I think it's just a matter of time before it's confirmed. Of course it'll always be an aerobic sport no matter what the distance is because well it's a 50 min race even at sprints. And sure you'll get some overlap but you wont get world class guys overlapping and winning both at world class championship level events. The demands will just be too different.
Also with the move to sprint, it'll be more in line with MTR style of racing + Super League and thus this idea that guys will race for 50 min tops or race back to back days of ~75 total mins will even want to race for nearly 4 hours, meh. It's just going to be that extreme imo, I dont care whether it's still aerobic or not. It's just not going to lead to a very successful racing career meshing the 2 distinct races in the same small time frame.
ETA: Will some do it? Absolutely cus they are still great enough athletes. But no way in hell if they move to a full schedule of sprints will those same athletes who also will likely become younger and younger also race 70's at a high level in the same time period. It just aint going to happen. The move to sprint will only make ITU younger and younger and thus that type of athlete generally will lack the "aerobic fitness" that more seasoned athletes can develop. So will there be an initial period where there is cross over of course there will be. But in 10 years it's going to be a very distinct line in the sand of ITU athletes vs non-draft long course athletes (again as I said in another thread, I kinda hate that 70.3 is "long course" because it's probaly the last real race distance that can be raced hard and is still I think much different than IM racing).
Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
Also with the move to sprint, it'll be more in line with MTR style of racing + Super League and thus this idea that guys will race for 50 min tops or race back to back days of ~75 total mins will even want to race for nearly 4 hours, meh. It's just going to be that extreme imo, I dont care whether it's still aerobic or not. It's just not going to lead to a very successful racing career meshing the 2 distinct races in the same small time frame.
ETA: Will some do it? Absolutely cus they are still great enough athletes. But no way in hell if they move to a full schedule of sprints will those same athletes who also will likely become younger and younger also race 70's at a high level in the same time period. It just aint going to happen. The move to sprint will only make ITU younger and younger and thus that type of athlete generally will lack the "aerobic fitness" that more seasoned athletes can develop. So will there be an initial period where there is cross over of course there will be. But in 10 years it's going to be a very distinct line in the sand of ITU athletes vs non-draft long course athletes (again as I said in another thread, I kinda hate that 70.3 is "long course" because it's probaly the last real race distance that can be raced hard and is still I think much different than IM racing).
Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II
Last edited by:
B_Doughtie: Sep 19, 19 6:01