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Ironman 70.3 World Champ documentary debuts on Outside TV 

This week, Outside TV debuted a documentary special of the 2021 Ironman 70.3 World Championship, chronicling both the pro and age-group races that took place in September in St. George, Utah. The broadcast, which can be watched on-demand in case you missed it, is part of Ironman’s five-year partnership with Outside. This year, 12 Ironman 70.3 events—starting with Oceanside 70.3 and including the world championships—will be broadcast live on Outside TV, the Outside TV app, and on Triathlete. 

Top British youth triathlete shines on the track

Is there another Alex Yee in the UK pipeline? This week, Athletics Weekly highlighted British up-and-comer Osian Perrin, who, much like Yee—a track star turned triathlete who won a silver medal at the Tokyo Games—is shining in both sports. In January alone, Perrin, 19, broke the UK indoor under-20 record for 3,000m twice, his fastest mark being 7:54.41. (In comparison, Yee, who turns 24 next month, went 8:01.63 outdoors as a 17-year-old.) The confident Perrin, who has been competing in triathlon since he was nine, has big dreams: In August, he shared that he is hoping to make it to the Olympics in both track and triathlon.  

World Triathlon offers course on coaching women

World Triathlon has developed a new coaching course that focuses specifically on coaching female triathletes, the organization announced this week. The introductory-level course will feature presentations from an international panel of women (including Holly Benner, a pro triathlete and psychologist; Irina Zelenkova, a sports medicine doctor from Russia; Kristina Skroce, an exercise physiologist from Croatia) and will cover “female-specific issues such as physiology, psychology, the trends in female injuries, and strategies to encourage and strengthen the safe participation of women in triathlon,” according to the curriculum. Applications are open until Feb. 4; the class key webinars will be held on Feb, 24, March 3, March 10, and March 17.    

USAT offers discounted membership, payment plan for young adults 

In an effort to draw more young adults to the sport, USA Triathlon is offering discounted memberships for athletes ages 18-23. The $36 fee, a 28% discount on an adult membership, is part of USAT’s return to racing junior and young adult stimulus package, which also features more racing targeted to youth and juniors. To sweeten the membership discount, there will also be a $3/month payment option through the USA Triathlon membership hub.  

Andy Potts, Craig Alexander nab Spaero partnerships

Spaero (formerly Wattie Ink ) has signed two big names to represent the brand this season. Both Craig “Crowie” Alexander and Andy Potts—who have dozens of podiums and several world championship wins between them—announced they are partnering with the clothing brand and assisting with research and development and product testing. “We are looking to advance and enhance and accelerate the sport of triathlon,” Potts said. “I’m looking forward to doing awesome stuff with awesome people.” 

Brownlee brothers join BMC

Alistair and Jonny Brownlee have a new bike sponsor in BMC. The brothers announced the new partnership, which will run for the next three years, earlier this week, with Alistair posting, “I’ve been working hard on my position and aerodynamics in the run up to the Sub 7 project and some big long distance goals this year. The #relentless pursuit of being as fast as possible.” Both Brownlees had been racing on Scott bikes since 2017; they join fellow pros including Pablo Dapena Gonzalez (Spain), Chris Leiferman (USA), Kristian Høgenhaug (Denmark), Kat Matthews (Great Britain), and Chelsea Sodaro (USA) as BMC athletes. 

Ironman Waco two-race weekend to stick around

In 2021, Waco, Texas, hosted both a 70.3 and full Ironman race in the same weekend. And from now until at least 2028, the home of Baylor University and Magnolia Market will continue to host a two-race triathlon “festival” every October, thanks to a seven-year extension to the current contract between Ironman and the Greater Waco Sports Commission. Advocated argue that hosting two races in the same weekend can bring as much as a $16 million tourism boost to the Central Texas town. This year’s Ironman and 70.3 races will go off on Oct. 15 and 16, respectively; registration opens soon. 

PTO opens age-group race registration

Registration for the PTO Tour is now open to age-group athletes for races including the PTO Canadian Open (Edmonton; July 23-24), the Collins Cup (Bratislava, Slovakia; Aug. 20-21); and the PTO U.S. Open (Irving, Tex.; Sept. 17-18). The races are of various distances and will be held on the same course used by the pros in each venue. The registration fee for each race includes complimentary FinisherPix race photos, a t-shirt, race hat, finisher medal, and a swag bag. The PTO is also offering a COVID-19 refund policy. More details and links to register can be found here. 

After nearly four decades, the Reston Triathlon shuts down

One of the longest-running local triathlons has shut down. The Reston Triathlon, a familiar event for many in the greater Washington, D.C. area since 1983, will not be returning, according to a statement released by its board earlier this week, citing mounting financial and logistical challenges. “We are sad to announce the triathlon has come to an end. We have looked high and low for another organization to take over and continue the race, or even new board members that can step in and help run the organization, but to no avail,” the statement read. The Olympic-distance Reston Tri last ran in 2019; it was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. 

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Who Knew?

U.S. aerial skier (and accomplished junior triathlete) Winter Vinecki will become the first Winter Olympian from any nation to be named “Winter” when she makes her debut in Beijing next month; at least six athletes with the first name of “Summer” have competed at previous Olympic Games, including another triathlete, American Summer Rappaport, who competed in Tokyo.

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Podcast Notes

• Kristian Blummenfelt heads to the Triathlete Hour; the Olympic champ and Ironman world record holder checks in from his training camp in Spain to share his vision (and busy schedule) for 2022.
• Can’t get your fill of Blummenfelt? Hear from his coach, Arlid Tveiten, on the Inside Tri Show. He chats about what it’s like to coach Kristian (as well as Ironman 70.3 World Champ Gustav Iden), and his thoughts on what will go down during the Sub7 Project.
• The World Triathlon podcast features U.S. paratriathlete gold medalist Kendall Gretsch, who is eyeing her next Olympic triumph as a para-skier in Beijing (she won the event at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games).
• The TriDot Triathlon podcast focuses on refining your swim stroke, with advice from coaches Jeff Raines and Joanna Nami.
• The Tower26 podcast is also swim-centered, touching on the components that go into a successful swim set, and how strength training can benefit triathletes during the off-season.
• Paula, Eric, and Nick of That Triathlon Life answer listener questions covering a gamut of topics including Olympic qualification, injury prevention, bonking, and more.
• IronWomen brings on certified sports nutritionist Elizabeth Inpyn, who discusses the prevalence of disordered eating in athletes, how endurance athletes are particularly susceptible to underfueling, and how that negatively impacts overall health.  
• Hear from triathlon power couple Reece and Lucy Charles-Barclay on the MX Endurance podcast. They cover a variety of subjects including Lucy’s sensational 2021 season, how they balance their personal and professional lives together, and what we can expect to see from them in 2022. 

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