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“I woke up the day after Kona and I wanted to do another Ironman, so I had two goals coming here. The first was to get around an IRONMAN without capitulating and I was pretty close, so I am happy with that. The second was to qualify for Kona and I have done that, so I am chuffed.”

“This event is fantastic, the sea is beautiful out there and I stood on the beach this morning and it was so calm and the water was gorgeous. The course is beautiful, flat and well organised and well supported. Right out there in the middle of the ‘outback’ there were tri clubs set up and cheering us on.”

“Having Sam Appleton and Clayton Fettell to swim was perfect and I said ‘Let’s get out on the bike and get rolling’. We did that and Sam rode really well, I was pretty impressed with him. He was riding quick.”

“On the run I wanted a bit of space and I didn’t want to get to caught on running to a pace. I just wanted to run to what I kind of felt was comfortable. The first few kms I didn’t feel great but for 20km after that I got into a really nice rhythm. I thought ‘I am flying here’, so I checked myself a little bit and thought ‘No, no, don’t get carried away, you want to finish this and don’t want to be walking the last 10km’.  I pulled it back a little bit and it was good.”

Alistair was very happy with his race and his first trip to the West but he thinks there is still room for improvement and more time to be gained on the quick Busselton course.

“It was quite windy today and I honestly think that if it wasn’t so windy, there is five more minutes in the bike there easy. No doubt about it. Five minutes on the bike and run a bit quicker, and this course could be really quick.”

“I have never been to Western Australia before. I had been to the east coast a lot over the years and I came because I thought it was a race that would fit in and I hoped it wouldn’t be too bad coming from the UK with a direct flight. I just wanted to get the job done but I have really enjoyed it. Busselton has a very different vibe to the other part of Australia. It is really relaxed and the people are nice, chilled out and the countryside is beautiful. I have really enjoyed being here and I would like to come again.”

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“I have a few days before I go home so I will be exploring the area and I am going to Margaret River and drink red wine and eat some steak. I go to Bahrain next weekend but I won’t be racing, and then it is home for Christmas. When the new year rolls around I will focus on trying to race the World Series as well as I can, with an eye on Tokyo,” he said.

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Jan Frodeno last raced Roth in 2016, when he not only convincingly won the race, but also set a new Iron-distance world record time of 7:35:39 which remains unbeaten. 

“There’s no race like Roth anywhere else in the world, Frodeno says. “The great backdrop with hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic fans, the over 35-year history of this legendary race, all of this completely thrills me. But above all, I assume that there will once again be a very strong field at DATEV Challenge Roth. I just find it exciting to measure myself against the best in the world.  I need the challenge.”

Organiser Felix Walchshöfer said: “We have worked a lot with Jan Frodeno since 2016, and I am proud and delighted that he decided to race again at DATEV Challenge Roth. I know his need to duel with the world’s best triathletes and I am sure we can offer him this world-class field in 2020.

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“We will announce our pro field in a few weeks. There will be some surprises. But first of all I’m really happy about Jan’s commitment and his passionate statement for Roth. For me this really is the best Christmas present!”

Italy needed victory to progress and so tumbled out of the competition, with the retiring Parisse questioning whether a better solution would have been found had those mighty All Blacks needed to win. While World Rugby defends its position, it was an unsatisfactory conclusion. Weather in Japan is unpredictable, that’s a known variable, and the hosting bid was won in 2009. It needed more forethought.

Japan hosts an even larger spectacle next year that cannot suffer equivalent mismanagement. But there’s already been plenty to heed from the Olympic and Paralympic test events. And with the additional prod from a women’s marathon debacle in Doha where 28 of 68 starters quit, a decision has been taken to move the marathons and race walks 700km north to Sapporo.

Tokyo test event: 5 things we learnt

It’s a commendable move, and programme changes to combat the fierce heat have also been extended to both mountain biking and rugby sevens. But triathlon? Nothing, despite its test events laying bare the risk of changed formats or even cancellation come next July.

The guiding measure is the fiendishly complex wet-bulb globe temperature that takes into account temperature, humidity, exposure to direct sunlight and wind speed, to give a measure of perceived temperature. For the women’s test event, where the 10km run was halved, it was 28 ‘degrees’. For a full cancellation, it needs to be 32.2. Factor in that if the water temperature rises to above 31°C, the swim is shortened (it was 30.3 for the women’s race), you can appreciate how tight the margins are. The paratriathlon swim was also called off due to poor water quality.

Yet despite these multiple threats, the International Triathlon Union confirmed there are no plans for change – and no contingency. Yokohama was briefly considered, but just 20miles further south it does nothing to mitigate the heat.

Finding a venue further north in eight months cannot be an impossibility. To throw out a suggestion, Lake Toya, on the same island as Sapporo, played host to Ironman Japan for three years through to 2015. A revised location might annex triathlon from Tokyo, but sacrificing a city centre course for scenery is small compromise for a guaranteed show, and could be a boon in showcasing the best of Japan. After all, Weymouth wasn’t particularly close to London in 2012, but didn’t do the support for Ben Ainslie any harm.

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For all counter arguments, intransigence over a venue that has already proved too risky remains. Plans have been made, tickets sold, training bases tested, athletes qualified, travel and accommodation booked, so the show must seemingly go on. Until, of course, we have a slightly warmer July day than average in Tokyo, and it can’t.

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Ali Brownlee qualifies for Kona 2020 and announces intent to also race Tokyo Olympics

This announcement follows Brownlee’s revelation that this year he will focus on the ITU circuit with his eye on the Tokyo Olympics and going for a third gold medal.

The Athlete’s Commission works as a link between the athletes and the IOC and helps make sure the athletes’ viewpoint remains at the heart of the Olympic Movement decisions.

 Alistair said: “It is an enormous honour to be nominated to be a candidate for the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission. As a 17-year-old school boy I vividly recall being told by the headmaster that London had won the bid to hold the 2012 Olympic Games.

“Since then the inspirational effect of the Games has given me two of the best days of my life and over a decade competing in the sport I love. I feel I am a true product of the Olympic Movement and would relish in the opportunity to repay my gratitude by helping and representing other athletes.

As triathlon’s only double-gold medal winner Alistair stated his vow to listen and understand the opinions of Olympic athletes from across the world competing in every sport.

A passionate advocate for maximising the Olympic experience on and off the field of play, in particular he hopes to use the platform as a member of the IOC’s Athletes’ Commission to continue to fight for equality and fairness in the competitive arena.

“I have based my athletic career on hard work and integrity. I would bring these qualities with me to represent other athletes if I were given the opportunity to be a member of the Athletes’ Commission. Listening to, understanding and representing the views of athletes is, for me, the key to this role,” he says.

“On top of this, my guiding principles would be; continuing the work of the Olympic Movement to ensure equality of opportunity for all athletes, independent of gender, age, nationality, and any other discriminating factors. Also, maintaining the highest levels of fairness for all athletes competing in all sports. This includes continuing the work to create a level playing field, especially in the battle against cheating in the form of doping.

“Helping every competitor maximise their personal Olympic legacies, I would like to help promote the work that the IOC already does in this space and, of course, share my own experience. I am fortunate that the Olympic Movement has given me fantastic and life changing experiences away from the competitive arena and I am passionate about helping other athletes maximise their own opportunities and potential. This comes from a belief that the Olympic Movement creates not only amazing athletic performances, but more importantly, great people.”

Fully endorsed by the British Olympic Association’s Athletes’ Commission, Chair Ben Hawes said: “Alistair is a fearsome competitor, whose career has taken him to the very top of his sport. He has an infectious passion for the Olympics which has been seen not only in his performances at the Games, but also his desire to ensure athletes from around the globe are heard and recognised in the positive development of the Olympic Movement.

“We must continue to support the growth of athlete engagement and influence on the future of sport and the Olympics. I have no doubt that Alistair would be an exceptional representative and an extremely effective communicator for and with athletes. He knows what is important not just for British athletes but for all athletes from all sports.”

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All Olympians competing at Tokyo 2020 will be able to vote for their representatives at the Athlete365 Space positioned at the entrance to the dining hall in the Olympic Village, and also at other sites such as the football cities and the sailing venue. The poll will be open from 14 July (the day the Olympic Village opens) to 4 August 2020.

October’s Ironman World Championships in Kona were full of excitement with Jan Frodeno winning his third full Ironman world title in a record-breaking time, Anne Haug taking her first Hawaii win after a phenomenal run and GB’s Ruth Purbrook scoring age-group honours. There was also a Kona debut from a certain Ali Brownlee. What will 2020 hold for him?

Over in the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Nice, France, 23-year-old Gustav Iden from Norway put on a run masterclass to take victory over his male rivals, including second placed Ali Brownlee, and Britain’s Holly Lawrence showed she was back on top form with a second place behind women’s winner Daniela Ryf.

There was also British success in the ITU World Series, with Jess Learmonth and Georgia Taylor-Brown showing they could be a force to reckon with in Tokyo 2020 after finishing the season in second and third place behind the USA’s Katie Zafares. And don’t write off Javier Gomez’s Olympic medal chances either, with a third place finish in the 2019 series proving the Spaniard is still very much a contender.

As has become customary, we asked you to vote for the athletes, races and products that made your tri year. And the final results from the voting are now in! So without any further ado we give you the winners and two runner-ups in the 2019 220 Triathlon Awards… 

220 TRIATHLON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO TRIATHLON

1. Tim Don  

2. Louise Minchin 

3. Claire Smith                              

WOMEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

1. Lucy Charles-Barclay 

2. Jess Learmonth               

3. Anne Haug 

MEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

1. Ali Brownlee         

2. Jan Frodeno

3. Joe Skipper

FEMALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR

1. Lauren Steadman                    

2. Hannah Moore                      

3. Jade Hall   

MALE PARATRIATHLETE OF THE YEAR                             

1. George Peasgood                   

2. Dave Ellis                           

3. Joe Townsend 

YOUTH TRIATHLETE (21-YEARS-OLD AND UNDER)

1. Alex Yee                               

2. Ben Dijkstra                            

3. Olivia Mathias                        

AGE-GROUPER OF THE YEAR

1. Ruth Purbrook                       

2. Brian Fogarty                          

3. Oliver Crossley 

RACE OF THE YEAR

1. Ironman Wales                     

2. Outlaw Half Holkham             

3. Ironman UK

COACH OF THE YEAR

1. Rob Wilby                             

2. Simon Ward                            

3. Dave Knight 

TRI CLUB OF THE YEAR 

1. Team Oxygenaddict                                             

2. Do3                                        

=3 Team Passion Fit  & Wakefield Triathlon Club

INNOVATIVE PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

1. Cervélo PX                               

2. Form goggles                          

3. Huub Anemoi+ 

RUN SHOE BRAND OF THE YEAR

1. Asics                                        

2. Hoka One One                                       

3. Brooks  

BIKE BRAND OF THE YEAR

1. Cervélo                               

2. Canyon                                    

3. Specialized 

WETSUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR

1. Zone3                                      

2. Huub                                      

3. Orca 

TRI-SUIT BRAND OF THE YEAR

1. Zone3                                     

2. Huub                                       

3. Raceskin       

RETAILER OF THE YEAR

1. Wiggle                                  

2. Sigma                                      

3. Decathlon 

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 “I used to swim as a kid and did a few triathlons. When I retire from professional cycling I definitely want to do an Ironman, or maybe even a few. I’ll do the Wales one first, I’ve heard the bike course is quite hard so that could play in my favour. 

“I think I’ll need something when I stop, if I stop in three or four years. This is my 14th year now and I could end up doing 18 years as a pro. To then just stop and not have anything would be tough, so why not an Ironman I guess?”

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What do you think? Could we see Geraint on the Ironman World Championships start line in a few years’ time? Leave your comments below.     

The race in Samorin is the brainchild and first event of the revamped Professional Triathletes Organisation that has benefited from a multi-million dollar investment led by billionaire Michael Moritz, the British-born venture capitalist who made his fortune in Silicon Valley. It will take place over a middle-distance course of a 1.9km swim, 90km cycle and 21.1km run, with each team – comprising six men and six women – competing in 12 ‘matchplay’ contests where groups of three triathletes set off at 10min intervals. Points will be awarded for finishing places and time gaps in the individual battles, with the region accruing the most points deemed the winners.

The leading four men and women for each team are selected from the existing PTO rankings on May 4, with the remaining slots given to ‘wildcard’ captains picks. The best non-drafting triathletes in the sport, including Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf, are expected to be involved with the promised $2million remuneration being paid in appearance fees, not prize money. 

Indeed, it would be a major surprise if any of the top-rated Ironman triathletes were absent, because a condition of Moritz’s investment, through his dedicated Crankstart Investments, was that the top ranked professionals all had to sign up for PTO membership. To date, over 100 have signed up, including all the top 35 men and women. The only exceptions for a starting berth could be the likes of Alistair Brownlee and Spain’s Javier Gomez, who have announced Olympic ambition, and the Collins Cup clashes with the height of the ITU season.

The competition’s broadcast will be funded by the PTO, as it hopes to stimulate more interest for long-course racing beyond hardcore fans, but it’s yet to announce where it will be streamed. It’s scheduled to take place the day before the Challenge Championship (May 31), an individual pro and age-group competition that has been running at the venue for the past three years, with the women’s race won by Britain’s Lucy Charles-Barclay on each occasion. While the PTO rankings were not publicly available at time of writing, it’s expected Charles-Barclay would be an automatic qualifier for the European team.

Aligned with the tradition of the Ryder Cup, the team captains are also famous faces from the world of triathlon, including four-time Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington for Europe and six-time Kona winner Mark Allen for the USA.

The Collins Cup, named after Ironman’s founders John and Judy Collins, was originally mooted four years ago and after being originally planned to be hosted alongside Challenge Roth in Germany has had a series of false starts. Now the investment from Moritz has allowed that ambition to be realised, with the PTO having a 10-strong athlete board and triathletes benefitting from 50 per cent of any profits. 

“The PTO has been working for a number of years to create an environment and structure where professional triathletes have a meaningful voice in the way the sport is operated and can contribute to its growth for the benefit of the entire triathlon community,” its chairman Charles Adamo says. “We are very pleased to have teamed up with Crankstart Investments and Michael Moritz, who share our vision in the potential of the sport and the best means by which to see it grow and thrive.”

“We could not be more thrilled with the first Collins Cup being hosted at x-bionic sphere in Samorin,” Tim O’Donnell, co-president of the PTO and last year’s Ironman world championship runner-up, says. “The primary mission of the PTO is to celebrate the sport of triathlon. 

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“The Collins Cup, by bringing together legendary team captains to lead today’s top triathletes in a battle to see which region dominates the sport of triathlon, will not only be a riveting competition, but will serve as a platform for professionals and fans alike to celebrate our sport.”

To clarify the situation before Tokyo and ensure all athletes have a level paying field, World Athletics have now announced that they have amended the rules governing competition running shoes. The amended rule now states:

“From 30 April 2020, any shoe must have been available for purchase by any athlete on the open retail market (online or in store) for a period of four months before it can be used in competition.

“If a shoe is not openly available to all then it will be deemed a prototype and use of it in competition will not be permitted.” 

Shoes must also have a sole no thicker than 40mm and must not contain more than one rigid embedded plate or blade. (Read full rules here)

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said: “It is not our job to regulate the entire sports shoe market but it is our duty to preserve the integrity of elite competition by ensuring that the shoes worn by elite athletes in competition do not offer any unfair assistance or advantage. As we enter the Olympic year, we don’t believe we can rule out shoes that have been generally available for a considerable period of time, but we can draw a line by prohibiting the use of shoes that go further than what is currently on the market while we investigate further.

“I believe these new rules strike the right balance by offering certainty to athletes and manufacturers as they prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while addressing the concerns that have been raised about shoe technology. If further evidence becomes available that indicates we need to tighten up these rules, we reserve the right to do that to protect our sport.”

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What do you think? Should triathlon follow suit?

The swim/run Escape Aquathlon event will be held on Saturday 6 June at 7am, the day before the legendary Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon in San Francisco, California. 

Similar to the triathlon’s genuinely-iconic start, the aquathlon will see athletes jump from the Hornblower’s San Francisco Spirit Yacht to begin their 750m swim (the triathlon is a 2.4km swim), before exiting the water at the St. Francis Yacht Club and running to transition at Little Marina Green. They’ll then be tasked with swapping their wetsuits for running shoes and facing a 5km run along the San Francisco Bay Trail, heading west towards Crissy Field and looping back at the Warming Hut to finish their Escape Aquathlon at Marina Green.

The race organisers, IMG, believe that the new swim/run short-course race is designed to provide “more athletes with an opportunity to experience the thrill of the famous Alcatraz Triathlon and add a new challenge for those looking to test themselves ahead of the triathlon.” 

The triathlon was first hosted in 1981 as a private club event for Oakes’ Dolphin Club in San Francisco Bay and has since welcomed tri superstars Greg Welch, Paula Newby-Fraser, Simon Lessing, Leanda Cave and Javier Gómez to its sell out field of pro and age-group athletes. the triathlon involves a 2.4km swim, 29km bike to Golden Gate Park and a 12.8km run that includes the infamous Sand Ladder.

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Aquathlon registration for age-groupers will open on Tuesday 18 February at 5pm UK time. The registration fee will start at $295 per person and is limited to 400 athletes. Head to www.escapealcatraztri.com/aquathlon for more.