Triathlon's Global Footprint Expands

TOGETHER WITH

Good morning everyone,

I think I jumped the gun on Tuesday’s edition. The women’s Ironman World Championship is NOT this weekend. It’s on October 14th! But it’s OK to be excited for it, as the race will undoubtedly be incredible.

In today’s edition:

• 🌏 Diverse new race locations highlight triathlon’s expanding global footprint.

• 🚴 What actually makes a quality workout? You might be surprised.

• 😃 And tips we wish we knew as a beginner triathlete.

Thanks 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. 

ONE BIG THING

Unique Destinations Highlight Triathlon’s Global Growth

What is it: Ahead of this weekend’s Ironman 70.3 Goa, India, the sport of triathlon shows no sign of slowing in its global reach. With a population of 1.4 billion people, India and its growing middle class seem poised to be a huge growth opportunity for triathlon and related businesses.

• But it’s not the only exciting new frontier for the sport.

New destinations: In the search for new triathlon markets and growth, race organizers and global officials have been announcing a number of novel racing opportunities.

• Earlier this year, Ironman 70.3 Rwanda debuted as one of the few Ironman-branded events on the African continent. It’s all part of a massive push by the country to become a sports tourism hub.

Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Republic with a strong connection to the ancient Silk Road, is charting a new path with triathlon. Last year saw its global multisport debut with a World Triathlon circuit event in Samarkand.

And last month, the first edition of the middle-distance Challenge Samarkand was successfully held. Frederick Funk (GER) and Ellie Salthouse (AUS) won the pro races.

• GTN even did a really awesome race experience recap!

Asia has seen even more development of events with the recent additions of Ironman 70.3 Phu Quoc (Vietnam) and Challenge Malaysia, which is to take place in a $100 billion dollar futuristic ‘smart city.’

But why: As emerging economies continue to develop, they will be looking for more ways to spend their leisure time and money. And as many of us know, triathlon is good at using both 😆

• With the rise in experiential tourism, more athletes are interested in travelling further afield for a unique race experience. And in the age of Instagram, new race FOMO is only a post away.

TOGETHER WITH QAVAH DESIGNS

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Qavah means to wait eagerly with hope. And although you might have to wait till next year for that elusive World Championship slot, you definitely do not have to wait to get your hands on one-of-a-kind Triathlon apparel! 

The team at Qavah has worked hard to create incredibly soft, durable, and unique apparel. Qavahdesigns.com is where you’ll find their impressive lineup of thoughtfully designed tees, hoodies, and so much more. They even have kid's apparel for the young athletes in the family!

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ASK AN EXPERT

How to Fuel a Busy Lifestyle

Not sure what to fuel with during easy or hard training? Do you have G.I. distress during a big training day?

We’ll be speaking with a performance nutrition expert this weekend where questions like these, and more, will be answered!

And if you want early access to our conversation and our exclusive Tempo Pro deep dive newsletters, become a member of Tempo Pro and join our community. There are still three 30% off memberships available - join today.

FAVORITES

😃 Beginners wanted: Starting triathlon training can be daunting. There’s all the new terms you need to learn, injuries to avoid, and the chafing?!?!? This guide takes you on the journey from couch to triathlon, and everything in between. [Mottiv]

💎 Define quality: You just finished a hard workout, felt great, and absolutely nailed your interval times. Great work! But was it really a “quality” workout? Maybe not. According to this article, new research on what actually makes a quality workout is not what you would expect. [Outside]

🏃 Three sport advantage: Triathletes may never be the best at running (too busy also being good at swimming and biking), but they may be better than runners at a few things. Track and Field legend Michael Johnson thinks so, and he spoke with Tri247 about why professional triathlon is a step ahead of running. [TRI24]

DEEP DIVE

Will Training in an Altitude Tent Elevate Your Performance?

Loren Nelson is a professional long-course triathlete from Redcliff, Alberta, Canada. Loren wanted to experiment with altitude training, but without having to leave the comfort of his home! He tells us about the good, bad, and learnings of his recent experience training with an altitude tent.

Why the altitude tent?

Diving into altitude tents seemed like a great option to be in the comfort of my home with my regular routine getting the benefit of altitude. I have continually worked on every little detail as I can while keeping training, sleep, and nutrition as the primary focus in day-to-day operations.

What was your goal?

My main goal of this experiment with the altitude tent was to push myself slightly more without really knowing it and giving my body a boost in performance. Looking at the option of spending 4-8 weeks once a year at altitude in the mountains seemed like a far-fetched plan looking at my current lifestyle day-to-day.

Read the entire story here.

QUICK NEWS

💸 Zoot sold: Iconic triathlon brand Zoot was acquired by Italian-based MVC Group. MVC was interested in Zoot’s impressive direct-to-consumer strategy. [Yahoo]

🎃 Pumpkin spice tri: Ironman has released its fall 2024 70.3 U.S. schedule highlights, including ever-popular events in Santa Cruz and Augusta, as well as the return of the highly touted 70.3 New York which was one of the largest 70.3 events ever this year. [Endurance.biz]

❌ Challenge canceled: After weeks of uncertainty for athletes, this weekend’s Challenge Santa Marta has sadly been canceled. Top professional athletes were only notified days before that the race organizer was unsuccessful in securing permits for the event.

🙏 Barcelona death: Our thoughts are with the athlete who sadly passed away after sustaining a bike crash with another athlete at Ironman 70.3 Barcelona. [Triathlon Magazine Canada]

👀 Brownlee back: Alistair Brownlee (GBR) will return to racing this weekend at Challenge Barcelona. It is the double Olympic gold medalist’s return to competition after a lengthy recovery from Achilles surgery. [Tri-Today]

REEL TIME

For those who don’t know…the answer is on yourself! 😱😱😱

mnewton722

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TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

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• Legal performance enhancers - that actually work! 

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