Open Water Swimming Made Easier

Good morning everyone,

We’ve had a recent influx of new subscribers, so I wanted to personally welcome you to The Tempo! For those who’ve been with us for a while, you rock! Thank you for letting us be a small part of your day 😊

In today’s edition:

• World Triathlon announces bids are open for Championship events 🏆 

• Open water swimming causing you trouble? Help is here 🏊 

• And are you making these 10 common triathlon mistakes? 😬 

Thank you 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. 

QUICK NEWS

🐻 Bear it: Most triathletes have to keep their eyes out for cars on the road, but we now have to add bears to the list! Triathlete Kevin Milner was out for his evening spin when suddenly a bear jumped out in front of him. He is now recovering from his injuries, and the bear couldn’t be reached for comment. [Yahoo]

🛥️ Zeewolde tri: On Friday, June 23rd Zeewolde Endurance will host the Triathlon for All, a low-key recreational triathlon. Athletes will swim, bike, and run with opportunities to catch their breath in between disciplines. Visit Triathlon for All for more information. [zeewolde-actueel]

🏃‍♀️ Do it for Julie: The 38th annual Julie Hughes Triathlon returns this weekend in Sitka, Alaska. The event is held in honor of Julie, who lost her battle with cancer in 1985. One of her goals was to compete in a triathlon. [KCAW]

Would you like to partner with The Tempo and reach our incredible audience? Reply to this email and let us know.

ONE BIG THING

World Triathlon Opens Bidding for Host Cities

What is it: World Triathlon (WT) has announced that it is welcoming bids for 2025 & 2026 Championship Finals, Para triathlon cups, Multisport World Championships, and other events.

What’s new: After successful Multisport World Championship events, like this year’s edition in Ibiza, WT has introduced Multisport Cup events. These events allow top elites to compete for prize money and mass participation in age-group competitions.

Unlike a Multisport World Championship, the Cup events can allow for a smaller footprint, as event organizers only need to offer two of the following:

• Long Distance Triathlon (including Aquabike)

• Duathlon

• Cross Triathlon

• Cross Duathlon

• and Aquathlon

Tempo’s take: Like tennis and golf, World Triathlon has its “majors.” Hamburg, Yokohama, Abu Dhabi, and Edmonton have all been incredibly consistent WT Championship Series venues for the past 10-15 years.

But there’s been a revolving door of one-and-done Championship Finals venues, including Beijing, Chicago, and Rotterdam. It’s unclear whether these cities only intend to host one-off races and be done or the benefits promised to the host city do not materialize 🤷.

An encouraging signal is the addition of the Multisport Cup events. Clearly, there is demand for these types of events, and WT has done well to ensure the event footprint can be smaller and more financially sustainable for race organizers.

Is there anywhere that you think would make a great host for a World Triathlon event? Respond to this email with your thoughts.

RACE WEEKEND

Challenge Family Championship, Ironman 70.3 Aix-en-Provence, and more!

Challenge Family Championship Samorin, Slovakia

Big hitters will hit the start line in Slovakia, where the athletes will fight for The Challenge Family $125k USD World Bonus.

In the men’s race, look for Aaron Royle (AUS) and Tom Bishop (GBR) to try and get a gap on strong runners like Matt Hanson (USA) and Clément Mignon (FRA).

The women’s field features recent ITU Long Distance World Champion Marjolaine Pierré (FRA) and early-season star Lucy Byram (GBR). But they’ll have their work cut out with strong swimmers like Sara Perez-Sala (ESP), Rebecca Clarke (NZ), and India Lee (GBR) looking to get away and stay away.

The event cracks on Sunday, May 21st at 8:30 AM CEST/2:30 AM EST. There is a free livestream available.

Full start lists.

Ironman 70.3 Aix-en-Provence, France

A few PTO European Open finishers will be toeing the line in this beautiful Côte d'Azur region event.

The women’s race will see a thriller between Ironman 70.3 Oceanside winner Tamara Jewitt (CAN) and podium stalwart Emma Pallant-Browne (GBR). Multiple Olympian Barbara Riveros (CHI) will also add her presence to the front of the race.

The men’s race features a South African duel between Bradley Wiess and Matt Trautman. Denis Chevrot (FRA) and Bart Aeronauts (BEL) should also be battling for podium positions.

The races kick off Sunday, May 21st.

Full start lists.

Ironman 70.3 Chattanooga, Tennessee

After Gulf Coast last weekend, the women will get their turn in the spotlight. Paula Findlay (CAN) is coming off a strong 5th place at the very competitive PTO European Open. She’ll most likely be followed by the lead moto most of the day. But a few others could challenge the Canadian:

• Jeanni Metzler (RSA) took an impressive win in St. George a couple of weeks ago and is deadly if she’s in striking distance on the run.

• Americans Sarah True, Skye Moench, and Jackie Hering are all rock solid and could easily challenge for the win and podium spots.

The races kick off Sunday, May 21st at 12:30 PM CEST/6:30 AM EST and there is a live stream on Outside Watch. 

Full start list.

Ironman 70.3 Kraichgau, Germany

German Ironman stars Laura Phillip and Patrick Lange are both coming off a major DNS at the PTO European Open, and will be frothing to show their form in Kraichgau.

• Ellie Salthouse (AUS) will be the most likely athlete to challenge Phillip in the women’s race.

Full start lists.

Ironman Lanzarote, Spain

In the women’s race, Lydia Dant (GBR) is the favorite, but Alexandra Tondeur (BEL) should give her a good challenge.

In the men’s race, Sam Laidlow (FRA) will probably take a somewhat easy win here unless World Tour cyclist/Pro Triathlete Cameron Wurf (AUS) can ride away from Laidlow.

Full start lists.

XTERRA Oak Mountain - Alabama, USA

The men’s race features a father and son matchup with XTERRA legend Josiah Middaugh and his son Sullivan. Ironman 70.3 winner Eric Lagerstrom will continue his foray into off-road triathlon.

The women’s race Alizee Paties (FRA) is the odds-on favorite but will be pushed by Kiwi Samantha Kingsford.

Watch the race live here at 4 PM EST/12 AM EST Sunday, May 21st.

TRAINING THOUGHT

Open Water Swimming is Hard. Here’s How to Make it Easier

Open-water swimming, it’s not the same as the pool! There are much fewer jellyfish, for one thing. Also, the pool is controlled, whereas the open water is truly uncontrolled.

If you’re trying to improve your open-water swimming, here are a few key principles for nailing that first leg 👇

🩳 Shorten that stroke: Traditional swim stroke guidance is long and powerful. But unless you’re built like Micheal Phelps, your arms will be too fatigued and the rest of your race will suffer.

• Check out this video for key stroke rate insight.

🔭 Sight well: You don’t want to swim more than you have to, right? Well, being better at sighting is super crucial. The key is to find that sweet spot where your eyes can spot what’s ahead while not lifting your entire head.

• Watch a great primer on correct sighting here.

🦶 Kick kills: Kicking fast is great for having a fast start to the triathlon…and not much else. The ROI for a big kick is just not high and may hurt your bike/run.

• Trying to kick less? Learn more here.

Are you an expert and want to be featured in The Tempo? Fill out this form and we’ll get back to you ASAP.

FRIDAY MEME

FAVOURITES

🙏 Not always easy: Even the best athletes struggle sometimes, which is certainly the case with current Olympic Champion, Flora Duffy (BER). After a long winter dealing with injury, she recently posted a difficult but heartening update to her followers. Wishing her the best in her recovery!

🏊 Ultra Challenge: Whether you're an experienced swimmer or looking for a new challenge UltraSwim 33.3 is for you! An epic adventure swim race. Six swims over four days in stunning Montenegro. Find out more. [UltraSwim 33.3]*

😂 Easy errors: We encountered this great Tik Tok on the 10 most common first-time triathlete mistakes. And not gunna lie, we’re still making some of these mistakes! Especially number two 💀. [Travelling Ironman/Tik Tok]

*Sponsored Listing

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• What is the state of the sport? Race Director Mark Wilson checks in.

• Expert analysis: Simple and effective Ironman strength training.

• Startup life and swim squad, how Rod Mackinnon does it.

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