Looks like Byram and Lawrence have dropped out and been replaced by Hollioake and Hartnett (from the top of the waiting list, former racing in Taupo two weeks earlier).
Billouin (FRA) now top of the waiting list.
Simmonds still on Geelong start list.
Since Knibb is still on the Oceanside start list, I refuse to believe she will race Gold Coast in Queensland and then fly to Ca to race Oceanside a few days later. It seems totally ‘not Knibb’; in the context of her racing IM Texas on 18th April (she is on that start list as well btw; to KQ).
Maybe, maybe not. We’ll see kinda seems like Knibb though.
I think after betting the season on Kona last year, Knibb is just going a little the other direction this year and keeping as many options open as she can. What if she gets sick? What if she has to pull out last minute of a race? Etc etc. Why close doors in advance if there’s no cost to leaving your foot in.
The thing I hate about Ironman Pro Membership is that they can essentially enter themselves onto every pro race start list. Way back in the day I almost registered for a race based on that, and no it was not Sanders.
Itu used to have an interesting rule in regards to start lists. They would always be generated 1 month out and you only had a certain time period where you could remove yourself. And if you didn’t and skipped the race, the federation would be penalized. 3 missed races even at the Conti Cup level meant 1 Wtcs race entry lose. I don’t know if it’s still a rule, I do know 2 times USA national team members had to fly all the way to an event just to do a non-start so they weren’t penalized. I think it was McElroy and Spivey in like ‘18 or ‘19. I can’t remember the exact circumstances but I think it was a late injury that was past the deadline to drop without penalty. It’s also why many wait list pros will still travel to an itu race on off chance day of issue comes up and they can roll into the spot. I think GJ traveled twice to Wtcs races Pre Paris and still didn’t get in.
Not saying IM would have to go to that level of penalties, but there is precedence to atleast make sure pros treat the start lists professionally. But at the same time if there’s no rule against it, yeah why not put your name on every start list you may even remotely do. So yeah it may take a combination of IM and the pros coming together on a rule like that.
Seems to me they should just change $200 to put your name on the list that is refunded when you show up to registration. There is a cost to Ironman having a pro liason do their thing. Might as well have some of it paid for by people who don’t show. If that seems grossly unfair, refund one no show a year, but the rest get kept.
No idea what impact this has on the final start list, but the simple fact is, if pros find value in being on a list, charge for it.
The suggestion that the “start list looks very thin” is hyperbole. Waugh, Derron, Knibb, Gentle, Salthouse, Fullagar . . . I doubt Byram and Lawrence would’ve placed top 4.
The “simple fact is” that pro entry and then withdrawal/DNS is small beer. It’s really just admin and until the race starts getting ‘promoted’ eg a fortnight out, matters not. Even then a bit of start list churning is no big deal. I don’t think any start list has ‘wurfed’ out since the heady days of the early season 2024 races.
Rather than “charging for it” I suggest that serial over-entering behaviour is best deterred informally by Alice and her team engaging with individual pros.
Interesting list, hope the bookies start doing odds again, theres someone on there that has huge potential that im sure they wont pick up on, money to be made!
So you think Danielle De Francesco has “huge” potential too then? (Scroll up for discussion on her strengths and the merit of her inclusion as a wildcard.)
Noosa shows the way.
Thanks, Chris. My mother always taught me that “she” was the cat’s grandmother.
Yes, the message you replied to was what I said 9 days ago.
Though Gentle is, actually, still on both versions of the start list.
Billouin is next on the Waiting List. A flight via Singapore (and Turkey/the 'Stans) perhaps.
Gentle has, unsurprisingly, dropped off the Gold Coast start list.
Currently (only) 19 on the PTO version, so I assume invites out to, in order: Billouin, Dornauer, Hughes, Leisner
Hughes has just completed IMNZ and is on the Geelong start list (which, btw, has still not been published in the normal way).
Watching the T100s set to be ‘free’ worldwide, via triathlonlive.tv and note another use of the designation “T50”.
““We’re keeping T100 free-to-watch, but hope that fans of the sport will see the value in subscribing to the platform to get to know the short course racing and athletes who will become the stars of T50 in 2027.””
I assume that means no more YouTube, there was no reference to YT in the email about triathlon live.tv. Having it on YT made it very easy to watch and engage with - this feels like a big step towards paying to watch. Given the move towards bland courses in the Middle East (assuming the races can go ahead), I have little interest in forking out to watch athletes cycle around industrial estates. Interesting Ironman has gone the other way, its coverage has room for improvement but at least it’s free and the courses have some degree of interest. Making it easy to watch and engage with surely is a “must-have” ?
And I received this e-mail (edited) today:
"PTO+ [which was free but you had to sign up] will be discontinued at the end of March 2026. You can continue to watch the T100 Triathlon World Tour globally and free-of-charge [NB this year] via [TriathlonLive.tv]: all you need to do is visit TriathlonLive.tv where you’ll now find T100 races including an archive of all PTO events [Comment: All last year’s T100s are there now, for those who appreciate the oportunity to re-view].
"Don’t forget to watch the Gold Coast T100 on 21 March and follow this year’s WTCS [Comment: is this all going to be globally and free-of-charge?] – which kicks off with WTCS Samarkand on 25 April – giving you the chance to follow next year’s T50 stars.
Why The Change?
"As part of the PTO’s partnership with World Triathlon we are creating the Triathlon World Tour in 2027, which will see T100 and the WTCS coexist together as the T100 Championship Series and T50 Championship Series respectively, while also adding T100 Challenger Series [Comment: What are these? Ex-Challenge races?] and T50 Challenger Series (currently World Triathlon Cup races) to the mix.
“As part of this unification, we’re making [TriathlonLive.tv] the global home of pro triathlon streaming, giving access to the world’s best racing under one roof.”
I would assume generating revenue is top priority to the point if it doesn’t major changes happen. IM doesn’t need the broadcast to generate revenue like pto needs.
They probably make more money w only 30% paying for it then if they kept it free for all. At some point you gotta start making money full stop.
The total number of ppl tuning in is low so they can’t even really use that to go to advertisers to demand money. So the only way is for fans ro pay for it even if they drop 2/3rd numbers.
Agree trivial, in the scheme of things, blood and gold.
Currently the last three T100s are:
Date
Type
Event
Country
13-Nov
T100W
T100 Dubai
UAE
?28-Nov
T100M
T100 Jeddah
KSA
11-Dec
T100WM
T100 GF
Qatar
Unless the risks in the Persian Gulf drop off, a revised option is to make Jeddah the Grand Final (dropping Dubai and Qatar). There will have been three W and three M races by then. The PTO will have to decide whether they will change from 3 to count (+ GF) to 2 to count, or not.
I’ve put 28th November against Jeddah because there’s a WTC race there that w/e.
Would give those athletes who race Kona 7 weeks gap. That is a long period at the end of a long season.
