Triathlon News & Notes: Inaugural Para Mixed Relay, Lange Fastest IM Run Ever In Israel, and More

Your roundup of news from the multisport world this week.

(Photo: Janos Schmidt/World Triathlon)

Published November 26, 2022 05:01PM

Ironman Israel takes off in record-setting fashion

The inaugural Ironman Israel welcomed about 2,200 athletes from 55 countries to Jerusalem over the weekend. The event included both a full and half-Ironman event, with competitors racing inside and around the Sea of Galilee lake in northeastern Israel. The race proved to be a record-setting event, with men’s winner Patrick Lange of Germany turning in one of the fastest-ever run splits on an Ironman course in 2:30:32, a personal best for the 36-year-old. On the women’s side, Brit Ruth Astle took the tape with the fastest bike and run split of the day, reporting that she was happy to win in “some pretty brutal conditions.”

First-ever para triathlon mixed relay held in Abu Dhabi

History was made in Abu Dhabi over the weekend with the very-first para triathlon mixed relay event at the World Triathlon Championship Finals. Nine teams—two from Australia and USA, France, Italy, and three World Triathlon mixed-nationality teams—lined up, with four legs covering a one-lap, 150m swim transitioning to a 4.5km bike and 1.2km run. In the end, Team Australia II took the tape from runner-up Team USA I, with Team USA II picking up bronze.

Ironman World Championships to air on Sunday

Relive the epic events of the Ironman World Championships (spoiler alert: Chelsea Sodaro and Gustav Iden win the pro race) on Sunday at 2pm EST on NBC. The famed documentary-style coverage will feature both the pro race and follow select age-group athletes—including Chris Nikic, the first person with Down syndrome to complete a full-distance Ironman triathlon, and mother and daughter team Beth and Liza James—who competed in the two-day event on October 6 and 8 of this year.

The documentary special will also be made available globally on the Ironman YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/ironmantriathlon following its airing on NBC.

World Triathlon approves competition calendar

A slate of championship races have been set for World Triathlon events in the upcoming year. The locations will include an opener in Abu Dhabi in March, as well as stops in Yokohama, Japan, Hamburg, Germany, and Sunderland, England before the Finals in Pontevedra in late September. In addition, 12 World Triathlon Cup events have been approved—running from New Plymouth in New Zealand on March 25 and 26 to Miyazaki in Japan on October 28 and 29, plus a Paris 2024 test event in August to feature competitions in the Olympic distance, mixed relay and Para triathlon. The full list of events can be found here.

Categories revealed for Global Triathlon Awards

The Global Triathlon Awards, set for January in Nice, France, have shared the award categories: These include Best Male Triathlete, Best Female Triathlete, Rookie of the Year, as well as categories recognizing triathlon gear, like Best Swim Product, Best Bike Product, and Best Run Product, among others. Members of the public are able to submit nominations in each of the categories, and following a large number of requests for a time extension, organizers have announced that nominations are now open until Sunday Nov. 27. Nominations can be submitted here

Rouvy rolls out virtual Samorin course

Ride the famed world championship course in Samorin, Slovakia, without boarding a plane with virtual training platform Rouvy. The company’s OmniMode indoor cycling app now offers an immersive experience featuring sights and features of the Samorin course, home to The Challenge Family’s Championship (and the Collins Cup). The 45-kilometer course uses 360-degree video panorama to show the Slovakian countryside landscapes as well as the undulating terrain of the area. Check out a preview here.

Podcast Notes

Andy Blow of Precision Fuel & Hydration dishes carbohydrate, fluid, and sodium intake of Kona top-10 finishers Fenella Langridge, Sarah Crowley, and Leon Chevalier among other insights on That Triathlon Show.
Pro Joe Skipper rehashes his big win at Ironman Arizona on his podcast, Triathlon Mockery.
That Triathlon Life chats “Bike Tech with Eric” and answers other listener questions about training and racing.
Triathlon coach Robbie Deckard heads to The REAL Triathlon podcast to talk about his mixed experience with lactate-guided training.
IronWomen brings on Ultraman Canada champ Amy Robitaille to talk all things ultra, including her winning race and what it takes to be successful at the grueling event.
Greg Bennett has an insightful conversation with Dr. Tommy Wood, an assistant professor of pediatrics and neuroscience at the University of Washington, discussing the effects of exercise on the brain, and how your mind can impact your physiology.

news and notes