This is where I see it differently. I think both will make Kona the focus. We’ll see.
One thing for sure, despite what the nay sayers have to say, T100 does bring a level of drama, speculation, entertainment that IM doesn’t
If the rumor of cash infusion is true added to PTO statement they are moving into AG racing, things will remain interesting for the triathlon fans.
The IMWC will be their primary objective with the T100 Tour the supporting act.
Having won (with a finish in Taupo) the IM Pro Series, I don’t expect Matthews will try to repeat: the frequency of T100 races plus the fatigue she must be suffering will be persuasive factors.
In $ terms the T100 is more lucrative than IM Pro Series (NSS). The average remuneration the top 5 T100 athletes will get is circa $240k. The equivalent (ie average for top 5) in IM Pro Series is <$180k.
Philipp does not have to validate for KQ; Matthews has to earn a slot (no podium KQ).
Neither need ride a 70.3 as Marbella clashes with the T100 GF. I guess Philipp may wish to win Roth (would be 4 weeks to London and she did OK on 20 days this year).
So the only T100 race they cannot do is Ibiza as only a fortnight before Kona (see also Heemeryck 2024). London to IMWC is 10 weeks: more than enough.
The PTO always pitched the Series saying and believing that athletes could race it competitively and also have another season goal, such as the Ironman WC. They probably did not expect to see someone like Kat go for the Pro Series as well… but all credit to her, she seems to have managed both quite well.
It’s going to be challenging for any of the athletes offered a contract to turn down $70-110k of guaranteed money in 2025, especially if they’ve been able to substitute racing with an “appearance” to earn the contract money from the PTO in 2024.
The increase number of races (~7-8 race commitment) might be a little harder now that athletes also need to earn their way to the WC (elimination of validation rule), but for the most part, these athletes are good enough to qualify without being in peak shape, at least on the women’s side.
i guess there will be a few athletes that will take stock this year and evaluate how this year went for them, at the end of the day this was a new experience year and coaches and athletes had the chance to learn new stuff . and now can evaluate.
my point would be the issue for most is not so much increased frequency of racing but more the managment when and how often do you really go flat out per year and when to really peak .
for instance i think phillipp did a smart way this year she got every race a bit better but is also in a good enough postion in the t 100 to do something had nice not worked out. and i guess she will not be at peak at the weekend haveing made hay after nice…
likewise ditlev was solid being fast at the start and then focus on long . you could argue roth might not work for him but still his stracture of the year was smart and taking roth more handy would likely help world champs.
while in my mind sam being too competitive at t100 in the races before kona probably had him metabolical not firing correctly ie economisation.
and patrick … his season is one day a year regardless what he does lol
what iam trying to say i do think you can do 2 things you just have to prioritise it correctly.
and kats strategy also worked but here i would wonder about long term effects
Kat’s strategy worked for winning a good pile of cash this year.
She did not win WC
Could she have won WC is she focus 100% on it ?
Nobody will ever know, but I bet you it crosses her mind.
The T100 guaranteed money is not that much when you compare what a Kona championship will do to a person’s life.
I have heard 2 Kona WC say if you want to win Kona, focus 100% on Kona.
i would say laura had a day that would have been be hard to beat it was good planning but also a day without any weaknesses that was the perfect 10 race.
still kat had her best placing at worlds. and as a pro she is still relatively new to the game.
yet laura is still 5th place at t 100 …
i would say a 80 percent focus is ok and also depends on the athlete some need to race more frequently than others
I agree: Philipp running 2:44 off that bike would’ve beaten anyone (including DNSs and DNFs) however “focused” anyone else had been.
Race frequency:
She had raced three 70.3s, and Roth, and two T100s.
Matthews had completed two IMs, two T100s and one 70.3.
For accuracy Matthews equalled her “best placing at worlds” having placed #2 to Ryf in May 2022.
@marcag Do you think Lange’s win was as a result of “100% focus”?
The only way for them to afford this is to have amateur racing to support the professional product. Dallas Open had amateur races and an OWS.
I suspect it’s a big part of why he chose not to take the T100 contract.
I don’t know how they will change the T100 rules. But I suspect they will do things differently and “bind” their athletes to more events. This makes it even harder to “focus” on Kona. So if you don’t have to, and you REALLY want Kona, there is a good reason to not sign.
But it is putting a lot of eggs in one basket. Few athletes can afford that
I suggest he didn’t sign the offered T100 contract because he knew he’d suck at 100k and had a decent chance of winning the IM Pro Series (and he still may, but I think Barnaby, Marquardt and Hogenhaug will overtake him (delta #1 > #4 is $130k!)).
The ‘all eggs in one basket’ is an option almost noone took this year (name one) and certainly none of the podium in IMWCs Nice and Kona (maybe Bartlett in #5).
I shall take it that you mean IMWC when you say ‘Kona’ 'cos no men there next year.
Maybe Sodaro and Haug will just focus on the IMWC. Sodaro more or less did that this year.
Putative IMWC(W) ‘focus’ next year with T100 as the chorus:
Apr Singapore
IM Texas (to KQ)
May Cote d’Azur
San Francisco
Jun Vancouver
Aug London
Sep miss Ibiza
Oct IMWC
LLV
Nov Dubai
Grand Final
Adding more athletes to the mens field could definately change the racing though, and make the top 10 or so much closer. The issues we saw this year were that some contracted athletes took the cash and didn’t prioritise the races, not showing up in race form. The wildcards believing they may have a one shot only, really put a lot more into their prep and races and showed some great perforrmances. Add another 5 wildcards, selected not just on pto rankings as the ex ITU athletes have shown they can be competitive at this distance but dont have the points yet.
Dunno man, 5 of 7 races is a lot. The issue is that the races need to be back to back and not stretched out over 8 months, it was of course originally 8 races. So, let’s do 8 races in 6 months.
They keep talking about broadcast, rivalries, narrative…a lot of nonsense when you stretch out a short race distance over an 8-9 month race window. You want to make it stringent, easiest way to do that is to compress the calendar.
Again I would not worry to much on the frequency more on how close to the max you go
And in a way both Laura and kat managed that well .
Laura obviously chose a rather careful plan and each race got a bit better . Had Laura smashed herself to bits and race Haug in Roth , chance are solid she would not have had the race she had in Kona IE I do think you can do Roth well but you can’t try to set a worlds best and win ironman world champs or let’s say it reduces the changes by quite a bit
Twenty is plenty.
The Hot Shots (x 4) and the 11-16 contract deliberations will allow the athletes you likely have in mind to be offered contracts. Please identify others you think ought to be in the mix.
Men:
(Van Riel will get a gold)
My suggestions are:
Wilde, Luis, Bergere, Geens, Blummenfelt, Iden
These have all proved themselves in MD.
Women is more difficult:
(Duffy, Knibb will get a gold)
Spivey, GTB, Pohle, Salthouse, Lindemann (if wants but totally unproven), Moench (shoe in for an IM Series win (without Matthews) tho’ but maybe just short (100k) in 2025), Lawrence (if wants), Loevseth (tho’ still v young and needed by NTF)
I think there could be a few more who would be competitive if given a chance. Non drafting can suit some athletes whose swim doesn’t get them in the front in draft legal. I would just like to see more wildcards available each race.
This is exactly what Michael Johnson and his team are doing with Grand Slam Track which I’m excited for next year. Four track meets between April and September. All contracted athletes will race two events per meet located in LA, Kingston, Miami, and possibly New York.
If I’m not mistaken, he was inspired by the PTO while attending the Dallas race when the concept was four triathlon grand slams plus the Collins Cup.
The “French Riviera” / Cote d’Azur race on 17/18 May is, as @Diabolo up thread suggested, Fréjus and St Raphaël
It would be great if you could name them, @chrisb12 ; men and women.
Men: there’s lots. We’ve identified a fair few already, Wilde, Luis, Bergere, LeCorre, Geens, Blummenfelt, Iden, Bitados, but there are more I think may be tempted to do some T100s on top of short course, and I think could do well at T100: Stapley, Dylan McCullough, Casper Stornes, Adrien Briffod, Emil Holm, Jamie Riddle to name a few.
Women as already stated is a little bit more unsure, less dense in that regard. But: GTB, Nina Eim, Tanya Neubert, Olivia Mathias, Sophie Coldwell, Jess Fullagar, Cathia Schar (still too young), Solveigh Loevseth are all candidates in the present or future for T100.
All the men on your main list have raced MD (some LD) and I’d have thought the first 3 named are shoe-ins. Geens will get an 11-16 contract off his PTO ranking, (as will Noodt). Nieshlag will need one of those slots too.
Of your “think could do well” list, only three have actually raced MD: Stapley and Stornes very well (but former has Waugh and I assume hopes for a BriTri squad contract), and Riddle not competitively/DNF. Offering them and others a wildcard is fine, but I’d like to see that off a decent MD result. None of them have the SC stature of MvR or Geens, have they?
As far as the women on your main list, have any raced 70.3?
Coldwell is pregnant (due date summertime) having raced London, well.
Mathias is young (and has Yee)
GTB on start list for Bahrain and I assume is a nap for a 2025 hot shot contract (alongside Luis)
Eim, Neubert, Fullagar, Schar . . . . not seen. Need to show merit first.