Triathlon News & Notes: Super League Athletes Announced, Tim O'Donnell Qualifies for Kona

15 months after heart attack, Tim O’Donnell qualifies for Kona

After a “long road back” from a serious heart attack while competing at Challenge Miami in March 2021, pro triathlete Tim O’Donnell finished third at the Ironman North American Championship in Des Moines, Iowa last weekend, and sealed up his 11th career Kona slot. “It wasn’t pretty towards the end of the run but I made it,” O’Donnell, 40, posted. He also shared that after doctors discovered he has a genetic predisposition for increased arterial plaque and inflammation, he has been working with personalized performance system Inside Tracker to come up with nutrition and lifestyle recommendations based on blood, DNA, and other data. 

Super League 2022 athletes announced 

Super League Triathlon revealed that pro triathletes Georgia Taylor-Brown, Beth Potter, Sian Rainsley, and Kirsten Kasper will be among the competitors on the women’s side in the 2022 Super League Championship Series, which begins in September. The men’s field includes another who’s who of triathlon, including Jonny Brownlee, Hayden Wilde, Vincent Luis, Martin Van Riel, Tyler Mislawchuk, Max Stapley, and Morgan Pearson. The announcement comes on the heels of the announcement that fans can buy in to control various aspects of the team—similar to fantasy triathlon. The second round of athletes is set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Watch all 2022 Super League Triathlon races live on Outside Watch; Outside+ members also get access to replays.

RELATED: Super League Triathlon Announces 2022 Championship Season

USAT seeks to fill board of directors role

Dr. Tekemia Dorsey has resigned from her position as general director on the USA Triathlon Board of Directors, USAT announced this week. Citing personal reasons, Dorsey, the CEO of the International Association of Black Triathletes (IABT), was slated to serve on the board until Dec. 31, 2025. The search for Dr. Dorsey’s replacement on the USAT Board of Directors began immediately, with a successor set to be chosen within 60 days. USAT is accepting nominations for the position until June 26; click here for details. 

Competitor dies at Escape the Cape Triathlon

Michael P. Beachler, 70, of Wilmington, Delaware, suffered “apparent cardiac arrest” while participating in the open water swim race at the Escape the Cape Triathlon event, race officials reported. Beachler was close to the end of the one-mile swim when lifeguards noticed him in distress near the finish about 8:30 a.m., according to a statement issued by event organizer DelMoSports and the Delaware River & Bay Authority. Emergency medical personnel administered CPR on the shore, and the man was taken to a local hospital where he later died. This is the second reported death in a competition over the weekend; 51-year-old Andy Hey, of Berkshire, England passed away after falling ill during Sunday’s Ironman Staffordshire 70.3. 

New book tells the story nonagenarian triathlete  

At 92-years-old, Lew Hollander is one of the most prolific age-group triathletes on the planet. And now, his story is being told through the book Use It or Lose It: Pathways to Healthy Living, a comprehensive account of the adventures of the Central Oregon resident, who is still competing. A world-class endurance horseback rider in his younger years, Hollander started racing triathlons when he was 55 and went on to become the oldest person in the world to finish an Ironman distance race, at 84. Still racing, Hollander has a pragmatic approach to triathlon, saying, “I have no talent that anybody else doesn’t have. You fall down and you pick yourself back up and keep going. A lot of people are much better athletes, but they fall down and they’re done. I guess I’m not done yet.”                                                                                                           

Podcast Notes

• Rudy Garcia-Tolson, a five-time Paralympian and medalist—and the first double-above the knee amputee to complete an Ironman—is featured on the Triathlete Hour, where the 33-year-old shares his rise as an athlete, which began when he was just five.
• Olympian and Triathlon Hall of Famer Barb Lindquist heads to the TriDot podcast, during which she recalls pivotal moments from her racing career, including representing the USA at the Olympics, and shares some coaching wisdom from her philosophy about balancing life and sport.
• ProTriNews dropped two episodes this week: A recap of World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama and other races, plus a 13-minute interview with Ironman 70.3 Eagleman champions Sarah True (who offers a refreshing take on her future goals and on racing after having a baby 11 months ago) and Cody Beals (who shares that he did a 30K training run with fellow pro and training partner Jackson Laundry in the week before Eagleman, saying he has a “new tapering protocol.”)
• Everyday Ironman features age-group athlete Candace Gantt, who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being hit by a tractor trailer in 2005 and has since finished the Boston Marathon three times and a full iron-distance race at the Beach to Battle in Willmington, North Carolina.
• The MX Endurance podcast brings on pro cyclist Alex Dowsett who shares what it was like to pace Joe Skipper in the Sub7 Project; later the hosts recap last weekend’s races. 

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