Is triathlon going soft?

    Ironman CEO Andrew Messick is categorical: “The race course has to be safe for everybody, not just people who are young and strong.” Ironman has its critics on many issues, but Messick knows this stance cannot easily be challenged. Whether it’s rough seas, blue-green algae, cold water, hot weather, flooding, landslides, bush fires or sharks,…

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      Ironman reject PTO offer

      Wanda, who own Ironman, have rejected the PTO’s (Professional Triathlon Organisation) offer to purchase Ironman and its assets. In a letter to PTO the CEO of WTC, Andrew Messick, said “I have discussed your letter with my Board. While we appreciate your interest, we are not prepared to engage in a discussion around a sale at this point.”…

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        Could 2019 see another Iron War at Kona?

        It’s 30 years since 220 Triathlon first hit the shelves and almost three decades since we witnessed the greatest Ironman race in history. The Iron War of 1989 has gone down in endurance sport folklore as an iconic tussle between two triathlon icons on triathlon’s iconic stage. Iconic? You betcha. Author Matt Fitzgerald’s even devoted…

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          Ironman World Championships in Kona: course and tactics

          Kona: The Course Of all the competition each athlete will face at October’s Ironman World Championships, none will be so utterly indefatigable as the island itself. There’s a reason the World Championship remains on the shores where Ironman moved to in 1981 [the first three events took place in Oahu, Hawaii]. Advertisement With its brutal…

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            Kona 2019: What are Ali Brownlee’s chances at this year’s Ironman world Championships?

            When Javier Gomez made the previous most-anticipated Ironman World Championships debut in 2018, he finished 11th. When Alistair Brownlee shows up this year, despite insisting it’s a learning experience and despite the aptness of Shakespeare’s wisdom for Hawaii – “caution is better than rash bravery” – there’s a sense it’ll be success or bust. It’s…

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              Kona 2019: Ali Brownlee press conference

              Alistair Brownlee racing his debut full Ironman and debut Kona is the talk of the Big Island. Just what is he capable of in the heat, humidity and headwinds of Hawaii? Advertisement Ali Brownlee’s Kona kit     From London 2012 to Rio 2016 and those two ITU World Tri Series titles, he’s stepped up…

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                Will Clarke prepped for Kona success

                Still only 34, Will Clarke has been a stalwart on the elite triathlon scene since 2002, where he made his debut as an elite junior racer. The road to Kona 2019 has witnessed Clarke collect an U23 ITU world title in 2006, the Olympic Games in Beijing, and failure to make the 2012 team four…

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