The Triathletes Homepage

News, comment and opinion

News on this page that's older than a month is = archived off to=20 the Old News = pages, see=20 the left hand panel for these. Other good sources of news are Dan = Empfield's Slowtwitch = website, Google News, Inside Triathlon, Triathlete magazine and the main federation websites = (see the=20 links page for=20 these).

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Oct:16 Hot and fast

For once the wind didn't blow and the clouds didn't come which turned = Hawaii=20 into a hot race in more ways than one! Faris Al Sultan (GER) took the = lead after=20 just 4 miles from Torbjorn Sindalle (DEN) who had set a new bike course = record=20 (and eventually came home in 69th) and never looked like losing it, = while=20 Cameron Brown (NZL) ran consistently to take second place with Peter = Reid (CAN)=20 just behind. Simon Lessing started promisingly with a second place in = the swim=20 and was biking in the leading group but faded on the finishing section = of the=20 bike (he was 36th in off the bike) and then dropped out on the run. In = the=20 womens race it looked like Michellie Jones (AUS) would make the rookie = win but=20 Natascha Badmann (SUI), despite serving 4 minutes in the sin bin, made = up the 9=20 minutes deficit and caught and passed her in the latter stages of the = run to=20 take her 6th title. Jones was second and Kate Major (AUS) was 3rd. = Results are=20 still rolling in on the Ironmanlive website - great show guys!

As far as we can tell, the first Brit home was Doug Clark in 90th = place=20 (9:16:03) putting him 9th in the 35-39 age group.

Oct:15 Hawaii is live -- on VIDEO!!

Awesome! Log on to http://www.ironmanlive.com/ and forget getting any = sleep=20 tonight...

Oct:15 The Don does it again

Tim Don returned to what seems to be his natural habitat this year -- = on top=20 of the podium at the Commonwealth Games trials in St Kilda. Tim kicked = away from=20 the lead group on the run with about 2k to go leaving Greg Bennett (AUS) = and=20 Bevan Docherty (NZL) to tussle for the remaining two places. Stuart = Hayes was=20 6th and Will Clarke 7th (giving them the other two nominations) with AJ = 12th,=20 Ollie Freeman 15th and Paul Amey a DNF. In the womens race Annabel = Luxford (AUS)=20 finished well ahead of Julie Dibbens with Andrea Hewitt (NZL) in third. = Andrea=20 Whitcombe was 7th, Helen Lawrence 11th and Liz Blatchford DNFd - no sign = of=20 Michelle Dillon. We believe that Dibens, Whitcombe and Blatchford will = go=20 forward as nominations. Full race details can be found on the Triathlon = Australia=20 site.

Oct:14 Ballbuster sells out

The Human Race/TriandRun Ballbuster has filled in record time. = Despite being=20 one of the daftest events in the duathlon calendar, and being promoted = entirely=20 online, the race has sold out four weeks before race day (Nov-12). "The=20 triandrun Ballbuster is the oldest event in the HumanRace portfoilo and = every=20 year we are amazed that so many nutters want to come back and do battle = with a=20 race which is billed as one of the toughest in the UK" said race = organiser John=20 Lunt. The Box Hill-based event started in 1990 and continues to grow = each year,=20 despite dreadful weather in some recent years. The course record is held = by Gary=20 Gerrard from 2001 when he covered the 8 mile run, 24 mile bike and 8 = mile run in=20 2:34:40 (0:41:00, 1:06:29, 0:46:28).

Oct:11 London Region Coaching Conference = 2005

The London Regions first 'Coaching Conference' will be held at = Crystal Palace=20 National Sports Centre on November 5th 2005. The event is supported by = Bike and=20 Run, Pure Sports Medicine, and Optima Training Systems and is designed = to=20 increase the skills and knowledge of triathlon coaches within London = through=20 innovative educational practical and theory sessions. The conference = will=20 feature some of the UK's best sports specialists: Dr John Best = (Australian=20 Wallabies Team Physician 1994-2000), Dr Jeremy Adams (Human Performance=20 Psychologist), Claire Small (Director of Physiotherapy at Pure Sports = Medicine),=20 Raph Brandon (EIS Lead Strength & Conditioning Coach), and Ian Brown = ( Head=20 swim coach at Chelsea & Kensington swim club).

The conference is open to ANY coach from any triathlon related sport, = whether=20 qualified or not. Please remember though, that the majority of material = is=20 designed to enhance you as a coach, and may be more advanced than some = of the=20 material covered in the British Triathlon Level 2 coaching = qualification. There=20 are only 30 places, for more information and a booking form, please = email=20 timweeksbritishtriathlon.or= g

Oct:10 Honolulu updates

Congratulations also to Paula Craig on her Gold in the AWAD category. = Some of=20 the results still seem to be subject to changes - Sophie Whitworth went = from=20 Bronze to Silver overnight and we have noticed one or two other = adjustments so=20 please consider the ITU pages as the definitive ones and we'll update = ours once=20 the fuss has died down.

Oct:09 Brits at the Worlds

Results from Honolulu are on the ITU website. Complete=20 (provisional) results are available here. Scores on the doors = are:

Gold: Anna Willetts (20-24), Penny Rother (45-49)=20
Silver: Sophie Whitworth (35-39), Sue Bathgate (55-59)=20
Bronze: Mark Hirsch (40-44), Barbara Leverett (55-59)

Oct:09 Longest Day update

We see on the TriTalk pages that the Longest Day is scheduled = to survive=20 for 2006 -- apparently Martin has been convinced to continue as RD...=20 ...unconfirmed date is apparently July 23rd, more details about venues = to=20 follow.

Oct:07 Setting your watches

The Age Groupers should be hitting the water in Honolulu at 6am on = Sunday=20 morning... ..their time. Which makes it 5pm in the afternoon our time -- = at=20 least as far as I can work it out! As well as the ITU website = you should be=20 able to find out what's going on through the event website at http://www.honolulu2005.com/.

Oct:06 News from Honolulu

The BTA Age Groupers have already been bagging medals at the = Aquathlon out in=20 Honolulu and it's only a couple more days until the main event. Gold = went to=20 Kevin Partridge (45-49), Silver to Gary Blakey (15-19), Joanna Carritt = (25-29),=20 Sarah Clark (30-34), Lousie Waldman (40-44), Peggy Crome (60-64) with = Bronze to=20 Christopher Mulling (20-24), Evan Lees (30-34), Vannessa Hogg (30-34), = Matt=20 Stephenson (35-39), Sarah Springman (44-49), Jo Lewis (50-54), Jim = McTaggart=20 (65-69). Congratulations to all and good luck in the main races.

We note with interest the inclusion of Sarah Springman in the list -- = having=20 spent most of last year unsuccessfully trying to unseat Les as the ITU = President=20 we wonder if she has her eye on one of those vacant Executive Board = seats to see=20 if she can re-establish herself on the domestic scene. Nominations and = motions=20 must be in by next Friday so I guess we'll know soon enough... ...not = that she=20 should be counting on a vote from us...

Oct:03 Search for the oldest club

David Edwards has emailed us with news that the oldest club in = Scotland is=20 Fleet Feet Triathletes who are based in the small town of Stonehaven = near=20 Aberdeen (although East Kilbride also vies for this title). They started = in=20 1983, which makes them slightly older than TVT mentioned recently. In = the early=20 days canoeing was often substituted for swimming [and we thought the = Scots were=20 hardy folk...], but there are still one or two races around today that = keep=20 alive the founding tradition of the canoe-bike-run format. Check-out = their=20 website: http://www.fleet-feet.com/

Sep:30 IMUK live tomorrow

We hear on the grapevine that the IMUK entry form should go live = tomorrow so=20 if you're up for a UK full distance then keep an eye on their = website.

Sep:26 Are they the oldest club?

Probably not, but it's worth noting that TVT (THames Valley = Triathletes)=20 reached 21 years old in May this year. The club is planning to celebrate = in=20 style with a party and live music covering the last 21 years and would = like to=20 invite former club members and friends to join them for the celebration. = The=20 party will be held at the Jazz Caf=E9 in the Madjeski Stadium, Reading = on Thursday=20 27th October at 7:30pm. The cost will be =A320 per person and places are = limited=20 so contact Derek Bowley by email at bowley_derekhotmail.com to = reserve a=20 space.

Sep:25 Medals galore

We have to confess that when we were making our comments about how = nice it=20 would be to pick a medal in Newcastle we didn't quite expect the results = that we=20 got... Basically GB dominated the races, collecting 8 of the 18 medals. = In the=20 womens race we picked up a clean sweep with Michelle Dillon, Catriona = Morrison=20 and Andrew Whitcombe finishing top three. Annie Emmerson was 5th and = Helen=20 Lawrence 9th. In the mens race Paul Amey claimed Gold with Tim Don = taking Silver=20 and Javier Garcia (ESP) Bronze. Tom Lowe placed 22nd and Martin Yelling = 27th.=20 Oli Freeman took Gold in the Junior race with Ritchie Nicolls taking = Silver=20 while Rosie Clarke picked up Bronze in the Junior womens race. Full = results can=20 be found on the = ITU=20 website.

UPDATE: Here's a thought... Team GB didn't really manage to bring = home the=20 bacon at Gamagori -- something that the Performance Director has agreed = with for=20 a change although it's not clear what he plans to do about it. Yet, = despite=20 elite duathlon being, at least as far as the BTA are concerned, pretty = much a=20 minority sport and not one that gets money invested in it -- there being = no=20 Olympic equivalent -- we seem to do rather well at it. Statistically we = think we=20 actually bring home more elite duathlon medals than we do triathlon ones = --=20 people who follow this page regularly will know that our maths skills in = relation to the BTA's figures are open to question at times but at least = we know=20 that three years means three years and not six... (More on that one = another=20 day!) So, how come our elite triathletes turn out to be pretty damn good = at=20 being elite duathletes? Could it be that they are under less pressure? = Could it=20 be that they are doing it for individual glory? We don't know the answer = -- it's=20 probable that they don't either -- but we can bet that Clive Faine (GB = Exec=20 Board member and Chair of the ITU Duathlon Commission) is one very happy = man and=20 Jasmine Flatters, also out there in Oz looking after the BTA and the age = groupers' interests won't exactly be too upset either. Wouldn't it be = nice if=20 the two people that are universally regarded as being those who actually = care=20 about the athletes as opposed to the politics were in some way getting a = "Thank=20 you" for all their efforts? Unlikely, we know, but it's still a nice=20 thought...

Sep:24 Races with spaces

The Forest of Dean Duathlon on Oct-09 still has spaces and, for those = who=20 can't make up their minds, will also be taking entries on the day. More=20 information on = their=20 website.

Entries are also still being taken for the Carsington Short Course = Duathlon=20 on Oct-02. The race is the final one in the BTA National Duathlon = Series. For=20 further information contact Punishing Events on 01332 513299 or visit their=20 website.

Sep:24 Carrying coals...

Some of the comments aired on various web forums in the past week = about the=20 London Duathlon that was held in Richmond Park last weekend have been to = the=20 effect that the elite athletes were poorly catered for. Given that any = real=20 elite or serious age group duathlete would probably have been on their = way to=20 the ITU World Duathlon Championships in Newcastle (that's the one in = Australia=20 and not the one on Tyneside...) it's quite likely that the organisers = figured=20 that they didn't really need to make any provision in the first = place!

UPDATE: Taken from the results published just after breakfast this = morning:=20 Gold to Katherine O'Hara (30-34), Philip Dove (35-39), Julian Goater = (50-54),=20 Edwina Brocklesby (60-64), David Gardner (65-69) -- Silver to Graham = Beal=20 (35-39), Barbara Leverett (55-59) -- Bronze to John Dewey (20-24) and = Howard Doe=20 (55-59). Congratulations to all.

GB is fielding a strong age group team (who raced today and results = should be=20 up soon...) plus a selection of elite including Tim Don, a former World=20 Champion, Paul Amey, Tom Lowe, Mark McKay, and Martin Yelling. The = female side=20 is represented by Annie Emmerson, a Silver medallist at duathlon, = Catriona=20 Morrison, Andrea Whitcombe, Michelle Dillon and Helen Lawrence. Ollie = Freeman=20 will be representing us in the Junior event. The Elite race is on Sunday = but=20 owing to the world going around the way it does we can catch it from = about=20 11:30pm on Saturday night through the ITU website.

Given the paradox of GB having had more success in duathlon at a = World=20 Championship level than at triathlon in recent years it would be a neat = trick to=20 have the #2 ranked triathlete (Tim) end up with another duathlon gold -- = and a=20 possibly even neater trick to have Annie, long ignored by the BTA in = respect of=20 funding but currently ranked #1, bring home some silverware as = well.

Sep:19 More camps

Steve Trew will be running his series of Personal Best Triathlon = training=20 camps once again this winter at the Guttmann Centre of Excellence in = Stoke=20 Mandeville. The first is Nov-05/06 with the emphasis on technique in all = three=20 disciplines and on planning a programme. Further weekends are Jan-07/08 = and=20 Feb-25/26. Coaches this year are Sian Brice, Mark Southwold, Dawn = Hunter, Dan=20 Bullock (of www.swimfortri.com fame) and Steve Trew. There will, as in = previous=20 years, also be an inspirational guest speaker. Cost for each camp is = =A3105. For=20 details contact Steve by email trewpersonalbest.demon.= co.uk

Sep:18 Weekend update

We've been away in the country doing a bit of grass roots support -- = if=20 anyone has any feedback on the London Duathlon do please drop us an = email...

We also have a new World Champion in the UK -- having lost his World=20 Aquathlon crown to Tim Don in Gamagori Richard Stannard has picked up = the World=20 Biathle title at their Championships in Monaco. No more details at the = moment=20 but there is a = website=20 which should have more information soon. UPDATE: Loughborough TASS = student James=20 Lock, aged 20, also returned from the World Biathle Championships with a = medal,=20 this one a Bronze won in the Junior Mens race.

Sep:17 More from the Far East

Beijing ran its first test event early today for the 2008 Olympics = and Helen=20 Tucker showed just how far she has come this year with a podium finish = in 3rd=20 place. Andrea Whitcombe was 5th, Liz Blatchford 9th, Leanda Cave 18th = and Kerry=20 Lang in 24th. In the men's race, Stuart Hayes was 7th, with Tim Don = making up=20 ground on the run after missing the first pack on the bike to claim = 10th, Will=20 Clarke took 32nd and Fraser Cartmell 66th. Full results can be found on the ITU = website.

Sep:15 Getting ready for winter?

It looks like Summer is finally over and one of the real indicators = is the=20 appearance of lots of running and swimming courses to get you through = the winter=20 months. Just Sweat No Tears (Brian Welsh, Jackie Bull and Donna James) = are=20 running weekend camps covering topics like Long Term Athlete Survival, = Bike Set=20 Up -- Power versus Aerodynamics and Benchmarking Your Training. There = will be=20 plenty of practical as well as the theory: proposed dates are Dec-09/11, = Jan-20/22 and Feb-07/19 at Rangemore, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. = The=20 weekend will cost =A3120 including B&B and Saturday evening meal = plus soft=20 drinks. Contact Just Sweat No Tears at 21 Langer Close, Branston, = Staffordshire=20 DE14 3HW or phone 01283 740679 (W) 0794 770 9055 (M).

Bill Black is running a series of Swim Masterclasses on the following = Sundays: Oct-23, Dec-04, Jan-15, Feb-26th, Apr-09 and May-21 at the = Fulham=20 Holmes Place. Also involved on the coaching team are Duncan Rolley and = Perry=20 Marks. The sessions will be a 1hr theory followed by a 1hr30 practical. = If you=20 book all six sessions they are =A345 each, book 2-5 for =A350 each or = just go to one=20 for =A355. Contact Bill by email at blackbillybtinternet.com or=20 call him on 01276 857849.

Sep:11 Gamagori: not like the Test Match = then...

UPDATE: Latest from Gamagori is that AJ suffered a deep cut to his = knee which=20 required stitches and that Tim seems to have been hit by heat exhaustion = on the=20 run (Gamagori has a rep for being very hot and humid) and went from hero = to zero=20 in just a few seconds -- not a nice end to one's day and, judging from = the long=20 list of DNFs, he wasn't the only one to succumb to the climate.

The mens race finished with Peter Robertson (AUS) winning, Reto Hug = (SUI) in=20 second and Brad Kahlefeldt (AUS) taking third. There was a major bike = crash in=20 the last lap which may have upset things somewhat - we understand from = local=20 support that Sven Riederer (SUI) may have assisted in removing AJ from = his bike=20 and into the back of an ambulance but we're awaiting further details. = And,=20 judging from the results something bad must have happened because = despite seeing=20 a picture of The Don running (he was lying second at the end of Lap 1 = according=20 to timing data) the only Brits recorded as finishing are Stuart Hayes in = 16th,=20 Will Clarke in 34th, Paul Amey in 37th and Richard Stannard in 52nd. The = results=20 sheet shows Tim as a DNF on the run with AJ already known as a DNF on = the=20 bike.

In the womens race Emma Snowsill (AUS) claimed her second World title = with=20 Annabel Luxford (AUS) taking silver and Laura Bennett (USA) Bronze. Best = of the=20 GB women was Andrea Whitcombe in 7th with Liz Blatchford 8th and = Michelle Dillon=20 rounding out the top 10. Helen Tucker came home in 32nd and Helen = Lawrence was=20 42nd. Leanda Cave is recorded as a DNF.

In the Junior races Ollie Freeman was 10th, Alistair Brownlee 41st = and Devon=20 King 62nd while Natalie Barnard was 18th, Rosie Clarke 20th and Vicky = Holland=20 36th.

Full results and race stories are on the ITU website.

Sep:10 Mixed results in the U23

Scotland's Fraser Cartmell finished 20th in today's Under 23 races in = Gamagori but Will Clarke crashed on the first corner after a top 15 = swim. Best=20 of the girls was Natalie Barnard in 18th, Rosie Clarke 20th and Vicky = Holland=20 36th.

Sep:09 Doh!

Profuse apologies to our long-standing supporters, BigCow, for = forgetting that=20 they too put on a Middle Distance event, the CowMan! Blame it on old = age...

And, just maybe, it looks like the WTC may have had a bit of a cow = when they=20 tried to trademark 70.3 because it seems as though you can't trademark = numbers=20 on their own... Thanks to MC for the tip-off on that one and after = trawling=20 several very informative websites which confirmed this it looks as = though that's=20 the reason all the events are listed as "The xxx Ironman 70.3" on the WTC = website. Even more=20 interesting is the footer which states that "Ironman Triathlon and the = M-dot are=20 registered trademarks of the World Triathlon Corporation (WTC). Any use = of these=20 marks without the expressed written consent of WTC is strictly = prohibited." No=20 mention of 70.3 there then so we guess they've got the application in = for=20 Ironman 70.3 -- you can't trademark something until you have actually = traded in=20 it... Now, why didn't they just stick to Half Ironman?

Sep:08 The Don gets it!

Congratulations to the Don on his World Aquathlon win earlier today = in=20 Gamagori with the perennial winner, Richard Stannard, picking up the = Silver in=20 what appears to have been as close to a dead heat as timing could make = it. The=20 full results are on the ITU=20 website.

Sep:07 Another big weekend

This is the weekend that the elite athletes have been working towards = all=20 season: the ITU = World=20 Championships out in Gamagori. There will be the usual webcast in = ITUtv and=20 we understand that there might even be some streaming video as well. The = only=20 downside is that Japan is 8 hours ahead of us so it will be a horribly = early=20 morning...

Closer to home, and in a different camp, is the inaugural 70.3 race = at=20 Longleat. OK, we could go on for hours about the very odd decision = to take=20 one of the strongest brands in the world, Ironman, and create a whole = new series=20 of races and a World Championship that doesn't even mention the term... = Never=20 mind, we're sure that the whole thing will settle down eventually and = all those=20 metric speaking folk (90% of the world...) will understand that 70.3 is = the=20 total distance in Imperial measurements of a Half Ironman race....=20 ...Eventually!

On the other side of the fence, so to speak, is the Vitruvian race -- = one of=20 a healthy band of events including the likes of Bala and Weymouth that = provide=20 middle distance athletes with a no frills, economy package version of = 70.3.=20 Despite events like Longest Day stating that they are unlikely to = continue in=20 2006 -- at = least under=20 the current race director -- we really do believe that there is a = growing=20 market for well run endurance events in the middle and long distance = category.=20 Speaking the other evening to Roger Wakeling of Concept = Sport about the=20 possible date for Weymouth next year and wondering whether the proposed = June=20 date for Longleat will affect his numbers it remains our belief that as = long as=20 the dates are published early enough and the entry forms are out there = then both=20 events will fill. [See later note about CowMan, another popular Middle = Distance=20 race, which we forgot...]

And, talking of full events, there's always the perennial season = closer at=20 the Cotswold Water Park where Lorraine Ferris will be providing her usual top = quality open=20 water sprint. Sadly one of those races that we have never managed to get = to but=20 one which enjoys a solid reputation and often hosts the odd suprise pro = or two=20 who hasn't gone off to points Far East.

Looks like it should be a cracker of a weekend -- even if the weather = looks a=20 little dodgy -- and then there's always winning the cricket to look = forward=20 to!

Sep:04 Swimmers go running

London-based Swimfortri.com have expanded their coaching = portfolio to cover=20 running technique. The 5-week courses are held at Walthamstow track (not = the dog=20 track - the pace is a little too fast there!), cover technical aspects = of=20 running like posture and footstrike, and are run by BTA Level 3 coaches = Huw=20 Davies and Dawn Hunter. Numbers are kept to around 10 and they offer = filmed=20 analysis of your run style which you can take away on a DVD. Their next = course=20 begins Wednesday Sep-28, and their website will have information on = course dates=20 and prices. Contact keeley@swimfortri.com for booking info.

Sep:02 Bankers complete their challenge

Late but not forgotten is the news that the teams from Credit Suisse = First=20 Boston and Morgan Stanley completed their first Enduro Challenge London = to Paris=20 on August 26-28th. The relay teams produced an incredibly close fought = 30 hour=20 race, with winning margins of less than five minutes for both the 80 = mile=20 London-Dover run and 180 mile Calais-Paris cycle legs. However after MS = took=20 first blood on the run, team CSFB's Channel swimming experience proved = decisive=20 and when they reached the French coast in 12 hours, the gap to MS was = over 90=20 minutes. That effort was enough to give CSFB first custody of the Enduro = Challenge trophy, but with MS eager for a rematch the build-up to next = year has=20 already started.

The Enduro Challenge is primarily a charity event for corporate = teams, and in=20 2005 Age Concern and Teenage Cancer Trust have benefited significantly. = Next=20 year up to six, six-person teams can be accommodated: contact=20 enduro.challenge@csfb.com for information.