In Transition Newsletter #4: 🦘 Money Moves in Melbourne

Good morning everyone!

Where I am in North America, it's Remembrance Day, and it is a somber day where we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in a hope of a better future. I am grateful to live in a free society, and have the opportunity to pursue my goals in life and in Triathlon.

In this edition we have a race preview of Ironman 70.3 Melbourne, the benefits of swimming with a snorkel, and a piece on the impressive Zwift Triathlon academy.

Are you racing this weekend? Send us through your photos or a race recap, and we will feature them in next Tuesday's edition!

Thank you for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, newsletter editor

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OFF TO THE RACES

Trans-Tasman Throwdown in Melbourne

What’s happening: A classic Aussie-Kiwi battle is shaping up at Ironman 70.3 Melbourne. But will an American play spoiler?

The Women's race

Analysis: The women’s race will feature Aussie powerhouses Sarah Crowley and Ellie Salthouse. New Zealander Hannah Wells and Lotte Wilms from the Netherlands will be hoping to upset the home athletes on their court.

• After a disappointing 70.3 Worlds in St. George where she finished off the podium, watch for Ellie Salthouse to take the race by the horns and take control of the race early.

• Crowley has an impressive pedigree with recent wins at 70.3 Santa Cruz and 2nd at the Ironman Asia-Pacific Championships. Look for her to make moves in the latter part of the bike and run.

Key Players: Sarah Crowley, Ellie Salthouse, Grace Thek, Lotte Wilms and Dr. Hannah Wells.

Prediction: Salthouse will use the home crowd to push her to yet another 70.3 win.

The Men's race

Analysis: The men’s race will see most of the Australian long course athletes looking to lay down a solid effort as the summer fast approaches. However, former naval officer, and long course commander Tim O’Donnell will be looking to torpedo the hopes of the Aussie armada.

• Mckenna and Noble should lead the field out of the water, and they have to rip the early part of the bike to hold back O'Donnell.

• O'Donnell will be looking to use his veteran strength to overtake the earlier leaders on the back half of the run.

Who is Tim? Tim O'Donnell is a long course Triathlon stalwart who first turned pro in 2003. His career highlights include a second place at the Ironman World Championships and multiple Ironman victories.

Key players: Steve McKenna, Tim O'Donnell, Nicolas Free, Caleb Noble.

Prediction: McKenna looked great as the Sunshine Coast 70.3 recently. Look for him to have a crew on the bike, but pull away for the win once they lace up their running shoes.

Race details:

• Start list

• Race starts at 7AM local time

• Watch it live on Outside Watch or follow along with the Ironman Tracker

Event Calendar

• World Triathlon World Cup Viña Del Mar

• Ironman 70.3 Goa

• Ironman 70.3 Puerto Princesa

• World Triathlon America’s Cup Viña Del Mar

• World Triathlon African Zonal Championships Dakar

ONE THING YOU SHOULD KNOW

Zwift Tri Academy In Search of Talent for 2023

What is it: The Zwift Academy Triathlon Team calls itself, “The World’s Best Supported Amateur Tri Team.” Started in 2018, the team has established itself as a strong presence within the age group ranks. Most notably, alumus Ruth Astle, who finished 5th overall at this year’s Ironman World Championships.

Why It matters?

• The team members enjoy world class coaching support, and perks from brands such as Canyon, Zipp and SRAM.

• Like a startup accelerator, this is essentially an "athlete accelerator" that speeds up the development process from the back of the pack to the podium.

Quick thought: The Zwift academy has proven it’s ability to find and develop talent through its program. With untraditional cycling platforms such as Zwift and Rouvy, there is a new opportunity for athletes to be noticed for their physiological abilities. The most notable example, another Zwift athlete Jay Vine, who was also discovered through the Zwift cycling platform.

• Vine has seen meteoritic success in a short time having quickly gone from riding the trainer to winning grand tour stages.

TRAINING THOUGHT

Snorkeling to Success

Not just for scuba diving! Incorporating a snorkel for swim training can be a game changer for a few key reasons.

📏 Body Alignment

• By using a snorkel you can focus on keeping the head in an ideal position that will help keep your hips up.

👀 Eyes Down 

• Instead of missing the catch phase while breathing, a snorkel allows for full vision of how you are pulling water through the water, and can make it easier see faults.

🏍️ Keep Going

• By not having to lift the head to breath a snorkel will reduce fatigue during longer intervals, and help build endurance.

FAVOURITES

Triathlon gave me a voice. The incredible story of Afghanistan's first female triathlete [Triathlete]

Ironman Arizona? 70.3 Indian Wells? Where will Lionel Sanders' last race of the season be? [Triathlon Magazine Canada]

New Challengers to Nike? An account of the shoes worn at the recent NYC Marathon. [Outside]

HAVE A LISTEN

🟥 MX Endurance Podcast. Athlete and sport personality Joe Skipper discusses 70.3 St. George Worlds and the controversial Sam Long penalty

📅 TriDot Podcast. Coaches Elizabeth James and Jeff Raines discuss all the details of indoor bike training. What equipment will you need? How do you best execute your planned session? And more

🌈 Physical Performance Show. Host Brad Beer interviews 2013 ITU World Champion Non Stanford. They discuss her final season of racing and transition to elite coaching

QUOTE OF THE DAY

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