Are focusing specifically on Kona, IM, or racing in general? 'Cause if it's racing in general, there's some major holes in your post. However, if I had to venture a guess, you are specifically focusing on Kona (which is a huge shame).


I'm pretty sure that Pete didn't come from nowhere. I'm also pretty sure that it's very early in the 2014 season to be making judgements as to the amount of racing that qualifies as 'gone missing'.

---

---

---

Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

Dang, I was hoping this thread would be a crossover between IM and 80's music. Any chance that Rockwell won Kona? :)

Hellriegel had great results everywhere, but when he did 8:06 LVL did 8:04 and the year before that he came off the bike 13 minutes before Mark Allen and Mark pulls off a 2:42 to Hellriegel's 2:56 and takes the win. Heather Fuhr managed to win a ton of other Ironmans outside of Kona and got her one win in 97.

Fredrik has been doing a lot of winning outside of Kona in the past at Nice, Abu Dhabi, top three in Melbourne etc. I don't recall Fredrik ever winning any major 70.3 events. It seems like he is much better at the full IM distance (or at least the bike needs to be really soft...the guy does not slow down). I believe that he will be tacking the IM distance again in Nice, so you need to wait till then. At the recent Cannes tri, Fredrik went off course on the bike so we can't count that (plus the 2/80/16k course is not really to his advantage).

I can't comment about Pete, but he said he was sick post Oceanside and was taking a break.

He won the Detroit triathlon.

People don't talk about it much because they figure his dad fixed the race and he drafted off of Michael Jackson on the bike.

I don't think I'd say Jacobs came out of nowhere.

He has something like 5 70.3 wins, multiple Australian long course championship wins, IM Australia wins and was second at Kona the year before he won it. He seems to race a ton of stuff outside of WTC/IM and the results can be mixed, but its not like he came out of nowhere to win in '12.

FVL had 3 IM France wins and 3 other podium finishes prior to finishing 3rd in '12. So again I don't think he came out of nowhere either.

At the same time, will either get to a Crowie/Macca/Allen etc level? Maybe not. But maybe we are just entering a phase in tri where you don't see the same 2-4 people dominate year after year. The science behind the sport is getting better and maybe this is creating more parity in the sport. Either way it doesn't discount that these guys were the best in the sport on the biggest stage of the sport for one day.

http://www.frederikvanlierde.com/resultaten?lang=en


Looking at his results, I wouldn't call him out of nowhere. Finishing 3rd the year before and winning IM Nice 3 years in a row with a 2nd before that is pretty damn good. Plenty of other wins in there too. He's not all at strong at the 70.3.


Jacobs was 2nd in 2011 and 8th twice before that. IT seems like these guys get on the podium and can taste victory... and get really, really hungry and adjust their entire schedule the following year towards that goal.


Also keep in mind that once you make the podium, you have enough KPR points that you don't need to race that much that year and you'll probably start your build later and train through most all of your other races.




I think it will be a race between Kienle and McKenzie next year with someone like Del Corral or Potts getting close. Both will be very hungry.

---

TrainingBible Coaching
http://www.trainingbible.com

I imagine a lot of guys end up like Wiggins.
Put in the hard work years, achieve your dreams, then hit the pub. (or are just beat up and injured)

---

---

Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

Very nice. I wonder how many people will get the MJ reference.

I think I know what you mean, but "one-hit-wonders" has too much of a negative connotation to it in my opinion. As someone else mentioned, you're looking at it from a Kona point of view. It's not all about Kona. FVL has had lots of success throughout his career and has barely raced in 2014. It may be a bit premature to start labeling him - pun intended.

In the case of PJ, he too has enjoyed some big wins, I believe a couple of podium finishes at Roth, etc. Even if he did only win "the one", that's an insane accomplishment. Yes, winning multiple times is that much more impressive, but it shouldn't diminish from the ones who have "only" done it once. I think similarly to that is winning after coming 2nd a year prior. There's lots of pressure and expectations when that's the case.

Not too long ago, I'm pretty sure Rinny would have bee bunched into this category. Especially since her first win came the year Chrissie didn't race. Well, we know what she was able to do last year.

But Kona is what it's all about for these guys.

Being the World Champion. (KONA)

It brings the $$$.

Would Crowie be worth what he is today without winning Kona 3 times?

Would we even know who Chrissy Wellington was if she didn't win a Kona? If she just won the 1 Korea race and nothing else?

Kona is what it's all about. Winning multiple is where the dollars are.

And I dont see Pete or VL winning again.

---

Ya, i guess getting 2nd at Kona is no indication that you might win it one day, or that maybe you just might be good at it??

Maybe I'm not understanding you right? We're talking about Pete Jacobs and FVL. They've already won Kona. So is your point that it's all about Kona at least twice? Do you mean their popularity and earning potential grow exponentially with additional wins?

I'm pretty sure she won every IM she did didn't she, including something like a 5th overall one year in South Africa? So I think we would know who she was (assuming she never won KONA)

It's not like Macca won back to back. He had a DNF and an 4th in between his wins. I think it's pretty ridiculous to somehow consider a 2nd and 1st in consecutive years as a "one hit wonder." But to each their own.

I believe the term is "off-season" ;)

You see when you peak for one specific day in the year, when all your training is aimed at one particular goal on one particular day, you likely need to recover from it not only physically but mentally as well. Keep note he only needs a "validation" now for Kona again, so really why does he need to race. Oh and then there is the increase in sponsorship obligations and the such. And maybe he took a vacation or two with his family.

They are anything but "one hit wonders", even if they never win Kona again. Pete has a couple podiums, and top-10 finished and a handful of the fastest runs ever in Kona, FVL is consistently at the top as well.

Why assume FVL won't win again? it hasn't even been a year, we are not even in the thick of racing season yet.

Is Faris a "one hit wonder" as well? That dude is one of the most consistent Kona racers ever, but he only won once, so maybe he is

Pete Jacobs came from nowhere?! What.

Dude the guy just won Kona 2 years ago and he is only 32 years old, you do realize most of the 2+winners of Kona recently are Austrialians.

Pete Jacobs is one of the most balanced S/B/R long course triathletes out there right now. Some question work ethic and he seems to be injury prone (at times).

I would place my money on a healthily PJ any day instead of these new "über cyclists".

That seems to be the case for Rory McIlroy too!

---

---

Portside Athletics Blog

Cameron Brown never won Kona. Podiumed several times, but never had a good day, on the day. He's won IMNZ about a hundred times so far, but he is and was, off just about everybody's radar even during his peak years racing.

Kona IS where reputations are made.

---

TriDork

"Happiness is a myth. All you can hope for is to get laid once in a while, drunk once in a while and to eat chocolate every day"

Yes, we do. She was able to win the race again when Chrissy wasn't in the field..........

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Wait, so, your saying that's a bad thing? How else do you let your countrymen repay you for showing the world that the English are bad-asses on bikes?
Joking. Sorta.

Fixed it for you.

No pink necessary. Chrissie is unbeaten at the 140.6 distance. She was 90% healthy, at best, when she won in 2011. If she is in the field, it is a race for 2nd.

---

Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

But Chrissie won all of those without Paula Newby-Fraser in the field.

I got money on Thomas Dolby.