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 The scientists analysed more than 80 ice swimmers ((71 male, 17 female) who completed ice mile swims, in an attempt to understand how age, gender and environmental factors such as wind chill affected performance.

Ice swimming was a demonstration sport at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, and is being considered as a permanent addition to the event line-up in future Winter Olympic games.

“It’s amazing to see how a ‘silly’ idea eight years ago has taken off,” said Ram Barkai, IISA founder and board chairman.

 “Our study of the IISA data set wonderfully describes how much we as humans can ask our bodies to do while in an adverse environment (water that is 5° C or less) and how we can train our minds to accomplish these goals,” said Spencer Treu, a member of the research team.

The team found a slight correlation between age and swim speed: The older the swimmers were, the slower they swam. However, the correlation was modest and suggests that ice swimming could be a sport in which individuals could be competitive in well into their 30s and 40s.

The research team also noted improvement in swim times among those who participated in more than one ice mile. Out of 24 one-mile swimmers who swam two or more swims, 15 were faster on their second swim.

Among the eight swimmers who did three or more swims, six improved their speed from their first to third swim. “We also discovered that for one-mile ice swimmers, wind chill did not greatly affect swim speed. Finally, we discovered that statistically, gender does not influence the effect of age on swim speed,” Treu said.

Swimming in such cold water is not without risk, but it is possible to compete safely with the proper training and safety measures in place. “This is a potentially dangerous sport, although in the world of RedBull racers, ironman competitions and the like, perhaps the word ‘extreme’ is a more appropriate term,” Treu said. “The reason many swimmers can successfully complete these swims is most likely due to the intense training and preparation they put themselves through to prepare their bodies and minds.”

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What do you think? Should ice swimming be an Olympic sport? 

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Rat Race City to Summit

What it is: A newish point-to-point triathlon that starts outside Edinburgh and finishes with a run to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis.

Why the swim’s tough: The race starts with a 3.8km swim in the Firth of Forth, which flows into the decidedly nippy North Sea. The water at last year’s event was a lower-than-expected 9ºC, causing the organisers to shorten the swim leg down to 1km.

Age-group blog: preparing for City to Summit

 Rat Race City to Summit website

The Brutal 

What it is: With half, full and double-Iron distances on offer, and all requiring a run up Mount Snowden, this is viewed by many UK triathletes as the country’s hardest race.

Why the swim’s tough: Cold, long (in the case of the double, very long) yet undeniably scenic late season swim in Snowdonia.

We also rate The Brutal as the toughest ironman distance race in the world

The Brutal website

Celtman

What it is: Organised by the same people behind Norseman and Swissman, this Iron-distance race sends athletes across some of Scotland’s most challenging terrain.

Why the swim’s tough: A swim so chilly the distance was shortened in both 2012 and 2013, this Western Highlands epic is one for the hardcore only.

Celtman Triathlon 2015 – in pics
Racing Celtman for the ‘Wild Lady of Lochbroom’ – blog

 Celtman website

Ironman Wales

What it is: With a punishing course across the Pembrokeshire countryside that involves a constantly changing gradient, this is seen as one of the hardest IM races going.

Why the swim’s tough: Two-laps of choppy sea and a mass of bodies before a long yet memorable run to transition.

We rated Ironman Wales the 4th toughest Ironman distance race in the world

 Ironman Wales website

Perranporth Triathlon

What it is: The ‘Perranporth Extreme Surf Triathlon’ to give it its full name, this is one of the UK’s oldest triathlons and is hosted by the local lifesaving club every year.

Why the swim’s tough: The name’s a good clue: the race starts with a 1km swim off the rugged Cornish coast, where you’ll be glad to be within reach of the local lifesavers.

Perranporth website

The Snowman now known as Snowdonia Triathlon

What it is: One of the UK’s most iconic races, this takes place in rugged north Wales and includes both Iron distance and sprint events.

Why the swim’s tough: Last year saw lots of choppy waves, making the chilly swim in the lake of Llyn Mymbyr even tougher than normal.

Snowdonia Triathlon website

The Bastion

What it is: This new-for-2014 Iron distance event will take place at Hever Castle in Kent this July, looping sections of the existing Gauntlet route and taking athletes on a 140mile journey. 

Why the swim’s tough: Participants will swim two loops of the Gauntlet swim course along the river Eden, facing strong currents and multiple choke points.

Gallery: The Bastion 

Bastion website

Castles Triathlon

What it is: Taking place in the shadow of Northumberland’s mighty Bamburgh Castle, this middle distance race starts with a beach standing start and connects some of the region’s best landmarks.

Why the swim’s tough: A dip in the North Sea is never one to be taken lightly. Throw in waves and rival triathletes taking your line, and you have a 1.9km battle of mind and body. 

 Castles Triathlon website

Helvellyn Triathlon

What it is: With a finishing line described by the Guardian as “like a depiction of hell”, this monstrously difficult race takes in some of the country’s most beautiful scenery.

Why the swim’s tough: It takes place in Ullswater, just down the road from Davina’s nemesis Windermere, where plenty of shady spots can make the temperature plummet and rumours of giant pike trouble the mind. 

Helvellyn Triathlon 2015 – in pics

Helvellyn Triathlon website

Enjoyed this? Check out  Iron-distance races: the 7 toughest?

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How many of these races have you done? Let us know in the comments below!

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The much-anticipated Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds, will provide the British public with a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch local heroes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, as well as other leading GB triathletes including Non Stanford and Vicky Holland, battle for glory against some of the world’s best triathletes in their last race on home soil ahead of Rio.

Ticket holders will see the elite athletes pass them seven times on the bike and four times on the run, before witnessing the race finale, which often end with a thrilling sprint finish. A big screen will be located opposite the Grandstand showing the live BBC coverage so that ticket holders can stay up to speed with the race whilst it momentarily goes out of view.

Jack Buckner, Chief Executive of British Triathlon, said: “The Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds is the final opportunity to watch Britain’s world-class triathletes race on home soil before they travel to Rio and we are expecting the city of Leeds to come out in force. The Grandstand is located in the heart of the action and will provide the perfect location to watch the stars of our sport cross the finish line and deliver an atmosphere to remember.”

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Tickets will be priced at £30 for adults and £20 for children (U15s). With the women’s race starting at 13:00 and the men’s at 15:45, ticket holders can expect well over four hours of live triathlon action. 

Routes announced for World Triathlon Leeds

“I can’t quite believe it,” said Jenkins. “I did not have the best swim today and then on the bike, because it was so technical it was just as hard even if you were at the front, so I sat in and me, Flora [Duffy] and Andrea [Hewitt] were able to get a gap. I have so much respect for those girls, they were smashing it today. And I got to the run and just went for it. But the whole time I was waiting for Gwen, you can never underestimate how quick Gwen’s running is.”

Jenkins was strong from the start, and came out of T1 in the top group of 20, led by Spain’s Carolina Routier .  The group eventually dwindled down to tally 18-strong, with Duffy (BER) and Jenkins taking turns forging the pack and pushing the pace. The chase group entered the first transition about 20 seconds behind the leaders, with contenders Ashleigh Gentle (AUS) and Jodie Stimpson (GBR) leading the charge. However they could not close the gap as Flora Duffy, Erin Densham (AUS) and Jenkins continuing to take turns to push a furious pace on the lead pack, the gap extended to 55 seconds on the next lap and only continued to widen as the leg carried on.

Duffy, Hewitt and Jenkins then brokeaway from the lead packpushed away as a threesome and were able to have to a ninety-second advantage heading out onto the run, a lead Jenkins was not going to waste knowing Gwen, with her phenomenol run, would be chasing her down. She wasted no time in blasting away to get out on front, and held onto her phenomenal stride and was able to carry herself right into the finish line.

Although Duffy and Hewitt were able to give themselves an advantage at the start of the run, Jorgensen came off the bike with guns blazing. Down by almost two minutes, she used her strongest discipline to earn some ground and close the gap little by little each lap.

It wasn’t until the final lap where the excitement intensified when Jorgensen caught up to Duffy and Hewitt. A sprint finish on the blue carpet ultimately determined the podium as Jorgensen was able to edge out Hewitt by a nose and take the silver. Hewitt was left with the bronze and Duffy finished in fourth.

 “Helen was really strong today and she was the better athlete,” said Gwen. “Her, Andrea and Flora were riding really strong and yeah they just had a great race. I was just trying to run as fast as I could, a lot goes through your head and it is hot out there. They were running amazing and they just had a great race. It didn’t even look like I was gaining any ground on Helen, she was just going for it. It is great to be back racing against Helen, she was gone for a bit, so it was great to see her race well.”

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Hewitt said “I rode as hard as I could. I saw that some of the girls were struggling on some of the corners so when we got the break we just kept riding right up until the end. I felt a little wobbly on the run, but I tried to keep pushing, I was with Flora and then Gwen came up at the end. I tried a bit earlier in the sprint, but there was just the technical bit at the end. It was just a tough race. This is my first Olympic distance of the year and I braced myself on the run, I could judge on the U turns where Gwen was and where Flora was. It just came down to the blue carpet at the finish.”

Elite Women

1.

Helen Jenkins

GBR

01:56:03

2.

Gwen Jorgensen

USA

01:56:44

3.

Andrea Hewitt

NZL

01:56:45

4.

Flora Duffy

BER

01:56:58

5.

Rachel Klamer

NED

01:58:06

6.

Katie Zaferes

USA

01:58:14

7.

Emma Moffatt

AUS

01:58:47

8.

Vendula Frintova

CZE

01:59:06

9.

Lisa Perterer

AUT

01:59:07

10.

Kirsten Kasper

USA

01:59:09

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Despite the heat, Mola was able to remain within the top tier from start to finish and then showcase his signature running speed in the final two and a half kilometres to bypass Great Britain’s Jonathan Brownlee and compatriot Fernando Alarza.

Mola said: “It was really tough. Jonny was really strong during most of the run. I am very happy for Fernando that he got second place. I felt great during the whole race. I tried to stay in the front as much as I could on the bike in order to make it a 10k run and I think things went well and I am very happy with the result.”

Running past Brownlee in the final kilometre to earn the silver was Alarza, with Brownlee ending the day with bronze.

“It was an amazing final run, I thought I was only going to get the bronze medal and then when I saw that Jonny was down, I thought now, now now, so I am very happy with the silver medal,” Alarza said. “This is for my family and for my girlfriend. I think this was my best swim, my best cycle and a good run so I am just so very happy.”

The top men all positioned themselves on the right side of the pontoon, to try and make the most of the current at the Broadwater Parklands. It was  Richard Varga (SVK), as usual, who led out the swim, followed by Igor Polyanskiy (RUS), Henri Schoeman (RSA) and Jonny Brownlee.

This leading pack were joined by seven others, including Aaron Royle (AUS), Ben Kanute (USA) and Alessandro Fabian (ITA), in the first bike lap to create a 12-strong lead pack on the bike.

However with Alistair Brownlee (GBR), Ryan Fisher (AUS), Ryan Bailie (AUS), Thomas Bishop (GBR) and Mola in the chase group, the leaders were hard-pressed to make their break stick, and by the third lap the peloton then tallied 29.

An episode of breakaway attempts then occurred in the latter half of the bike leg. Alistair Brownlee was first to enjoy a solo ride and his pushed through a lap on his own. But he retreated back to the pack when he was unable to gain any company.

It was then that Ben Shaw (IRL) and Tom Bishop (GBR) went together on a breakaway push and were able to create a gap of 50 seconds and enter the second transition zone together with a slight advantage.

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However Mola and Brownlee ran them down and running stride for stride, Mola and Jonny Brownlee stayed together for the first three laps of the run, before Mola was able to finally kick in some final energy in the final lap and bypass Brownlee and cross the finish line and claim his third straight victory of the season.

Alarza found himself in a comfortable third place position for the first three fourths of the run, but when Brownlee started to run out of gas in the final kilometre, Alarza was able to come past him for silver.

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Australian Bailie was fourth, cementing his place on the Australian Olympic team. He said, “It hasn’t quite sunk in yet to tell you the truth, it has been a lot of hard work to get here. I knew what I had to do and I just wanted to take it out of the selector’s hands. When Rio did not go quite as planned I knew this was the race that I wanted to peak for. I just can’t believe it to tell you the truth.”

1.
Mario Mola
ESP

01:46:28

2.
Fernando Alarza
ESP

01:46:55

3.
Jonathan Brownlee
GBR

01:47:09

4.
Ryan Bailie
AUS

01:47:31

5.
Ryan Fisher
AUS

01:47:45

6.
Joe Maloy
USA

01:47:53

7.
Vicente Hernandez
ESP

01:47:58

8.
Marten Van Riel
BEL

01:48:01

9.
Jacob Birtwhistle
AUS

01:48:04

10.
Gregory Billington
USA

01:48:16

The evening was hosted by 220’s editor Helen Webster alongside guest speaker and track legend Derek Redmond, who delivered the memorable pre-awards speech about his Olympic history.

The award winners had more of a foreign flavour this year, with the cream of international triathletes beating our Brits in the major elite honours. In a change from the Brownlee norm, taking the Men’s Elite Triathlete of the Year title was Javier Gomez after a year that saw him become the record five-time ITU world champion, as well as taking bronze at the Ironman 70.3 Worlds in Austria. Gomez edged out Ironman and 70.3 world champ Jan Frodeno to take the award.

Storming to victory in the Women’s Elite Triathlete showdown ahead of Vicky Holland and Lucy Gossage was America’s Gwen Jorgensen, the short-course superstar who extended her unbeaten ITU run in 2015 to successfully defend her ITU world champs title. Gwen also  edged out Gomez and Frodeno for the International Triathlete gong, while Emma Pooley won Duathlete of the Year.

You voted Charles Pennington your Men’s Age-Grouper of the Year. Royal Marine Pennington was fifth out of the age-group athletes at the Ironman Worlds in Hawaii last October. Crowned Women’s Age-Grouper of the Year was Lucy Charles, who beat the vast majority of the pros by producing the fifth-fastest swim at the 2015 Ironman World Champs in Kona, Hawaii.

The Men’s Paratriathlete of the Year award once went again to Phil Hogg, who won the GB National Champs in 2015 and is vying for Paralympic selection at Rio. Another repeat winner was Lauren Steadman, who claimed the Women’s Paratriathlete of the Year.

Simon Ward continued his hold on the Coach of the Year award, with the Yorkshireman now having guided over 250 Ironman finishers during his coaching career.

The evening ended with the one award shortlisted by readers but with the final result chosen by an industry panel: the Jane Tomlinson Award for Outstanding Contribution to Triathlon. This year’s panel was made up of Helen Webster, Liz Barrett and Matt Baird from 220, as well as our columnist Tim Heming and former editor James Witts.

This year’s award was posthumously awarded to Peter Howard, a stalwart of the UK triathlon scene for many years who passed away in May 2015 aged 81 years. Peter became involved in the sport back in UK triathlon’s formative years in 1983, and he’d medal at 15 world Olympic-distance and long-course championships during the period, competing in all but one ITU world championships from the first in 1989 until 2010.

Away from the race course, he was a driving force behind the development of the sport on a domestic and international level, which included his chairmanship of the British Triathlon Association in its early years. Locally, he was an ambassador for the sport in his native Yorkshire, where he influenced the establishment of clubs and inspired individuals to become involved with the sport he was so passionate about. Quite simply, he’s everything the Jane Tomlinson Award represents.

The full list of all the 220 award winners 2016

MEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE

1. Javier Gomez

2. Jan Frodeno

3. Alistair Brownlee

WOMEN’S ELITE TRIATHLETE

1. Gwen Jorgensen 

2. Vicky Holland

3. Lucy Gossage

DUATHLETE

1. Emma Pooley

2. Emma Pallant

3. Mark Buckingham

MEN’S AGE GROUPER

1. Charles Pennington

2. Tom Ward

3. Phil Wilson

WOMEN’S AGE GROUPER

1. Lucy Charles

2. Susan Pugh

3. Suzie Richards

MEN’S PARATRIATHLETE

1. Phil Hogg

2. Joe Townsend

3. George Peasgood

WOMEN”S PARATRIATHLETE

1. Lauren Steadman

2. Claire Cunningham

3. Melissa Reid

YOUTH TRIATHLETE

1. Ben Dijkstra

2. Bailey Matthews

3. Sam Dickinson

NTERNATIONAL TRIATHLETE

1. Gwen Jorgensen

2. Javier Gomez

3. Jan Frodeno

COACH OF THE YEAR

1. Simon Ward

2. Dan Bullock

3. Adam Gibson

CLUB OF THE YEAR

1. Leeds & Bradford Tri Club

2. Wakefield Tri

3. Lincoln Tri Club

RACE (UNDER 500 ENTRIES)

1. Jenson Button Trust Triathlon

2. Ocean Lava

3. Ilkley Tri

RACE (OVER 500 ENTRIES)

1. The Outlaw

2. Ironman Wales

3. Long Course Weekend

TRIATHLON WETSUIT BRAND


1. Huub

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2. Zone3

3. Blueseventy

TRI-SUIT BRAND

1. Huub

2. Zone3

3. Orca

BIKE BRAND


1. Boardman

2. Cervélo

3. Specialized

RUN SHOE BRAND


1. Asics

2. Brooks

3. Adidas

GAME-CHANGER AWARD

1. Isoman Triathlon

2. Zone3 Evolution wetsuit

3. Tacx Neo Smart

TRI RETAILER

1. Sigma Sport

2. Total Fitness Nottingham

3. Triathlon Shop, Bristol

ONLINE RETAILER

1. Wiggle

2. Chain Reaction Cycles

3. Sigma Sport

THE JANE TOMLINSON AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING CONTRIBUTION TO TRIATHLON:

Peter Howard

Also shortlisted: Bailey Matthews, Dawn Vaughn, Francis Riley,
Trevor Gunning

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British triathlete Jodie Swallow was the early leader, with an expected strong swim in some choppy water, however a fall on the bike allowed Australian athlete Annabel Luxford the opportunity to take the lead, which she held until T2. Swallow carried on and remained in second position until T2 with the gap between first and second over five minutes, howver she withdrew 2km into the run.

Lehtonen stayed as close as possible to the leading pair on the bike, entering T2 in third with Lucy Gossage (GBR) and Susie Cheetham (GBR) following.

Luxford headed out onto the run with a valuable time cushion considering the running talent in the chasers, however the winning trio, passed her after 13km. It could have been gold for Britain but Lehtonen managed to hold off Cheetham’s charge to win her first Ironman.

Racing a good friend helps you push through the pain! Brilliant race @susiecheetham . Love and hate racing with you! https://t.co/8BiiIpKtsB

— lucy gossage (@lucygoss) April 10, 2016

Staged in Nelson Mandela Bay and the city of Port Elizabeth, South Africa’s second oldest city. The day begins with a one-lap, 3.8km swim course. The bike course, featuring a new route in 2016, takes athletes out on two flat, fast laps of 90 km on one of the most spectacular bike courses on the Ironman circuit.  Athletes return along the coast to the transition area to start the run.

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RESULTS – WOMEN

1.

LEHTONEN, Kaisa

FIN

00:58:21

04:59:41

03:02:34

09:06:50

2.

CHEETHAM, Susie

GBR

00:58:21

05:04:26

03:02:43

09:09:49

3.

GOSSAGE, Lucy

GBR

01:03:20

04:56:10

03:07:36

09:11:43

4.

LUNDSTRÖM, Åsa

SWE

01:03:30

04:58:18

03:08:33

09:15:34

5.

LUXFORD, Annabel

AUS

00:56:07

04:49:17

03:37:50

09:28:32

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They discovered that training mice regularly on a wheel (the mouse version of a treadmill) decreased the growth of multiple types of tumours, including skin, liver, and lung cancers. Furthermore, mice that exercised regularly had a smaller chance of developing cancer in the first place.

The beneficial effects of running went beyond tumor formation and growth, extending to cancer-associated weight loss, a process termed cachexia that is seen in cancer patients. Mice that exercised regularly showed no signs of cancer-associated weight loss in the researchers’ lung cancer mouse model.

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The researchers say they identified several factors behind the anti-tumor effects of exercise. These anti-cancer effects are linked to the release of adrenaline (also called epinephrine), a hormone that is central to the “fight-or-flight” response. Adrenaline production is known to be stimulated by exercise.

In particular the production of adrenaline results in a mobilisation of immune cells, specifically one type of immune cell called a Natural Killer (NK) cell, to patrol the body. These NK cells are recruited to the site of the tumour by the protein IL-6, secreted by active muscles. The NK cells can then infiltrate the tumour, slowing or completely preventing its growth.

And there is no short cut injection either that works instead of running, as the researchers note that injecting the mice with either adrenaline or IL-6 without the exercise proved insufficient to inhibit cancer development, underlining the importance of the effects derived only from regular exercise in the mice.

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Their conclusions of this study is published in Cell Metabolism