and no races outside the US - unless Nice if he qualifies
Decent article, but a weak effort on comparing field strengths between the series. Everyone hates on the PTO scores, assuming they are biased, but nobody brings better solution besides assuming that Pro Series fields must be stronger.
To me it is clear that the T100 fields were stronger at the top, and probably down to the 10th-15th athlete. Beyond that, T100 races usually had some weaker fillers rounding out the field while the Pro Series races had similar or better strength that 15-20, but then also maintain that similar caliber through many more positions as the fields are larger.
There were a handful of Pro Series participants that didnât (or were sort of not allowed to) do T100 that would have been podium contenders, but the vast majority wouldnât have sniffed a podium.
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Doubt anyone will put T100 on their official schedule unless they are ranked in the top 15 at the start of the year as rankings can change but I am sure he would show up for the US based ones if he gets an invite!
Funk and Byram starting their seasons early in NZ which hints at a IMNZ and T100 run respectively for them
Norwegians also seemed to be focused on Pro Series with NZ and Texas as their season kick offs
Cameron Mainâs IM Pro Series schedule
(NB Winner IM WA at Busso before Christmas in a debut time of 7:38. And minutes ahead of Dickinson, Le Corre, Schomburg and Bogen at (IM Pro Series) 70.3 Venice-Jesolo earlier in 2025.)
Itâs amazing how a company like Outside can be run. I assume they spend all of their budget acquiring rights and when the marketing team tells leadership that customers hate using their product, they just shrug their shoulders because they are burning investors capital and donât really care. Or is there some play to buy lots of content and then do another round of funding when they âdiscoverâ their delivery platform sucks? Itâs bizarreâŚ.
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Very good news!
Quite sure Outside TV isnât available outside N America
Never heard of them
Folks should just stick with YB, it has become the defacto platform for these live sports if you canât get those big broadcasting contracts
Wow, that was the only reason I was subscribing to Outside, was to get live or replays of the pro series. Incidentally, it also gave access to articles in Outside and Triathlete magazines, which are of some value, but probably not $99/year.
Fwiw, Langridge is heading to IM New Zealand, but unsure /coy about the design of her season, given this is a âcomebackâ from health tribulations of last year. Seeks a KQ, which I reckon she will struggle to achieve there, given the talent likely to race (4 slots). IM Pro Series: I suspect not - she needs to chase success in some second tier races. Most years she races the Challenge Champs, Samorin.
Itâs going to be toss up whether TaupĹ or the Woodlands/Hardy Tollroad will have the strongest WPro field at the sharp end.
The only other WPRO that has officially said that IMMZ is on her schedule is Tamara J and maybe KM? Taupo might not draw the field that one suspected when the Pro Series calendar was announced
For the men, think Norwegians and Laidlow?
You were right. WPro:
Four of the top 13 in Kona including #2, #4, #7 and #13.
And the men:
I see Le Corre aiming to get an early KQ to allow him to focus on T100 or the last year of WTCS.
And thisâll be the first IM for Smith since his #11 in the Ironman World Champs 2021 (May 2022 in St George). He was third here 5 years ago!
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A bit underwhelming!
NZ is just too early I suspect!
interesting that the Norwegians have split up their schedules? Guess now they each have better chance to win the pro series!
Smith and Le Corre will be interesting to watch. Is Le Corre qualified for T100? Doubt he wants to dabble in WTCS and IM, never works well
Well KB was smashing some absurd session on Christmas Day while Iâm sure Casper and Gustav were with their ladies enjoying some eggnog and opening presents. I donât think the latter 2 are interested in anything other than those 2 big races at the end of the season.
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Be that as it may, a few people who are outside âthe usual suspectsâ group who Iâm excited to see take on the challenge, e.g. Clutterbuck, Le Corre, Funk, Jewett, Foley.
Wait for Talbot to start a GoFundMe to get Lionel over in NZ now that they see the field is weak.
âToo earlyâ
For athletes aiming to do well in the IM Pro Series the âearly doubleâ of IMNZ and then Geelong is attractive (and in benign training weather season too). Opens Texas as second and done IM. This matters more for the women as Texas followed by Hamburg is tight whereas for the men they have long enough to Frankfurt for their second one. Though Hamburg sort of and Frankfurt certainly kiboshes Roth. Perhaps Blummenfelt is signed up for Roth: has to be on his âbucket listâ and the IMNZ & IM Texas combo fits nicely then a 70.3 in a ten week block before Roth.
âNorgesâ
PTN muses on whether Stornes and Iden may have had injury interruptions in the last few months but iirc Stornes was never planning to race IMNZ. Now I assume both will choose IM Texas as their first full distance outing. For @lagoon I suggest that all three will value the IM Pro Series opportunity sufficiently to include two IMs and a 70.3 (maybe two) in their schedule. This is completely compatible with being âinterested in those 2 big races at the end of the seasonâ and exactly the approach of Iden and Stornes last year.
âSmithâ
This is Smithâs local race: what earthly reason could he have not to race? He doesnât race full often, but entirely capable thereof: his fail at St George in 2022 must grate/unfinished business. T100 has had his complete attention for a lucrative two years: the 2026 4+1 non-contracted format affords him (and others) greater flexibility.
âand Le Correâ
Le Corre is 36 this year so likely has decided to pull the WTCS plug - campaigning to stay top 3 in such a strong nation till 2028 would be a gamble. He was desperately unlucky not to get an MTR medal in Paris (thank you Wilde), indeed he was #4 in both individual and MTR so the Olympic bucket (and Rio) is well and truly ticked. I canât remember what hindered him in 2025 but only finished one WTCS race. Wonât get a T100 start.
Ankle injury for Iden.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DU2yhefDXNs/?igsh=aWhsZ3RyOTZudHUw
More rope a dope from the tactics master.
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there is rumours that there will be 2 Norwegians in roth this year .