Triathlon

York MaineWhen ever I view this photo of myself, instantly all of the sensations come back crystal clear and very distinctly. The razor sharp pockets of icy water that would come without warning making my breath shallow and almost gasping. The salt of the water in my mouth mixed with my exhales. The pushing/almost shoving of the waves that made me feel uneasyas if I shouldn't be out there. Nothing to focus on but the next orange buoy, that would take me back to safety. The ocean doesn't care how good of a swimmer you think you are, It will remind you should you venture in it's deep and murky vastness, to respect it to the core. I felt disconnected and even a bit scared having my head submerged in dark murky ocean water, looking for something to focus on but at the same time praying to god nothing pops up into my face.Sounds fun, right?

Iconic age group route announced for 2013 PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London. The London-based ITU Grand Final is set to be a classic event Today the Grand Final of the ITU World Triathlon Series known as the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London announced the route for the Age Group Standard Distance World Championship. The triathlon is part of the prestigious UK Sport Gold Event Series and will be hosted over five days from 11-15 September at the Olympic triathlon venue in Hyde Park The morning of Sunday 15 September will see 2,500 triathletes from all over the world representing their country in the Age Group Standard Distance World Championship. This is a chance for the most committed amateur level triathletes to be crowned World Champion at the same venue as the London 2012 Olympic Games. GB triathletes and those travelling many miles to visit London will be treated to some of the best sites the capital has to offer: • Swim: In Hyde Park’s Serpentine Lake • Bike: Wellington Arch, past Buckingham Palace, over to Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, through Whitehall, all the way down the Embankment, past London Bridge to Tower Bridge, then back again via Trafalgar Square and the Mall • Run: Around Hyde Park Alongside the world’s best amateur athletes, the PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London will host the Grand Final of the Senior Elite race, welcoming back to London the heroes of the London 2012 Olympic Games to decide the 2013 world champions. The event will also see races for the charity fundraisers, first time triathletes, junior, U23 and paratriathletes across five days in Hyde Park. Robert Püstow, Managing Director of organizers, Upsolut Sports UK, said: “We are extremely excited that London has provided a route for Standard Distance World Championship Age Group athletes that takes in some of the most iconic sites of the capital. With so many athletes travelling from all over the world it will make this an unforgettable experience. We are also delighted that the Elite bike route follows the same course as used in the London 2012 Olympic Games giving spectators a number of opportunities to watch their triathlon heroes pass by.” The event being organised in partnership between Upsolut Sports UK and British Triathlon and is part of UK Sport’s Gold Events Series, the UK’s legacy programme of major international sporting events,  and is supported by the Mayor of London being one of the first major Olympic legacy events happening in London post the London 2012 Olympic Games. It will be broadcast live on BBC and is free to view for spectators in and around Hyde Park. More details of all routes are available on http://london.triathlon.org

The Outlaw Triathlon to be broadcast on Channel 4 in Britain again this year. The Outlaw Triathlon will be broadcast in August With six weeks to go until the award-wining Outlaw Triathlon in Nottingham on 7 July, organisers, One Step Beyond, have confirmed that the event will again be televised by Channel 4. The long distance event, which starts and finishes at the National Watersports Centre, featured on Channel 4 last year, with repeats on Eurosport and other digital sports channels. This year’s event will be screened in late August. The Outlaw is now in its fourth year, with the 2013 event set to be the biggest yet. The event covers a 2.4mile swim, 112mile bike ride and 26.2mile run. The television production will be carried out by Dreamteam TV, who also produces many other triathlon shows that occupy the popular Sunday morning slot on Channel 4. Organiser, Iain Hamilton, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Dreamteam and Channel 4 again this year. Having television cameras at the event adds to the major event feel of the Outlaw and provides that extra bit of motivation to push on when the race gets tough. Quite remarkably we have 51 complete novices in this year’s race. The Outlaw will be their first ever triathlon and what great motivation to keep going when you’ve got the opportunity to be on television. “Having the event on TV is also enabling us to attract some higher profile athletes to the event, and we look forward to announcing that in them coming weeks. We’ve tweaked the run course a little to make it better for head to head racing and we’re really excited about Outlaw 2013.” The Outlaw has also joined forces with major triathlon brands including blueseventy, Planet X, Compressport, High 5, Swimshop, Buff, thetriathloncoach.com and Z3R0D to make the 2013 event the best yet. There are a few slots still available in the Outlaw. Interested athletes should contact One Step Beyond on 01427 718888 during 10am to 4pm office hours only and note that the office will be closed for much of next week due to the Bank Holiday and a busy weekend with the National Sprint Championships and Outlaw Half taking place 1-2 June.      

Aussie coach Darren Smith had a few words with slowtwitch to discuss the current state of affairs, a new addition to the squad and a pending big move.

Race week is really, really close. It excites me sometimes to the point of not being able to enjoy it. I've tried everything from embracing it, being part of all the activities and group training sessions, and pretending it's party week. I've also hid out, stayed completely off my feet, and only read books. Both approaches have landed their fair share of good results and belly flops...The best things I've learned and try to remember...1. Enjoy every training session since they are fewer now (I love training)2. Have fun with the triathlete friends from other locations3. Trust. Trust the plan you have & the work you have done 4. Do chill out a little bit5. Think about the race, but not over think itWe are trying to maximize sunsets, as usual. It always helps me to sit with friends and family that I've had before I ever got into triathlon, somehow we never end up talking about triathlon. I really love the escape from protein powder flavors, new gels to try, and what I will wear race day. Admittedly, I do love to talk about those things too though, and mile splits, how far I rode bike, and what time I should go to bed. Just not during sunset, or at the beach for that matter... Last night was the moment where the athlete in me was full on living right through all the other roles of my life. We had 2 of the fastest high school girls from Hawaii, Kiwi pro Julia, and one of the strongest masters guy swimmers all throwing punches of trash talk like kids do. It got as competitive as swimming 3 of us at a time down the lane. I loved it. It felt like being a kid again where you have no intimidation or fear. You just go hard and talk smack as if you might just be heading to the Olympics. Of course we are not anytime soon, but our lane had that vibe and somehow, for the first time at masters, from a push, I finally broke a minute in the 100 free. The high school girls and Chandler do it all the time, every practice as if it was as easy as taking a bath, not me. They pushed me tonight and finally, it happened... I'm pretty sure it was a 58, for sure a 59, and without a doubt less than 60 seconds. I'm not sure its repeatable without all the fun we made our lane last night. Somehow it did in deed show me that an overabundance of fun in something you love can actually be good for you...My yogi sister has really been helping me a lot with the "just breathe" philosophy. It has never been easy for a girl like me who runs around life with a handful of dreams to just chill out, to patiently wait for some of them to come true. She challenges me mentally more than some of my workouts do! But, it has helped. I can run far now without an IPOD, be on my bike and actually "be on the bike", not looking at lava while wondering about dinner. She is teaching me things about myself and lack of limitations that baffle me. Today's practice (and sincere laughter in attempt) was about the most fun I ever imagined yoga/focus stuff could ever be! Notice though, she can put her hand in the rocks and not feel them, I on the other hand needed a mat, not quite there yet...With race week so close, I am really embracing my butterflies, they are filling me with pride. Pride because I'm about to do something I love and something I have put a lot of heart and sweat into. They are also reminding me to keep humble, to know that sport has a way of teaching us lessons that matter in so many areas of life. Alright little butterflies, let's calm down a tiny bit so I can sleep...Night!!Bree

After 8 years of running in South Florida, I have become accustomed, mostly, to summer's heat and humidity. What I really despise about running in this season is the bugs, specifically these tiny black gnats that swarm in clouds and are impossible to avoid. All I can do is put my head down, close my mouth and nostrils, and cross my fingers they won't fly in my eyes. They do, of course. Even with sunglasses on, they swoop in and peg me in the eyeballs, and even with the above mentioned combat measures, I still end up swallowing a bunch and having several shoot up my nose. But the worst is how they stick to the rivers of sweat, so that when I wipe my face as I run, I always have little bug bodies on my finger tips. I know. I should write FL travel brochures, shouldn't I?

Kitzbühel event set to test athletes in what the ITU are calling “probably the world’s toughest race”. The Tiroler Nussöl World Triathlon Kitzbühel, probably the world’s toughest race, is now 45 days out from making its debut. The International Triathlon Union (ITU) engineered the revolutionary course to test the world’s best triathletes with a grueling ascent up Kitzbühel Horn mountain. Those that think they are tough enough can now register for a special rate of €65.00 until June 6. Straight up: Never has a triathlon seen an ascent like this. Not even many cycling tours see climbs like this. Once athletes hit the bike, they’ll push, sweat, and grind up 867m in just 6.5 kilometers. The average gradient ranges between 11-13%, with some areas reaching as high as 22%. Think Tour de France, Giro, Vuelta. Now add a swim to the beginning and a run at the end. And it’s not just any regular recovery run. After all, in Kitzbühel what goes up, must keep going up. “I had a chance to climb the hill three years ago, it is very hard, very steep, it will be a completely different race…Everyone will empty the tank on the bike, it is really hard, there is no easy part to recover, you have to go hard from the beginning to the end.” – Javier Gomez, two-time Olympian, two-time World Champion Beat the best: It’s not every day you get a shot at beating the best. But that’s exactly what age groupers will be granted if they take the Kitzbühel challenge. This year, age groupers and the elites alike will gut it out over the exact same course. Clocking the fastest split of the day just got a lot more complicated. Changes in format: The day will start with a 750m swim, which is about as close as this race comes to your average triathlon. Athletes will get 5km on the bike to settle in before facing the demanding ascent for a total of 11.5km in the saddle. Those that survive the ride have just 2.5km left to run before claiming they’ve conquered quite possibly the toughest triathlon in the world. “Kitzbühel is something completely different, no one has ever done a race like this before.” – Jonathan Brownlee, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist, 2012 ITU World Champion “I have never ridden up Kitzbuhler horn so I can’t say a lot about the climb but I would most probably have nightmares about it if I had to do it in a World Triathlon Series race. It’s going to be the race of pain for sure.” – Lisa Norden, 2012 Olympic silver medallist, 2012 ITU World Champion A new twist to an old tale: We know they can crush an Olympic distance triathlon. We’ve seen Alistair Brownlee and Javier Gomez step up to scorch longer distances and we all learned Alistair can run with the world’s best. But now it’s time to climb. And with 867 meters to burn the legs over 11.5km, there’s a whole new twist to the old Brownlee brothers versus Gomez rivalry. Only time and lactic acid tolerance will tell whose turn it is on top of the podium. “I think I have said every time I have been there, ‘we are in the Alps, we should ride up one’ and it is fantastic to be riding up one, I hope I do alright.” – Alistair Brownlee, 2012 Olympic gold medallist        

Enjoy our recap video of the American Triple-T triathlon stage race. This event features four races of varied distance over a three-day period. Our Tech Editor attended with a Go Pro camera.

We test two new skin lubes for triathletes from Sport Luub Sport Luub £11.99 (66g) Suit Luub £11.99 (66g) sportluub.com These new skin lubes are proudly made in Britain and targeted firmly at triathletes. Both ‘luubs’ have the same formula and feature aloe vera and arnica for a non-stingy, soothing feeling. The lubricants come in a solid stick within a plastic container that extends for use via a rotating base, meaning there’s none of the mess that baby oil or other options can leave. They’re also really easy to apply wherever your chafing hotspots are. We found the lubes to work just as well as Bodyglide, preventing neck rash during swimming with a wetsuit, staying on the tri pad well into long bike rides – though not quite as well as thicker chamois creams – and keeping skin protected from friction while running. At £11.99 for a 66g per stick,  they’re also great value.

RT @dailycamera: #Boulder's Scott Carpenter Pool to open Tuesday with new parking restrictions. via @BrittanyAnas