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March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
Another year, another formidable performance from Daniela Ryf at the Ironman World Championships in Hawaii. The Swiss star made it four consecutive wins in Kona today and, in doing so, matched Chrissie Wellington’s victory count in Hawaii and smashed the course record. And this included a nasty jellyfish sting on the swim that made her consider quitting after the swim leg.
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After breaking the swim course record, Britain’s Lucy Charles would finish second once again, and in doing so would produce the second-fastest time in women’s Hawaii history.
CHARLES STRIKES FIRST
British interest in the women’s professional event was largely centred on rising superstar Lucy Charles (head here for the elite men’s race report featuring David McNamee, Tim Don and Joe Skipper), with the Essex athlete targeting a victory over three-time champ Daniela Ryf after her second place Kona elite breakthough in 2017.
And Charles would prove utterly dominant in the swim leg of the women’s race, with the British athlete leading from the start and all by herself for much of the duration.
She’d exit in 48:13mins, under the course record of 48:43 from 1999 (and in the overall top ten fastest elite times of the day), and hit the bike with a 2min margin over the chasing field and around 10mins to Ryf, who was stung by a jellyfish in the swim under the arm. A message to the three-time Kona champion had been delivered by Charles.
#IMWC @LucyAnneCharles out of the water in with the lead followed by @lb_brandon +2:53, @TeresaJAdam), +3:45, Hele @helle_f +3:48, @sgroffy +3:52, @Liz_Blatchford +3:55, @Rachel_McB +5:50, @JoceMcCauley +5:58 and and @mbkessler +5:59. pic.twitter.com/dxG3wDll2j
— IRONMANLive (@IRONMANLive) October 13, 2018
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By the 90km stage of the bike, Charles’ lead over Ryf was 8mins, with the Swiss athlete having risen through the field to second place. Brit Corinne Abraham was in fourth. Some 20km later and Ryf had chiselled Charles’ advantage down to 7mins, and this theme would continue for the duration of the bike course.
Update: @danielaryf Has again brought down the gap. It’s now just 3.03 just pass Mauna Lani in the QK heading back to town.
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
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A picture that says a thousand words, so so Happy to finish the 2018 @ironmantri Kona World Championships today
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
Kona 2018: How all the emotion and action was captured on social media
Ironman World Champs 2018: Patrick Lange is the King of Kona
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Ironman World Champs: Daniela Ryf smashes Kona record
Launch Gallery
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
2. 1st female overall was Daniela Ryf (SUI) in a time of 8:26:16: swim 57:26 (struggled with a jelly fish sting), bike 4:26:07 and run 2:57:05, breaking her own course best set in 2016 of 8:46:46.
3. The fastest male swimmer was age-grouper Jan Sibbersen in a time of 46:29, breaking the previous men’s record in Kona of 46:41 that had stood for 20 years, held by Lars Jorgensen. Jan’s bike split was 5:12:51, his run 4:26:24, for a total time of 10:37:33.
4. The fastest female swimmer was GB’s Lucy Charles in a time of 48:13. She averaged 1:15mins per 100m and in doing so set a new female course record, beating Jodi Jackson’s 1991 record of 48:43. She also finished in the overall top-10 fastest elite swim times of the day.
5. Fastest male bike split of the day was set by Cameron Wurf (AUS), a former pro cyclist and rower turned Ironman competitor. He improved his Kona record to 4:09:06 (26.98mph) from the 4:12:54 he set in 2017. His other splits were: swim 50:51; run 3:06:18, for a total time of 8:10:32.
6. Fastest female bike split of the day was set by Daniela Ryf in 4:26:07 (25:39mph), another new Kona record. The previous best time was 4:44:19, set by former time-trial specialist Karin Thürig in 2001.
7. Fastest male marathon run leg of the day came courtesy of Patrick Lange with a 2:41:32.
8. Fastest female marathon run leg of the day was set by Anne Haug 02:55:20.
9. For the first time in Kona history, the 8hr barrier was broken! Twice! First by Lange (7:52:39) and then by runner-up Bart Aernouts (BEL) in 7:56:41. His splits were: swim 54:07; bike 4:12:26; run 2:45:42.
10. Daniela Ryf came 25th overall beating 21 male pros; Lucy Charles came 35th overall.
11. Another Kona first saw the men’s winner propose to his girlfriend after crossing the finish line. Within a minute of finishing, Lange got down on one knee and proposed to Julia Hoffmann – she said yes!
12. Kyle and Brent Pease became the first push-assisted team of brothers to cross the finish line, and only the second pair in that category to complete the race. For the swim, Brent towed his brother in a boat, then completed the bike leg in a specially adapted bike before running with his brother in a specially adapted running chair. The last team to do so was father Dick and son Rick Hoyt in 1999. The Peases finished in a time of 14:29hrs.
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13. GB’s Liz McTernan became only the second female wheelchair participant to complete Kona, and now holds the course record of 14:21:12. McTernan competed in the ‘Physically Challenged’ or PC Division, using a hand bike for 180km and a racing wheelchair for the marathon.
Congratulations #TeamCAF athlete @lizmcternan! Liz crossedthe finish line at #IMKONA as the 2nd wheelchair woman to ever finish the @IRONMANtri World Championship. AND she now holds the course record for fastest time.
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
Mercury levels in the seafood supply are on the rise, and climate change and overfishing are partially to blame, according to a new study. Scientists said mercury levels in the oceans have fallen since the late 1990s, but levels in popular fish such as tuna, salmon and swordfish are on the rise.
According to a new study by Harvard University researchers in the journal Nature, some fish are adapting to overfishing of small herring and sardines by changing their diets to consume species with higher mercury levels. Based on 30 years of data, methylmercury concentrations in Atlantic cod increased by up to 23% between the 1970s and the 2000s. It links the increase to a diet change necessitated by overfishing.
But overfishing isn’t the only contributor to higher mercury levels in fish. Climate change — and the rising ocean temperatures that come with it — means fish are more active and need more food to survive. Consuming more prey means consuming more mercury. The study also found that mercury levels in Atlantic bluefin tuna have increased by an estimated 56% due to seawater temperature rise since 1969. Climate change “is not just about what the weather is like in 10 years,” said lead researcher Amina Schartup. “It’s also about what’s on your plate in the next five.”Scientists said human exposure to methylmercury — the compound created when mercury enters the ocean — is especially risky for pregnant women, as it has been linked to long-term neurological disorders when fetuses are exposed in the womb. It is considered a major public health concern by the World Health Organization. “It’s not that everyone should be terrified after reading our paper and stop eating seafood, which is a very healthy, nutritious food,” senior author Elsie Sunderland told Reuters. “We wanted to show people that climate change can have a direct impact on what you’re eating today, that these things can affect your health … not just things like severe weather and flooding and sea level rise.”Since the late 1990s, mercury concentrations have declined overall following increased regulations and decreased coal-burning power plants. In 2017, a global treaty was introduced to reduce mercury emissions.But mercury levels in fish have not fallen as expected. The treaty failed to account for overfishing’s massive effects on marine ecosystems or climate change’s impact on the diets of fish. So, much of our current seafood supply actually contains more mercury than before.
According to a recent report by Australian climate experts, the world’s oceans will likely lose about one-sixth of its fish and other marine life by the end of the century if climate change continues on its current path. If the world’s greenhouse gas emissions stay at the present rate, that means a 17% loss of biomass — the total weight of all marine animal life — by the year 2100. But if the world reduces carbon pollution, losses can be limited to only about 5%, the study said. But our regulations against mercury pollution could be weakening under the Trump administration. In December, the Environmental Protection Agency targeted an Obama-era regulation credited with helping dramatically reduce toxic mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants.In the U.S. coal power plants are the largest single manmade source of mercury pollutants. As coal combustion emits mercury into the atmosphere, the ocean absorbs it, converting it into methylmercury. The EPA proposal argued that savings for companies were greater than any increased perils to safety or the environment.The carbon we release into the atmosphere has a direct correlation to the toxins that end up in our food supply. Methylmercury levels increase when an animal eats its prey — accumulating in larger doses as it goes through the food chain. So when a human consumes tuna, for example, it is also consuming all of the mercury consumed by its prey, all the way down the food chain. According to the study, about 80% of exposure to Methylmercury in the U.S. comes from seafood, and 40% from tuna alone. Scientists said stronger regulations are needed for greenhouse gases and mercury emissions in order to keep our fish supply healthy and thriving.
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
It’s not often swim, bike and run makes football play second fiddle, but there are more spectators here for the inaugural Dubrovnik Triathlon than attended the Croatia v England international – 400 miles north along the Adriatic coast in Rijeka – the previous evening. And given this is a football-obsessed nation whose national team reached the World Cup final, it’s a victory to be celebrated for multisport. (We can gloss over both who they beat in the semi-final and that this recent encounter was played behind closed doors.)
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Triathlon is a new sport in a city famed for its Old Town. Named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1979, its siege by Serbian and Montenegrin soldiers became a focal point during the break-up of Yugoslavia in the early nineties, but having taken a pre-race trip inside the medieval bulwarks, I can report it’s now deluged by up to 10,000 tourists a day, disembarking cruise ships to roam its ramparts.
Part of the attraction is the baroque, renaissance and gothic architecture, but it’s also the phenomenon that is Game of Thrones, the fantasy television drama that was filmed here. Given I’ve never watched a second of the show, my pop culture references end here, but at least it’ll save you from laboured puns being crowbarred into the race report, such as Game of Triathlons (attempt a faux European accent and switch ‘ons’ for ‘owns’).
On to a less hectic affair than the Old Town – the race – and a sprint or standard distance option, starting from Gruz Harbour, with a transition zone neatly slotted between moored luxury yachts. It’s a 2pm start and the untriathlonly time is virtue of the organisers being given a one-hour window between the aforementioned hulking cruise liners docking and setting sail. After that strict deadline the port is back open for business, so there’s significant motivation to make the swim cut-off.
SCRIPTED DEBUT
The area is trying to carve its own niche in activity breaks. There’s a half-marathon here in April that finishes on the Stradun – Dubrovnik’s most famous limestone-paved street in the Old Town – and 60 miles away in Kotor, Montenegro, the Ocean Lava middle distance race takes place in May. It’s not a tricky place to get to and here we’ve 15 different nationalities, many from former Yugoslav republics, plus a scattering of Brits.
For a first-time event, it almost feels scripted. The weather is blissfully mid-20s, and the harbour water 21 degrees, making it just cool enough for novices (or those hellbent on winning) to wear a wetsuit. The bike course follows the coast to the small village of Komolac, and is both the prettiest dragstrip imaginable and seemingly the only flat stretch of road in the region. The run is out and back along the harbour edge where the most taxing element is keeping count of your laps.
As I’m about to plop in for the deep-water start, I try to recall the last time I undertook a standard-distance triathlon. My fumbling excuse is that my time has been better served agonising over topics for my 220 Triathlon column, although that’s probably best left for others to judge. Conclusion: “It’s been a while – and it’ll take a while.” And so it plays out.
The two-lap anticlockwise swim is rather too pleasant – not a jellyfish in sight (take note as an alternative race option for next year, Daniela Ryf). About 60 people have signed up for the standard distance, a similar number for the sprint, plus a handful of relay teams, and both the water and opposition are calmness personified. My only gripe is with the toddlers’ swim caps provided, as the silicon dome pings from my bonce about midway through the first lap, striking another blow to marine welfare.
Out on to the road bike (I’ve borrowed from the organisers) in 39mins (including T1, I’m sure it was long), I spend the majority of the four laps daydreaming at the scenery, reading the derrieres of tri-suits and wondering how they’re pronounced (my straw poll of waiters confirms the Croatian language is brutish to grasp), and hoping I’ll overtake someone who isn’t on a mountain bike. The tranquillity is occasionally broken when some lunatic on a TT bike and deep-dished wheels comes whooping past (my one piece of serious advice would be to pack a TT bike if you want to compete), but they pretty sharply bugger off into the distance anyway.
Returning 1:24hr later, I head out for a fairly uneventful run, where the sun beats down and I have to pass the finish gantry 11 times (yes, I just worked it out), before I can actually jog under the arch in 45mins for a less-than-competitive 2:49:32 and just sneak into the top 30.
CRUISES, COFFEE AND CRAP CANNONS
My race aside, the Dubrovnik Triathlon has a lot going for it. No matter how many risk assessments are undertaken, first-time events are fraught with the potential for unforeseen hiccups. It’s compounded when a venue is not au fait with triathlon, and judging by the motorists in the town, it will be a while before a cycling culture takes off.
Yet enthusiasm – and Dubrovnik has a two-year-old 20-strong tri club getting behind it – can go a long way. It also helps when you bring in John Lunt and Co, the team behind the successful Brighton and Hove Tri, with Lunt formerly triathlon course manager for the London 2012 Olympics. So, while I’m sure there are a few teething issues, they’re well-hidden and certainly no disasters.
It isn’t just the finishing chute where the red (ok, blue) carpet has been rolled out either. There’s a familiarisation swim at Banje Beach the morning before the race – the reward being free coffee and doughnuts bigger than lifebuoys – and a triathletes’ reception in Sponza Palace in the Old Town in the evening where a welcoming British consul informs us it’s British week in Dubrovnik, although the Beatles tribute act crooning in the main square in front of a London bus was already a slight giveaway.
Post-race there’s an awards party offering a bellyful of pasta and apple strudel, a few tunes and a live stream of the Ironman World Championship, jellyfish and all, on the big screen. Then it’s all aboard for a cruise around the bay at 9am the following morning in a replica 16th-century Karaka, which, for all intents and purposes is a pirate ship with crap cannons, air-conditioning and cappuccinos.
TICKS THE 2019 BOXES
Given there are so many options on the racing calendar, does Dubrovnik deserve its place on your itinerary next year? There are races that offer a calm wetsuit-optional sea swim, there are others that provide closed bike courses that are flat and safe for novices, and still more that provide a scenic backdrop.
You can also find affordable races (£65/£50 for the standard/sprint distance) within a two-hour EasyJet flight of the UK, where you have a choice of accommodation from luxury hotels to affordable AirBnBs, and some also offer plenty of cultural options when you strip off the Lycra. But a destination that ticks all those boxes is a challenge, and that’s where the Dubrovnik Triathlon wins out.
The late Lord Bryon called the city the Pearl of the Adriatic. It’s less known that he’s also credited for starting the modern age of open-water swimming in 1810. I’ve a feeling that if he were still alive today, the legendary poet would be first in the queue to slip on his race belt… because this is one event you Don Juan a miss.
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You can fly to Dubrovnik with Easy Jet
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
Nearly 73,000 wildfires have decimated the Amazon rainforest this year, a record amount for an ecosystem that produces a remarkable amount of Earth’s oxygen. From celebrities and politicians throughout the world to locals, frustration and mourning continues to mount over the amount of man-made devastation in the Amazon.
Brazil’s space research center INPE has reported a recent 84% increase in forest fires from the same period in 2018. NASA satellite images showed the smoke all the way from space. It traveled to nearby cities and those even thousands of miles away such as Sao Paulo, Brazil.Environmentalists say humans are the root cause of the Amazon fires — not wind or heat. The surge has coincided with the arrival of right-wing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who critics feel has emboldened farmers and ranchers to clear land to create pastures, therefore speeding up the rate of deforestation.
Despite no evidence, Bolsonaro blamed nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for the fires again Thursday, BBC News reported. He also said there aren’t enough resources to fight the fires, but stated the government is investigating.How to help the Amazon rainforestThe Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and vital to combating climate change. In the aftermath of the wildfires, several organizations have stepped up to assist in aid or other ways to help save the Amazon. The following organizations have been rated 4 out of 4 stars by Charity Navigator, a non-profit that evaluates financial health, transparency and accountability in charities.Amazon Conservation Team fights climate change, protect the Amazon and empower indigenous peoples. Amazon Conservation Association accepts donations and lists exactly what your money goes toward –– whether it’s planting trees, sponsoring education, buying a solar panel and preserving indigenous lands.Donate to the Rainforest Trust to help buy land in the rainforest. The organization has saved over 23 million acres and counting since 1988. The Rainforest Foundation is committed to making sure donations made reaches projects such as supporting environmental defenders, indigenous advocacy organizations and deforestation monitoring.
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
Quest Wales will be staged in the surroundings of Snowdonia National Park, and challenges athletes to trail run, bike and kayak their way across the mountains of North Wales.
Set for Saturday 8 June 2019, Quest Wales is targeted at all fitness levels and abilities, and athletess have the option of three scenic routes; 25km Challenge, 42km Sport or 53km Expert.
– The 25km Challenge consists of: 8km road bike/1km kayak/6km run/10km road bike.
– The 42km Sport is: 6km trail run/13km road bike/1km kayak/11km trail run/11km road bike.
– The 53km Challenge is: a 6km trail run/13km road bike/1km kayak/11km trail run/15km road bike/7km run.
Kayaks are provided as part of your entry fee and bikes are available to hire at an additional cost.
Oliver Kirwan, Race Director at Quest Adventure Series, says: “Even if you’ve only done a 10k previously, you can do this! Just bring your sense of adventure and we’ll provide the atmosphere and an unforgettable experience. A lot of our participants sign-up as part of a team and adventure races are a great excuse to plan a weekend away with friends and like-minded people to work hard and then, play hard too.”
Quest Wales is part of the Quest Adventure Series which encompasses a number of one-day adventure races across Ireland in Killarney, Kenmare, Glendalough and Achill, which attracted over 8,000 participants in 2018.
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Entries for Quest Wales start at £68.00 and you can register at https://www.questadventureseries.com/race/quest-wales/
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a major defeat in Parliament on Tuesday night as rebellious lawmakers voted to seize control of the Brexit agenda. The prime minister immediately said he would call for a new general election.
The 328 to 301 vote cleared the way for Johnson’s opponents to introduce a bill Wednesday that would prevent Britain from leaving the European Union without a deal October 31.The cross-party rebels are determined to prevent a “no-deal” Brexit because of fears it would gravely damage the economy, and the vote came hours after Johnson suffered key defections from his party, losing a working majority in Parliament.
On a day of high drama and acerbic debate in the House of Commons, lawmakers returned from their summer recess to confront Johnson over his insistence that the U.K. leave the European Union on October 31, even without a withdrawal agreement to cushion the economic blow. Many shouted, “Resign!”In total 21 Tory members of Parliament — including a number of ex-cabinet ministers — joined opposition parties to defeat the government, BBC News reports.A new general election would take Britain’s future directly to the people for a third general election in four years.Earlier Tuesday, two other prominent Conservatives signaled their intention not to seek re-election rather than bend to Johnson’s will. Former Cabinet minister Justine Greening and former Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt also signaled their intention to stand down.Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the main opposition Labour Party, lambasted the weakened Johnson and accused him of “riding roughshod” over the constitution in order to crash Britain out of the EU without a deal.”He isn’t winning friends in Europe. He’s losing friends at home. His is a government with no mandate, no morals and, as of today, no majority,” Corbyn said.
March 13, 2021 | News | No Comments
Humans have long known that it’s inadvisable to mess with Mother Nature. And, as a group of researchers from the Russian Geographical Society just learned, it’s also apparently inadvisable to mess with a mother walrus.
The scientists were aboard a Russian Navy tugboat known as the Altai on an expedition to the Franz Josef Land archipelago in the Arctic Ocean this week right before the unusual human-animal interaction occurred. They boarded a small rubber landing craft and were en route to the shore to study its flora and fauna when a female walrus attacked, sinking the vessel.”During the landing at Cape Heller, a group of researchers had to flee from a female walrus, which, protecting its cubs, attacked an expedition boat,” the Russian Military’s Northern Fleet said in a press release.
The Russian military appeared to be flying a drone above a group of walruses on a nearby beach to take scientific photographs, which may have spooked the animal, igniting its maternal defense instincts. A gallery posted by the Northern Fleet following the incident shows images of walruses gathered on the Franz Josef Land.And, while the attached report makes no mention of a navy boat sinking, it does note that “serious troubles were avoided thanks to the clear and well-coordinated actions of the Northern Fleet servicemen, who were able to take the boat away from the animals without harming them.”According to National Geographic, walruses near the Arctic Circle can weigh in at as much as 1.5 tons, reaching between 7.25 and 11.5 feet – twice the size of a human. And while these animals are not naturally aggressive, they will use their massive tusks to defend themselves from larger predators.