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Two’s Company, One Wears the Crown: Duffy Wins Worlds Over Taylor-Brown

Plus: Will we see the PTO in primetime?

Good morning everyone!

We’ve got a breakdown from the Women’s World Triathlon Grand Final, a preview of the Men’s Grand Final, and is the Professional Triathletes Organization on the cusp of primetime?

Thank you for being here.

-Matt Sharpe, Canadian Olympic triathlete, current long course racer, and now, a newsletter writer.

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ONE BIG THING

PTO to Air Race Highlights on Fox Sports

What is it: The Professional Triathletes Organization, or PTO, have announced they will be airing a package of highlights from their recently completed 2022 race season. Tri-Today reports that Fox Sports, a major broadcaster of sports in the US will air highlights from the three events in 2022; the PTO Canadian Open, the Collins Cup, and the PTO U.S. Open. The broadcast will air on Fox Sports 1 on December 17 at 11AM to 2PM EST.

Why it matters:

The PTO has made strides in partnering with Eurosport for their broadcasts in Europe, yet they have not been able to crack the lucrative U.S. broadcast market. By making inroads with a major U.S. broadcaster they can leverage the coverage to build further relationships with major broadcasters.

  • The deal does not agree to broadcast the events in full, but the exposure from will signal to other broadcasters that professional triathlon is worth a look.

  • If the coverage receives significant interest, the PTO could potentially enjoy massive exposure in a substantial market.

Quick thought:

For the PTO to continue to grow, it needs to establish itself within the traditional television market. If they can turn this opportunity into something greater, then it will open up professional triathlon to a whole new audience. It's encouraging to see the PTO continue to push for greater exposure for professional triathletes and introduce them to a new audience.

NEWS

🥔 Idaho A Go: After many years of successful racing, Ironman will return once again to Coeur d’Alene and beautiful northwest Idaho. [KXLY]

🎖️ Gold star athlete: Long course professional, Kat Matthews, was recently named British army sportswomen of the year. She is currently recovering from being hit by a car in September, (something unfortunately myself and many others have experienced) but will no doubt be back on top next season. [Tri247]

🏆 State glory: USA Triathlon has announced the dates and races that will award the 2023 State Triathlon championships. Of note, races after June 1st will qualify athletes for 2023 AND 2024 USA Triathlon National Championships. [Endurance.biz]

☁️ Kia ora competition: IRONMĀORI, an event organizer created to address health issues among the Māori population in New Zealand has landed nib insurer as a title sponsor for their next event, IRONMĀORI. It will be the first indigenous full-distance triathlon. [Waatea News]

💞 Volunteer gold: Dr. Tony Best will be inducted into the “Ironman in Australia” Hall of Fame. He first started volunteering as a medical director in 2004 at Ironman Busselton and has been described as an integral part of Ironman events. [Mandurah Mail]

RACE RECAP

Two’s Company, One Wears the Crown: Duffy Wins Worlds Over Taylor-Brown

Flora Duffy made no mistakes in her victory at the World Triathlon Championship Series Grand Final. She is officially the 2022 World Champion 🌈 The men will battle for their crown tomorrow.

Women's Race

What happened: 

Taylor Knibb (USA) led most of the swim with Flora Duffy (BER) just coming out ahead as they exited the water.

  • Watch: Duffy leads the field out of transition.

Duffy made an early move to distance her from Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) but was reeled back in quickly. Knibb continued to push the push and whittle down the front pack to a group of 6.

  • Chaos ensued as Knibb crashed on lap 7 of the bike and lost time to the athletes she was riding with.

  • Watch: Knibb crashes on lap 7.

Onto the run it looked to be an epic duel between Duffy and Taylor-Brown. Straight away Taylor-Brown established a gap, but Duffy was able to bring her back at the end of run lap one. At 5km Duffy put in a devastating surge and didn’t look back, becoming the world champion.

Podium: 

  • 1st - Flora Duffy (BER)

  • 2nd - Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR)

  • 3rd - Lena Meißner (GER)

Matt’s take:

After an insanely long season, the final race certainly delivered the drama. Knibb’s top swim set the tone for the day as she carried the lead bunch away from the chasers. Her crash late in the bike shook things up, and it was clear whoever of Duffy and Taylor-Brown managed the heat best would be on track for the win. GTB made an early move that looked to be devastating. But in the end, she may have cooked herself and couldn't hang when Duffy surged away.

Men's Race Preview

Analysis: The 2022 World Championship series has truly been a marathon. It actually started way back in September 2021, and 14 months later, it will finally end. The battle for first should be between perennial favorites, Hayden Wilde (NZ), and Alex Yee (GBR). Vincent Luis (FRA), who is coming off a victory at WTCS Bermuda will be looking to push an early breakaway and keep the win out of the runners’ grasp.

  • Kristian Blummenfelt (NOR) and Gustav Iden (NOR) will add to the chase pack’s power. Both could easily sneak in for the win if Yee or Wilde falters.

  • With temperatures expected to be over 29C/84F the heat will play a factor.

Key players: Hayden Wilde, Alex Yee, Vincent Luis, Kristian Blummenfelt, Jelle Geens (BEL)

Matt’s take:

Look for Vincent Luis, Matthew Hauser (AUS), and a group of about 8 others to establish a break out of the swim. However, the chase pack has too many horses to hold off, and they will most likely be caught in the later stages of the bike. Whoever can handle the heat the best will take the victory.

  • Blummenfelt is one of the best in the world in hot conditions and could easily break up the Wilde/Yee hegemony.

  • Podium: 🥇 Yee, 🥈 Blummenfelt, 🥉 Geens

Race details:

Other Results

World Triathlon U23 World Championships

  • U23 Men: Connor Bentley (GBR) was able to use an early swim advantage to kick away from the rest of the field for the win.

  • U23 Women: After a brilliant bike breakaway with another athlete Kate Waugh (GBR) comfortably took the win.

World Triathlon Paratriathlon World Championships

  • Paratriathlon: Stefan Daniel (CAN), Susanna Rodriguez (ESP), and Grace Norman (USA), were some of the newly crowned World Champions.

Upcoming Races

  • Ironman 70.3 Tiberias, Sea of Galilee│Nov 25 │Race Details 

  • Ironman Isreal Middle East Championship │Nov 25 │Race Details

TRAINING THOUGHT

Skis Please!

With winter settling in for folks in the northern hemisphere, it could be time to throw some cross-country skiing into the training routine this winter. Here are three reasons triathletes should definitely cross-country ski! ⏬

👩‍🚀 Low impact

  • Cross-country (XC) skiing puts less stress on muscles, joints, and bones, which is great for athletes who are injury prone.

🏋️ Whole body workout

  • XC skiing is the true full-body workout. Arms, legs, and everything else will be worked. There's a reason why these elite skiers are among the fittest athletes in the world.

🌲 Nature

  • It is a great excuse to get out in the woods, and amongst nature! Which can help keep the body and mind in a state of wellness.

FAVOURITES

#VanLife: Paula Findlay and Eric Lagerstrom, professional triathletes and world-class YouTubers bring us the latest episode from their channel, That Triathlon Life. And if you’re a van lifer, you’re definitely gonna want to check this out!

🧠 Benno X Brent: Brent McMahon is a 2x Olympian and multiple Ironman champion with over 25 years of experience in the sport. Greg Bennett does a great job unpacking his career, and sports lessons. But what are Brent’s highest and lowest points in his career? Take a listen. 

🍋 Lululemonman: Fitness and a healthy lifestyle are in the DNA of Canadian athleisure giant, Lululemon. Which is no surprise why CEO Calvin McDonald is himself, an avid triathlete. But does he get mad when his employees beat him? Lol, no. But take a look at how he builds team culture through endurance events.

COMMUNITY CORNER

Well, I'm writing this with my legs up after a pretty successful first-ever Turkey trot 5km run. It was a great atmosphere here in Boulder with a good mix of serious runners, families with strollers, and people dressed up as Turkeys. And after a hard effort, my legs are pretty cooked!

-Matt

Did you race a Turkey trot or tri this weekend? Send us photos or an update from your race, we'd love to feature it in a future newsletter.

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