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TriDot and IM Team Up
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The release appears below -- curious what our collective community thinks about this one.

TRIDOT AND IRONMAN JOIN FORCES TO PROVIDE ATHLETES AN UNPARALLELED TRAINING EXPERIENCE
- Partnership provides coaches and athletes with the important tools and resources to prepare for successful race day

- TriDot becomes the Official Training Platform and Swim Training Program of IRONMAN
TAMPA, FL / DALLAS, TX (Dec. 6, 2023) – IRONMAN and TriDot collectively announced today a multi-year partnership that makes TriDot the Official Training Platform of IRONMAN® and begins an extensive collaboration to deliver the ultimate training and racing experience for athletes.

TriDot is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) training platform for coaches and athletes powered by its augmented intelligence engine that delivers better results in less time with fewer injuries. Leveraging more than two decades of ongoing research, TriDot’s patents-pending technology uses athlete biometrics, training data, and coach inputs along with its own proprietary dataset, artificial intelligence, and other advanced analytics to optimize training for each individual athlete.

“Our team couldn’t be more excited to partner with IRONMAN to put the latest in training technology and resources in the hands of coaches and athletes and work together, all of us, to continue making it even better,” says Jeff Booher, CEO of Predictive Fitness, developer of TriDot. “Regardless of performance ability, time available to train, or anything else, TriDot helps each athlete to do the right training right. Putting them in the best position for success on race day and beyond.”

“We are continuously looking into new ways to enhance our athlete’s journey and training experience, and we are excited to find a partner in TriDot who is a proven industry leader in training technology that benefits both coaches and athletes,” said Andrew Messick, President and CEO for The IRONMAN Group. “Through the tools and resources available, this partnership will help allow our athletes take the guess work out of race preparation so that they can have the successful and rewarding race day they deserve.”

TriDot also provides extensive ongoing support to its global coach community which includes IRONMAN legends like Mark Allen (6x IRONMAN World Champion), Michellie Jones (IRONMAN World Champion & Olympic Silver Medalist), and Mirinda “Rinny” Carfrae (3x IRONMAN World Champion).

"I'm so excited about this partnership. With TriDot, my athletes are consistently getting fitter and faster. I wouldn’t coach without it," says Mirinda Carfrae. Mark Allen adds, "On the surface TriDot looks simple. Underneath that hood is the best training you'll find in triathlon. Ever. Anywhere."

With this partnership, TriDot Pool School (TPS) also becomes the Official Swim Training Program of IRONMAN.  TPS is a simple yet highly effective program for people who want to develop or improve their freestyle swim form delivering an average improvement of more than 12.5%. It uses a hybrid instructional approach consisting of a multi-week period of dryland drills, done at home guided by video instruction, and an in-person weekend workshop in the pool with a 1:4 coach-to-athlete ratio. TPS is available across the US and is rapidly expanding worldwide. To learn more about TPS visit, https://tridot.com/tridot-pool-school/.

The Global IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® Triathlon Series is the world’s premier full-distance and half-distance triathlon series consisting of over 150 qualifying races in 50+ countries, regions, and territories across the world. Since its debut in 1978, IRONMAN events have come to represent the ultimate test of body, mind, and spirit for both professional and amateur athletes. IRONMAN triathlons offer athletes the opportunity to push beyond their perceived limits by swimming 2.4 miles (3.8km), biking 112 miles (180km), and running 26.2 miles (42.2km) in route to completing one of the world’s most challenging single-day endurance races and earning the coveted title of IRONMAN finisher. Similar to the IRONMAN triathlons, IRONMAN 70.3 triathlons maintain the structure and format of the original triathlon series but consist of a 1.2-mile (1.9km) swim, a 56-mile (90km) bike, and a 13.1-mile (21.1km) run, offering athletes of all backgrounds and abilities a consistent and first-class race experience at a variety of unique and beautiful venues around the world.

For more information about TriDot, visit www.TriDot.com. Media inquiries may be directed to media@predictive.fit.

For more information on the IRONMAN brand and global event series, visit www.ironman.com. Media inquiries may be directed to press@ironman.com.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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Looks like TriDot wrote Ironman a nice check. Nothing else to see here
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [indianacyclist] [ In reply to ]
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I mean, yes, that's kinda obvious.


That said, I'm more interested in what some of our coaches or coached athletes may have to say about it.

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Editor-in-Chief, Slowtwitch.com | Twitter
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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As someone who has never used TriDot, how does it even work? Do the athletes have any relationship with the coach or does an athlete pay the monthly cost to say they are coached by Mark Allen? I imagine Mark Allen would have no issues filling an athlete roster if he had a limited number of athletes he can coach and have a meaningful coach-athlete relationship with. I see TriDot as quite clickbaity with having big names associated with the brand.

I am not a big fan of the partnership. I see it as two corporate companies partnering and competing with independent coaches as Ironman tends to do with independent races.

Todd Suttor

Working Triathlete Elite Development Team
Professional Triathlete
Instagram
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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rrheisler wrote:
I mean, yes, that's kinda obvious.


That said, I'm more interested in what some of our coaches or coached athletes may have to say about it.

3.2 times more bs
ie i left the page when they claimed 3.2 x more improvement, as no serious company would make such a claim. or at least they would publish how they come to this number.

otherwise i guess it will work for them.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [pk] [ In reply to ]
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I'm reading their pricing page and the table of features lists some average improvement times (who knows how they got this data, maybe it's a sample or their athletes or random Ironman survey?) of 28:13 in a 70.3 following their 16 week program. That seems pretty reasonable in most cases, assuming the person already isn't winning the age group obviously.

My thought when I see this is I'm interested, but I really don't need another monthly subscription. I'm self coached, which I know reduces my performance potential because I have no one to be accountable to other than myself and I don't have a $150-300 "skin in the game" motivator to keep me on diet, on sleep plan, etc. in order to maximize my time and workouts. Still, I'm worlds better off than I would be mentally and health-wise if I wasn't doing this triathlon stuff. I'm assume I can be at top 5 consistently in the AG at most 70.3/Ironman races if I wanted (was able!) to muster the self control to take that next step. But at what cost to satisfy that obsession?

So I'll just recap to say the time required to actually ready, study and act on all the info tridot pushes on you is way too much for the bragging rights of podiuming at Ironman races.

Other than that, my general thoughts on the relationship with tridot and Ironman is it makes sense, but it's more endemic marketing. I think from an Ironman perspective what they need or tridot needs is to be linked with general fitness gyms at the local level to pull more people into triathlon. Not just figuring out how they can grab marketshare from the people who are already in the space.

An agreement with tridot licensed by Ironman and marketed through Plant Fitness and LA Fitness, etc. would be something exciting.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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I have been getting a lot of coaches posts on my FB page from old Ironman folks. People like Kurt Madden, Kathleen McCartney, Michelle Jones, etc. I wonder it they are now involved with the new coaching platform?

Nothing to add on the veracity of the program, dont really know it. But sure as hell a lot of you out there are or will be using it, check in and lets us know how it goes. As to the relationship with Ironman, another sponsor deal they will milk, just hope they dont do to them what they did to TBT...This association should be looked at more like a partnership with a needed add on to the whole experience, not just a sponsorship deal...
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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I am a former user of the platform and am also a coach (non TriDot affiliated). I agree it is a big payday for Ironman. I am disappointed as an independent coach that Ironman has now basically ditched all the IronmanU certification graduates that relied on Ironman to be unaffiliated as well. We (IronmanU Coaches) received an email a few weeks ago explaining that IronmanU is getting revamped... well now I know why!

As an athlete that used the program for four seasons, I was lured in by TriDot's preseason project that is their research methodology to make the claims they do regarding faster times. I am not going to pretend to know the data behind their claim, but they do indeed collect millions of data points on thousands of athletes that drives the AI engine they have. They are aggressively growing and they are indeed adding very prominent coaches to their roster, many of whom Monty already listed. As a new triathlete, I saw huge gains that would have been expected with any proper coached program so they are capitalizing on actually capturing the data to claim that growth of their athletes. As I grew to the pointy end and my gains became incremental, I would say the program did not grow with my progress as an athlete. My close friend is a master coach with TriDot and they have a very robust program to support their coaches and provide coaching beyond the computer interface.

I stepped away from TriDot because the program was prescribing the same workouts over and over again and it was getting monotonous. I worked with a human coach in addition to the platform's automatic workout platform. My coach would modify it manually when we had other goals than what the program was geared to adjust for (i.e. ultra distance events, etc.). I learned that my coach received only a small fraction of my monthly payment so I elected to wait out the 6-month non-compete she had with TriDot and begin paying her directly for her expertise and efforts to coach me.

The system was an excellent way to teach me as an athlete about not over training, the Zone3 pitfalls of training, and the value of Zone2 efforts. It also taught me about periodization and gave me a terrific basis to grow from as an athlete. When I talk to a prospective athlete, I am very open in suggesting TriDot if I think it would be a better fit to their goals and tell them to come back to me if they would prefer a more hands-on human interaction.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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I signed up for a couple free months of Tridot training, but rapidly dropped out as I don't have the equipment to log all my workouts as it required, or the training time for the workouts. Did get a Garmin but did not succeed in syncing the workouts to the Tridot systems. The sync failed silently, no errors, and the first couple of interactions with support didn't resolve.

On the face of it the system looks reasonable to me, with decent repeated tests to determine progress, and paces for workouts that matched my expectations.
The workouts seemed massively overspecified - 90min bike workout with about 15 steps through different zones, made my head hurt just to look at it. Pretty sure I'd never be able to remember all the steps, so would have to upload the workout to the Garmin and watch it constantly to see what I was supposed to be doing. At this stage of my life/training that's more work than I want to do, just to go for a bike ride.

As usual this kind of online training will work best for experienced athletes, I'd expect the coaches using it are mediating between the computer and the athlete..
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [Jayjuno] [ In reply to ]
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Jayjuno wrote:
I am a former user of the platform and am also a coach (non TriDot affiliated). I agree it is a big payday for Ironman. I am disappointed as an independent coach that Ironman has now basically ditched all the IronmanU certification graduates that relied on Ironman to be unaffiliated as well. We (IronmanU Coaches) received an email a few weeks ago explaining that IronmanU is getting revamped... well now I know why!

As an athlete that used the program for four seasons, I was lured in by TriDot's preseason project that is their research methodology to make the claims they do regarding faster times. I am not going to pretend to know the data behind their claim, but they do indeed collect millions of data points on thousands of athletes that drives the AI engine they have. They are aggressively growing and they are indeed adding very prominent coaches to their roster, many of whom Monty already listed. As a new triathlete, I saw huge gains that would have been expected with any proper coached program so they are capitalizing on actually capturing the data to claim that growth of their athletes. As I grew to the pointy end and my gains became incremental, I would say the program did not grow with my progress as an athlete. My close friend is a master coach with TriDot and they have a very robust program to support their coaches and provide coaching beyond the computer interface.

I stepped away from TriDot because the program was prescribing the same workouts over and over again and it was getting monotonous. I worked with a human coach in addition to the platform's automatic workout platform. My coach would modify it manually when we had other goals than what the program was geared to adjust for (i.e. ultra distance events, etc.). I learned that my coach received only a small fraction of my monthly payment so I elected to wait out the 6-month non-compete she had with TriDot and begin paying her directly for her expertise and efforts to coach me.

The system was an excellent way to teach me as an athlete about not over training, the Zone3 pitfalls of training, and the value of Zone2 efforts. It also taught me about periodization and gave me a terrific basis to grow from as an athlete. When I talk to a prospective athlete, I am very open in suggesting TriDot if I think it would be a better fit to their goals and tell them to come back to me if they would prefer a more hands-on human interaction.

just to say that is a pretty good post
cheers.
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Post deleted by TiredMomRuns [ In reply to ]
Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [TiredMomRuns] [ In reply to ]
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Some tridot people were spamming this forum a while back with their swim programs (lots of doctored testimonials), which was a bit flawed as it was not in person technique stuff. You can already see some posters reponses here which seem robotic marketing dribble..
Last edited by: synthetic: Dec 6, 23 12:18
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [TiredMomRuns] [ In reply to ]
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TiredMomRuns wrote:
I recently decided to explore alternative training platforms after being intrigued by the hype surrounding TriDot. As a lifelong athlete with a background in self-coaching, I was drawn to the promise of improvements, but my experience with TriDot left me questioning its sports science foundation.


TriDot's approach seemed to rely heavily on high-intensity training, perhaps to bolster their statistical claims of success. However, as someone concerned about the risks of injuries, illness, and overtraining, I found the approach to be too aggressive for my liking.


In my quest for a more scientifically grounded training program, I discovered Athletica.ai, a platform built upon decades of solid sports science. Developed by Paul Laursen, PhD, an avid long-distance triathlete, Athletica.ai caught my attention with its AI-driven, adaptable training approach.


What sets Athletica.ai apart is its commitment to a science-backed methodology, ensuring a holistic and balanced training experience. The platform is not only athlete-friendly but also offers a free coach platform, making it accessible for both individuals and coaching businesses.


I appreciate Athletica.ai's continuous development of features and their responsiveness to athlete feedback. This adaptability and commitment to improvement align well with my values as an athlete and coach.


In conclusion, if you're seeking a training platform that prioritizes sports science, adaptability, and a responsive user experience, Athletica.ai is worth exploring. My transition has been rewarding, and I believe it offers a promising alternative to those looking for a more thoughtful and scientifically driven approach to training.

Was this post also written by AI? Each sentence is regurtitated too completely on-point with their marketing to be typed up on the fly in a forum post.

Indeed, copyleaks.com says the post was written by AI. And gptzero.com says it was written by an AI.

I'd suggest to the manager/owner of this site to ban use one of those tools and wave the ban & delete stick at accounts that just regurgitate AI spam without actually citing AI as the source.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [Lurker4] [ In reply to ]
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Based on previous posts from their account, they are an ambassador of Athletica.ai, developer for them, and host their podcast. The text change mid post is suspicious of AI copy/paste as well..

Todd Suttor

Working Triathlete Elite Development Team
Professional Triathlete
Instagram
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [synthetic] [ In reply to ]
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Hahaha this made me laugh.. thanks for keeping things real :)

E-DUB
Chief Janitor @Slowtwitch
Life is short. Dont be mad all the time.

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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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I was surprised to see this but then again, not surprised. Follow the money, for sure. I was sad that Mark and Michellie bought in, as they are legit coaches by themselves, but at this time in a life a guaranteed income is the way some go. Names fade fast and the new generation does not even know who some of the greats even were anymore. Cash in while, the iron is hot.
I also did the trial program to check it out and was very far from impressed. Having been coached by some of the best and also being a certified coach myself with many years experience, I thought I'd see what it bring to the table. Like another poster above, the workouts were far from groundbreaking and lacked imagination and value. I didn't even care to stick to the program as the monotony and the knowledge that the prescribed workout was not the best use of my time made it really difficult to buy in. I see this as a real money maker especially with the new athletes who have not taken time to analyze themselves and how they thrive. As many say, anyone with a structured plan will see improvement and I think this is what TriDot banks on; newer athletes who never have followed a plan and the price is more affordable than a true coach. The more years I see this, I see the sport gravitating to grabbing the money on the table instead of truly catering to the personal touch a real coach would have. Obviously TriDot paid a hefty check and Messick, true to his nature, would never turn down the money no matter what the long term effect is. Cash in and cash out; he's a lame duck anyway who's ruffled far too many feathers but walks aways with gold.

Kiwami Racing Team
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [GaryGeiger] [ In reply to ]
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I have a couple of friends who use TriDot but don’t know much about it myself. From the FAQ:
“Yes. TriDot’s Premium subscription comes with a dedicated coach and regular coach communication. TriDot still optimizes your training program so your training isn’t based on a coach’s personal philosophy, theories, or what may have worked for them. TriDot uses technology to do what technology does best—analyze data—so coaches can do what coaches do best—work with people!”

This made me laugh. Don’t we pick one coach over another because we like something about their particular philosophy or theories? And I really want to know what exactly “work[ing] with people” means when the coach doesn’t analyze the data or use their own ideas.

Move on. Keep training. Be an adult.
Last edited by: Omelette: Dec 7, 23 5:10
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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As a coached athlete, I would rather pay a local coach as I know the money is staying local and not ending up in another company's bank account. I have access to my coach via text, email, and phone. He understands his athletes have families and careers and always advocates that we put those ahead of training. I trust his wisdom and guidance and cannot say the same for Tridot. To trust some program backed by technology such as AI does not make sense to me. There is more behind the data that coaches can read in a workout.

We do have a Tridot coach within Team Zoot and I personally get sick of the posts in our FB group. I get he is probably trying to get more clients or whatever but its just annoying after a while.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [Omelette] [ In reply to ]
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Omelette wrote:
I have a couple of friends who use TriDot but don’t know much about it myself. From the FAQ:
“Yes. TriDot’s Premium subscription comes with a dedicated coach and regular coach communication. TriDot still optimizes your training program so your training isn’t based on a coach’s personal philosophy, theories, or what may have worked for them. TriDot uses technology to do what technology does best—analyze data—so coaches can do what coaches do best—work with people!”

This made me laugh. Don’t we pick one coach over another because we like something about their particular philosophy or theories? And I really want to know what exactly “work[ing] with people” means when the coach doesn’t analyze the data or use their own ideas.

What I think, the legit coaches signing on want to join this marketing engine to gather more clients, then put them on their own program
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [Omelette] [ In reply to ]
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So now I'm intrigued, is the coach essentially the person that you talk to or text with while the workouts are all essentially AI generated for athletes?

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
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No idea. I will ask my friends.

If the workouts are AI generated, what are you asking the coach about? It doesn’t seem like there would be much to discuss.

Move on. Keep training. Be an adult.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [Omelette] [ In reply to ]
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So I looked at it and with the different pay structures, it looks to me the bread of butter of the program is going after the people who want/need a coach but don't want to pay the "asking rate" of coaches these days. So for $100 you are basically going to get a dynamic workout plan minus basically coaching interaction. Even the $150 Mark Allen coaching doesn't seem like you will get much coaching interections, and so I think you basically are going to be able to say "I'm coached by Mark Allen". Which no hating on, it's a smart as hell gig for both Mark Allen and tridot to basically market that. And the AG athletes get to say "Mark Allen is my coach". Everyone wins. It's a great business strategy because I think a large population within the triathlon numbers will willingly pay $100 for "coaching".

Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [B_Doughtie] [ In reply to ]
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B_Doughtie wrote:
So I looked at it and with the different pay structures, it looks to me the bread of butter of the program is going after the people who want/need a coach but don't want to pay the "asking rate" of coaches these days. So for $100 you are basically going to get a dynamic workout plan minus basically coaching interaction. Even the $150 Mark Allen coaching doesn't seem like you will get much coaching interections, and so I think you basically are going to be able to say "I'm coached by Mark Allen". Which no hating on, it's a smart as hell gig for both Mark Allen and tridot to basically market that. And the AG athletes get to say "Mark Allen is my coach". Everyone wins. It's a great business strategy because I think a large population within the triathlon numbers will willingly pay $100 for "coaching".

My assumption was the Mark Allen plan doesn't have him coaching you, but you get his customizations to their plan concepts, and get some written content and prerecorded video by him.

So that extra 50 bucks for Mark Allen is basically a royalty he collects in the initial work in building the plans/content and his continued promotion of the tridot brand.
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [monty] [ In reply to ]
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monty wrote:
I have been getting a lot of coaches posts on my FB page from old Ironman folks. People like Kurt Madden, Kathleen McCartney, Michelle Jones, etc. I wonder it they are now involved with the new coaching platform?

Nothing to add on the veracity of the program, dont really know it. But sure as hell a lot of you out there are or will be using it, check in and lets us know how it goes. As to the relationship with Ironman, another sponsor deal they will milk, just hope they dont do to them what they did to TBT...This association should be looked at more like a partnership with a needed add on to the whole experience, not just a sponsorship deal...


Kurt Madden has been with Tridot since he came back to racing in 2016. I know MJ is coaching for them too, and that started this year. I don't know any other details.



Emilio De Soto II
Maker of triathlon clothing, T1 Wetsuits, & Saddle Seat Pads and AXS since 1990
emilio@desotosport.com http://www.desotosport.com
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Re: TriDot and IM Team Up [rrheisler] [ In reply to ]
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No one has ever benefited from an Ironman association/sponsorship deal IMO

http://www.TriScottsdale.org
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