Did you have a race that met/exceeded your expectations? Well done whatever.
I thought the 2024 edition which I went to to support (the pros), both days, was excellent, and the justifiable criticisms of the bike course was not applicable to the amateurs who went out and back to Westminster as normal for London (in pre-PTO incarnation)
I think Knibb can handle it if she gets the starting tactics right of where to line up and dealing with the group moshpit. LCB did look like she was drilling that swim pretty hard and to me at least, it felt like Knibb was pretty comfortable hanging on. If the elastic was near breaking I think it would have in the Aussie exit and around the buoys. The non wetsuit factor in Kona isnt a big difference in swimmers that have good form with the salt buoyancy.
I like how Knibb has the long season approach to her mindset. I do wonder if in the back of her mind (yet?) she’s wondering if the coaching change is having an impact on her results. But not much has been said about the breakup.
Back to the engagement factor, I’d be curious to see their numbers of how many defected after the women’s race concluded. On further reflection, here’s my thoughts:
By starting the 2nd race so much later, I didn’t have any hook set to keep me pulled in. Part of that is the race dynamics. The women’s race was winding down and then it’s Rico Bogen to the front and not much happening during the crossover period when they were jumping back and forth. I think the hook just never got set for me and I wasn’t pulled in enough to continue.
It’s maybe just random chance of the race dynamic, but I also think if the men started 30 minutes earlier and they did a better job of integrating that content I would be more attached to it. Maybe it also has something to do with the specific men racing as well.
Bogen, I’m starting to take an interest in, Mika “Noidt!” is a fun story to watch, and Hayden Wilde might become one of the greatest, if he’s not nearly there already. But I just found myself less interested in who wins. It definitely has the feeling of a short course, who cares lineup which isn’t fair.
I can sit and watch Kona for hours all the way through, in complete awe as someone like Chelsea Sodaro, who I’ve barely heard of at the time, yet I’m glued to the screen watching. So I do suspect it’s not just the cast of athletes, but when the 2nd race starts and how they choose to integrate it.
Yes very happy both with my race and the organization. I didn’t race last year but raced before when it was Challenge London 
1 Like
rico should pay sam to wait for him after the swim to get lapped and then they should cycle together and sam goes all out ,
sam could provide for his family if rico gives him a few k and rico would at least make the podium.
3 Likes
I think we just see things differently which is cool because to me it has nothing to do with the start in Kona. It’s going to be the fact that at the ~3k mark when the final swimmers put 1 last “surge” I think will be where you eventually see the final gaps start to occur (or they hold the feet and don’t get dropped). LCB ain’t dropping Knibb 300m into the swim. So that’s why I say a non-wetsuit IM distance swim will be LCB’s biggest weapon. If I’m wrong, you and monty can come dunk on me (i will be in fall ncaa championship season coaching so taking ST hiatus though, so my replies wont be until Nov). I think Knibb will be 30-45s gap. 30s gap is sorta irrelevant imo over the IM distance, anything bigger than 1 min would start to improve LCB’s chances to “hold wheels” of say Knibb when she comes by (or atleast mark her, not necessarily having to go with her).
So the whole debate of will she or won’t Knibb get “dropped” is really only relevant if we actually think the gap will be meaningful enough to actual matter. As I said a 20-30s gap imo is irrelevant, but technically would be “dropped”. So yall could dunk on each other I suppose arguing over who’s right. Really to me it’s a matter of is that gap going to be 1 min or more; that would be where it matters imo. (I think it’ll be in the 30-45s, for some reason 48s keeps popping into my head).
It should be noted, LCB has not had anyone stay on her feet in any IM distance race, whether world class fields or not, since 2019 w/ Lauren Brandon 6s back.
(that data point has included 3 IM WC’s in Kona)
(this is getting a bit non T100 related)
See, I think it’s Knibb gets dropped it’s early on doing the occasional quirky head scratching Knibb things.
If she’s in behind Lucy at 3k, she’s going to stick with her.
I suspect she could on LCBs feet pretty much the whole way and still end up 30s behind somehow doing Knibb things!
Well yes it should be noted, for as strong as a swimmer, Knibb’s probaly the most frequent FOP itu and now LC swimmer that has had the most WTF not making the front group moments in the biggest races. And this dates back all the way to her 1st junior worlds…I was assisting with team usa in Cozumel and she comes out of the water I think 30th, much to suprise of all of us (and herself). She stayed the course, quickly motored to the front and ran to a world championship. (I don’t think she’s missed a LC group of any signficance beyond her initial Kona attempt that was on a very short runway training plan; but she’s only done 2 IM’s so there is that as well)
I guess we’ll find out in 2 months just how good this long term plan has been, but it’ll be interesting to see how these races may or may not have on her psyche. I’ve watched her race, interacted with her plenty of times since 2012 when she began in usat juniors DL. And for me it’s less about the actual finishing position and more the way she raced. I hope she crushes Kona to make it potentially one of the best races ever with LCB / her and then the world class runners chasing them down, and shows she was just checking the box mode.
Note the swim here (T100 London) is pretty much marine. Well, marine in terms of salinity with added diesel, rat piss and even less pleasant things to dilute it a little. Was a major surprise to me in my first ever OW swim jumping in at the start as I wasn’t expecting saltwater. So I do wonder if this was a factor that influenced the relative swims?
3 Likes
It is just the current reality in the women’s field that there are a few athletes at a level above all the rest. Sure, if you didn’t have any of them in the race, then it might be closer and “more exciting” but I don’t think anyone would care much about it.
This race very much had a large majority of the best triathletes in the world at this distance.
I just listened to PTN and I swear I laughed when someone in the hot takes asked was T100 London’s field “the world’s best”…I laughed thinking, TSB wrote into the pod he hates on constantly, lol.
Friends who did the race told me Age Group T100 race was very good, esp the atmosphere with various tri clubs making up cheerleading zones.
4 Likes
Was anyone there for the Age Group Olympic and see Adam Peaty’s swim? His time was 19:44, I’d have loved to have seen him swim OW and crawl I assume.
I assume they struggled with the answer given that their fav was only 3rd they would have struggled to say the female was shit.
and with their usa bias and sam long 11th also a bit hard to call the race shit when ocean side is the best race on the planet where he usually does well.
ive seen AP swim freestyle on some of his YT videos. i didnt think it was ‘pretty’, both because he is not a freestyler, and he has very large shoulders / muscles and it kind of looks a bit unartistic to me to see someone really bulky swim freestyle. most elite caliber mid dstance freestylers have pretty skinny arms… give me LCB, learmonth, waugh and knibb going after it, that is great OW swimming!
Obviously you can tell by his pace that he wasn’t as fast as LCB. Just thought it would be different to see a sprint breaststroker swimming distance freestyle.
1 Like
Pro Tri News pod:
or
Speculation that Wilde will race WCTS (sprint)
Observation: Wilde hasn’t got a Marbella start.
So many inaccuracies on the podcast this week it is insane.
What’s inaccurate?
I don’t think they struggled to answer. I think Talbot and then others might have agreed, that may be the best middle distance race in terms of excitement/racing moves finishing w/ 3 gals running shoulder to shoulder 1/3rd of the way into the run and then LCB re-passing to win.