The entire lie flat seat request is a massive can of worms at any organization. You quickly go from a $800 airfare to $6000 if it is last minute. In volume you blow your travel budget quickly. Once you open the gauntlet then everyone wants that treatment. I would have told Taylor she makes plenty of money and can upgrade herself if she wants to perform, It is an unfair competitive advantage if she gets that treatment.

Cozumel is properly excluded from 'best time' considerations because its swim is well 'downhill'.
https://www.trirating.com/...an-distance-records/

What’s the over/under on Gomez being on the start line?

And Challenge Roth is a tiny bit short, and yet it stands.

You shared a link, let me do the same: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ironman_Triathlon

Btw. Dietlev did IM Cozumel in 2022 with a time of 7:50, while KB did in 2021 with a time of 7:21. That's 29 minutes difference. If the 'downhill' is such a factor, why wasn't Dietlev faster?

Btw. again, ST wrote an article on 2021 Cozumel saying the bike was short (https://www.slowtwitch.com/...IM_Cozumel_8149.html). Funny, since my own Garmin recorded 181.5km.

To me training volume and race volume are very different stimuli on a person. Even if said person is saying “mate I’m just training through it”…..bullshit. You’re adding travel stress, race morning stress (3am wake up, he’s not doing that for training) race stimuli stress that at some point you have to account for. That’s not even pretending that he’s 100% “not going to over do it”. By default you’ve already over done it if your equating this the same as “well I would have trained anyways” with all the extra factors that come into a race situation. You are only going to get so many bites at the apple- would be foolish to waste one knowing ahead of time “training mode race” mindset. Why even show up then?

I get it an series where you have to race you may prioritize events as “check box” situation but to add an non series race as a “meh just training purposes” seems to be way counter productive. Again I get sometimes you’ll have to just show up for an T100 event but to do it for a non T100 race seems to make no real sense if your truly only going to shoot w blanks that day.

So if you truly are going to check the box for sponsor obligation that makes makes even less sense because what are the chances he mails it in? I would assume it’s going to take an “honest effort” to gain top 10 here.

Sam Long doesn’t have the ability to mail it in front the start and still gets top 10. He will 100% have to go for it on the bike and run for a large percentage cus he’s so far back in the swim. He doesn’t get any “free” passes thah a front pack athlete sorta can get within race dynamics. So for the most part of it, this is going to be an event that he’s certainly going to have to account for especially if you’re saying to come in top 10.

So I dont think this is a "just train through" setup. If he wants to go top 10, that's going to take an get after it mindset and tactic, he's not just going to "meh" race through and get a top 10 and get on the broadcast. His swim won't allow that. So I think he's got to put this on the ledger of events that add up in a season long narrative. Why do it just to finish 8th? Seems very counter productive?

So if you wanna race to secretly chest pump and see where you are in the overall standings of the sport- go for it. This is not going to be one of those situations where Sam Long can just "train through it" race style/mindset and finish top 10. So I think that's the jist here, not some "he would have trained anyways" so it's the same. No where close will that be the case...UNLESS he truly mails it in fron the start of the bike. But if your talking about wanting to go top 10....no Sam Long can't "mail that in" like others likely can do because he's such a weak swimmer and thus has to "ride through" 75% of the field; that is going to cost you in a season. Full stop

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I just feel like he's not going to Oceanside for an appearance fee/training day. He raced & won in January. Now he's coming off of a 2nd at T100 Miami & took down a ton of big names. No start list yet for Oceanside but he is going to have to be a favorite or at least in the top few. $7500 for the win isn't a ton of money, considering what's at stake on the PTO tour. Feel like he just likes to race & grew up on IM & doesn't want to miss out. Will be interesting to see what kind of fitness he can sustain. There is a 2 month lull late-July to late-September so maybe he figures he'll race hard until then but I can't see him not racing during that stretch.

Re AB I just don't get why he can't run for the win. Setting out a 3min k's in that heat brought him from 1st to 5th. Just going out at 3:15-3:20 or running steady 3:30s could've gotten him the win. I appreciate the style of racing but there's an alternative reality where he wins that race comfortably. He's got more run speed than everyone he came out of T2 with, regardless of how much run training he's done. Why not run side by side with Magnus for a bit?

The main issue I see with the T100, it is severly back loaded. So if your already skipping races now, at some point you dont get to "skip" races in the end and that 4 races in 9 weeks, 3 in 6 weeks oh boy....You suddenly are stuck traveling late season to US and Middle East in your schedule all in a 6 week period. So if I'm Sam Long, I'm striking early, skipping 1 of the 2 Euro races and then being able to "stay home" and race locally (yes it's not really local, but it's not going through international travel, etc). 2 more times in the US before racing GF in Middle East. That would give you 5 scores out of 7 regular season and then GF score. But with the break in the schedule, you could still race 2 Euro races and basically skip the 2 week prior regular season final before the GF 2 weeks later.

So it's about patience but also striking early, especially if you get people who basically purposely are skipping races already (either through not ready or "broken" themselves already). Those who have to race 3 of 4 in the final 6 weeks, that's a loooong time to hold "A" fitness with all that travel (that likely plays more on you with getting sick, and disrupting training than anything).

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

Also with some heavy hitters skipping early races it’s a great way to get points that will be really hard to come by when the fields are stacked at the end. I don’t see India lee getting top 3 in one of these races if all the heavy hitters are there. But she scored big the first one which probably all but guarantees her top 10 at the end.

What do we think of knibb doing Oceanside? She could have theoretically done Singapore instead. Getting her validation for taupo or think she will do a second so she can do nice?

Well Taylor probably doing Oceanside with both Nice and Taupo in mind. This gets her validation for Taupo and probably will wait till post Olympics to decide if she wants to do another 70.3 for Nice. It’s doable but she has 4 T100 races as well so that’s 7 races in the second 1/2 or the year if she wants to do it all

It’s interesting all of these dynamics. You take a look at Wtcs. For the most part all the top athletes race most of the races. Sure every race in the top 20 will skip and they even build it into the rules to allow athletes to skip. Maybe it’s because the depth is so deep that it really doesn’t matter who skips, it’s always a stacked field.

T100 is paying athletes better money than federation stipends and you are seeing a portion of the pros basically showcase a rather interesting race schedule, Pto tells Wtcs athletes to focus on Paris and then they are racing other LC events before Paris. That’s some interesting drama imo.

So to point that t100 can’t bump up to 30 starters, they’ll just tighten the requirements to race next year. Wtcs and slt don’t fight for athletes, they for the most part work together and slt is more or less the “postseason all star” tour. But here IM and T100 are going to butt heads a ton and so I’ll be curious to see they pivot next year from t100. At some point the kids gloves will have to come off and force athleres to choose imo.

But at the same time if athletes racing all races end up with poor t100 scores, they’ll basically be filtered out next year anyways for likely athletes who are happy to go all in on t100 series (Wtcs athletes “graduating” out and/or 2 year non qualification Olympic period gives you some major flexibility).

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I believe that Nice qualifying will be over by the olympics - but with her T100 needing to do all 3 races plus the GF and Ibiza being a week after Nice. With her durability, seems insane. But at least she will have her Taupo slot verified if she chooses to defend 2 weeks post GF.

I could be wrong, but seems crazy to attempt Nice with her T100 contract.

---

DFRU - Detta Family Racing Unit...the kids like it and we all get out and after it...gotta keep the fam involved!

Nice qualification ends 18th Aug and my understanding she needs to do a IM or 2 70.3.
In a normal year, doing Ibiza after Nice would be crazy but Haug and LP have both skipped the first two T100 races and if they are doing Nice they will have to do just that

As widely discussed, a lot more racing this year for many and I think you will see a lot of injuries unfortunately and many will go all in T100 next year or Pro Series which ever distance they are better in

Well Taylor has now won 70.3 worlds twice. I'm assuming she'd like a 3rd win. Doesn't the 70.3 winner still need to validate? Much better to win three 70.3 world championships than maybe if conditions and the race plays out right you might get a medal in the Olympics.

I know what all the athletes say, how special the Gold is. But Knibb is going to be approaching GOAT status for her wins in Ironman, assuming she keeps it up. Daniela never medaled. Spirig did among other accolades. And when GOAT status is brought up, she only gets an also-mentioned among inside baseball types.

That has to be worth something to Knibb to maintain that. Although I fully agree the PTO must have some annoyance at how this is playing out. I would assume Knibb was up front with them through her agent about what her focus would be and the PTO wanted her in on the T100 however they could get her which is why they have these Oly concessions. I'd guess they tried the same pitch with KB, but since his non Paris focus is Kona not Taupo, it's more of as stretch to throw some bones to the PTO and show up for Knibb. But I am a little surprised that KB is sticking to his plan so far.

Anyone putting all their eggs in the WTCS basket so far is probably having some big fomo until Paris actually happens.

Doing Nice when she has to do all 3 is crazy. And Phillipp and Haug have more experience with the full IM but I would question that Knibb and her coach would attempt this - the short term benefit is far outweighed by the risk. And her new coach isn't really a risk taker I don't think!

---

DFRU - Detta Family Racing Unit...the kids like it and we all get out and after it...gotta keep the fam involved!

But I am a little surprised that KB is sticking to his plan so far.

------

You aren't going to win a medal in ITU in 2024 if you aren't 100% focused on Paris. That's for both male or females. It's too specialized to think you can cross train other race distances 3-4 months out from the Olympics.

With Knibb essentially "hedging her bets" if she's truly racing 70.3's in this final build up, to me she's going to be along with Duffy (who I dont think can run well w/ her knee issue) will be really great animators in the race and then others will win medals. At best Knibb's chances are best as a wildcard, she's still likely not among the best of the best runners in the sport (she's very close, but close doesn't matter in the Olympics; either you are or you aren't; no awards for 4th place), so she's going to have to try and ride away from the group but on that course with that front group, that's likely a losing proposition. Boring flat courses are the worst course for a Knibb style athlete when all the world's best are present. If this was Rio, I'd 100% put her as the favorite. Not on an non-tech flat boring bike, her bike strenght is basically cancelled out for the most part.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

For now, there is 0 purpose for the Olympic Champion to be focusing on something other than the Olympics.

Maybe when Moritz 100 has existed for 10 years and not gone through it's 15th rebrand they'll take a risk. But the money ain't that great and another Gold Medal would make Blummenfelt a demigod in Norway.

---

Washed up footy player turned Triathlete.

I just really don’t understand the play by Anne and laura. Thinking more about how hard it will be to do Ibiza after nice. Why do that to yourself? Laura couldn’t even go to the press conference after getting third last year in Kona. She’s supposed to do a t100 7 days later?

I agree. I don’t see knibb doing nice this year either. I would hope she is focusing on the Olympics and doing Oceanside is just a validation for possibly taupo. IM championships are every year. You only have so long you are competitive at the Olympics and have to time it just right. She was very messed up after the race in Kona and could hardly walk. Still hasn’t figured out that nutrition thing either. Maybe her new coach will help with that.

Agreed. KB is all in on the Olympics. He said that he's either going to win gold to validate or have to race pretty shortly after the Olympics. I'm not a big fan of validating tbh. They should give the podium a pass into the next years World Champs. Maybe they do it just to keep the big names coming to their races but the way you have athletes trying to balance all of these different tours/series/formats/etc you're just adding to their racing schedule. Would rather top athletes come in with whatever schedule they've put together rather than having to race because they have to. Do we really need to see that Knibb & KB are both still incredible athletes? It's not even validating when they would be earning slots anyways. It's good that those slots can then roll down. It's an Olympic year. Why force Knibb to race now & KB to race in August?

I think validation is fair compromise. It allows those who won to not have to “qualify” while still sorta allowing it to be on equal footing in terms of racing volume. I would think it’s less fair to just allow the winner a free entry into next year from a competitive standpoint.

---

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

I've been saying this for yeats - IM should make liberal use of wildcards. they're a private event, not a federation, so why not add pros who will make the race interesting?

---

____________________________________
https://lshtm.academia.edu/MikeCallaghan

http://howtobeswiss.blogspot.ch/

LCB is not going for a prolonged peak. She is building the intensity very slowly, thus her run was nowhere near race ready in Miami. And it will not be ready in Singapore. She is racing as workouts and gradually building towards the end of the year. The bet for her is that she can manage this while still being competitive enough to podium and pick up bigger checks. She’ll fulfill her contract and be ready at the end of the year. The hard part is the travel but her team is smart and will adjust for that.

Yep. Just like major marathons taking flyers on people with good half marathon PBs or maybe an athlete who hasn't PRd in a couple years. My issue with validation is that it's just requalification. You can't tell if KB is in shape if he's 2nd at the Olympics but not 1st? & then you're gonna make him do a full, which comes with training/racing injury risks.

I think as a big company with a ton of money on the line for the top athletes they want to make it super cut and dry what needs to be done to make it. Winning a world title is literally life changing for athletes so there needs to be rules that are set in stone with no wiggle room. Athletes have to make choices all the time how they want their seasons to play our and at the end of the day the athletes need to trust that IM is playing fair or some will just stay with other entities. I know it takes away some of the drama for viewers but why should knibb get a pass for the Olympics and not need to validate while the winner from last year would still need to? What if having to do a full is what’s keeping lcb from going to nice but they just hand a spot to Taylor? Give lcb one too? Might as well give them all spots at that point.

Is Haug even healthy? She missed Miami due to injury, not because she didn’t want to go.

---

Let food be thy medicine...

Did she fly to Miami and pull out? Or not even make the trip? Could have been a planned “injury”. Would be curious if they count that as one if her races because she pulled out so late.