Well, let’s talk about Mark being the one with the most to lose comment around Kona.
He should probably stop talking about his wife’s competitors. It gets nauseating. It also puts a target on his wife’s back that she doesn’t need because Kat in every media I’ve consumed about her or of hers seems amazing. Mark not so much, he needs to tighten the shot group.
Yeah that’s why Fiesty Triathlon did their own post race show…unless you were being sarcastic.
Kat is an amazing resilient athlete and partner .
Overcoming her life threatening bike to car crash and relationship with mark.
Truly resilient. I think people like her because she is honest, kind, and yet will try to destroy you and beat you race day and if she loses she admits defeat , no excuses . Reset adjust and move forward.
Thanks @talbotcox you are good bloke!
Iirc there are two ‘key’ “most to lose” comments (NB both light-hearted before the event commentaries in a podcast, one genuine, one sniping):
One by Mark, previewing IM Texas and Taylor’s head-to-head with Kat (in the context of her 75 seconds’ win in Taupo), who said Taylor had “the most to lose”. This is ‘chat’. But of the two, who do you think had the most to lose? And in the event, who did ‘lose’ more?
The second riffing on Taylor’s revealing that that had irritated her, @JackKelly-TTH mooted that, of all the athletes and supporters involved in Kona, Mark “had the most to lose” given the centrality of Kat’s run to her winning chances and the fact (through socials in the summer) that she had ceded control of her run programme to hubby, so if her run went badly it was ‘down to Mark’. Remind me: how did that go?
The relevant (to your point about “his wife’s competitors”) element of the value Mark adds, imho, besides being the Brit in the PTN crew (get Steph on there as often as possible please), is that he knows the vast majority of the main WPro players to a greater or lesser extent. Obviously he and Kat will ‘game’ possible scenarios so he’s had to think about athletes’ strengths and weaknesses: int prep of the battlefield. So if Mark recuses himself from discussing the WPro fields ProTriNews lose excellent knowledge and their discussions will be even less fact-based.
If you feel nauseous, dope yourself with Gaviscon, or “you should probably stop” listening - you keep on saying “I don’t listen to podcasts” [“I don’t listen to podcasts much these days”; “The HABS club is such a horrible podcast. What they say gets to be so dumb.”]
“Target on Kat’s back”? Mark’s comments make zero difference to the size of the “target on Kat’s back”. The bullseye remains small and very few have the arrows they need in their quiver. We’ll see (or not).
Hi Mark.
The only person going to 70.3 WC is Mark. So no the only content we will put our is our 70.3 WC Preview dropping mid day monday in the USA.
Can’t wait!
What a cameo from Kristian Blummenfelt. He is such a great personality. You know that he listens to all the podcasts and consumes the media. And he’s not afraid to dish out some takes.
Did one of you guys mix us Mathis with Mathew and the cramping or has Mathis had cramping issues too.
I think Rico will not pull away up those first hills as much as they think. If he gaps it is in the middle of the race on the flatter section and solo up the back climb and down hill to the finish but he will not get away until after at least 35 km. but he will not gain much.
Pretty sure Mathis was cramping on the bike in the T100 race in Spain. However that’s the only time I can recall him cramping so could’ve just been a one off.
Did anyone else have an advert go straight through/ on top of the rest of the podcast about half way through this week?
Otherwise, great episode. I much prefer one in-depth race preview covering all aspects of the race to drawing it out over a week. Watch out @Kyleglass91, you might want to slap a copyright on the idea before everyone is doing it…
Fixed that on the audio file. Sorry about that! We actually really enjoyed the marathon episode as well! Glad you liked it
Someone remind me - does Mark not pick a women’s winner when Kat is doing well, or when Kat is not doing well?
I think Matt didn’t pick because of Taylor’s comments and some heat here and elsewhere from commenting on his wife’s competitors (talking about Laura Phillip and her entourage for example). He also avoided taking the “why LCB can’t win” argument too. It’s too bad because unrestrained Mark Matthews is the best, he knows so much and he’s hilarious. But I get wanting to avoid friction with other competitors and putting any more of a target on Kat’s back.
He seemed dead sober for this episode which I feel helps him to rein himself in.
I’d think there’s a big enough target on Kat’s back just because of who she is as an athlete and competitor. Whatever Mark says isn’t going to change that. Mark has often played the “I may be her husband, but that has no bearing on what I’m about to say” card - which I think is Mark at his best, at least as a podcaster.
In Kona PTN was telling everyone how important their daily pods were because they were actually at the races, but now they aren’t there so the one pod is the best way to go. TTH is actually there in Marbella, ironically…and the daily pods are fun too. I think the content helps build the week. PTN was awesome in Kona - but this pod will be lost by the time the race starts IMO
ETA I would love to hear more from Mark during the week - he’s got insight thru Kat that is pretty special even if he plays his cards close!
I mean he literally thanked his wife for bringing him a beer mid-episode.
Quite likely he’s got a decent tolerance so it might take a few to loosen his tongue;)
People still drink beer when Whiskey is available make them untrustworthy.