“Over recent months, the world has been turned upside down and I think we are all adjusting to a new normal,” says Eric Min, Zwift CEO and Co-Founder. “We’re in a unique position to bring together a global community and unite behind one cause, raising money for those who are helping to keep us safe. MSF is responding to the COVID-19 emergency in multiple ways – caring for patients, offering health education and mental health support, and providing training for vital infection control measures in health facilities around the world. I invite our global community to join us in supporting these lifesaving efforts. Of course, let’s have some fun along the way!”

Zwift’s Tour for All will be a five-stage event running from May 4th to 30th. Stages will be held across all time zones globally, and in keeping with the name, there will be events for all interests.

Zwifters will be challenged to complete all five stages but can do so in a variety of ways. There will be group rides and runs with both long and short distance formats. Those with a competitive streak will be able to take part in races during each stage, and there will also be women-only events as well.

For more information on Zwift’s Tour for All head to:

Ride – zwift.com/tfaride

Run – zwift.com/tfarun 

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For more information on Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) head to www.msf.org

It will be the first time in over a year the Brownlees have been available for an open Q&A, giving fans the rare chance to quiz the duo.

Prior to lockdown the brothers were almost stranded in New Mexico whilst altitude training. Alistair Brownlee has also confirmed he has put his Ironman dreams are on hold whilst he continues to focus on the Tokyo Olympics which has been postponed until next year.

The Wiggle Lunchtime Live sessions will take place every Friday at 12pm and see athletes and well-known sports enthusiasts join with Wiggle team to answer the publics questions.

Future guests include Olympic triathlete and double World Champion, Helen Jenkins and multiple Ironman winner, Joe Skipper.

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The public can watch and take part in the Wiggle Lunchtime Live sessions via Wiggle’s Facebook page at 12pm every Friday.

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We are helping the endurance sport industry plan for an uncertain future and would like to find out a little about how Covid-19 has affected your training and your race plans. The survey is about you and your experiences as an endurance sport athlete and consumer. All responses will be anonymised and it should only take you around 5 minutes to complete.

Please find the link here:
https://www.research.net/r/endurance_sport_motivations_survey_Apr_2020jk

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Thank you very much in advance for any input that you can give and if you can, please share the link to other triathletes in your social channels.

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British Triathlon is encouraging people to track their progress in the challenge through the time they’re active. The bespoke chart is broken down into segments, with participants colouring in a segment for each five minutes of activity they complete and creating a wave of colour across the chart.

The Big Colour Challenge will support the 2.6 Challenge, which aims to raise vital funds for British charities that are finding themselves in a funding shortfall due the COVID-19 crisis. Participants can either donate to the overall total or fundraise for a charity of their choice.

The first weeks’ worth of activity in The Big Colour Challenge will be tailored around the 2.6 challenge which will include completing a 26 min turbo time trial, finish 26 shuttle runs in your garden, and complete a homemade obstacle course.

Andy Salmon, British Triathlon Chief Executive, said: “We are very aware that the world has changed for everyone right now, and not having the release valve of organised sport during this difficult time has affected triathletes of all levels.

“We’re launching the Big Colour Challenge to help give structure to regular exercisers, but also small steps to help families and people who are, or want to be, casually active at home and within their once-a-day period of outdoor exercise.

“The Big Colour Challenge is accessible to everyone, and I hope as many people as possible sign up to not only use triathlon to improve their physical and mental wellbeing, but to also raise vital funds for this country’s charities.”

t www.thebigcolourchallenge.co.uk

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT:  Gemma Field on 07587 038061 or [email protected]

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Please visit http://www.britishtriathlon.org/media for British athlete profiles, free images* and general information about triathlon. *Please refer to image use restrictions in the gallery section of the site (http://www.britishtriathlonmedia.org/media/licence)

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The three-day triathlon festival will attract athletes from around the world to compete at the “World Center of Racing ®” and will feature an array of different events, including age-grouper sprint and middle-distance events, junior challenges, a Pro-Am relay and will culminate with a PTO Middle Distance World Championship Race with a $1,000,000 prize purse for the world’s top professional triathletes.

William Christy, CEO of Challenge North America said: “In often a divided world, triathlon has been a unifying force for athletes across the globe. We come together to compete as a family of global athletes. The global pandemic has displaced athletes and cancelled races and now more than ever, our world needs to unite. Our festival allows us to cheer and compete for a shared cause.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our daily lives and routines in dramatic ways. As we adjust and adapt to these changing circumstances, we also know that our entire multisport community is eagerly awaiting the day we can safely and responsibly race again,” said Rocky Harris, USA Triathlon CEO. “USA Triathlon is proud to supportChallenge North America and the PTO by sanctioning a world-class event in December that will showcase the camaraderie of our sport.”

Charles Adamo, PTO Chairman, stated “The PTO is pleased to be able to work with the USA Triathlon and Challenge Daytona to support the triathlon community to provide race opportunities for athletes. Since many professional events have been cancelled and some races rescheduled without a professional prize purse, the PTO is committing $1,000,000 of prize money for the PTO Middle Distance World Championship.”

In addition, the PTO Championships on December 6th, the Challenge Daytona Festival weekend will include a wide array of events catering to athletes of all ages and abilities. The event weekend is anticipated to host the following events:

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PTO Middle Distance World Championships
Sprint and Middle-Distance Triathlons
Junior Challenge kids’ race
Pro Am Relay Race
5K/10K run/walk events
Relay categories
Duathlon and Aquabike events

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The top six male and female finishers in each Middle-Distance Triathlon age group will qualify for entry in THE CHAMPIONSHIP, to be held in May 2021 at the x-bionic sphere in Samorin, Slovakia.

It’s a highly emotive subject and one this column chose to duck during the early throes of the Covid-19 outbreak as tri’s prognosis for 2020 blurred, and hasn’t enjoyed much clarity since. But what now sticks firmly in the spokes is the curious, surely misguided, assertion from Ironman chief executive Andrew Messick in a New York Times article that most athletes he heard from “were not interested in getting money back” from postponed races, which informed Ironman’s decision to not offer refunds.

Perhaps Messick needs to broaden his polling beyond Ironman investors, because this line is likely to raise hackles as much as it raises eyebrows. It’s not that triathletes do not want their money back for cancelled events – in a Twitter poll by Brick Session podcaster Mark Livesey over two-thirds would prefer a refund to deferring – but that the majority understand why it’s not always economically viable.

What they do want, however, which should be within the gift of any race organiser, is to be treated in a fair and reasonable manner, with communication lines kept open and honest responses from those in charge. What they’re less keen on is some kind of post-truth flannel that pretends no-refund rationale is customer preference.

Right-minded triathletes understand that event organisers cannot issue full refunds without the risk of jeopardising the future of the business. Often smaller race organisers, possibly because they can be more personable in their communication, receive more grace from spurned entrants because of the perception of tighter cash flows and aborted credit lines. But make no mistake, Ironman is not immune to the financial pressures either.

If it paid out millions in refunds instead of an increasing list of deferred races, it would hit major liquidity problem. Sources tell me staff have been reduced to working four days a week with a concomitant 20% reduction in salary, with senior management taking bigger percentage cuts as the company prioritises safe working conditions and jobs. It’s not alone among firms in this and few customers would quibble if this was open testament. We are, after all, in unprecedented times. However, there are a couple of caveats.

Firstly, cancellation insurance can be sought for a pandemic, albeit at great expense. For example, it’s understood The All England Lawn Tennis Association, which organises Wimbledon, will recoup almost half its losses from cancelling the 2020 event thanks to the $2 million pandemic insurance policy it has taken out every year for the past 17 years. The premium might seem high, but is dwarfed by the $141million pay-out according to Forbes (Report: Wimbledon’s Organizers Set For A $141 Million Payout After Taking Out Pandemic Insurance). Either this type of foresight seems almost unique among event companies or privately run businesses are keeping details withheld because a chunky pay-out changes perspectives on how customers and employees are treated. As for Ironman, it doesn’t have a valid policy, or if it does, it’s keeping schtum. We have asked.

The second is the moral stance of the company to shoulder more of the burden, by offering the option of a partial refund, for example. The current offer of a race deferral does still see Ironman take a hit (as it eats up future spots it could have sold, although potentially with lower future demand). But many triathletes, who have already paid for travel and accommodation and cannot make the rescheduled dates, feel it is they who pay the heaviest price.

A more cynical view still is that Ironman is only protecting its interests. Its Initial Public Offering flunked and it’s a debt-laden business agreed to be sold as a cash purchase to Advance, a family-owned group, but with co-investment from Orkila Capital, a private equity company. It needs to make the balance sheet look good for the sale to go through, and customer satisfaction and long-term reputation don’t factor highly here.

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The overarching point is that the financial health of Ironman, or any other events company, is really only known to its core stakeholders, and it’s down to trust that they’re attempting to do the best for their customers, while planning for a grisly trading environment. Armed with this knowledge, triathletes will continue to pay their money and make their choice, but even if the financial impact of cancellations can be stomached by the individual, it’s a sucker punch to claim – as Messick has – that it’s their preference.

The Castle Virtual Series aims to bring you fun races with a dose of healthy competition to give focus to your training while we’re all social distancing. There are a range of distances taking in duathlons as well as single-discipline run events and categories for the kids to get involved, too. Do each race you enter in your own time over the race weekend, then submit your proof (Garmin, Strava etc) in time for the live awards ceremony, held on Facebook on the Monday evening after the race weekend! There’s even the chance to print out a medal, order a t-shirt and get involved on social media.

The next race weekend is the VE Day Anniversary from 8-10th May, then after that it’s the Luck Of The Irish weekend from 22-24th May. Visit castletriathlonseries.co.uk to sign up, with kids’ race spots starting from just £5. Plus, 20% of entry fees will go to charity partners Macmillan Cancer support.

To launch this partnership we’ve got together with the team at Castle Tri and their sponsors to put together a prize package including eace entry for the Luck Of The Irish weekend, a race t-shirt, a year’s subscription to 220 Triathlon, a limited edition KitBrix bag and hydration goodies from High5 and Active Edge!

To enter, 

Enter via Facebook: – You must ‘Like’ both @220triathlon and @castletriathlonseries

– Share the post https://bit.ly/2z3VOu8 and tag 3 friends

Enter via Instagram: – You must ‘Follow’ both @220triathlon and @castletriathlonseries

– Share to your story www.instagram.com/ and tag 3 friends

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Winner:
The winner will be announced during the VE Day 75th Anniversary Prize Giving on Monday 11th May, 6pm Live on on Castle Triathlon’s Facebook

Separate work and ‘normal life’

Helen: “While triathlon is our main job and makes up a big part of our lives, we try to ‘leave it at the door’ and not bring it into the house, even though it all happens under the one roof. Marc stops being the coach, training partner (whatever other role he plays in supporting me in my training) and I try to stop being the athlete and we become ‘normal people’ – whatever normal is anyway!

“You have to have a switch of mindset and carry on with daily life, especially now during the Covid-19 situation. This is more easily said than done but now we have kids it’s less of a choice and more of a necessity.”

Have a combined goal and focus

Helen: “Setting and workings towards a mutual goal has meant Marc and I are always striving towards the same things and on the same page, even if we’re working on things separately.

“Whether this be setting goals for my training, or the managing of the properties that Marc does or Marc’s other coaching, we do it together. Doing this together means we jointly plan time to accomplish each goal, including managing the family and household around them.

“This brings both positives and negatives ­ when it’s good we’re both happy but, when things start going badly, it can get to both of us.

“When things aren’t going so well, we find that we need to focus on distractions or a secondary goal together, that brings us both back up.”

Find common ground in what you love

Marc: “We like to do the same things. We would swim, bike and run regardless, and we enjoy doing this together and it’s more fun when we’re both fit. That common drive and interest brings us together. In the past we thought of training as a job, but now we consider it a privilege.

“That said, with kids, sharing this common ground is more about enabling each other to keep up with what they love. We make plans and create schedules to help each other manage all the elements and ensure the kids are engaged by the other. There is a lot of tag-team wrestling so to speak on the family, and we ‘tag’ each other in multiple times a day to enable sport, training and work.

“Take some time to plan a schedule that you both stick to. It needs to create the time each need, but also balance time together and, if you have kids, allow for spending quality time with them.”

Be aware of who and what you are to each other

Helen: “After 2012 we were challenged on how we worked together so we could become more effective. Marc and I had never planned to be ‘coach and athlete’ in addition to husband and wife, and now mum and dad.

“The elements of support that come with being athlete/coach were spilling over and impacting on being husband and wife, which made sense. Being aware of this and how it impacts on our environment has helped us mange our lives more harmoniously.

“It was something we’d never really thought of, but it’s helped us find the best way of managing work and life that creates the right environment for both.”

Make sure to have time apart

Mark: “Right now, no doubt everyone is getting a little bit more irritable with the person next to them, and this is probably doubled or tripled if there are kids.

“Make time for yourself and, when you can, get up an hour or so earlier and get your exercise done (or whatever is your own personal passion and joy) and similarly later when the kids or your adult housemate have gone to bed.

“Also, when planning your schedule, make time for each other, to be able to spend time catching up with the friends and family you’d each normally individually or combined catch up with that help enrich your life, or even let you vent about the others in the house!

“Time for yourself and time with others is key to a healthy balance when living under the same roof.”

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For Marc and Helen, the current situation of spending 24/7 together is something that is now normal, but it’s also something they had to work on over the years to make work smoothly. For everyone else, it’s a crash course, but hopefully their advice can be a helpful starting point for others who now find themselves in the same situation. Rather than see this as a challenge, Helen and Mark hope that using these simple points can help bring families closer together.

The aim is to help prevent swimmers from getting into difficulties in open water – especially as the majority of locations will not have lifeguards – and putting extra pressure on already stretched emergency services.

The COVID-19 Guidance to Open Water Swimmers is being hosted on the SH2OUT website and includes:

Information on where to swim and accredited venues
Six key steps to consider before going on an open water swim at unsupervised locations
Assessing risk due to weather conditions and water temperature
Advice on wetsuits and equipment
Course planning and the safe entry and exit of the water
Plus, recovery and nutrition.

Jane Nickerson, Swim England Chief Executive, said: “It’s imperative that even the most seasoned of open water swimmers reads through this advice and follows it carefully.

“Not knowing the temperature of the water or how strong the current is could lead to swimmers struggling and in need of emergency help.

“That’s something we’re keen to avoid at all times but even more so in the current situation.

“We’re pleased to have worked so closely with British Triathlon and RLSS UK on this guidance to ensure our members can enjoy the beauty of our natural surroundings safely.”

Andy Salmon, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said: “We would encourage anyone considering open water swimming over the coming weeks to think before doing so and read our advice very carefully.

“During these unprecedented times, it is vital that we think of others before ourselves and make sure we neither risk the spreading of the Covid-19 virus or place unnecessary burden on emergency services.’

“We would also urge swimmers to comply with government guidance on social distance and travel.”

“Royal Life Saving Society UK Chief Executive Robert Gofton said: ‘We are extremely concerned that people will now rush to get into open water without proceeding with caution and understanding the potential life-threatening implications.

“If you are not used to swimming in open water, we strongly urge you NOT to start now unless you can do so under supervision and guidance.

“Open water sites, including beaches, are not currently supervised. There is no one to help you if you get in trouble and emergency services may not be able to get to you in time.

“Please stay sensible, know your limitations, and please enjoy the water, safely.”

The RNLI has warned that there are currently no lifeguards on beaches and anyone who goes sea swimming must “understand the risks and take the necessary steps to keep themselves safe.”

Meanwhile, the three organisations are also due to publish advice for venues on the safest way to operate in line with social distancing measures in the near future.

“They are also encouraging people to use facilities as close to where they live as possible.

This advice is for England only and aimed at individual swimmers as club activity is not currently permitted under the Government guidelines.”

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How to restart your swim training when lockdown eases