and the Lake Placid area demonstrate the trend of local frustration towards large-scale participation events. The backlash in Kona resulted in splitting of the World Championships.

• Local pushback in Lake Placid? It seems to mean more money for volunteers, community grants, and subsidies for local restaurants.

We can’t imagine IRONMAN will be fired up about the details of their contract being leaked. Surely communities like Chattanooga, Frankfurt, and Florianópolis (to name a few) wouldn’t mind a bit of extra cash for volunteers and local restauranteurs…

ALSO OF NOTE

Taylor Knibb Qualifies for Second Olympic Sport after Winning USA Cycling Time Trial Nationals

The already Paris-bound triathlon star powered ahead of her single sport competitors over the 40km course and took the win 11 seconds ahead of second-place Kristen Faulkner.

• The win gives her automatic selection for the cycling time trial event at this summer’s Paris Olympics.

Serious schedule: It will be a busy race week for Knibb at the Games as the cycling time trial is scheduled to take place on July 27th, only days ahead of the women’s individual triathlon set to take place on July 31st.

Tempo’s take: This is an absolutely insane achievement. There are of course many athletes who have competed in two different sports. But we couldn’t find anyone (in the modern era) who has competed in two different sports at the SAME OLYMPICS.

• We also hope pure cyclists give triathletes a little more respect after seeing this!

FAVORITES

👩‍🏫 Aging well as an athlete: Generally, as we age we get slower. Factors like a decrease in muscle strength decreased cardiovascular function, and hormonal changes all contribute to a reduction in performance. But there are ways to age up without slowing down, including increasing crucial calf strength. [Triathlete]

💊 Ibuprofen before running: If you have a run workout but are also dealing with some pain, it might be tempting to pop ibuprofen or acetaminophen to help get you through the session. But should you be taking pain relievers before running? There could be some worrying side effects. 

🍷 Ryf’s incredible crib: Daniela Ryf has 5 IRONMAN and 70.3 World Championship titles to her name and will go down as one of the greatest triathletes ever. And as shown in this MTV cribs-style video of her home, all those titles will help you afford a pretty legit wine cellar! [Daniela Ryf/YouTube]

ONE GOOD TEXT

In a text to The Tempo, Andy Blow, the CEO of Precision Fuel & Hydration spoke about their recent high-profile partnership with IRONMAN Europe, and why carbs won’t be on the menu!

REEL TIME

Really seemed like a good idea before 😆

hellenic.iron.tri

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RACE WEEKEND

The Challenge Championship

Somewhat forgotten in the sea of professional triathlon series, The Challenge Championship will see a massive field of top pros including Frederick Funk (GER), India Lee (GBR), Laura Madsen (DEN), and Rico Bogen (GER).

How to watch: Watch live on the Challenge Family site starting at 8:15 CEST on Sunday May 19th.

IRONMAN 70.3 Chattanooga

Another pro series event offers up crucial ranking points for the athletes. Notable women’s favorites include Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR), Alice Alberts (USA), Grace Thek (AUS), and current IRONMAN pro series leader Danielle Lewis (USA).

• Men to watch include Jackson Laundry (CAN), Matt Hanson (USA), Justin Riele (USA) and Cody Beals (CAN).

How to watch: Saturday, 6:30AM EST - Outside Watch in the U.S. and proseries.ironman.com in the rest of the world.

Other pro races

World Triathlon World Cups in Huatulco, Mexico and Samarkand, Uzbekistan, Xterra Oak Mountain, IRONMAN Brazil, IRONMAN Lanzarote, IRONMAN 70.3 Pays D’Aix

QUICK NEWS

Memorial triathlon: This weekend marks the 40th anniversary of the Julie Hughes Triathlon. At 15 Hughes tragically passed away from Cancer before achieving her goal of completing a triathlon. The memorial event also raises money for the Sitka Cancer Survivors Network. [KCAW News]

Cyprus success: Organizers in Cyprus recently held a successful Super Sprint triathlon. [Inbusiness news]

Vacaville youth tri: Youths aged 7 - 17 are encouraged to participate in this weekend’s Vaca Youth Triathlon in Vacaville. [Daily Republic]

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• Why this performance psychologist wants you to celebrate the small wins.

• Why you need to train faster (not harder) - volume 2

• Build it, but will they come? The incredible story of the Triterium.

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