Super League Triathlon Rebrands Ahead of Critical Year

Good morning everyone,

The last while has felt like a firehose of triathlon industry news. I’m pretty deep into this sport, but even I have trouble keeping up with it all! But on the other hand, as someone keen on writing about the sport. It makes my job a hell of a lot easier and interesting!

In today’s edition:

• ⚔️ Super League Triathlon rebrands ahead of critical year.

• 🏎️ Volume two of our Need for Speed series.

• 🧃 And what is your optimum carb ratio?

Thanks for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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ONE BIG THING

Super League Triathlon Rebrands Ahead of Critical Year

What is it: Super League Triathlon - the triathlon start-up that since 2017 has built events around the mission of “making professional triathlon entertaining” has officially rebranded its to “supertri.”

• Formally known as the Championship Series, the flagship triathlon race series will now be known as supertri.

• The Arena Games, a blend of real life and virtual racing, will now be known as supertri E.

CEO says: According to supertri CEO Michael D’Hulst, “Now is the right time to look to the next stage of our development. We have proven ourselves to be the leaders in delivering entertainment and inspiration in triathlon.”

• “We are solidifying our commitment to mass participation with three unique events under our umbrella, we are committed to growing that to become a global series.”

Under the umbrella: As alluded to above, along with the supertri, and supertri E series, the supertri organization will also put it’s focus into a series of iconic mass participation events - known as the Triathlon Majors - which include;

• The Chicago Triathlon (which supertri acquired in February 2023).

• The New York City Triathlon.

• And The Legacy Long Beach Triathlon - held on the 2028 Olympic course (acquired December 2023).

Series take shape: After building a significant partnership with World Triathlon, and developing synergies with the IOC as a part of its E-Sports week, it felt like the supertri E series (formerly Arena Games) was on the cusp of mainstream triathlon conscience. But until recently supertri has been tight-lipped about future E series events.

• However, according to CEO D’Hulst, the 2024 E series will be revealed soon, as well as the flagship supertri series locations.

Big Apple blues: What was not a part of the supertri announcement was the postponement of the 2024 New York City Triathlon - reported by Triathlon Magazine Canada. According to supertri’s New York City event page, the organization could not secure an available date in Fall 2024.

• The statement says they are working to “find a solution for 2025 and beyond.”

This is another blow to supertri’s mass participation expansion efforts. The organization recently lost its ability to host The Malibu Triathlon after the former race director (who sold the event to supertri) received the only available permit to host a triathlon in Malibu - effectively killing supertri’s investment.

• And in a Shakespearian twist, it was later discovered the (also recently rebranded) T100 Triathlon Series helped back the bid that killed supertri Malibu. Potentially setting up a future T100 event on the Pacific Coast.

Tempo’s take: Right now we’re in a period of incredible industry moves;

• New Ironman CEO.

• New Ironman pro race series.

• And the Professional Triathletes Organization rebrand and global series launch.

Throwing the supertri rebrand on top of that does seem like a lot, but it’s another massive component of a shifting triathlon ecosystem. With more investment than ever into middle-distance racing, supertri is betting on the accessibility and scale that is available at shorter-distance events.

• We’ve seen the lineup for the supertri series, which will be held this fall. It’s a stellar lineup of previous and very new global destinations for racing, including a U.S. East Coast-based location that was a massive surprise to us!

One can also read between the lines as the supertri announcement also touts its history in delivering high-quality events, how it has “the most engaged audience in triathlon,” and its world-leading content availability on social media and YouTube.

• These are all metrics that its burgeoning rival, the T100 series, will be trying to cut into.

Also, as the last winner of the New York City Triathlon, I hope to see the event back on the calendar soon. There are few race feelings like running through Central Park in a trisuit!

TRAINING THOUGHT

The Need For Speed - Volume 2

Coach Max Frankel's series on why triathletes NEED to train at higher intensities

Max Frankel is a former elite cyclist and collegiate runner and is currently a triathlete and coach based in Boulder, Colorado. Max is an accomplished coach in the marathon, track, and both short and long-course triathlon having coached multiple athletes to professional licenses in triathlon, wins at the marathon and ultramarathon distances, and numerous Boston Marathon, Ironman World Championship and 70.3 World Championship qualifiers. 

• If you’d like to inquire about his coaching, or have any questions/feedback on this new segment of The Tempo, feel free to drop Max an email at [email protected]. 

Welcome back to The Need for Speed! In Volume 1, we introduced an overview of why polarized AND high-intensity training matters for triathletes, even and especially including Iron distance-focused athletes. In this week’s edition, I’d like to discuss some practical applications of that philosophy, and how that plays out in designing training programs.

Sustainable fitness and strength in any zone come from cultivating holistic strength and proficiency in the zones both above and below the one you’re looking to improve. Before we get any further, I want to clarify what I mean when I discuss zones. I also want to emphasize that I am applying these principles to running and cycling only, for now. Many of these lessons do have a place in swimming, but proper swim training tends to rely less on zones of intensity than feel, perceived effort, and technique (all three of which are inextricably linked). 

Many runners and triathletes are used to a 5 zone model that looks like this:

• Zone 1: Active Recovery (0-55% of threshold power)

• Zone 2: Endurance (56-75%)

• Zone 3: Tempo (76-90%)

• Zone 4: Threshold (91-105%)

• Zone 5: VO2 Max (106-120%)

However, a lot of what we’re discussing in The Need for Speed series covers an intensity not represented by that breakdown - above 120% threshold, or zone 6: neuromuscular power. 

For many triathletes, zone 5 is considered high-intensity speed work. Running sessions might look like 400m repeats at 5 km pace, which is ~ 110% threshold, and not even touching on the upper end of zone 5. At 115 to 120% of threshold we’re still talking about intensities that represent an all-out effort no shorter than 5 minutes.

• If you told a swimmer that their speed work would all take place at 500y/400m race pace or slower, they’d casually and effortlessly laugh you off the pool deck at such a suggestion. 

Many triathletes seem to have a psychological attachment to training primarily in zone 3 because;

• It’s hard (but not excruciating).

• Doing it feels good and results in big endorphin releases.

Triathletes also apply the mantra “you are what you train” as a justification to stick to training in zone 3, because it represents their race intensity.

However, while it is true to some extent that “you are what you train,” the correct interpretation of that looks a little different. Each zone plays a role in increasing your capacity in the others, and getting more sustainably fit at one output relies on adaptations you’ve made above and below it. In other words;

Being well-rounded comes from a well-rounded approach to training, and that well-roundedness in turn can develop higher capacities at specific intensities within the spectrum. 

Read the rest of the article and learn;

• How intensities play off each other.

• Why you should avoid getting stuck in zone 3.

• How holistic zone training will lead to improved performance.

FAVORITES

🏃‍♂️ Common running mistakes: Overstriding and low running cadence is definitely an issue for triathletes - especially at the end of a race - fixing them, and a few other of these common running mistakes can help you train healthy and race faster! [Marathon handbook]

🧃 Optimal carbs: There has been talk of an optimal carbohydrate ratio of 2:1 of Glucose to Fructose. But is that actually true? A sports science expert breaks down what the best carb ratio looks like to help you get the most out of your fueling, and performance. [My Sports Science]

🏋️‍♀️ Women’s strength training: We all know that women are tougher than men - there is no “woman cold.” And, this increased toughness, in the form of better fatigue resistance, may explain why they need more strength training volume than men. [Outside]

💪 Gain cave: We love a good pain cave, and this world-class indoor training setup from pro triathlete Dede Griesbauer has all the gear needed to get make serious gains. Plus a few intriguing personal touches. [Triathlete]

TOGETHER WITH EXTRA POINTS

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REEL TIME

Another good take on this reel format!

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QUICK NEWS

Paris hopefuls: USA Triathlon has announced its 2024 Elite and Elite Paratriathlon National teams. [USA Triathlon]

Doper busted: British age group triathlete given three-year doping ban after being caught by his girlfriend. [TRI247]

IMC 70.3: Ironman has added a 70.3 to the Ironman Canada race weekend. The middle-distance race will be run in conjunction with the full-distance Ironman Canada in Penticton. [Endurance Sportswire]

Ultrahumans: Two 49-year-old athletes broke the tape at Ultraman Florida - a three-day ultra long distance triathlon. [Triathlon Magazine]

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• How a PhD thinks you should train in the heat.

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