It actually probably shows you the cost of what actually developing the swim and bike does to you when they are key weaknesses. And we now have seen what he’s been able to do in what less than 5 years as a pro so far. Which is probably only going to mean TF’s career trajectory as trending in a very good direction. Of course he has to sorta prove it at A level races, but his development is probably exactly what you want to see from a stud single sport athlete background turned triathlete.
TF’s run times would be the least of my worries with him. He’s starting to put it all together which will only likely allow his run to become a real weapon soon.
And Sam just posted in regards to this “And the haters say racing in the US is soft…but all the best are choosing US races this year”. I mean, ok, but the Pro Series sort of drives that early season and Jelle wouldn’t be at IMLP if he hadn’t completely fucked up Texas.
So do we know if this is a wetsuit swim or not? And good to see my thread here getting a lot of traction, we even have one of the people in the conversation piping in! Both these guys have had a great season opening race, so there is top form in the bank for each. Trevor has a slight edge at the ironman distance, Sam at the half. And being that their talents align so closely, it should be a great race if each is having their day. But keep in mind that Sam in his oceanside race went into the run a couple minutes against the “best” in the world at the moment. Does anyone think Trevor could have been in that position on his absolute best day in T2? Sets up to be a real run battle for us fans if all the starts align for both guys..
Bummer like the last comment said that Trevor pulled off the startles, really wanted to see what he can do when firing!
Trevor’s run is awesome at the full IM because he’s so efficient and consistent, and like you have zero doubts he’ll be able to put down sub 1:10s in halves. Just don’t know if t would’ve happened this weekend, I’m usually a wait and see if it happens first type person. I fully expect him to break 2:35 in the full IM marathon soon though.
Unfortunately I’ve fallen a bit sick following my travel back home from Colorado. So training has been super sub par in result. Headed back to Boulder as we speak until Kona! Don’t think it’s worth it to race a non series 70.3 and just focus my efforts into a big summer of heavy racing (HappyV, IMLP, Boise).
& to touch on some of these other points (to give my opinion for what is worth lol) Definitely think my run has slightly “degraded” since late 2022. Coming from a single sport background I have found it so incredibly hard to try and improve at everything, more so from an energy standpoint. With my focus being so concentrated on swim/bike this last bit it’s just been hard to put real focus onto my run. I have also really dedicated a lot of my time/energy into my riding since ‘22. With the mindset of “I would rather get into the race than never see the race” Take Kona ‘24 & IMLP ‘25 as examples, biked really well a got myself into a position to at least give myself a shot for a podium. Would rather have a shot than hear I’m ‘12 down in T2 and just be demoralized. Again, this is just my opinion and what I have found works best for me. (ik I crashed in Kona but woulda been into the top10 few miles into the run then who knows)
& then lastly since late 2023 I really flipped a switch/decided I wanted to try and become a world class full distance athlete. One is bc fulls/kona is what really inspires me. Two, winning a pro series IM in ‘24 was definitely career changing moment for me and from a brand partners/coaching co/financial standpoint it seems like the “industry” cares more about full distance racing. Last & prolly most importantly, I believe my body/years of high mileage running is more suited for success in the 140.6 over 70.3.
My 2026 70.3 GC pick is: Ari, he’s due for a proper breakout! Let’s go Ari!
Off topic
This! Don’t faff around with C level races. You have a 5000, a KQ, an NQ and every shot at another 5000 in IMLP. Force multiply that with two decent IMPS 70.3s (convenient to be domestic) ('cos getting within 8 mins of the winner in Nice will be hard) and with a decent Kona you have a shot for top 3.
Subject of thread probably best to stick to racing domestic 70.3s and leave full distance well alone. Good pickings when the big boys are away in Nice and Kona.
Best guess is Sam needs another few minutes in the swim to make himself competitive. The few minutes he needs will take several years of very focused swim training with an eye on how much fatigue he is generating on the bike and run. That’ll be the big limiter.
I worked with a whole group of athletes about 10 years ago who were starting out their pro careers at the time and I told all of them that the swim, in the long run, would be what shut the door on their careers. They were all outstanding cyclists and runners, but were all poor swimmers. I knew that young athletes, who saw triathlon at the Olympics in its debut, would train through their youth as triathletes and would eventually age out of short course and into long course. They wouldn’t have any weaknesses. The ones who hadn’t built their swim would be left behind.
The swim is getting faster and it has been for the last 5 years. There’s still another few minutes at the front that is available, but it’ll be tougher and tougher to get.
ing?