Winning at 70.3 Pucon and Winning at Ironman Nutrition

Good morning everyone!

Just wanted to welcome everyone who's new here. The Tempo is a fun, 5-minute triathlon newsletter, which just happens to have more than 1,000 subscribers after only 30 days! 🍾🎉🥳

Thank you all so much for sharing, referring, and helping us grow. All aboard the 2k train! 🚂🚂🚂

In this edition we've got,

• A breakdown from the first pro race of 2023, Ironman 70.3 Pucon 🏁

• All of Lucy Charles-Barclay's training secrets 😮

• An interview with Chilean pro, Martín Ulloa 🎙️

• And Ironman training nutrition from performance coach Scott Tindal 🥑

Thank you for being here.

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

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NEWS

🎫 Olympic opportunity: The ticket draw for the Paris 2024 Olympics is now open and ready for registration. For Triathlon fans, the men's and women's races will take place on July 30th and 31st, 2024, respectively. But don't delay as registration closes on January 31st! [Paris 2024]

🍀 St. Paddy'sthlon: On March 19th, 2023 athletes will swim, bike, run, and probably drink green Gatorade, as they compete at the "Luck of the Irish" Triathlon. Playtri will host the event which will be held at LISD Eastside Aquatic Center in The Colony, Texas. [Culturemap Dallas]

👯‍♀️ Super sisters: Sanjana Joshi and her sister Snehal, are used to competing with each other in training. But now, the former swimmers have helped push each other to new heights as they finished first and second in the women's triathlon at the Maharashtra State Olympic Games. [Times of India]

🏍️ Mad moto mayhem: On January 22nd, Triathlon Alberta will host a mad moto Aquathlon and relay at the Kinsmen Sports Center. This swim-run event is for all ages and is a low-cost community event. Start your engines! [Explore Edmonton]

RACE RECAP

Riveros Roasts, Benito Lopez Plays Winning Cards at Ironman 70.3 Pucon

Women's Race

What happened:

🏊 The swim did little to break up the race with Macarena Salazar (CHI) leading a group of three with Barbara Riveros (CHI) and Romina Biagioli (ARG) right on her feet.

🚴 Riveros left little doubt about who would dominate as she rode three minutes into the chasers by the halfway mark.

• At 90km, when she finished the bike, Riveros had blown the lead to over eight minutes over Biagioli, who herself was two minutes ahead of Brittany Higgins (USA).

🏃 Soaking up the home race atmosphere, Riveros clicked away the days fastest run at 1:27:12 and took the win by almost 13 minutes.

• Biagioli crossed the line in second, while Higgins was able to take third by 30 seconds after a late run battle.

Ironman 70.3 Pucon women's podium:

• 1st - Barbara Riveros (CHI)

• 2nd - Romina Biagioli (ARG)

• 3rd - Brittany Higgins (USA)

Tempo's take: Riveros left no doubts out on the course as she whipped up a stunning performance for the home crowd. Winning at home is always special, and we're sure Riveros enjoyed every second of it. It will be interesting to watch her through this season as she builds towards her first Ironman World Championship (in Kona).

Men's Race

What happened:

🏊 Super swimmer Marc Dubrick led the charge with four others on his feet including Reinaldo Colucci (BRA), Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP), and Martín Ulloa (CHI).

🚴 A group of four established themselves early with Benito Lopez and Colucci leading the charge.

• Ulloa rode with the leaders and entered T2 in the front. Dubrick held the gap to the bike leaders at just under two minutes when he started the run.

🏃 Starting the run "Wildcard Lopez" went full tilt and pulled away from the field, eventually winning his first 70.3.

• Ulloa held on strong and soaked up the atmosphere from his favorite race to take an emotional second and Dubrick ran well to snap up third.

Ironman 70.3 Pucon men's podium:

• 1st - Antonio Benito Lopez (ESP)

• 2nd - Martín Ulloa (CHI)

• 3rd - Marc Dubrick (USA)

• Full results here

Tempo’s take:

In this race, Benito Lopez went from an unknown commodity to a known quantity. Although we'll probably still call him "wildcard" cause it sounds cool and mysterious. 

• After 15 years of racing in Pucon, Martín Ulloa finished on the podium in front of family and friends.

INTERVIEW

Why Chile's Martín Ulloa Loves Pucon (And You Should Too)

Martín Ulloa is a professional triathlete from Chile. He grew up as an IronKids athlete, and is now enjoying Ironman podiums.

We checked in with Martín after his emotional 2nd place at this weekend's Ironman 70.3 Pucon, learned about his deep connection to the event, and why people need to race in Chile.

Hey Martín thanks for checking in with us. You had a great race in Pucon this weekend, how did it go down?

The race was a dream. All of Pucon came out and cheered and it was just a solid day for me. No tough moments really, Antonio was just quicker than me so it came down to just holding on to second place and enjoying the finish line. I HIGHLY recommend people come here to race.

Nice. You mentioned pre-race that you've been coming to Pucon for 15 years. Any memories from previous races?

This is a race that has been a part of my life for over 15 years now. Either racing the IronKids or just being a fan, Pucon has always been a part of my life, and racing there as a professional is truly something that I cherish and try to soak up as much as possible.

Why do people need to come train and race in Chile?

To be 100% honest, I would not look at Chile as a training destination per se, but Pucon 70.3 is by all means a race that everyone has to do. The whole town rallies behind this race and it is one of the best atmospheres I have ever raced in. The town during the run gets so loud that you can’t even hear yourself breathe, it is crazy.

Read our full interview with Martín and learn how he deals with tough moments in racing, what he's doing in training to win, the gear he loves, and whether he'll be at the post-race party (most definitely).

EXPERT ANALYSIS

After reading our response to a reader's question on Ironman fueling, performance nutrition coach Scott Tindal reached out and provided his very educated take on our answers.

Here is a quick version of his response:

1. Quantity of meals

If the purpose of the training is performance than a correct calorie intake is a key component of successful training.

• Base meals around the quantity of sessions, not a random number of meals to be consumed.

• Protein intake should be high for all Ironman athletes, regardless of age and gender.

2. Carbs

Intensity and duration of training will govern the amounts and types of carbs:

• Whole foods with carbs for low-intensity longer endurance efforts.

• High glycemic (gels, gummies, etc) for longer, high-intensity efforts.

3. Meal timing

"Training-based nutrition" is key:

• Ex. On Friday recovery ensure proper pre-fueling for a large Saturday training day.

For more context on Scott's Ironman fueling guide, read the entire article.

Are you an expert and would like your thoughts to be featured in The Tempo? Fill out this form and we will be in touch shortly!

FAVOURITES

🔑 Lucy's training secrets: One of the most dynamic triathletes on the planet, Lucy Charles-Barclay is a threat in every race she enters. Women's health got a full breakdown of her training week, and training secrets. Find out why LCB says more training isn't always better. [Women's Health]

⛷️ That holiday life: Exquisite coffee, and perfect powder skiing. Want seven minutes and 45 seconds of pure FOMO? Be sure to watch the latest YouTube from Paula Findlay, Eric Lagerstrom, and the TTL crew. The episode includes insights on decompressing after a long season, what low-key holiday training looks like, and a surprise cameo from a Grammy award-winning triathlete! [That Triathlon Life]

📰 All the Mike that's fit to print: Iconic, and now retired, Ironman announcer Mike Reilly gets the New York Times treatment. It's a great piece highlighting his career, what finishes mean the most to him, what he'll miss, and how he dealt with bathroom breaks in a 20-hour announcing day. [New York Times]

COMMUNITY QUESTION

Do you have a burning question about triathlon or Ironman? Want to share a racing tip? Let us know and it could be featured in the newsletter.

Are you racing this weekend? Or any epic training sessions? We'd love to hear about them! Send us your photos or a race recap, and we will feature them in next Tuesday's edition!

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