OK, so my thread on the 2025 Multisport National Champs was kind of a fizzle. Here is the thread for those headed to Pontevedra ESP this week. I leave 6/17, will race the sprint du on the 21st. As has been typical the last few years, we will use this as the launch for family vacation. My fitness is good (2nd place AG in Omaha last week), but I am battling a suspected metatarsal bone bruise. The x-ray showed nothing (typical) and I rejected the MRI - did not want to know. So, no running until race day - cycling is fine/no pain. My AG has 60 dudes! Very competitive. The bike course is a couple of miles of flat, then 4 miles uphill, 4 miles downhill, 2 miles flat-ish. Pacing will be key for a good result. Looking forward to seeing my racing pals in ESP…and turning in a race I can be proud of and not limp the rest of my vacation!
Also going. Competing in the standard duathlon - more pack fodder than competitive but.still looking forward to it. Shaking off a bit of illness this week unfortunately. Hopefully cleared up by end of the week.
Also going, racing Cross Tri. The bike is 18 miles and somewhere between 2600 and 3200 ft climbing (depending on which source you believe). Curious to see how this Colorado resident (me) stacks up against the competition. Altitude has to mean something…
Start lists are out.
Looking at the LD World Race which is a gold tier race giving away 65K $ and only 26 starters with very few serious contenders: defendind champion and local Antonio Benito Lopez will be the favorite to earn 16.500$, Frenchman Magnien who is also a great runner may challenge him. Few are even top 100 in the PTO, Amberger, Draper (49th), Wayaffe 100, Kubo 92, Montraya 96 , or Moine 91. I am amazed that there are no Germans starting although they have 9 men qualified for Nice and 12 for Marbella (Dreitz, Hirsch and Schomburg for both). Unless the starting list is not final it would look like a fairly easy race to score both points and money.
The womens race is even ‘worse’: only 14 athletes starting, top 2 from last year, Clavel and Lagownik (POL), Sparrow (GBR- 91th in PTO rankings) and Bergsten (SWE- 54) are among the top seeded athletes. Marjolaine Pierré would likely be up there too yet she will be attempting to secure a Kona slot in Vitoria only 2 weeks later which is not much for an young athletes with a history of injuries…
Dylan Magnien is scheduled to race Roth the following week but then in 2023 he finished IM Austria and IM Nice a week later finishing 6th and then 5th running 2h 46 at both!
Ah, unfortunately I leave on the 24th and will miss the pro LD. Would have been fun to watch, but family vacation calls…
I’m looking forward to it as well! Seems like the current heatwave will break by the time of the duathlons this weekend. Mentally bracing myself to get my face kicked in by the Elite/U23 men’s field, but the shorter first run (5k/30k/5k) should limit my losses enough to avoid a lap-out on the bike.
Marjolaine Pierre confirmed she’ll race Pontevedra. Clear favourite in the women’s field for me…