On Easter Saturday Ironman World Champ Jan Frodeno will complete an Ironman-distance triathlon at his home in Spain, a country that has been hit hard by coronavirus.
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He will be swimming the 3.8km in his in-home pool, which is equipped with a counter-current system. Then Jan will get onto his roller trainer for the 180 km bike course, before running the marathon on his treadmill.
You can accompany Jan and his “tri at home” online and even have the opportunity to take a virtual ride along with him as he completes the bike course.
You can even win a day training with the famous champ and bid in auctions that will be raising money for projects in Germany and Spain.
“I’m always training for an Ironman taking place somewhere, but since there won’t be any taking place in the foreseeable future, I’m now organising one for myself at home,” says Frodeno.
“We already thought of this idea a few weeks ago when things slowly started taking shape here in Spain and it became clear that the situation was really getting serious. In the beginning it was actually just a crackpot idea, with me thinking: ‘If I can’t do my race, I’ll just do it at home.’ Then we thought more about how and why we should actually do this: It’s certainly not about showing off. I just want to attract attention in order to raise money. I want to use this event to support those who are currently doing the competition in the hospitals day in and day out.
“The best way to support me is to help the named charities through donations or to participate in our auctions so that we can raise as much money as possible together. If you want to accompany me live, you can do so using the stream we will be offering. Those who have the ‘Zwift’ training platform at home can also accompany me virtually and help me to quickly reach my goal – with the time and speed of the event not having highest priority for a change.
“On www.viprize.org/Frodeno, we will hold raffles for products and ‘money can’t buy’ events, and the proceeds will also be included in the big basket of donations.
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“Mercedes-Benz is announcing my project on all its channels and offers interesting prizes at the auction.”
— Over the past week, there had been reports that Scott Dawson’s contract with WWE had expired, primarily because the wrestler tweeted “free at last” though without much context. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter reports that actually is not the case but there are “just a few weeks” left before his deal runs out.
— It was re-iterated that The Revival have surpassed their “downside” guarantee on their existing contracts and thus, are no longer being booked. Many talent actually fall into this category where once they reach their downside, they wouldn’t get paid except for the additional days they are booked to work so that means if they aren’t used, they don’t get paid. However, some less visible talent, like Heath Slater, have a different pay structure. Slater has a $400,000 downside which is paid out in equal amounts bi-weekly over the course of the year rather than getting paid out the regular payments that would basically be house show and merchandise. The rest is then paid out at the end of the year in a lump sum if the house show/merchandise figures don’t reach the downside.
— With The Revival, the Observer notes that WWE began not using them as a way to pressure them to sign new contracts since they weren’t get paid anymore. However, Dash Wilder’s contract isn’t going to expire until probably mid-June so if they were to jump to a new promotion as a tandem, they wouldn’t be able to do that until the summer. This actually does put a lot of “economic pressure” on both wrestlers but they continue to turn down all WWE offers.
Showing readers that it is possible to still train and ‘race’ within lockdown, the ‘race’ started with a 50-minute swim with his legs tethered to his 2.6m paddling pool, before a bottom-numbing 90km turbo bike leg with Zwift, which took 3:30hrs. The half-marathon run involved 1,400 lengths of Matt’s garden, with his children manning the aid station and neighbours cheering over the fence as Talking Heads’ ‘Road to Nowhere’ played on repeat.
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Matt finished the run in 2:10hrs and broke the toilet roll tape in a total time of 6:40hrs. Here’s how the ‘triathlon’ unfolded…
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You can still donate money via his JustGiving page www.justgiving.com/fundraising/matthew-baird220 – let’s get him over the £3k mark!
.@mattbairdtri has now started his garden half-Ironman in aid of NHS good luck Matt! pic.twitter.com/abArnL7aff
— @220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) April 9, 2020
Our ‘Garden Half-Ironman’ for @NHSuk charities is in full swing! Here’s our @mattbairdtri approaching the end of his 1.9km swim pic.twitter.com/HQ4EvlA0vM
— @220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) April 9, 2020
.@mattbairdtri is now on the bike leg of his garden half-Ironman in aid of @NHSCharities I hope there’s a beer ready for you at the finish line Matt! #gardentriathlon #garden703 #NHSheroes pic.twitter.com/QRpsGXTqRQ
— @220Triathlon (@220Triathlon) April 9, 2020
Our #gardentriathlon is starting to make @MattBairdUK suffer a bit… With only a couple of km left of the 90km static bike ride he’s about to start the 1406 laps of his garden.
Please share and sponsor to help raise money for @NHSCharities – thanks!https://t.co/9WqRqyQHUG
Double Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee has announced on Twitter that he will be hosting virtual rides, where people can join in with him and chat about his experiences. There are selected dates during May and each session costs £50 per person with the money raised will go to the Brownlee Foundation, which is “committed to giving children all over the UK a positive sporting experience and supporting the development of coaches and teachers in sport”.
Check out a virtual bike experience with me. Something different in these extraordinary times! Money raised to go to the @brownleefdn. @Airbnb https://t.co/pTsyoqnYzI
— Alistair Brownlee (@AliBrownleetri) April 15, 2020
The sessions are to be hosted on Airbnb and the 10 participants will virtually meet up in his home training lab where he says on the Airbnb website: “I will show you my setup and we’ll warm up together over group introductions, where we’ll learn about each other’s favourite rides, tours, courses, and neighbourhoods! Over the next 40 minutes, I’ll take you on a journey that weaves my life story and lessons learned from sport through five of my favourite rides around the world, with each being its own marquee triathlon venue. We’ll stop in Yorkshire, London, Leeds, Rio, and Kona.
“At each virtual stop, I’ll take 5-10 minutes to share some photos from my experience, talk logistics like what makes each course challenging, and then have a 3- to 5-minute interval training for the specifics of the course, before a rest and time for questions. You’ll get an inside feel for my strategies that led to success at each destination.”
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To find out more and book your place visit www.airbnb.co.uk/experiences
Endurance athlete and BBC Breakfast presenter Louise Minchin has announced today that she will be taking on an a very special challenge this week – riding 100 miles on Zwift in ‘The Big Bike In’ for charity. Plus, she’s looking for 220 readers to join her and a host of special guests!
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The ride this Thursday, 23rd April at 5pm, will be to raise much-needed funds for BBC Children In Need and Comic Relief to support local charities and projects in the UK, so they can provide essential support to people who really need it through the coronavirus crisis.
Challenge Louise
Louise Minchin is no stranger to big challenges. Over the last few years she has transformed herself from beginner to full-on endurance triathlete, completing some of triathlon’s toughest races including Patagonman and Norseman and inspiring people to take up the sport through her book Dare To Tri.
If you join The Big Bike In you can ride for as long or as short a distance as you like. Join Louise for the full 100 miles – a full six laps of the Road To Ruins course – or just for a few minutes. It’s a fun ride, so you can either stay with Louise or go at your own pace. There will be a planned break at 8pm BST to join in the Clap for Carers or have a breather!
Louise Minchin at the start of 2019’s Norseman race. Image: Lars-Erik Blenne Lien/NXTri
Special Guests
Special guests along the way have been confirmed including Jodie Stimpson, Laura Siddall, and Louise’s BBC Breakfast co-presenter Dan Walker (who Louise tells us ‘has only ever been on a bike for 20 minutes before!’). Other names will be announced throughout the week with some big surprises to come.
You can also follow live updates on Twitter or Instagram and the link for donations is: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/the-big-bike-in. Find the Zwift live event info here: zwift.com/events/view/595468
Ironman have released the following race update about Ironman UK:
“We are committed to the safety and well-being of everyone in our race community in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have been following and will continue to follow the direction and recommendations of public health agencies and local authorities. In alignment with Bolton Council and in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, we can confirm that the IRONMAN UK, IRONKIDS UK and Night Run Bolton originally scheduled for the July 10-12 weekend will not take place in 2020 and has been rescheduled to return on July 2-4, 2021.
“In what has been a continually evolving and challenging time globally, we recognise that this decision due to the above-mentioned unforeseen events may come as a disappointment. Athletes will receive an email with further details.
“While we are prevented from holding the event on the original event date, we are looking forward to providing athletes with an exceptional event experience in the future. We appreciate your patience in this very dynamic time.”
Rio silver medallist Lauren is one of 12 celebrities that will be put through a psychologically demanding and physically challenging endurance course, designed and run by ex-Special Forces soldiers. Every part of it is based on the authentic SAS selection process. Will Lauren be able to endure it to the end? Come on Lauren show the world how tough triathletes are!
A U.S. military helicopter crash in Okinawa on Monday has fueled already heightened opposition by residents in the local community where outrage has been ongoing over plans to relocate an existing US base from one area of the island to another.
As residents on the Japanese island re-energized their protest in the wake of the crash, the country’s Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera demanded Tuesday that all HH-60 helicopter flights immediately halt until a full investigation of the crash is carried out.
The helicopter, from the US-run Kadena Air Base, crashed in Ginoza, Okinawa while on a training mission, leaving one military personnel unaccounted for and three survivors. Residents were specifically concerned that the crash site was in close proximity to the area’s drinking water supply.
The incident quickly spurred local outrage among residents furious at pollution and danger from US military operations, with 200 protesting at the gate to the U.S. Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Station in Ginowan Tuesday and demanding the sprawling military bases be shuttered.
“[US forces] leave people’s lives on a back burner and give priority to military training,” Ryokichi Chinen, 74, from the town of Chatan in Okinawa, told the Global Post. “U.S. military aircraft crashes could occur anytime. The military bases should be removed.”
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Going further than the national government, local officials pledged to curb U.S. military power on the island, with Ginoza’s village assembly voting unanimously Tuesday to pass a resolution demanding an immediate halt to helicopter training flights, the Global Post reports.
“There are almost daily training exercises by U.S. military helicopters in our village,” Atsushi Toma—mayor of Ginoza where the crash occurred—told the Asahi Shimbun. “This just brings to harsh reality the fact that we live very close to danger. I will deal with the U.S. military on this matter with a firm attitude.”
The heightened protest comes as the U.S. military seeks to relocate the sprawling Futenma base to the Henoko district of Nago, a move that has slowed due to the fierce opposition of local residents who want the base nowhere near them.
The U.S. government has submitted an application for relocation to the Okinawa government, but the rising protests—and official anger—in the wake of the chopper crash are likely to stall the plan even further.
A majority of Japan’s U.S. military bases, and half of the 50,000 U.S. troops in the country, are located in Okinawa, an island that has seen decades of resistance to U.S. military bases, with residents criticizing the presence of US soldiers, industrial pollution, sexual assaults, and the overall danger of neighboring a military installation.
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The Professional Triathletes Organisation has launched the PTO Hub, a central location for content generated by PTO members to support, encourage and inspire in these uncertain times. The PTO Hub showcases the world’s top professional triathletes reaching out through a combination of video, podcasts, live chats and interactive virtual exhibitions, and is designed to be a source of support, encouragement and inspiration.
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Charles Adamo, PTO Chairman said: “The PTO and its professionals appreciate that in this current environment people are rightfully focused on the immediate health and economic concerns that the COVID-19 situation has raised. This is not a time to compete, but to band together to support one another. The fear and anxiety surrounding COVID-19 is real and understandable, and of course, we do not purport to have many answers. Like other self-employed people in the economy, professional triathletes have found themselves unemployed and dealing with financial uncertainty. As previously announced, the PTO was able to provide some assistance in these circumstances by paying out $2,500,000 to 200 professional triathletes. In response to the PTO’s action in helping athletes, the professionals wanted to find a way to use their talents and expertise to help others. To add a triathlon spin to an old saying, ‘When life gives you aid, make an aid station.’ ”
Tim O’Donnell, Co-President of the PTO said: “Sport has a unique power to unite and inspire people, as professionals we have traditionally done this through our racing. However, with the season on hold, we have realised that we can do more. Through the PTO Hub we have come together to volunteer our expertise and experience in an effort to unite and inspire in a new and unique way. The athletes are grateful for the PTO’s support and can’t wait to pay in forward by supporting the triathlon community with the PTO Hub.”
Two-time Olympic gold medal winner and PTO Board Member Alistair Brownlee, said: “Exercise is a vital element of both physical and mental health, and it is especially important at this time. We hope that the PTO Hub will encourage and inspire people to be active in a responsible way.”
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Athletes from around the globe, like Jan Frodeno, Alistair Brownlee, Lionel Sanders, Lucy Charles-Barclay, Daniela Ryf, Sebastian Kienle, Sarah Crowley, Anne Haug, Tim O’Donnell, Holly Lawrence and all of their PTO colleagues, will be joined by well-known multisport media pundits Bob Babbitt, Till Shenck, Stef Hanson, Greg Bennett and others, and the occasional celebrity contributor, and will look to provide the triathlon community with a home to support one another.
Cyclists, runners and triathletes are all invited to join in the fun from May 4th to May 30th. To kick things off, Zwift will be making a donation of $125,000 to MSF. Once 250,000 people from Zwift’s global community have completed at least one Tour for All event, Zwift will match its initial donation with an additional $125,000 for a total of $250,000, one dollar for every participant. Zwifters taking part who would like to make further donations in support of MSF will be able to do so via a Zwift x MSF donations page that will be live ahead of the Tour beginning in May.
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“Over recent months, the world has been turned upside down and I think we are all adjusting to a new normal,” says Eric Min, Zwift CEO and Co-Founder. “We’re in a unique position to bring together a global community and unite behind one cause, raising money for those who are helping to keep us safe. MSF is responding to the COVID-19 emergency in multiple ways – caring for patients, offering health education and mental health support, and providing training for vital infection control measures in health facilities around the world. I invite our global community to join us in supporting these lifesaving efforts. Of course, let’s have some fun along the way!”
Zwift’s Tour for All will be a five-stage event running from May 4th to 30th. Stages will be held across all time zones globally, and in keeping with the name, there will be events for all interests.
Zwifters will be challenged to complete all five stages but can do so in a variety of ways. There will be group rides and runs with both long and short distance formats. Those with a competitive streak will be able to take part in races during each stage, and there will also be women-only events as well.
For more information on Zwift’s Tour for All head to:
Ride – zwift.com/tfaride
Run – zwift.com/tfarun
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For more information on Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) head to www.msf.org