Who Wants a World Triathlon Championship?

Good morning everyone,

While writing The Tempo I feel like I’ve gained a good understanding of the most important stories in the sport and how to share them with you.

We’ve never done a “news” podcast, but after recording this episode with The Real Triathlon Squad, I feel like this could be something we could dive into.

• If you get a chance to listen, I’d love to know what you think! Any feedback is appreciated.

In today’s edition:

• Bidding opens for World Triathlon Championship races, but does anyone want them?

• 🦷 How high-carb fueling can be terrible for your teeth.

• 😎 And how to nail your taper for your next best race!

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

World Triathlon Seeks Bids for 2027 and 2028 Championships

What is it: World Triathlon has now officially opened the bidding process for two of its “crown jewel” World Championship events;

The 2027 World Triathlon Championship Finals which will crown World Championship titles in,

• Elite, U23 and Junior categories,

• Paratriathlon,

• And Age Group World Champions in standard, sprint, aquabike and mixed team relay events.

And the 2028 World Triathlon Multisport World Championships, which provides elite and age group athletes the opportunity to compete in six unique events including,

• Long Distance triathlon,

• Duathlon (Sprint and Standard),

• Cross Triathlon,

• Cross Duathlon,

• And Aquathlon.

Athlete numbers: Both events are serious mass participation endurance events with the Championship Finals hosting upwards of 4500 athletes and athlete-adjacent individuals. The Multisport Championships hosts 4000+ athletes in the “grassroots to elite” endurance festival.

Economic impact: According to the article, the World Triathlon events can provide meaningful economic and media injections including;

• Close to EUR 35 million in economic impact.

• Exposure to a global audience of millions on mainstream and social media platforms including YouTube, TikTok, and Meta.

Host city costs: Of course, hosting a major event doesn’t just happen for free. As outlined in the 2027 Championship Finals bid document, the host city must pay a “sanction fee” of US $410,000, and other financial considerations such as;

• $340,000 for elite prize money.

• $280,000 for live TV production costs.

• $16,000 for TV graphics.

As well as other value in kind including;

• Airport transportation for Elite athletes, World Triathlon staff members/technical officials.

• The hosting of an opening ceremony (pasta party), closing/awards ceremony, and VIP functions throughout the event’s duration.

Tempo’s take: Hosting large-scale endurance events like the Championship Finals can bring meaningful benefits and attention to the host cities. And the event has previously been held in globally significant locations like London, Chicago, and Beijing.

But with changing economic conditions including rising inflation, it’s been harder for World Triathlon to convince cities to splash out cash and shut down core neighborhoods for a bunch of athletes to run around in bathing suits.

• Two recent hosts, Abu Dhabi, and Pontevedra, point to how World Triathlon should position itself as it looks for future hosts of its marquee events 👇

The tourist template - as we reported a couple of weeks ago, there’s a desire for emerging economies to use triathlon as a way to promote development opportunities, and attract tourists with spending power.

Although the Abu Dhabi Championship Finals (2022) may be firmly past the development stage, it has used the World Triathlon Championship Series event to showcase its iconic Yas Island tourist development. Theme parks, a golf course, extensive shopping, and the Yas Marina F1 circuit highlight the 25 km² island.

• For the oil-rich emirate, the costs of hosting the championship finals are probably a tiny line item on the overall tourism marketing budget!

• And after hosting a successful World Triathlon World Cup event at its vast Silk Road tourist/business resort, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a Samarkand, Uzbekistan 2027 Championship Finals!

The Mid-size Model - Let’s face it, having places like London host the Championship Finals doesn’t make sense anymore. The significance of the event is swallowed up by the magnitude of the city itself. And a EUR 35 million economic impact isn’t exactly moving the needle in a city like Chicago.

But World Triathlon should definitely look to cities like Pontevedra, Spain to host these Championship Finals. The economic impact is meaningful enough to close roads and disrupt local life. And the event feels like a big deal when over 4500 athletes + others roll into town.

• And with the 2028 Olympic Games on the horizon, it might be the best opportunity to regain consciousness in the U.S.

So, if Chicago won’t work, maybe a mid-sized city with an excellent airport, great amenities, and a history of hosting significant triathlon events will work?

#MilwaukeeFinals2027

FAVORITES

🦷 High carb fueling and teeth: Gels, chews, and sports drinks. They’re great for your performance, but pretty rough on your teeth! This article explains why, and what you can do to protect your marvelous molars. [TrainingPeaks]

😎 Nail your taper: For many of us, important races are still on the horizon. But don’t wait until it’s too late to nail your pre-race taper. If you’re wondering what a taper is, and why getting it dialed can lead to the race of your life, then check out this insightful video. [GTN]

🌬️ Aerodynamic insights: Daniela Ryf has five wins at the IRONMAN World Championships and is one of the greatest triathletes of all time. But that doesn’t mean she’s given up trying to be her best! Here are seven things she’s done to make herself even more aero. And one of them is surprisingly cheap! [Daniela Ryf]

REEL TIME

Its called fashion! 💁‍♀️👝

mnewton722

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YOU SAID

Here’s what Tempo readers said about whether they were interested in the T100 Triathlon World Tour.

RACE WEEKEND

IRONMAN Cairns

Notable athletes include 3x IRONMAN Cairns winner Braden Currie (NZ), 2x and winner Kylie Simpson (AUS). Since it is a full distance race there should be some major shakeups in the pro series standings!

Watch live: Outside TV or ironman.proseries.com 

Full start lists

IRONMAN France

Lucy Charles-Barclay (GBR) makes the surprise return to IRONMAN racing after previously committing to the T100 Tour. Her goal? Confirm her spot at this year’s IRONMAN World Championship, which just happens to be on essentially the same course!

Full start list

Other pro races

• IRONMAN AUSTRIA

• Challenge Gdansk

QUICK NEWS

Supertri team: After the recent launch of Supertri’s new team franchise model, and the announcement of the first two teams; Podium Racing and Stars and Stripes Racing. It is now confirmed that Crown Racing (formerly Bahrain Victorious) will be the third team on the grid for the upcoming Championship series.

Election devastation: Unfortunately, due to snap elections in France, the fourth edition of the Triathlon des Cliffs in d’Ault has been cancelled. According to the mayor it is not possible to have two major events in one day. [actu.fr]

Multisport National Championships: 1,200 athletes. 50 states represented. 10 unique races. One incredible week of racing. Relieve the recent USA Triathlon Multisport National Championships here! 

TEMPO EXCLUSIVE ARCHIVE

• Why you NEED to train faster (not harder).

• How this pro triathlete manages racing AND animal orthopedic surgery!

• Why these legal performance enhancers actually make you faster!

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