Last weekend the N. American IM season kicked off with Oceanside 70.3 and this weekend Super League Pros race in the London Arena Games. Bill, how’s Carbondale, Colorado?
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In Today’s Show
- Discussion – Life Hacks for the Time Crunched Athlete
- Endurance News – 70.3 Oceanside Pro Results, Arena Games London Saturday,
- What’s new in the 303 – Pro Tips for Boulder 70.3 and What Up in Carbondale?
- Video of the Week – 70.3 Oceanside Highlights and Lowlights
Discussion: Life Hacks for the Time Crunched Athlete:
I was recently invited to be a guest coach on the TriDot podcast. Every week they have a Warmup, Main Set and Cooldown with a TriDot coach. I was asked to describe my coaching specialty, which I feel is helping beginner to experienced triathletes overcome plateauing factors, overcome confidence issues and work/life/train balance, especially for long course athletes.
- Life Hack 1 – During one of my IM training long rides, I took off at 9am and told my wife I’d be back at 4. When I got home, my wife said ‘I thought you would be back in 4 hours’. I reminded her that I said ‘back at 4pm’ and we decided to agree to disagree. I went to the Office Max and bought one of those “Will Be Back At” window clock with the plastic hour and minute hand that the pharmacist or barber puts on the door at lunch hour. We put that on the garage door to make sure I was setting expectations.
- Life Hack 2 – When I was in the peak of IM training I had tight windows of time to squeeze in my workouts like a 1 hour swim in the morning. If I didn’t get to the pool right at 5, I wouldn’t have time to complete the swim before 6am in time to get home, showered and ready to take the girls to school on my way to work. When you get to the pool at 5am and realize that I left my swimsuit at home I would be devastated. My house is only 10 minutes away, but it would be 30 minutes before I could be back at the pool. I learned to keep a spare swimsuit in my glovebox and that saved my workouts that I otherwise would have lost.
Endurance News:
Oceanside Corrections
- Taylor Knibb was in the broadcast booth instead of toeing the line
- It was an in water start in the bay and not a beach start into surf as it was in 2022
9 Takeaways From the Pro Race at 70.3 Oceanside
TIM HEMING
Ironman 70.3 Oceanside marked the start of the North American Ironman season. Located just up the coast from the birthplace of triathlon, and with a packed field of professionals, expectations for Oceanside were high – and the race delivered.
It might have been a cold morning, but the action soon became heated. After two enthralling races, we were left with some red-hot run splits and two deserving new champions. Leo Bergere carried out his plans for a smash-and-grab win in California, breaking the tape in 3:45:25 on his long-course stopover en route to Paris 2024, while Tamara Jewett laid down a blazing-fast run to push her way to the top podium step in 4:08:09.
Here are nine things we’re taking away from the race as we blast off into the 2023 season.
Missed the action in Oceanside? Outside Watch has made the replay of the race broadcast free for all. See the race from start to finish by hitting the button below:
1. No one made the same (freezing) mistake twice.
The weather in most of the United States has been miserable of late, and despite it being Southern California, the early start of the day – with the pro men going off at 6:40 a.m. – made for chilly conditions. The water temperature was just 57 degrees F, and the ambient conditions not much more. But whereas a host of athletes were caught out (and near-hypothermic) in similar conditions at the Ironman 70.3 World Championship in Utah last year, lessons had clearly been learned.
Notably, Holly Lawrence ditched her normal high-cut racing suit for additional layers, and swapped blue lips for blowing past a chunk of the men’s field. Perhaps the decisions of 70.3 world champion Taylor Knibb had been noted from St. George, where the the number-one priority for the now reigning 70.3 world champion was to be cozy for the start of the bike leg. (Although there were no such considerations for Knibb here, as she wasn’t racing – instead, was wrapped up in the Ironman commentary booth.)
https://twitter.com/IRONMANtri/status/1642188291368787969
2. The payout isn’t as big as you think.
This was a high-profile curtain-raiser to the North American Ironman season, with almost 100 names on the pro start list, 3,500 amateurs and a live broadcast to boot. Yet the prize money at just $50,000 was derisory, especially compared to other pro prize purses offered by other race organizers. Some quick math on the $1,200 Ironman pro license shows that if they race on average four times a year, then around $30,000 poured into Ironman’s coffers for this race from their license fees alone. Essentially, the pros are funding much of their own prize pot. The age-old problem is that although there is huge value in the pros for below-the-line marketing of the Ironman brand – i.e., the pictures that sell these races – Ironman prize purses may not necessarily align with that value.
3. 5-star performances are the norm, not the exception.
https://twitter.com/IRONMANtri/status/1642188291368787969
(Photo: Donald Miralle/Ironman)
From early on, it was clear that there were only ever five women in this contest, and all of them had a chance at the win. Paula Findlay led early and faded late, while Tamara Jewett held on early and hammered through at the end. There were no surprises in Chelsea Sodaro, Kat Matthews and Holly Lawrence, either – they were in the mix, and moves from all three made for more exciting racing. The pro women’s field has some bona-fide superstars right now. The rest of the season, whether it’s PTO racing or Ironman, comes laced with anticipation. The rest of the pack must work out how to catch on and catch up.
4. Bergere was brilliant – but won’t be back.
As was befitting a reigning World Triathlon Championship Series champion, Bergere was a class act from first to last in Oceanside, leading the swim, staying upfront on the bike leg and then leading through the half-marathon. We shouldn’t be surprised. We found out before the race that he’s done the work dialing in his position on the time trial bike, he’s won over this distance before, and he’s an Olympic medal favorite for Paris – so speed isn’t a problem. That’s even true with Jason West marauding through the field. The 26-year-old Frenchman just stayed cool, checked his watch, looked over his shoulder, and eased to the tape.
But if you’re looking for more non-drafting action from Bergere, you’ll have to wait. It’s now full focus on Olympic qualification and a return to the World Series. The French short course men have the strongest depth of talent in the world currently, and he needs to make sure he’s on the team for next summer on the banks of the Seine. If people weren’t sure of his name in Oceanside, it’s likely to be a household one after Paris.
5. The runners are getting into position.
There has never been any doubting the running pedigree of USA’s Jason West and Canada’s Tamara Jewett. For many observers, they are the two quickest runners in middle-distance triathlon right now. If they’re in the mix come T2, they’re strong favorites for the win. Even a 30-second blocking penalty on the bike for Jewett was shrugged off as a minor inconvenience as she plowed her way out of T2 and into first place. With superbly executed swims and bikes, the case as contenders has been well and truly proven for both. If the dime hadn’t already dropped, the idea of them being allowed to (legally) sit in on a paceline without being attacked in future has dissolved just as fast.
6. About those run splits…
In the 13.1 mile run leg, West clocked a 1:07:41, and Jewett 1:13:00. West and (particularly) Jewett’s half-marathon splits blew up on social media with no filter to the hyperbole that was flowing. They were fast and deserved the praise, no doubt, but take a look at the historic performances of both athletes and you can see it’s in the same ballpark as they’ve regularly been clocking for 70.3 runs over the past three years. All it proves is that this isn’t a one-off, and in many ways, that makes it even more exciting for what’s to come.
7. Three minutes is not enough between pro fields.
Having the professional women start three minutes after the pro men, when the men’s field is saturated and the threshold for being a pro man isn’t high enough, is a recipe for a mashed-up mess, with pro women forced to swim and bike through the back end of the men’s race. Getting separation between the two races may not always be easy, but there has to be a better option than than a measly three minutes.
8. Emotion is rocket fuel.
Oceanside was awash with emotion even before the cannon went. Particularly, Matthews – returning from a bike crash that almost took her life before Kona – and Sodaro, who admitted to debilitating mental health struggles in the wake of her Ironman title triumph in October. Emotion has long been the intangible dimension that adds jeopardy to the result. How both Matthews and Sodaro, and even Sam Long – who saw this as a redemption race after a controversial penalty in St. George – responded showed they have the maturity not just to process emotions, but harness them into a performance to be proud of.
9. Chelsea has the final word.
After 4 hours of intense racing, Sodaro used the post-race interview to reaffirm her pre-race commitment to give her prize money ($5,000) to Moms Demand Action, a grassroots movement trying to address the nation’s culture of gun violence. Her simple message: “I just want to be able to drop my child off at school with the knowledge that I’ll be able to pick them up again.”
American Couple McQueen and Sereno Both Hoping to World Championship Titles in London
April 5, 2023
/ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – American golden couple Chase McQueen and Gina Sereno are hoping to complete a unique World Championship double as they race in the final of Arena Games Triathlon powered by Zwift in London on Saturday (April 8).
McQueen, one of the USA’s greatest short course hopes, and Sereno, who also holds down a full-time job at the jet propulsion laboratory at NASA, had the dream day when the Colorado based couple both won at Arena Games Triathlon Montreal.
That means they sit joint top of the World Championship standings alongside Arena Games triathlon Switzerland winners Henri Schoeman and Zsanett Bragmayer heading into the final at the London Aquatics Centre at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park (17:30 local time).
If they can master the short, sharp and intense unique hybrid race format of real life and virtual racing one more time each then they could boast a pair of World Championship titles to take back home.
Chase McQueen said: “To see Gina win and execute the perfect race I was just so proud of her. I don’t know if it was excitement or happiness and pride, but it took a lot of pressure off of me and I would go out there and do what I could and I would still be really happy because of the race that she had. To both come home with gold medals in a race like that…it’s rare to have a good day like that in the sport, and to have a good day on the same day as her in the same spot is really special and for sure a memory I will remember for the rest of my life.
“I am heading to London with the expectation to try and win a world title, but to manage that together helps a lot. There are a lot of really good people there and people that aren’t competing for the overall Series but we are both going there to win and hoping to come home with world titles.”
Gina Sereno said: “I was so excited to win (in Montreal). I didn’t know if that would be possible but as the rounds went on I felt relaxed and felt comfortable in the heats. Chase did so well in his heats and I felt he could win as well. Watching him bike so hard and his face and thinking about all the times we ride on our trainers together I knew he was going hard.
“It will be really fun to be in the finals in London and see what I can do at this next level. I didn’t get to leave it all out there in Montreal so being in an environment where there are better people and more challenges I am really excited to see what I can get out of myself and my goal is to win.”
Schoeman’s story is also a remarkable one as the 2016 Olympic bronze medallist and 2018 Commonwealth Games champion from South Africa battles back from nearly three years out of the sport with health and injury issues which almost forced him into retirement.
Hungary’s Bragmayer, meanwhile, is looking to go one better than her runner-up spot in 2022 and will again race alongside her teammat,e 15-year-old Fanni Szalai, who produced a sporting fairytale to make the podium in Switzerland at her first ever elite level event.
Also competing in London but not in contention for the title are the likes of British star Beth Potter, Cassandre Beaugrand of France who won this event in 2022, and Gustav Iden, the current Ironman World Champion.
What’s New in the 303:
Learn From the Pros: Set a PB in Boulder
Brittany Vermeer
IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder is a classic race set at foot of the Flatiron Mountains. Here’s how to race your best.
An oldie but goodie, IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder will celebrate its 21st anniversary this year. On June 10th, triathletes from around the world will gather at the triathlon mecca of the US to compete on a challenging course set at the foothills of the iconic Flatirons.
Nobody knows this area better than the triathletes who live there, so we have two local pros and a coach to give us the inside scoop on everything you need to set a PB at IRONMAN Boulder 70.3.
Endurance coach Lauren Vallee has competed at IRONMAN 70.3 Boulder once and IRONMAN Boulder three times.
“You can’t beat the views at this race,” she says. “Even though I’ve lived here for seven years now, I’m still awestruck when racing this course. The other thing that’s unique is the community support. It’s likely you’ll see legendary athletes like Dave Scott, Joanna Zeiger, or Simon Lessing cheering on athletes.”
Professional triathlete and IRONMAN Now commentator Dede Griesbauer also calls Boulder home. “The whole experience of being in Boulder for a race is a memorable one, from swimming in ‘the Res’ to biking and running on its iconic roads,” she says. “Once your day is done, athletes will often take a dip in the Res to cool off, tell stories of the day, and cheer other athletes across the line for hours on end.”
Another Boulder local, professional triathlete Justin Metzler has raced IRONMAN Boulder 70.3 three times and IRONMAN Boulder once. “In 2021, I was fifth at the IRONMAN 70.3. Last year, I was second. Now, I have to come back in 2023 for the win. If I don’t win this year, I’ll keep coming back until I do, because this race is a big one on my bucket list.”
Athletes begin their journey with a one-lap swim in the Boulder Reservoir, aka “the Res,” before exiting by the boat ramp and heading into transition. Metzler anticipates the June swim will be chilly—between 60 and 65 degrees F.
“Boulder Reservoir is a calm, safe body of water, but the one thing I’ve made critical errors with in the past is going out too hard,” he says. “Even though I live here at altitude, it’s easy to go above threshold early, and you end up paying the price five times over.”
Gaining an extra 30 seconds in the swim isn’t worth putting yourself in the hole at the start of a four to six-hour race. To resist the temptation, Metzler suggests taking the first two buoys as a warm-up and building in effort.
Concerning swim gear, Vallee recommends using tinted goggles because athletes will be swimming directly into the bright Colorado sunshine.
The new and improved bike course will take athletes on a two-loop, fast, rolling bike course. From Diagonal Hwy towards Foothills Hwy, athletes will have some short rollers until they make a right onto rural Hygiene Rd. towards 75th St. At that point, it’s downhill and fast.
Once you find your way back onto Diagonal Highway, continue past the Reservoir gates for the second lap, with one more loop of the above rollers and fast descents. After athletes complete their two loops, they will merge back into the Boulder Reservoir through the gates along Diagonal Hwy and into transition.
The route features 2,700 feet of elevation gain, complete with stunning views of The Flatirons. Despite the climbing, our experts described this as a fast course.
“Be prepared to time trial, climb, and descend,” Vallee says.
Because Boulder is at altitude, expect your heart rate to be higher than normal and your power numbers to be lower. Metzler says rate of perceived exertion is the best method for pacing this course.
“One advantage we have at altitude is there’s less wind resistance, so the bike times are notoriously quite fast,” he says. “Despite the challenging conditions, it’s a good place to try for a PB, as long as you have all your ducks in a row with preparation and pacing strategy.”
This two-loop course is unique because the majority takes place on hard-packed dirt and gravel roads. Because of the varied terrain, Vallee cautions runners not to get frustrated if their pace fluctuates.
“The road conditions can mute the ‘pop’ runners normally feel on concrete or blacktop,” she says. “Though the run looks fairly flat, it’s deceiving. While running the out-and-back on Monarch, you can easily have a 20-second per minute mile swing in pace. Don’t let that get in your head. Trust your plan and stay confidence in your pacing.”
Also, be thoughtful in your footwear selection. “Super high stack shoes without any stability will be more challenging because the road is mostly on crushed gravel and dirt,” Metzler says.
Although there’s not much gain (318 feet), it can be hot on Dam Rd., so having a well-planned hydration strategy is a must. “This run is one of the more challenging on the circuit with the uneven terrain and the heat,” Metzler says. “I’ve raced here in June and August, and we’ve had very warm days.”
However, the spectator-friendly nature of the two-loop course will provide a motivational boost for athletes. “The run is a course that athletes love to hate and hate to love!” Griesbauer says. “For the bits around the Res itself, you’re fully exposed with little shade, so if it’s a hot and or windy day, prepare to put up a fight. But the amazing Boulder crowds will carry you through.”
In June, the average air temperature in Boulder is 86 degrees F and the water temperature is 66 degrees F, so athletes should expect a chilly start and a hot finish. On top of that, Boulder sits at 5,318 feet above sea level, so altitude is another factor to take into consideration.
“Don’t panic if you’re coming to altitude from sea level,” Vallee says. “Simply keep in mind that it will take longer to recover from surges, so be smart with pacing.”
Metzler has a tip for those who train at lower elevations and will be traveling to the race. “Everyone responds differently to altitude, but my recommendation would be to come up as late as possible, if you’re coming from sea level, to try to retain some of that sea level oxygen you have in your day-to-day training,” he says.
Finally, when racing in Boulder, Metzler has one cardinal rule: respect the heat. “It’s something I’ve always had to manage here. The sun is really oppressive, so you have to stay on top of core body temperature, fueling, hydration, and sodium.”
Lauren Vallee: “Be prepared for hot, dry, and exposed conditions. Don’t panic if your run pace is slower than other IRONMAN 70.3’s you’ve done.”
Dede Griesbauer: “There are few roads leading into the Boulder Res, so pack your patience and leave a lot of time on race morning.”
Justin Metzler: “Use rate of perceived exertion, rather than the numbers you see.”
Video of the Week:
Ironman 70.3 Oceanside 2023 Highlights and Low light!
The Crawl – Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham (1997)
Closing:
Thanks again for listening in this week. Please be sure to follow us @303endurance and of course go to iTunes and give us a rating and a comment. We’d really appreciate it!
Stay tuned, train informed, and enjoy the endurance journey!
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