Sergio Parisse had a point. The forward’s final bow in an Italian rugby jersey had been cancelled due to Typhoon Hagibis in Japan, with the contingency simply being that the World Cup group game with New Zealand on October 12th 2019 was called off and the points shared.
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Italy needed victory to progress and so tumbled out of the competition, with the retiring Parisse questioning whether a better solution would have been found had those mighty All Blacks needed to win. While World Rugby defends its position, it was an unsatisfactory conclusion. Weather in Japan is unpredictable, that’s a known variable, and the hosting bid was won in 2009. It needed more forethought.
Japan hosts an even larger spectacle next year that cannot suffer equivalent mismanagement. But there’s already been plenty to heed from the Olympic and Paralympic test events. And with the additional prod from a women’s marathon debacle in Doha where 28 of 68 starters quit, a decision has been taken to move the marathons and race walks 700km north to Sapporo.
Tokyo test event: 5 things we learnt
It’s a commendable move, and programme changes to combat the fierce heat have also been extended to both mountain biking and rugby sevens. But triathlon? Nothing, despite its test events laying bare the risk of changed formats or even cancellation come next July.
The guiding measure is the fiendishly complex wet-bulb globe temperature that takes into account temperature, humidity, exposure to direct sunlight and wind speed, to give a measure of perceived temperature. For the women’s test event, where the 10km run was halved, it was 28 ‘degrees’. For a full cancellation, it needs to be 32.2. Factor in that if the water temperature rises to above 31°C, the swim is shortened (it was 30.3 for the women’s race), you can appreciate how tight the margins are. The paratriathlon swim was also called off due to poor water quality.
Yet despite these multiple threats, the International Triathlon Union confirmed there are no plans for change – and no contingency. Yokohama was briefly considered, but just 20miles further south it does nothing to mitigate the heat.
Finding a venue further north in eight months cannot be an impossibility. To throw out a suggestion, Lake Toya, on the same island as Sapporo, played host to Ironman Japan for three years through to 2015. A revised location might annex triathlon from Tokyo, but sacrificing a city centre course for scenery is small compromise for a guaranteed show, and could be a boon in showcasing the best of Japan. After all, Weymouth wasn’t particularly close to London in 2012, but didn’t do the support for Ben Ainslie any harm.
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For all counter arguments, intransigence over a venue that has already proved too risky remains. Plans have been made, tickets sold, training bases tested, athletes qualified, travel and accommodation booked, so the show must seemingly go on. Until, of course, we have a slightly warmer July day than average in Tokyo, and it can’t.
More Tokyo 2020 news
Olympic triathlon relay: does it affect the individual tri event?
How does the Olympics impact the World Triathlon Series’ multi-race format?
Ali Brownlee qualifies for Kona 2020 and announces intent to also race Tokyo Olympics
Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee MBE has been nominated as a candidate for the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Athletes’ Commission. He stands for one of four places to represent athletes on one of the IOC’s most important forums.
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This announcement follows Brownlee’s revelation that this year he will focus on the ITU circuit with his eye on the Tokyo Olympics and going for a third gold medal.
The Athlete’s Commission works as a link between the athletes and the IOC and helps make sure the athletes’ viewpoint remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement decisions.
Alistair said: “It is an enormous honour to be nominated to be a candidate for the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission. As a 17-year-old school boy I vividly recall being told by the headmaster that London had won the bid to hold the 2012 Olympic Games.
“Since then the inspirational effect of the Games has given me two of the best days of my life and over a decade competing in the sport I love. I feel I am a true product of the Olympic Movement and would relish in the opportunity to repay my gratitude by helping and representing other athletes.
As triathlon’s only double-gold medal winner Alistair stated his vow to listen and understand the opinions of Olympic athletes from across the world competing in every sport.
A passionate advocate for maximising the Olympic experience on and off the field of play, in particular he hopes to use the platform as a member of the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission to continue to fight for equality and fairness in the competitive arena.
“I have based my athletic career on hard work and integrity. I would bring these qualities with me to represent other athletes if I were given the opportunity to be a member of the Athletes’ Commission. Listening to, understanding and representing the views of athletes is, for me, the key to this role,” he says.
“On top of this, my guiding principles would be; continuing the work of the Olympic Movement to ensure equality of opportunity for all athletes, independent of gender, age, nationality, and any other discriminating factors. Also, maintaining the highest levels of fairness for all athletes competing in all sports. This includes continuing the work to create a level playing field, especially in the battle against cheating in the form of doping.
“Helping every competitor maximise their personal Olympic legacies, I would like to help promote the work that the IOC already does in this space and, of course, share my own experience. I am fortunate that the Olympic Movement has given me fantastic and life changing experiences away from the competitive arena and I am passionate about helping other athletes maximise their own opportunities and potential. This comes from a belief that the Olympic Movement creates not only amazing athletic performances, but more importantly, great people.”
Fully endorsed by the British Olympic Association’s Athletes’ Commission, Chair Ben Hawes said: “Alistair is a fearsome competitor, whose career has taken him to the very top of his sport. He has an infectious passion for the Olympics which has been seen not only in his performances at the Games, but also his desire to ensure athletes from around the globe are heard and recognised in the positive development of the Olympic Movement.
“We must continue to support the growth of athlete engagement and influence on the future of sport and the Olympics. I have no doubt that Alistair would be an exceptional representative and an extremely effective communicator for and with athletes. He knows what is important not just for British athletes but for all athletes from all sports.”
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All Olympians competing at Tokyo 2020 will be able to vote for their representatives at the Athlete365 Space positioned at the entrance to the dining hall in the Olympic Village, and also at other sites such as the football cities and the sailing venue. The poll will be open from 14 July (the day the Olympic Village opens) to 4 August 2020.
The year of 2019 proved another phenomenal 12 months for the sport of triathlon, with outstanding performances across all distances.
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October’s Ironman World Championships in Kona were full of excitement with Jan Frodeno winning his third full Ironman world title in a record-breaking time, Anne Haug taking her first Hawaii win after a phenomenal run and GB’s Ruth Purbrook scoring age-group honours. There was also a Kona debut from a certain Ali Brownlee. What will 2020 hold for him?
Over in the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Nice, France, 23-year-old Gustav Iden from Norway put on a run masterclass to take victory over his male rivals, including second placed Ali Brownlee, and Britain’s Holly Lawrence showed she was back on top form with a second place behind women’s winner Daniela Ryf.
There was also British success in the ITU World Series, with Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown showing they could be a force to reckon with in Tokyo 2020 after finishing the season in second and third place behind the USA’s Katie Zafares. And don’t write off Javier Gomez’s Olympic medal chances either, with a third place finish in the 2019 series proving the Spaniard is still very much a contender.
As has become customary, we asked you to vote for the athletes, races and products that made your tri year. And the final results from the voting are now in! So without any further ado we give you the winners and two runner-ups in the 2019 220 Triathlon Awards…
220 TRIATHLON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO TRIATHLON
1. Tim Don
2. Louise Minchin
3. Claire Smith
WOMEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1. Lucy Charles-Barclay
2. Jess Learmonth
3. Anne Haug
MEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1. Ali Brownlee
2. Jan Frodeno
3. Joe Skipper
FEMALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1. Lauren Steadman
2. Hannah Moore
3. Jade Hall
MALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR
1. George Peasgood
2. Dave Ellis
3. Joe Townsend
YOUTH TRIATHLETE (21-YEARS-OLD AND UNDER)
1. Alex Yee
2. Ben Dijkstra
3. Olivia Mathias
AGE-GROUPER OF THE YEAR
1. Ruth Purbrook
2. Brian Fogarty
3. Oliver Crossley
RACE OF THE YEAR
1. Ironman Wales
2. Outlaw Half Holkham
3. Ironman UK
COACH OF THE YEAR
1. Rob Wilby
2. Simon Ward
3. Dave Knight
TRI CLUB OF THE YEAR
1. Team Oxygenaddict
2. Do3
=3 Team Passion Fit & Wakefield Triathlon Club
INNOVATIVE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR
1. Cervélo PX
2. Form goggles
3. Huub Anemoi+
RUN SHOE BRAND OF THE YEAR
1. Asics
2. Hoka One One
3. Brooks
BIKE BRAND OF THE YEAR
1. Cervélo
2. Canyon
3. Specialized
WETSUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR
1. Zone3
2. Huub
3. Orca
TRI-SUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR
1. Zone3
2. Huub
3. Raceskin
RETAILER OF THE YEAR
1. Wiggle
2. Sigma
3. Decathlon
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Three-time cycling world champion, two-time Olympic gold medalist and winner of the 2018 Tour de France Geraint Thomas, has told multisport commentator Bob Babbitt that he plans to take up Ironman once he’s retired from cycling.
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“I used to swim as a kid and did a few triathlons. When I retire from professional cycling I definitely want to do an Ironman, or maybe even a few. I’ll do the Wales one first, I’ve heard the bike course is quite hard so that could play in my favour.
“I think I’ll need something when I stop, if I stop in three or four years. This is my 14th year now and I could end up doing 18 years as a pro. To then just stop and not have anything would be tough, so why not an Ironman I guess?”
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What do you think? Could we see Geraint on the Ironman World Championships start line in a few years’ time? Leave your comments below.
The Collins Cup, featuring 12 triathletes from each of Europe, USA and the Rest of the World, is a head-to-head-to-head format based on golf’s successful Ryder Cup and offers the largest collective prize purse in the sport’s history.
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The race in Samorin is the brainchild and first event of the revamped Professional Triathletes Organisation that has benefited from a multi-million dollar investment led by billionaire Michael Moritz, the British-born venture capitalist who made his fortune in Silicon Valley. It will take place over a middle-distance course of a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run, with each team – comprising six men and six women – competing in 12 ‘matchplay’ contests where groups of three triathletes set off at 10min intervals. Points will be awarded for finishing places and time gaps in the individual battles, with the region accruing the most points deemed the winners.
The leading four men and women for each team are selected from the existing PTO rankings on May 4, with the remaining slots given to ‘wildcard’ captains picks. The best non-drafting triathletes in the sport, including Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf, are expected to be involved with the promised $2million remuneration being paid in appearance fees, not prize money.
Indeed, it would be a major surprise if any of the top-rated Ironman triathletes were absent, because a condition of Moritz’s investment, through his dedicated Crankstart Investments, was that the top ranked professionals all had to sign up for PTO membership. To date, over 100 have signed up, including all the top 35 men and women. The only exceptions for a starting berth could be the likes of Alistair Brownlee and Spain’s Javier Gomez, who have announced Olympic ambition, and the Collins Cup clashes with the height of the ITU season.
The competition’s broadcast will be funded by the PTO, as it hopes to stimulate more interest for long-course racing beyond hardcore fans, but it’s yet to announce where it will be streamed. It’s scheduled to take place the day before the Challenge Championship (May 31), an individual pro and age-group competition that has been running at the venue for the past three years, with the women’s race won by Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay on each occasion. While the PTO rankings were not publicly available at time of writing, it’s expected Charles-Barclay would be an automatic qualifier for the European team.
Aligned with the tradition of the Ryder Cup, the team captains are also famous faces from the world of triathlon, including four-time Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington for Europe and six-time Kona winner Mark Allen for the USA.
The Collins Cup, named after Ironman’s founders John and Judy Collins, was originally mooted four years ago and after being originally planned to be hosted alongside Challenge Roth in Germany has had a series of false starts. Now the investment from Moritz has allowed that ambition to be realised, with the PTO having a 10-strong athlete board and triathletes benefitting from 50 per cent of any profits.
“The PTO has been working for a number of years to create an environment and structure where professional triathletes have a meaningful voice in the way the sport is operated and can contribute to its growth for the benefit of the entire triathlon community,” its chairman Charles Adamo says. “We are very pleased to have teamed up with Crankstart Investments and Michael Moritz, who share our vision in the potential of the sport and the best means by which to see it grow and thrive.”
“We could not be more thrilled with the first Collins Cup being hosted at x-bionic sphere in Samorin,” Tim O’Donnell, co-president of the PTO and last year’s Ironman world championship runner-up, says. “The primary mission of the PTO is to celebrate the sport of triathlon.
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“The Collins Cup, by bringing together legendary team captains to lead today’s top triathletes in a battle to see which region dominates the sport of triathlon, will not only be a riveting competition, but will serve as a platform for professionals and fans alike to celebrate our sport.”
Run shoe technology has improved considerably over the last decade and the new technology has caused much debate on fairness in competitive running. Tim Heming even took the subject up in this month’s 220.
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To clarify the situation before Tokyo and ensure all athletes have a level paying field, World Athletics have now announced that they have amended the rules governing competition running shoes. The amended rule now states:
“From 30 April 2020, any shoe must have been available for purchase by any athlete on the open retail market (online or in store) for a period of four months before it can be used in competition.
“If a shoe is not openly available to all then it will be deemed a prototype and use of it in competition will not be permitted.”
Shoes must also have a sole no thicker than 40mm and must not contain more than one rigid embedded plate or blade. (Read full rules here)
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “It is not our job to regulate the entire sports shoe market but it is our duty to preserve the integrity of elite competition by ensuring that the shoes worn by elite athletes in competition do not offer any unfair assistance or advantage. As we enter the Olympic year, we don’t believe we can rule out shoes that have been generally available for a considerable period of time, but we can draw a line by prohibiting the use of shoes that go further than what is currently on the market while we investigate further.
“I believe these new rules strike the right balance by offering certainty to athletes and manufacturers as they prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while addressing the concerns that have been raised about shoe technology. If further evidence becomes available that indicates we need to tighten up these rules, we reserve the right to do that to protect our sport.”
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What do you think? Should triathlon follow suit?
The 40th edition of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon has added an aquathlon event for the first time in its history for 2020.
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The swim/run Escape Aquathlon event will be held on Saturday 6 June at 7am, the day before the legendary Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, California.
Similar to the triathlon’s genuinely-iconic start, the aquathlon will see athletes jump from the Hornblower’s San Francisco Spirit Yacht to begin their 750m swim (the triathlon is a 2.4km swim), before exiting the water at the St. Francis Yacht Club and running to transition at Little Marina Green. They’ll then be tasked with swapping their wetsuits for running shoes and facing a 5km run along the San Francisco Bay Trail, heading west towards Crissy Field and looping back at the Warming Hut to finish their Escape Aquathlon at Marina Green.
The race organisers, IMG, believe that the new swim/run short-course race is designed to provide “more athletes with an opportunity to experience the thrill of the famous Alcatraz Triathlon and add a new challenge for those looking to test themselves ahead of the triathlon.”
The triathlon was first hosted in 1981 as a private club event for Oakes’ Dolphin Club in San Francisco Bay and has since welcomed tri superstars Greg Welch, Paula Newby-Fraser, Simon Lessing, Leanda Cave and Javier Gómez to its sell out field of pro and age-group athletes. the triathlon involves a 2.4km swim, 29km bike to Golden Gate Park and a 12.8km run that includes the infamous Sand Ladder.
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Aquathlon registration for age-groupers will open on Tuesday 18 February at 5pm UK time. The registration fee will start at $295 per person and is limited to 400 athletes. Head to www.escapealcatraztri.com/aquathlon for more.
This year’s route takes athletes through the northern countryside, starting with a point-to-point from Pennington Flash to Bolton for the first few miles. This will then become a 3-lap bike course with a 650 feet reduction in climbing.
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There will be a few technical descents through Edgworth, Turton and Chapeltown at the north end of the course, with a short stint on the A666. This will then lead into the descent through Egerton and Belmont. The 2020 bike course will no longer be using Pickup Bank, Eccleshill, Hoddlesden or Blacksnape Road towards Edgworth.
One of the most memorable part of the Ironman UK 2019 bike course remains, and athletes will still climb past Black Dog Pub in Belmont and onto Sheephouse Lane before heading back towards Bolton. From here competitors will continue east towards Bury and continue the 3-lap bike course.
Ironman UK has also removed the undulating climbs through Ramsbottom, Helmshore and Hoddlesden and as well as the long technical climbs and descents through Eccleshill and Blacksnape.
“Year after year we continue to be inspired by every athlete that has taken on the Ironman UK race. We want to make sure our athletes have the best experience possible and because of this, we have decided to make some changes the 2020 bike course,” said Sam Brawn, Ironman UK Race Director.
“As we always do, we wanted to make sure that the athletes experience was a focal point when planning the 2020 race. We are excited that this year athletes will get to experience more of the iconic Ironman UK spectators support, as their families and friends will get to cheer them on multiple times!”
Ironman UK takes place on Sunday 12 July. For more information on the new bike course and to register, please visit https://www.ironman.com/im-uk
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Want to smash it? Here’s some Ironman training advice from top coaches and athletes
Frodeno and Haug’s coach Dan Lorang on how to train for Ironman
Ironman racing and training advice from Tim Don
Ironman race-day: how to pace each leg
Your first Ironman: 30 training and preparation tips
A $2,000,000 Annual Bonus Programme has been set up by the Professional Triathletes Organisation for their top 100 ranked athletes.
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The bonus amounts range from $100,000 for the PTO World No. 1 male and female athletes, to $10,000 for the PTO World No. 20 male and female athletes. In addition, male and female athletes ranked at the end of the year between 21-50 shall each be paid $5,000 and those ranked between 51-100 shall be paid $2,000.
Rachel Joyce, Co-President of the PTO said “We are very pleased to be able to adopt an annual bonus programme that rewards athletes for outstanding performances throughout the year. The triathlon season is a long one and just because an athlete might have an off race in a large event, doesn’t mean that their year’s performance should go unrewarded.”
The PTO World Rankings is a first-of-its-kind ranking technology to measure the greatest non-drafting professional triathletes. It is a worldwide benchmark of consistent excellence in triathlon. In addition to being the basis for the PTO Annual Bonus Programme, it is used to determine automatic qualification spots for The Collins Cup.
Tim O’Donnell, Co-President of the PTO, said: “The adoption of the PTO Annual Bonus Plan, together with the $2,000,000 payments at The Collins Cup, means that so far in 2020 the PTO will be paying 200 professional triathletes $4,000,000. We believe that this demonstrates the value and benefits of professionals being unified in our own organisation and we hope that this is just the beginning of the many ways the PTO can bring not only a voice but meaningful contributions to our sport.”
All licensed professionals are eligible to be members of the PTO and there are no costs or memberships fees. More information can be found at protriathletes.org or by e-mailing us at [email protected].
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The PTO will host The Collins Cup from May 28-30, at the world-renowned x-bionic sphere® in Samorin, Slovakia. For more information go visit thecollinscup.com
Four time Ironman world champ Chrissie Wellington will host the Luxury Sports Break’s October running camp on the Croatian island of Brač.
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Held from 18th to 24th October guests can explore the wonderful range of unspoilt and remote trails and tracks the island has to offer while also working on performance-related aspects, such as technique, and strength and conditioning.
Hosting with Chrissie is experienced coach, elite trail and ultra runner Gemma Carter.
Gemma Carter is an experienced running and endurance sport coach to people of all abilities. She combines this with her own successful career in ultra running, racking up a collection of wins internationally and even a Guinness World Record over the 50km distance.
Highlights of the camp include: group and 1-2-1 training sessions, coaching from experts, workshops and technical sessions as well as plenty of time to relax and explore. Each camp is fully catered and can suit all dietary needs. Non running guests and families are also welcome.
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For more information visit www.luxurysportsbreaks.com or email [email protected]