# Off Season Training Secrets

An episode of [The Triathlon Hour](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1595443343), 29 Dec 2025, 2 h 09 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2640942/episodes/19698003-off-season-training-secrets.mp3

This weeks podcast is massive. We start with off season/pre season training tips, tricks and secrets along with some good old fashioned training discussion. We then reflect on the 2025 triathlon season + do our own keep doing, start doing, stop doing for 2026. Then it’s on to the first ever edition of The Pretendies, the most prestigious award show in triathlon before finishing the last episode of 2025 by reading and responding to your Spotify comments. Nord VPN:Take advantage of a great deal with Nord VPN use the code triathlonhour or visit nordvpn.com/triathlonhour to get a huge discount in the 2 year plans PLUS 4 extra months! It is risk free with Nord's 30 days money back guarantee! Precision: Use the code TTH25 to get 15% off your first order with Precision at Precision Fuel & Hydration or subscribe to the Patreon and access the link that will save you 20% on every order, not just your first Patreon Pillar: Use the code TTH to get 15% off your first order with Pillar Performance at Pillar Performance or use The Feed for North American customers Lever: Use the code TTH for 20% off your Lever system Lever

## Transcript

[0:27] SPEAKER_04: Good day, good A, and welcome back for what is the last podcast for the Trithon hour in 2025.
[0:33] SPEAKER_04: And what a year it's been, both broad scale in terms of Triton racing and training and drama, but also here in-house at TTH because this format that we're currently doing and have on the podcast was born in 2025.
[0:48] SPEAKER_04: Um, however, good news, unlike almost every other podcast in the world, we don't believe in off-seasons, breaks, time off, or making you all have to endure podcast droughts.
[0:58] SPEAKER_04: So we will not only be continuing this weekly podcast here every single week, but we're also going to start a little something called off-season triathlon radio.
[1:08] SPEAKER_04: What is off-season triathlon radio?
[1:10] SPEAKER_04: I hear you ask.
[1:10] SPEAKER_04: Well, you'll either be on holidays, training for the upcoming 2026 season, commuting to work as usual, or whatever it is you do when you choose to listen to podcasts.
[1:20] SPEAKER_04: So while every other podcast in the world takes a break, we want to give you even more content than ever.
[1:26] SPEAKER_04: So we'll be doing the same weekly show as always, but we'll also be adding in some interviews with experts, coaches, pros, and all that good stuff that we've we've been doing on the Triton hour for years.
[1:36] SPEAKER_04: Plus, we'll also have a couple of bonus series for you to follow along with, whether that's road to races or getting some experts on in a certain field.
[1:45] SPEAKER_04: We'll reveal it all in time, but there's going to be lots and lots of podcast content over the next three to four months.
[1:51] SPEAKER_04: So there really has been no better time to be a TTH listener or pretender, if you'll indulge me, than the off-season of 2025-2026.
[2:00] SPEAKER_04: But now, let's turn our focus to today's show.
[2:03] SPEAKER_04: Uh, we're going to give you some off-season/slash pre-season training tips, do some 2025 reflections, read your Spotify comments as always.
[2:12] SPEAKER_04: And probably bigger than all of that, we're going to unveil the winners of the first ever edition of The Pretendees.
[2:18] SPEAKER_04: And joining me to do all of this, as always, is the Olympic medalist, the soon-to-be best female coach in Trithlon, the brains and beauty of this podcast, Vicki Holland.
[2:28] SPEAKER_00: Oh, thanks, Jack.
[2:29] SPEAKER_00: You're just uh you're bringing in the accolades for me there, and then on top of that, you're getting me a new career.
[2:33] SPEAKER_00: So uh yeah, I better stick around.
[2:35] SPEAKER_00: It's worth it, hey.
[2:36] SPEAKER_04: Well, after last week's pod, there's been a lot of interest in Vicki Holland, the coach, not just the podcaster.
[2:42] SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, I'm I'm really quite honored, I have to say.
[2:44] SPEAKER_00: I thought people would be like, nah, not for me, thanks, but it's very flattering to hear people be interested.
[2:50] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, new career path incoming.
[2:53] SPEAKER_04: And you would not believe it, Vicky, but a man who we thought hated us, who we presumed was dead, who we now just gather has been living in complete isolation for the past three weeks.
[3:04] SPEAKER_04: The 20-time Iron Man 70.3 champion, the second greatest triathlet of all time behind Lionel Sanders.
[3:10] SPEAKER_04: Sam Appledon returns to the podcast.
[3:13] SPEAKER_03: Jack, I cannot believe that these other podcasters are taking breaks over the Christmas and New Year period.
[3:19] SPEAKER_03: Come on, this is you know, you when when you sign up for a podcast, it's weekly.
[3:23] SPEAKER_03: You've got to commit to the weekly uh, you know, episodes every week.
[3:27] SPEAKER_03: So I can't believe these other podcasts taking time off around the holiday period is just not on, is it, Jack?
[3:33] SPEAKER_04: Well, I mean, yeah, I I that's my opinion, Apo, but you've also got to understand one hour of work a week is a lot.
[3:39] SPEAKER_04: And you know, you've got to do that every single week for 40 weeks.
[3:42] SPEAKER_04: Like you need the 12 weeks break, don't you?
[3:44] SPEAKER_04: Like an hour a week, you you know, give it to them.
[3:46] SPEAKER_04: That's a lot of work.
[3:47] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's true, it's true.
[3:49] SPEAKER_03: And um, yeah, unfortunately, uh Greg, not on the show, so we're not gonna be able to uh you know hash out our problems that happened off air on this episode, but maybe in an upcoming episode we'll uh we'll get into it.
[4:01] SPEAKER_04: I don't know about Vicky, but I wasn't gonna bring it up.
[4:03] SPEAKER_04: I wasn't gonna bring it up that on the podcast group chat there's uh been a bit of tension between Greg and Apo to the point we still can't quite figure it out and get them to agree to do an episode together.
[4:13] SPEAKER_04: But you know, just like a bad custody battle, at least we got one of you every second week.
[4:18] SPEAKER_03: That's it.
[4:19] SPEAKER_03: That's it.
[4:20] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I wasn't gonna mention it.
[4:21] SPEAKER_00: I was just gonna uh let it slide on by that we've clearly got one or other of you each week.
[4:26] SPEAKER_00: But you know, we've gone there, we've mentioned it.
[4:28] SPEAKER_03: Maybe we'll let the people decide.
[4:29] SPEAKER_03: Who do you prefer?
[4:30] SPEAKER_03: The Greg, the uh Sans Apple or Sans Greg on the Trifon Hour?
[4:34] SPEAKER_03: We can uh put it to the listeners.
[4:36] SPEAKER_04: The controversial king himself, Greg Harper, or the the fence-sitting king himself, Sam Appleton.
[4:41] SPEAKER_04: Tough decision.
[4:42] SPEAKER_04: Vicky, do you have a favourite child if you were going to pit?
[4:45] SPEAKER_00: I absolutely couldn't but choose between them, but what I will say is that while Apo's been gone, there have been a lot of Spotify comments demanding the return of Apo, saying that they need you back.
[4:56] SPEAKER_00: We did see the odd cheeky one that said they didn't need you.
[4:59] SPEAKER_00: I noticed you gave a pretty polite response, Apo, in uh in accordance with that.
[5:05] SPEAKER_00: But you know, we'll have to see whether Greg gets missed for not being there this week.
[5:09] SPEAKER_00: Maybe that'll be the deciding factor.
[5:10] SPEAKER_03: Get fucked, Mike.
[5:11] SPEAKER_00: That wasn't it.
[5:14] SPEAKER_00: If you don't know what we're talking about, go and check out the Spotify comments from I think it was uh two weeks ago where someone, Mike, suggested that he was not a fan of Apo.
[5:25] SPEAKER_00: So Apo uh came and gave him what for, didn't you?
[5:28] SPEAKER_04: Some choice words from Apo directed at Mike.
[5:30] SPEAKER_03: All in good fun.
[5:33] SPEAKER_04: Uh Apo for me.
[5:34] SPEAKER_04: Greg can get fucked.
[5:35] SPEAKER_04: All right.
[5:36] SPEAKER_04: Um we get into our first topic of the show, which is um we thought we'd give some off-season or pre-season training tips, you know, kind of like the post-Christmas, all the way through to your first training block.
[5:51] SPEAKER_04: So not not while not all the way to your first race, but until you begin kind of that first training block for your first race of the year, which generally for most people, this period between Christmas and that block is is probably what, a month and a half, two months, like six to eight weeks long, this block that we're giving tips about?
[6:08] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I'd think so.
[6:09] SPEAKER_03: Um it kind of depends as well when people's season starts.
[6:13] SPEAKER_03: Like um, I know here in North America, um, some people are already training for some races coming up.
[6:18] SPEAKER_03: There's um uh a couple of races in South America in in January and things like that.
[6:23] SPEAKER_03: So it kind of does depend when you are starting your season.
[6:26] SPEAKER_03: Um but for the majority of people, I would say the kind of kickoff for the year is around the April time um around Oceanside.
[6:33] SPEAKER_03: But uh this year there's actually an earlier 70.3 in the US in um in Dallas in March as well.
[6:40] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I mean, I would say it kind of depends when your season's starting, but yeah, we can kind of look at this um kind of what you said, Jack, around that yeah, six to eight weeks uh before kind of getting into the training for the year.
[6:52] SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
[6:52] SPEAKER_04: And obviously lots of racing down here in uh the Southern Hemisphere over kind of February and March.
[6:58] SPEAKER_04: So maybe a little bit of a shorter period for Southern Hemisphere athletes.
[7:02] SPEAKER_04: Um, Vicky, Apo, I'll start us off with my first tip in this period.
[7:06] SPEAKER_04: So I'm a big believer in not just doing your training aimlessly and without purpose.
[7:14] SPEAKER_04: I think that purpose really matters in training, and I think analyzing what you did in 2025 is super important.
[7:20] SPEAKER_04: So don't just leave it in the past, whether it was good or bad, whether you had the best season of your life, the worst season of your life, whether you didn't train at all or you trained the house down, whatever it is, analyze 2025 and figure out what were my strengths in 2025, what were my weaknesses in 2025, and how can I further develop my strengths as a starting point?
[7:42] SPEAKER_04: And then also how can I improve my weaknesses?
[7:46] SPEAKER_04: I'm a strengths first kind of guy.
[7:48] SPEAKER_04: I think that your strengths are what get you to the dance, they're what win you races, they're what give you lifetime performances, they're usually what you enjoy the most in training.
[7:56] SPEAKER_04: So I'm a believer in maybe putting, you know, 60 to 80% of your effort into your strengths and then 40 to 20% into your weaknesses.
[8:05] SPEAKER_04: But you can't ignore your weaknesses.
[8:08] SPEAKER_04: So don't just pretend that they weren't there in 2025.
[8:11] SPEAKER_04: Figure out what they were, put a plan in place uh to get them better.
[8:15] SPEAKER_04: Now, the exception to those kind of percentages might be if you had a weakness that was so bad that you couldn't get to the dance, that you're just out of the race because of this weakness.
[8:25] SPEAKER_04: If your weakness is to that level, then you probably need to flip them and spend about 60% of time of the time on your weakness that you've um kind of analyzed and deduced was just allowing you to get nowhere near where you want to be in races.
[8:38] SPEAKER_04: But if your weakness is just a relative weakness, it's not a a race-ending weakness, then focus on those strengths.
[8:45] SPEAKER_04: Um, I think this is best done if you can do it with a coach.
[8:48] SPEAKER_04: So if you have a coach, get on to them and say, hey, can me and you get on a Zoom call or a phone call or at at bare minimum text, I mean perfect world, go and get a coffee together, and figure out what do we think my strengths and weaknesses were in training and racing in 2025, and how can we, going forward in my training in my preseason and my off-season, start to work on them and then progress them into 2026.
[9:13] SPEAKER_00: I totally agree with that, Jack.
[9:14] SPEAKER_00: And that, to be honest, would have been my first point if I hadn't thought you were gonna say it.
[9:18] SPEAKER_00: Um, that the biggest thing that you've got to do in an off-season, as such as we're talking about here, is work out how you can improve, what you're gonna improve on, what you're gonna target, what your goal is gonna be for next year.
[9:31] SPEAKER_00: Um, now's the time to do it.
[9:32] SPEAKER_00: Because really, if you're gonna enact any change in what you've been able to do before, kind of it's gotta be now.
[9:38] SPEAKER_00: It's really, really hard to make those kind of wholesale changes once the season's begun because inevitably you're gonna be racing again at quite short intervals.
[9:46] SPEAKER_00: It's it's really hard to get those changes mid-season, but now is when you put in the base work or the foundations at least for those changes that you you're gonna see, gonna see later on in the season.
[9:57] SPEAKER_00: You might not notice those changes until midway through, but you do the groundwork now.
[10:02] SPEAKER_00: So, other than just agreeing with what you've said there, Jack, my first tip is that you should use this time now to plan how you're gonna break up the winter.
[10:10] SPEAKER_00: And obviously, this is specific if you're in the northern hemisphere.
[10:14] SPEAKER_00: It's pretty miserable, it's pretty gloomy.
[10:17] SPEAKER_00: We have very short daylight hours, especially in the UK.
[10:20] SPEAKER_00: It's it's tough getting your training done and working out how you're gonna get from this point where we're, you know, not even at the new year to when you maybe first start racing.
[10:29] SPEAKER_00: And the best way I always find to do that is to book in a training camp when you might be able to get away.
[10:36] SPEAKER_00: I know it's difficult if you've got work and family, but something where the weather's a bit warmer, where you can just switch off and just train to your heart's content, or maybe enter something like a cross-country race or a TT, something like that to break up your blocks across the winter just mean that you get through those pretty dark, dismal times that bit more easily.
[10:54] SPEAKER_04: Vicky, I'm experiencing this for the first time in my life.
[10:57] SPEAKER_04: Usually off-season or the pre-season period for me being an Australian is in summer.
[11:02] SPEAKER_04: Whereas now in Andorra, I feel like I've gone from kind of zero to everything here.
[11:08] SPEAKER_04: Like it's it's snowing, it's raining, the ground is slippery, I live in a valley, so you get like four hours sunlight a day.
[11:16] SPEAKER_04: It is really, really hard to train.
[11:19] SPEAKER_04: And so I'm coming up with strategies kind of as I go.
[11:22] SPEAKER_04: And I the a few things that I've done is I've I've started to love the treadmill.
[11:26] SPEAKER_04: So I just realized that if I'm going to get the running in that I want over this period, I can't necessarily do it every day because it's snowing or it's raining and it's too slippery on the roads, or it's just too dark all the time and I can't see where I'm going, so I'm tripping over.
[11:41] SPEAKER_04: And so I've gone into the gym, I've booked I've got it, I've paid for a gym membership.
[11:45] SPEAKER_04: I picked one out that had a sauna as well.
[11:47] SPEAKER_04: Um, and I'm just using the treadmill as often as possible and and kind of teaching myself ways to love it, whether it be listening to podcasts or or music or doing sessions on it that I find enjoyable.
[11:58] SPEAKER_04: Um, and I recently read a study that basically concluded that chronic sauna or hot bath use um leads to at least a 2.8% increase in VO2 max.
[12:10] SPEAKER_04: Um, so that's if you do it for five days a week uh for five weeks continuously.
[12:15] SPEAKER_04: Um and like as a there's a few things in that study, like you're allowed to drink 500 mil of water um while you do it, and you should be increasing the temperature over time uh as like a progressive overload tool.
[12:26] SPEAKER_04: But that's why I went and sought out a gym membership that um had a sauna.
[12:30] SPEAKER_04: So I've also started implementing that because I do find it a little bit harder, like let's say if you're gonna get out on the bike or for long runs, it's just harder to do those things.
[12:38] SPEAKER_04: So looking for other avenues to to kind of get little, you know, one percenters, or in this case almost a three percenter in potential VO2 max increase.
[12:47] SPEAKER_04: I uh yeah, there's lots of little things that you you can do if you are going through the winter in this period.
[12:53] SPEAKER_03: That's all good.
[12:53] SPEAKER_03: And I love sauna as well.
[12:55] SPEAKER_03: Um, I the problem is if you go to like the local rec center or something, sometimes you're a little bit hamstrung by the temperature of the sauna because they have to keep it at a certain temperature, right?
[13:06] SPEAKER_03: To I don't know, to operate within um safe ranges or something.
[13:10] SPEAKER_03: So I find the sauna that I go to can sometimes be actually not that warm and I have to stay in there for like 45 minutes to get a sweat up.
[13:17] SPEAKER_03: And at that point I'm just wasting time sometimes.
[13:19] SPEAKER_03: So um yeah.
[13:21] SPEAKER_03: Um, but like you said, Jack, um, in terms of gym, I think getting in the gym in the off season and like lifting pretty heavy um it's like this time of year when you're not probably training as much or intensity as high.
[13:35] SPEAKER_03: I think like the gym benefits, um, one of the ones that people don't often think about is the increased testosterone that you get from like lifting heavy in the gym.
[13:45] SPEAKER_03: And I think as endurance athletes, we often have pretty chronically low testosterone.
[13:50] SPEAKER_03: I know I do, and every time I get that tested, my testosterone is pretty low, my sex hormone pretty low.
[13:56] SPEAKER_03: Um so getting in the gym, lifting heavy, I think, for the benefit of increasing your testosterone can be um quite good, as well as yeah, just strength gains and injury prevention as well.
[14:07] SPEAKER_03: But um, yeah, that increased testosterone is what I'm looking for when I go to the gym mainly.
[14:13] SPEAKER_03: So that's my number one tip.
[14:15] SPEAKER_04: My second uh tip for the off-season slash peak pre-season period is and it centers around what my training philosophy stems from.
[14:23] SPEAKER_04: Um and my training philosophy, like my my number one training philosophy, stems from the fact that the strongest predictor of race performance is training load.
[14:32] SPEAKER_04: And training load, put simply, it's your volume times your intensity.
[14:37] SPEAKER_04: And the off-season, in my opinion, is a great time uh to work on increasing the training load you got in uh to a habit of doing the year prior.
[14:46] SPEAKER_04: And you can do this by adding extra intensity or extra volume, or if you feel like you're at the stage where you're gonna tolerate it, you can add both.
[14:54] SPEAKER_04: Sometimes I feel like people use the off-season or the pre-season as a time to very, very gradually build back into things, maybe um do the amount of weekly intensity that they were doing when they ended the year, maybe they use it as a time where it's okay to skip a day here and there, um, and because of that their volume suffers.
[15:14] SPEAKER_04: But I think like we've largely got that backwards and should be treating it as the time to get additional volume and intensity into your program uh than what you were doing the previous year.
[15:26] SPEAKER_04: Because if you're not doing that, then you're gonna have to gradually increase uh your training load the closer you get into your race season.
[15:35] SPEAKER_04: And that can work, for sure it can work, but generally speaking, it's not how it works because you have taper weeks, you have the race itself, you have recovery weeks, then maybe you've got two, three weeks to your next block, so you don't get in as much training load there, volume or intensity.
[15:51] SPEAKER_04: Maybe you just get like a little bit of intensity here or a little bit of volume there.
[15:55] SPEAKER_04: And before you know it, your chronic training load is really low.
[15:58] SPEAKER_04: So this is a really good time, in my opinion, to kind of buck the trend of like saying, okay, this is a good period for me to not do as much or skip days or be a bit lazy or laxadaisical with my training.
[16:10] SPEAKER_04: I actually have a complete opposite belief and believe this is the best time of the year to increase your overall training load.
[16:17] SPEAKER_04: And you can do that, like I said, by increasing the amount of intensity and keeping the volume the same as what was in your program, or increasing the volume and keeping the amount of intensity the same as what was in your program.
[16:28] SPEAKER_04: Or if you're really ready for it, increasing both your training volume and your training intensity from last year.
[16:34] SPEAKER_00: Nice one.
[16:35] SPEAKER_00: So my next one again is slightly based around those in the northern hemisphere who are likely having to do training before or after work when it's pitch black or trying to wrap up in everything you own to get outside, or you might be on the turbo in the dark before work or running on the treadmill, as you've said, Jack.
[16:55] SPEAKER_00: So it's it's a brutal way to train.
[16:57] SPEAKER_00: It's not as fun as it is in the summer.
[16:59] SPEAKER_00: There's there's no question about that.
[17:00] SPEAKER_00: And therefore, it's really hard to be motivated sometimes.
[17:03] SPEAKER_00: So one of the things that I think really helps with that is make sure you've got your race calendar planned out and enter those races now if you've not done it.
[17:11] SPEAKER_00: That gives you a real structure to what you're aiming for.
[17:14] SPEAKER_00: You know when your first race is coming, you know when your A race is coming, and it just gives you something that in those really crappy, dark winter months, you can get out of bed for because you know you've got that race coming.
[17:25] SPEAKER_00: And I think um we just search for motivation in any way we can at times, don't we?
[17:29] SPEAKER_00: So just get those races booked in.
[17:31] SPEAKER_04: I love that one, Vicky.
[17:32] SPEAKER_04: With all of my athletes, I make sure that we have a minimum of two races in the first quarter of the season planned before we start this period.
[17:41] SPEAKER_04: So um I analyze the training with them, the strengths and weaknesses thing that I talked about in my first tip.
[17:46] SPEAKER_04: And then the next step is exactly what you talked about.
[17:49] SPEAKER_04: What are our first two races?
[17:51] SPEAKER_04: Let's get them in the program, let's get motivated by them, let's use them as our kind of guiding light for this off-season, pre-season period.
[17:59] SPEAKER_04: So love that one.
[18:00] SPEAKER_03: And if you put it into training peaks as well, it gives you that countdown, that weekly countdown, like oh, 12 weeks till X event and things like that, which I think can be great for motivation as well.
[18:10] SPEAKER_03: And um, I think mine follows on a little bit from that, Vicky, and it's um mood follows action.
[18:16] SPEAKER_03: And sometimes the hardest thing to do is like get out the door, right?
[18:21] SPEAKER_03: And it can be cold, it can be dark, it can be um, you know, snowing or snow on the ground.
[18:26] SPEAKER_03: But often, and I think everyone can attest to this, the hardest step is that first one out the door, and once you actually get going, you actually find that you love it, regardless of if it's cold or dark or things like that.
[18:37] SPEAKER_03: And I think, yeah, just getting out the door and mood follows action, right?
[18:43] SPEAKER_03: So once you start that action, the mood follows.
[18:46] SPEAKER_03: And I think once you start progressing and building more and have some structure, I think um you'll find that the motivation starts flowing a little bit more as well.
[18:55] SPEAKER_04: And I think a lot of these tips uh revolve around what you've just talked about, Apo, the action first kind of policy.
[19:01] SPEAKER_04: Like if you if you think about Vikis, it's okay, what are we going to put into action?
[19:05] SPEAKER_04: Well, we're gonna book in some races.
[19:07] SPEAKER_04: Or if you think about Vicky's one um where it came to like going on a training camp or you know, booking in for a cross-country race or a TT.
[19:15] SPEAKER_04: That's all action first motivated, isn't it?
[19:18] SPEAKER_04: Um, you know, look if you look at mine, like making sure that you put into action doing an analysis of your season.
[19:24] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, a hundred percent.
[19:25] SPEAKER_04: I think that is like it's that's not just an off-season or pre-season tip, the action uh first mentality.
[19:32] SPEAKER_04: That's something that I reckon people can take into their entire 2026 apple.
[19:36] SPEAKER_04: So brilliant, brilliant, brilliant tip from you.
[19:38] SPEAKER_04: Um, okay, my next one.
[19:40] SPEAKER_04: I think this is the time of year.
[19:42] SPEAKER_04: If you are gonna do it, now I'm not always an advocate of it, it depends on the individual, and obviously everyone's motivations, enjoyment is individual.
[19:51] SPEAKER_04: So if you are someone who is motivated to do random, you know, maybe fun, maybe occasionally crazy stuff in your program.
[20:00] SPEAKER_04: For example, Greg talking about doing the 100 by 100 meter swim.
[20:04] SPEAKER_04: If you're someone who wants to go and get out in the bike for 10 hours a day, Cam Worth style, probably this is a better time to do it than three weeks out from the IMAN World Championships like him.
[20:13] SPEAKER_04: If you're someone who wants to go and do long adventure trail runs in the mountains like Fred Funk, whatever it is, if you want to book in for an ultra marathon randomly, I think this is the time of year to do it.
[20:23] SPEAKER_04: It's pretty risk-free.
[20:24] SPEAKER_04: You can give it the respect it deserves in terms of recovery.
[20:27] SPEAKER_04: You don't have to quickly move on and focus on your upcoming 70.3 or Iron Man or Marathon or whatever it is.
[20:34] SPEAKER_04: So I think it's a great time.
[20:35] SPEAKER_04: If you're self-coached, just be careful about how you do it and respect it in terms of recovery and nutrition and those kinds of things.
[20:42] SPEAKER_04: If you've got a coach, talk to them and say, look, I'm not gonna ask to do this stuff all year, but I think this off-season, pre-season period could be a good opportunity for me to do things that I don't get the chance to do.
[20:53] SPEAKER_04: And then you can negotiate on what that might be.
[20:56] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, if you are gonna do some fun, crazy shit, this is probably the time of year to do it.
[21:01] SPEAKER_00: Love it.
[21:01] SPEAKER_00: And again, that is this again, it's about motivation, right?
[21:03] SPEAKER_00: It's about doing things that you love and that get you out the door and that you find fun.
[21:07] SPEAKER_00: And yeah, I think there's there's definitely a very big theme of that running through all of these things that we've said, isn't there?
[21:13] SPEAKER_00: And you know, my next one again, it is to do with motivation.
[21:17] SPEAKER_00: And again, it's also to do with being someone who's always lived in the northern hemisphere and has, you know, found those struggles over winter hard myself.
[21:26] SPEAKER_00: And so what I would say is that group training is more important than ever at this time of year, if you can at times link up with people for those early morning swim sessions or for that long weekend ride when you're wearing every layer that you own and it's miserable outside, but you've got to get it done.
[21:45] SPEAKER_00: Doing that with people makes it so much better and so much easier.
[21:49] SPEAKER_00: And it gives you that bit of motivation and it's just accountability, isn't it?
[21:53] SPEAKER_00: Because if you're meeting up with someone or there's a group there, you don't want to let them down.
[21:58] SPEAKER_00: So you might get out the door when Maybe you might have made a little excuse for yourself at other times.
[22:03] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, group training helps on two levels there.
[22:06] SPEAKER_00: A bit of motivation, a bit of accountability.
[22:08] SPEAKER_04: Can I get you to put your coaching hat on that we talked about last week, Vicky, and that the people are crying out.
[22:13] SPEAKER_00: My very new coaching hat.
[22:14] SPEAKER_00: Yes, I'll put it right on.
[22:17] SPEAKER_04: That Reese has never asked you to put on.
[22:22] SPEAKER_04: If you have an athlete, right, and their coach wants them on a program and following the program and ticking off green boxes on training peaks, but then the athlete is motivated by group training and there's kind of getting in that back and forth where they want to go and do this thing with the group or this random opportunity to train with someone came up that means changing a training session.
[22:44] SPEAKER_04: How could an athlete go about doing that?
[22:46] SPEAKER_04: How can they communicate it with their coach?
[22:48] SPEAKER_04: How can they get a win-win from this?
[22:50] SPEAKER_00: Well, there's a bit of compromise here, isn't there?
[22:52] SPEAKER_00: It's like if if every session they want to join a group that is not appropriate for the training that the coach has set, then that can't stand.
[22:59] SPEAKER_00: That doesn't make sense because otherwise you're not being coached by that person, you're doing a group session instead.
[23:04] SPEAKER_00: So there's got to be some element of fitting in the key work that you need to.
[23:10] SPEAKER_00: But for example, if it was me, I'd say, okay, well, go to that swim session because I know that on a Thursday they do threshold.
[23:16] SPEAKER_00: So I'm just going to make sure that your Thursday swim is threshold and I'm going to say, try and get 2K of threshold done or whatever it is in that session.
[23:24] SPEAKER_00: If you can get that done with a team of people around you, brilliant.
[23:27] SPEAKER_00: I don't really care about the specifics.
[23:29] SPEAKER_00: If you're doing 2K of threshold and it's with a group and it helps you, fine.
[23:34] SPEAKER_00: I would also say, for example, with a ride, it might be, well, you've got a long ride to do, you need to go with the group, you're you want to go with a group, but I need you to hit X amount of time in this zone.
[23:44] SPEAKER_00: If you go the first week and actually it's way too easy, then okay, well, maybe you ride on the front the whole time and people rotate in next to you.
[23:51] SPEAKER_00: Or okay, you ride out with those people and then you maybe ride on off the back, 30, 40 meters off the back, and you ride your own power for the next hour, and then you go back into the group so that you're getting the specifics done.
[24:03] SPEAKER_00: Or again, if it's a really specific session, ride out with a group of people for the first hour for your warm-up, then go solo to get your session bulk done, and then ride back in with everybody so that you can kind of hit both boxes.
[24:16] SPEAKER_00: You can get that group dynamic, that social stimulus, which is really important for some people more than others, but you're not compromising on the quality that your coach has set you.
[24:25] SPEAKER_04: And what if there's a scenario where you communicate with your coach, hey, I know we've got this set, but I want to do this.
[24:31] SPEAKER_04: What if I make it like this?
[24:33] SPEAKER_04: And your coach just says, no, do the training that's set.
[24:36] SPEAKER_04: What would you do if you're the athlete in that session and you really want to go and train with the group or with your friend, but your coach has said no?
[24:44] SPEAKER_00: Well, first thing I'd ask why.
[24:46] SPEAKER_00: Um I'd, you know, I'd want to know the rationale for why that wasn't appropriate.
[24:51] SPEAKER_00: And I think it would depend on what they said, whether it was a strong enough reason or not.
[24:55] SPEAKER_00: So if there's if they've got a really strong reasoning as to why it's just not appropriate for me at that time of year, I'd have to kind of go, yeah, like they're right.
[25:04] SPEAKER_00: And I am, they are my coach.
[25:05] SPEAKER_00: And if I'm going to listen to them, if I'm if I'm going to be coaching for them, I might as well listen to them.
[25:09] SPEAKER_00: What's the point otherwise?
[25:10] SPEAKER_00: And I'd probably have to forego that and maybe try and work out if I could go to a different session instead that might fit in a bit better.
[25:17] SPEAKER_00: If they've given me a reason that's simply because it's their ego that is saying you need to do this because I've prescribed it.
[25:23] SPEAKER_00: I think at that point you meet we need to have a serious think about whether they're the right coach for you and whether someone who's got a bit more compromise in them as a coach is maybe someone who's better suited to you.
[25:35] SPEAKER_03: All right.
[25:35] SPEAKER_03: My final one, it might seem a little bit counterintuitive to some of the stuff that Jack said, but I think it's important to unplug from the data for some of your training.
[25:45] SPEAKER_03: I think just going out and exercising for the enjoyment of moving your body, this is a great time to do it.
[25:51] SPEAKER_03: Like often I will, you know, if I've got a 50-minute run on my program, sometimes I just know a 10k loop and I will not take a watch or anything, and I'll just go run that loop and you know, not look at any data, not worry about it, and just kind of just move the body for the enjoyment.
[26:08] SPEAKER_03: Because sometimes I think during the on-season, it's very important to kind of have the data and things like that.
[26:14] SPEAKER_03: And most training is structured around a race or a performance.
[26:18] SPEAKER_03: So this is the time of year to kind of detach from that a little bit and just yeah, move the body and just enjoy being out there without the you know, having to run at five minute K's or 430s or holding a certain heart rate or things like that.
[26:32] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I find I like to do that and just exercise for the enjoyment.
[26:36] SPEAKER_03: And that's um, yeah, it just really helps, I think.
[26:38] SPEAKER_00: I'd also say that for me, where I live, for example, you do a lot of running in the winter that's in really quite boggy, muddy uh fields or like on the trails, and so your pace is completely off what it might be in the summer, uh, or if you choose to run completely on pavement where you can be a little bit more consistent about it.
[27:01] SPEAKER_00: But for me, for injury risk and all sorts of sort of tendon and ligament stability, going off-road I think is actually really good when you can.
[27:09] SPEAKER_00: Um, maybe not all the time.
[27:10] SPEAKER_00: There are definitely times where it's important to keep that pace and keep the um the feedback that you get from running on the road.
[27:16] SPEAKER_00: But I I would go for runs in the winter sometimes, and I'm not going faster than six minutes per c because it's a trudge.
[27:22] SPEAKER_00: You're trying to get through some some pretty boggy, muddy, difficult paths.
[27:28] SPEAKER_00: Whereas in the summer, that same route will be under five minute per c.
[27:32] SPEAKER_00: Um, and I wouldn't say that's okay every single run, but I think there's an element of just go and enjoy getting muddy like a kid, splashing in the muddy puddles, just good for your head, it's good for your body, it's all okay.
[27:44] SPEAKER_00: It's still work for the body.
[27:46] SPEAKER_04: And I think this is an insight into how training and training lifestyle is individual.
[27:52] SPEAKER_04: So Apo, I believe, is giving that tip from his individual perspective because it's something that he enjoys at this time of the year.
[27:59] SPEAKER_04: Whereas another athlete might hear that that's what Apo enjoys and goes, like, no, that sounds that sounds shit.
[28:05] SPEAKER_04: I would rather have my watch on at all times with as much data as possible, with really stringent guidelines around what the training should be.
[28:13] SPEAKER_04: It kind of flows into that point I I made about this being the time of year if you're going to do it to do things that are fun and that you enjoy and you might not have time or or space in the program to do when it gets a bit more serious later in the year.
[28:26] SPEAKER_04: And for Apo, clearly that's switching off a little bit.
[28:30] SPEAKER_04: Clearly, the season gets long on Apo and he gets a bit tired of data and and prescribe training, and he just needs to go and drink beers for three weeks in Australia and become uncontactable and go and do a job without his watch.
[28:42] SPEAKER_04: So I think there's a lesson in that, which is to know yourself, um, analyze yourself, strengths and weaknesses.
[28:48] SPEAKER_04: Maybe one of Apo's um weaknesses, and keep in mind, weakness is a is a kind of a word that doesn't necessarily have negative connotation all the time, but maybe one of Apo's weaknesses is that the season gets long for him.
[29:01] SPEAKER_04: And so he needs to to come back better the following year, in this case 2026, switch off in his training a little bit.
[29:08] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, knowing yourself super, super important this time of year.
[29:13] SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna talk to you about precision, fuel, and hydration.
[29:16] SPEAKER_04: I think I can talk about precision at the moment because I'm using them so much.
[29:19] SPEAKER_04: I ran 145k last week.
[29:22] SPEAKER_04: I've ran over 100k for like six weeks in a row now, and I'm going through almost more precision, fuel, and hydration than I uh I care to admit to.
[29:31] SPEAKER_04: I think the best way to use it is consistently.
[29:35] SPEAKER_04: And I've been thinking about this because I think that over the history of my training, I've been someone who uses gels or electrolyte tablets really haphazardly, really sporadically.
[29:46] SPEAKER_04: And I don't think I was ever getting the most out of myself now that I reflect on it.
[29:50] SPEAKER_04: Whereas now I use them almost every day, like literally almost every day.
[29:54] SPEAKER_04: If I have a long run, then I have three gels with me.
[29:57] SPEAKER_04: I have a PF30, a PF30 caffeine, and a PF90.
[30:01] SPEAKER_04: Every single long run, whether it's 20K or 30k, whether I take them all or not, I just have them with me at all times.
[30:07] SPEAKER_04: If I'm on the treadmill doing an hour session, I have two gels, two PF30 gels.
[30:12] SPEAKER_04: Every night before bed, if I've got a big session the next day, I have a pH 1000 electrolyte tablet in a 600mm bottle of water at about 7 p.m.
[30:20] SPEAKER_04: the night before.
[30:21] SPEAKER_04: And I just feel like so good every day.
[30:24] SPEAKER_04: Like if you go and look at my Strava, my training's been super consistent.
[30:28] SPEAKER_04: I haven't had a bad run in like, you know, 12 weeks since I've been running seriously.
[30:32] SPEAKER_04: And I 100% think it's because of how I've been fueling, and I use precision for that because I just love them.
[30:39] SPEAKER_04: I think the gels have the best texture and flavor of any gel that I've had.
[30:43] SPEAKER_04: Um, I really like their electrolyte tablet.
[30:45] SPEAKER_04: Some Evervescency electrolyte tablets have made my gut a bit shit in the past, whereas the pH 1000 hasn't.
[30:52] SPEAKER_04: And I think it's maybe because of the concentration of the minerals in the the uh tablets.
[30:57] SPEAKER_04: Like some are stronger than others, some are weaker than others.
[31:00] SPEAKER_04: I think I can't handle a really strong one, like the pH 1500.
[31:04] SPEAKER_04: I don't think I lose enough in my sweat to tolerate that.
[31:07] SPEAKER_04: Whereas the pH 1000, which just has a little bit less, is so good for me, and I never feel sick from it.
[31:12] SPEAKER_04: Um, and if I reflect on my training, like I said, I just used to feel so like randomly bad out of nowhere, randomly fucked out of nowhere, tired.
[31:22] SPEAKER_04: I'd have bad sessions all the time.
[31:24] SPEAKER_04: I'd start to do like a threshold session and I'd be like, why don't I have it today?
[31:28] SPEAKER_04: I haven't felt that this entire training block.
[31:30] SPEAKER_04: And I do think it's just because I consistently every day am on top of my nutrition, on top of my fueling, on top of my hydration.
[31:37] SPEAKER_04: So if you want to do that as well, if you relate to anything that you just heard me say, then head over to Precision Fuel and Hydration's website.
[31:44] SPEAKER_04: Use the discount code TTH25 that gets you 15% off your first order.
[31:49] SPEAKER_04: Um, and all the details for that are in the description to this podcast as well.
[31:54] SPEAKER_04: Um, okay, that's our off-season tips and tricks.
[31:58] SPEAKER_04: Now it's time for our 2025 reflections.
[32:02] SPEAKER_04: This is our second topic of the show.
[32:04] SPEAKER_04: I thought I'd start us off with our highlight of the year, and this isn't meant to be personal.
[32:10] SPEAKER_04: This is kind of our like triathlon podcast act uh hat on.
[32:14] SPEAKER_04: And for me, my triathlon highlight of the year was Yallagines going back to back at 70.3 world chance in Marbella.
[32:23] SPEAKER_04: Uh, I unashamedly love Yellow Geans.
[32:26] SPEAKER_04: I think he's one of the best people in triathlon.
[32:29] SPEAKER_04: Like, I honestly don't think you'll meet uh many better people in the sport.
[32:32] SPEAKER_04: He's that kind of perfect combination of nice guy with a little bit of uh the C-word about him at the right times, which is what I love in a person.
[32:40] SPEAKER_04: Uh loves a bit of friendly banter, uh, always there for his friends and family.
[32:45] SPEAKER_04: So on a personal level, yeah, I just love who Yala Geans is as a person.
[32:49] SPEAKER_04: So to see him go back to back at um his key race for the year, become a two-time Iron Man 70.3 world champion was without question my highlight of the year this year.
[32:59] SPEAKER_00: Well, mine is also Marbella based, and mine was the redemption of Lucy Charles Barclay.
[33:05] SPEAKER_00: And I think, firstly, I'm British, and obviously she is also British.
[33:10] SPEAKER_00: Um, but she is such a darling of triathlon, isn't she?
[33:14] SPEAKER_00: I mean, she can't really do anything wrong.
[33:16] SPEAKER_00: Everything she touches, it's golden.
[33:19] SPEAKER_00: You have to admire her tenacity, her ability to get back up when she's been knocked down.
[33:26] SPEAKER_00: And I think Marbella kind of summed it up, really.
[33:29] SPEAKER_00: She'd had some rocky times in 2024.
[33:32] SPEAKER_00: She'd come back really well in 2025.
[33:35] SPEAKER_00: She was looking so good for the win in Kona until it all fell apart.
[33:39] SPEAKER_00: And then to come back just a few weeks later with we know stuff that was going on in her personal life with the death of a relative as well, and to deliver such a flawless performance in Mar Baya and just to see that emotion from her at the end, that was really, really special.
[33:55] SPEAKER_00: And I think for me that was that's kind of what sport's all about, you know, get knocked down, get back up again, and feel it so much more intensely because of everything you've put into it and because of the low moments that you've had.
[34:07] SPEAKER_00: And I think most people, whether they're professional or amateur, can relate to that a tough time coming through it and really succeeding on the other side of that.
[34:15] SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, for me, Lucy Charles.
[34:17] SPEAKER_03: My highlight of the year is the Norwegian clean sweep at Nice.
[34:22] SPEAKER_03: Um, I think we all kind of had it in the back of our minds that it might be possible.
[34:27] SPEAKER_03: But when you looked at that start list, you're like, there's no way that these three can go one, two, three with you know the likes of Van Riel, Laidlow, everyone else showing up.
[34:36] SPEAKER_03: But they did it, and I think that's like a historic moment, right?
[34:40] SPEAKER_03: I know they did it in Bermuda for the WTCS race many years ago, and now to do it at the Iron Man World Championships.
[34:47] SPEAKER_03: Like, yeah, that's gonna go down in history, and I think like I don't know.
[34:52] SPEAKER_03: Well, another country, like, what other countries are capable of doing a clean sweep like that?
[34:56] SPEAKER_03: It's um, you know, very, very slim chances, maybe like a um Great Britain or a um Germany, maybe, but yeah, I think the Norwegian clean sweep is just yeah, that'll go down in the history books.
[35:09] SPEAKER_04: I don't think currently there is another country.
[35:11] SPEAKER_04: I was just I was just racking my brain there.
[35:13] SPEAKER_04: I don't think the Great Britain women can quite do it.
[35:16] SPEAKER_04: I could maybe see a world where they get two of the slots.
[35:19] SPEAKER_04: Like next year it's very easy to see Lucy Charles Barclay and Kat Matthews on the podium at Kona, but I don't know, to see someone come up come and take that next spot is tough.
[35:30] SPEAKER_04: I don't even know who it would be because I don't think Kate Waff is going to target it.
[35:34] SPEAKER_04: And then in the men, maybe Germany, depending on what Jonas Schomberg can do.
[35:38] SPEAKER_04: But again, if it's not Patrick Lang, yeah.
[35:41] SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
[35:42] SPEAKER_04: I think I think it I think it will be a long time, Apo.
[35:44] SPEAKER_04: And I think that was that was one of the crazy, crazy moments of the year.
[35:49] SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
[35:50] SPEAKER_04: Unbelievable day by the Norwegians.
[35:52] SPEAKER_00: I totally agree.
[35:52] SPEAKER_00: And I think in terms of a clean suite, the best chance that there is is probably at 70.3.
[35:58] SPEAKER_00: I think at 70.3 with the British women, you could see that possibly if you slot Kate into there, maybe even George Taylor Brown um with Kat and Lucy, as you've mentioned, like that there are possibilities there that that could happen.
[36:12] SPEAKER_00: Um, but they still got to beat a whole host of other exceptional athletes to make it happen.
[36:16] SPEAKER_00: And the the really crazy thing is that Norway has three exceptional men, and all three of them were on the podium.
[36:23] SPEAKER_00: It's not like, I mean, they have got others, but those are the three, really, right?
[36:28] SPEAKER_00: And they all ended up on the podium.
[36:30] SPEAKER_00: It's just bonkers that it could happen.
[36:32] SPEAKER_04: And even in the women, like you've got to get past Taylor Nib, you've got to get past Julie Duron, if Laura Phillips shows up, like, I mean, good luck.
[36:39] SPEAKER_04: I the Great Britain women could do it, but oh Jesus.
[36:42] SPEAKER_00: It would be a big stretch, wouldn't it?
[36:44] SPEAKER_00: You wouldn't, it wouldn't be something that you would be predicting, I don't think, at this point.
[36:47] SPEAKER_04: No, but I never thought Casper Stoyners was going to get on that podium.
[36:50] SPEAKER_04: I definitely thought Christian and Gustav could, so never say never.
[36:54] SPEAKER_04: Okay, our next category, low light of the year.
[36:57] SPEAKER_04: For me, it was an obvious one.
[36:58] SPEAKER_04: Uh, Imogen Simmons doping case.
[37:00] SPEAKER_04: I look, it's again, it's not personal.
[37:03] SPEAKER_04: I just hate when these dark clouds come over the sport.
[37:06] SPEAKER_04: Like, I would hate to be a running podcast right now with the you know 250 odd positive tests that have gone on in the sport over the last few years.
[37:14] SPEAKER_04: I think it's like 150 Kenyan positive tests or something in the last few years.
[37:18] SPEAKER_04: Imagine if we had that in Triton, like say Norway or or Germany or whoever it was, if a single country in our sport had had over a hundred positive doping tests, it's all we would talk about.
[37:28] SPEAKER_04: But in running, somehow they still live in this delusional world where they think maybe the best Kenyan runner of all time is a clean athlete.
[37:35] SPEAKER_04: Um, so yeah, for me, I like the fact we don't have like this big doping culture in triathlon.
[37:41] SPEAKER_04: And and when you do see a big case like Imogen's or Collins show up that you're shocked by it, and it is a real low light of the year.
[37:48] SPEAKER_04: Now, Imogen ultimately got cleared of any guilt or wrongdoing in that case.
[37:53] SPEAKER_04: So that's where I say it's not personal, just the whole case.
[37:56] SPEAKER_04: I I the everything about it I thought was um was shitty from the the the reason that Imogen said it happened to to the fact that it happened.
[38:05] SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, no, no winners in that in that in that scenario for me.
[38:09] SPEAKER_00: Just to be clear, Jack, are you saying that Kipchogee is a drugs cheat?
[38:14] SPEAKER_00: Sounded a bit like you might have said the best Kenyan athlete of all time might they're deluded by thinking he might be clean.
[38:21] SPEAKER_00: So I'm just just just checking what you might be saying there, Jack.
[38:24] SPEAKER_04: That's individual based on who you think the best Kenyan runner of all time is, Vicky.
[38:28] SPEAKER_04: Very sexist of you to assume.
[38:29] SPEAKER_01: And wind it back in just in case.
[38:32] SPEAKER_04: No lawsuits.
[38:33] SPEAKER_03: Not my goat kip chogi.
[38:35] SPEAKER_04: Very, very sexist of you to assume that it was a male.
[38:38] SPEAKER_04: For me, it was most likely going to be a female because I'm progressive, unlike you.
[38:42] SPEAKER_04: So maybe, maybe get out of the 1960s, Vicky.
[38:45] SPEAKER_00: Fair point, fair point.
[38:46] SPEAKER_00: I jumped straight to conclusions.
[38:48] SPEAKER_00: I'll accept, I'll accept.
[38:50] SPEAKER_00: Okay.
[38:51] SPEAKER_00: Uh yeah, my low light of the year for me again was really obvious, especially given the proximity to my community, especially in Sam O'Shea's death.
[39:01] SPEAKER_00: Um, that was such a tragic and awful accident that happened out on the roads in Font Remo.
[39:08] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, Sam is someone who has been in the Trathon community for as pretty much as long as I can remember.
[39:15] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, we all dice with death every time we ride our bikes on the road.
[39:21] SPEAKER_00: It's it's just an awful, awful fact that we have to be so careful and that even when we are so careful, things can still be totally out of our control, and that there are risks to doing what we do, whether it's our profession or whether it's our love and our passion.
[39:37] SPEAKER_00: There are risks there.
[39:39] SPEAKER_00: And for someone so young and who is really close to the heart of triathlon as a professional, but also, as I said, with the community here in Leeds where I live, to have someone's life taken so young, it just absolutely sent shockwaves through the triathlon community here.
[39:57] SPEAKER_00: And I think it probably will do for some time.
[39:59] SPEAKER_00: So for me, it was yeah, really, really obvious choice.
[40:02] SPEAKER_04: I took a lesson from Sam's death, Vicky, that um I I don't know, it might even be so self-indulgent for me to make this about myself.
[40:10] SPEAKER_04: But I I mean, I knew Sam um kind of in a in a in a little way.
[40:15] SPEAKER_04: I met him at all the T100 events, he was always there.
[40:18] SPEAKER_04: And the thing that I I liked most about Sam as I got to know him was that he was very welcoming of everyone.
[40:26] SPEAKER_04: He really didn't care whether you were me, the commentator, Jan Fredino, the commentator, an ex-greatest triathlet of all time, whether you were, you know, um the best athlete there, whether you were the lowest staff member at the T100 on the on the pay scale, whatever it is, he treated Everham with a real kindness and like he he kind of he would just talk to anyone and he just treated Everham with so much respect and like I said, kindness.
[40:50] SPEAKER_04: And and I didn't reflect on that until he passed away, which is sad, because I I wish, even though I don't know him in the same way that that so many in the triflum world did, I probably spent a solid, you know, uh 10 hours with him over my year in 2024.
[41:06] SPEAKER_04: And I would have loved to have told him, like, you have had this impact on me where you made me reflect on myself and how I treat everyone no matter who they are.
[41:16] SPEAKER_04: So when I was in like kind of a shitty place in 2024, I don't think I was treating everyone in the same way.
[41:22] SPEAKER_04: I think I would maybe treat people that I respected or looked up to in a better way than someone who I didn't know and didn't respect.
[41:29] SPEAKER_04: And not in not in crazy ways.
[41:31] SPEAKER_04: Like I wasn't I wasn't I well, I don't think I wasn't being the worst human alive, but when Sam passed and and I heard about it, and I was just I just remember sitting at a cafe and thinking about this and making a decision that I'm gonna be more like Sam in that way and treat everyone, no matter where you are on a social hierarchy, exactly the same with the same level of respect and kindness.
[41:53] SPEAKER_04: And I have been doing that in kind of Sam's memory ever since.
[41:56] SPEAKER_04: And geez, it's worked out better for me.
[41:59] SPEAKER_04: I have more friends, I've developed friendships I wouldn't have developed if it wasn't for my mindset in doing that, and it has probably been the biggest change I've made um at the back half of 2025.
[42:10] SPEAKER_04: And I've like it's it's a weird thing to come from Sam O'Shea's death, but he did have that impact on me.
[42:16] SPEAKER_04: So um, yeah, I agree with you, Vicky.
[42:19] SPEAKER_04: That was a real low light for everyone in the Trithlon World's um perspective.
[42:23] SPEAKER_04: Um, and uh I think all you can do is kind of try and you know live to some of the the strong standards that Sam clearly had for himself, and he would want that because he was that kind of guy.
[42:33] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, an awful reason for that to happen, but what a nice legacy almost from Sam's life that he actually has impacted on the way that you speak to people and how honest you are with people and say things that maybe normally you would keep back and you wouldn't initially tell someone how much of an impact they've had on you or what they've meant to you.
[42:54] SPEAKER_00: Um, it's that same feeling, isn't it, of remember to tell your loved ones that you love them.
[42:59] SPEAKER_00: It it's kind of that feeling as well.
[43:01] SPEAKER_00: And yeah, uh there's been a lot of times where I've been just so grateful for the life I have and the loved ones I've got.
[43:08] SPEAKER_00: And yeah, as I said, just remembering to tell them that I love them that bit more because you never know, unfortunately, when might be that last time.
[43:16] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and shout out to everyone in the O'Shea clan and and Lucy and and her family.
[43:21] SPEAKER_04: Um sure it's been a hell of a year, but uh you got the support of the Trithlon World with you still, and uh and we haven't forgotten about Sam.
[43:27] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, thank you for for sharing that one, Vicky.
[43:30] SPEAKER_04: That's that's a great one.
[43:31] SPEAKER_03: Very beautiful.
[43:32] SPEAKER_03: Um, and now I feel like an absolute idiot about to say what I'm about to say, but uh, how do we move on from that?
[43:38] SPEAKER_03: Um but yeah, Jack, I think it's uh like you said, everyone that knew Sam I think has that same sentiment, and I didn't know him at all.
[43:45] SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, I just think what I gathered is that yeah, he just touched so many people and he was a really nice, nice person.
[43:53] SPEAKER_03: So um but yeah, moving on from that, my low light of the year, I am just gonna quote um Um the Star Wars movie Revenge of the Sith.
[44:04] SPEAKER_03: Hayden, you were the chosen one.
[44:06] SPEAKER_03: It was said that you would abide by the rules of Triathlon, not dismiss them, bring balance to the sport, and not leave it in darkness.
[44:14] SPEAKER_03: And that's all I have to say.
[44:16] SPEAKER_04: Your low light of the year, Sam, was uh Hayden turning to the dark side of Triathlon.
[44:21] SPEAKER_03: Well, without Greg flying the flag, someone has to do it, right?
[44:25] SPEAKER_00: You had to bring some lightness to this.
[44:27] SPEAKER_00: I mean, let's be honest, we're talking about lowlights of the year, so it's all gonna be kind of crappy, so you had you had to bring something good, didn't you?
[44:33] SPEAKER_04: And don't worry, Greg's not here, but when it comes to our votes for the pretendees, uh Greg sent his in, and trust me, he has not missed the opportunity to get a shot in at Hayden, even while he's not on the show.
[44:44] SPEAKER_04: Uh, our next one, surprise of the year in 2025.
[44:47] SPEAKER_04: I already touched on it, but for me, Caspar Stoyners, that's exactly how you say his name.
[44:52] SPEAKER_04: I am uh 117th.
[44:54] SPEAKER_04: Doubling down winning the Iron Man World Championships, for sure.
[44:57] SPEAKER_04: My surprise of the year.
[44:58] SPEAKER_04: Would never have picked it after it happened.
[45:00] SPEAKER_04: Wasn't one of those people who said, Oh yeah, but I, you know, I didn't pick it, but I could see it happening.
[45:05] SPEAKER_04: I never saw it happening.
[45:07] SPEAKER_04: I'm still shocked it happened.
[45:09] SPEAKER_04: What probably one of the surprise results in my entire time, which is like 20 years in triathlon now that I've seen in a big race.
[45:17] SPEAKER_04: I I don't think I've ever been more shocked at the winner of an Iron Man World Championships.
[45:20] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think that's fair.
[45:21] SPEAKER_00: And I I I think there were quite a few things that surprised me this year, but the one that I have brought to the table is uh going back to my short course roots, is Lisa Tirch becoming the world champion.
[45:33] SPEAKER_00: And I would say it's actually not because it was Lisa Tirch, let's be really clear.
[45:36] SPEAKER_00: She is an absolutely class athlete who very much could become world champion in any year at the moment because she is that standard of athlete.
[45:44] SPEAKER_00: It's more the manner that she won it in.
[45:46] SPEAKER_00: She went into the grand final ranked fourth, and the implosion of two of the athletes in front of her was something that you just would never have expected.
[45:55] SPEAKER_00: Cassandra Burgran didn't finish the race.
[45:58] SPEAKER_00: Um, she was pretty much odds-on favourite to retain her world title.
[46:02] SPEAKER_00: Of course, she's also the Olympic champion.
[46:03] SPEAKER_00: Then you had Beth Potter, who looked like she was then gonna pick up the pieces, but she faded at the end of the race as well, in a way that she hasn't done for years now in racing.
[46:12] SPEAKER_00: It was just so unlikely that it would end up being Lisa Tirsch, and it just shows happens time and time again in short course racing.
[46:20] SPEAKER_00: And we always think it's never gonna happen, but it does.
[46:23] SPEAKER_00: And so Lisa Tirsch becoming world champion was one of those moments where I was actually asleep because it was overnight.
[46:28] SPEAKER_00: It was in Wollongong, of course, and I woke up and thought, eh?
[46:32] SPEAKER_00: How did that happen?
[46:33] SPEAKER_00: I have to go and have a look at how the the mathematical ramifications meant that that Lisa ended up as world champion.
[46:38] SPEAKER_00: But yeah, that was that was a that was a shock, especially if you're into uh short course racing like I am.
[46:45] SPEAKER_00: Bore off.
[46:48] SPEAKER_00: We all know you only like middle and long distance, but is that because you couldn't be a short course athlete?
[46:54] SPEAKER_00: Just putting it out there.
[46:57] SPEAKER_04: Hey, Vicky, you were the one who was too busy sleeping to get up and watch it, but you stayed up to watch the Iron Man World Championships and the 70.3 World Championships when when they were uh overnight.
[47:08] SPEAKER_04: So and T100 races you stayed up for as well.
[47:11] SPEAKER_00: So some of them, not all of them, and to be quite fair, in Wollongong, I was due like that day, pretty much.
[47:18] SPEAKER_00: So I was really trying to get all the sleep I could get before this baby came out and ruined my sleeping for the you know, foreseeable future.
[47:27] SPEAKER_00: So I think I had a pretty good reason, yeah, yeah, pretty much, yeah.
[47:31] SPEAKER_00: Seems like that's how it's gonna go.
[47:33] SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, I think I think I had a pretty good excuse for Willing Gone.
[47:36] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but anyway, your surprise of the year was someone won the short course world championships.
[47:41] SPEAKER_04: I was I fell asleep.
[47:42] SPEAKER_04: So I'm so brilliant.
[47:43] SPEAKER_04: I don't remember who you said.
[47:44] SPEAKER_04: Uh Apo, move us up.
[47:45] SPEAKER_00: The short course winner in the men's was an Aussie.
[47:48] SPEAKER_00: Come on.
[47:49] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Maddie Hauser does make it hard for me to keep up the facade that I hate short course, but I'm I'm sticking with it.
[47:54] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, because he's class.
[47:55] SPEAKER_00: Come on now, he is a class athlete, and when he actually gets into middle distance, which I don't doubt won't be too long, he's gonna be class at that too.
[48:02] SPEAKER_04: Oh yeah, then we'll talk about him, and then we'll say we've always loved him, we've always supported him.
[48:08] SPEAKER_00: And I'll refer back to this podcast so everyone can can hear that you were bagging out short course racing.
[48:14] SPEAKER_03: Alright.
[48:15] SPEAKER_03: My surprise of the year is the implosions of Lucy Charles, Barclay, and Taylor Nib in Kona.
[48:22] SPEAKER_03: I think um, you know, while it wasn't like you guys have gone like people that have won big races, right, that were not um, you know, not expected to.
[48:33] SPEAKER_03: And I just think watching that race in Kona unfold was just insane.
[48:39] SPEAKER_03: Like first Lucy and then Taylor so close to the finish line, like that was just so shocking to me that yeah, nothing else could take the surprise of the year than you know, two women leading the race and um yeah, just blowing up and um not being able to finish.
[48:54] SPEAKER_03: So that was my surprise of the year.
[48:55] SPEAKER_04: Love that one.
[48:56] SPEAKER_04: The Dan Lorang method on full display.
[48:58] SPEAKER_04: No gloves in the Dan Lorang camp because they don't believe in heat training.
[49:04] SPEAKER_04: Uh okay.
[49:06] SPEAKER_04: Uh now we're gonna, if you will indulge us, um we're gonna do some ones that are a bit more personal, not triathlon related.
[49:12] SPEAKER_04: So a lesson that we all learn in 2025.
[49:15] SPEAKER_04: I just talked about uh probably the main one in my life um due to the passing of Sam O'Shea, but but something else that was a lesson I've learned right throughout my life, but got resolidified for me in 2025, is that being fit is a non-negotiable if you want to be the happiest and best version of yourself.
[49:33] SPEAKER_04: 2024 and even little bits of 2023, where it kind of started at the end of the year, was the first period in my life that I haven't been fit and I had a shitty year.
[49:42] SPEAKER_04: And I got it back in 2025 and I've had a much, much better year.
[49:46] SPEAKER_04: I'm happier, I'm a better person.
[49:47] SPEAKER_04: So trust me, um, if you are someone who isn't training as much as what you have, if you think your fitness has kind of gone uh gone south, if you're not being the best version of yourself, if you're if you're just if you're finding yourself not feeling happy or or showing up in the best way, start by getting fit.
[50:04] SPEAKER_04: Just start, get fit and watch how it turns around.
[50:07] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I think I we can all vouch for that.
[50:09] SPEAKER_00: Um, my one is simply that being pregnant is not my happy place.
[50:15] SPEAKER_00: And I think I have to caveat that by saying I feel incredibly lucky that I have two little girls and the family that I always wanted, and that I've had two successful pregnancies that have brought me that family.
[50:30] SPEAKER_00: Um, and I don't take that for granted because I know that there are so many people who have experienced baby loss or infertility, and that they've had their struggles to have their children, or maybe they literally have not been able to have children, and I am not in that position because I have my little girls now.
[50:48] SPEAKER_00: Um, so I know how lucky I am, but if you'll indulge me this for a minute, I just hate being pregnant.
[50:54] SPEAKER_00: It's just not.
[50:56] SPEAKER_00: I mean, some people love it, some people just glow and they enjoy how people treat them and take care of them, and this feeling of this baby growing inside you, this life that you're creating and the wonder of it all.
[51:09] SPEAKER_00: No, not for me.
[51:11] SPEAKER_00: I just find it really hard work.
[51:14] SPEAKER_00: I hate the the way you feel so like that your body is not your own, you can't do the things you enjoy, and I don't feel good when I'm pregnant, and I panic and I get anxious all the time, worrying if the baby's okay.
[51:28] SPEAKER_00: I think that's quite a normal thing for pregnant women, and so I'm just so relieved to be on the other side of that now, and I've got my girls, and pregnancy is in my rearview mirror.
[51:38] SPEAKER_04: When I first met you, Vicky, you were a very fit version of yourself, you looked in incredible shape, you were always training, and then I got at the shock of my life, and I I I said this to you and later apologized, but you looked you looked like Augustus Gloop for parts of your pregnancy in 2025.
[51:56] SPEAKER_00: Oh, it's brutal, but it's true.
[51:59] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I also I should say, I before I ever got pregnant, I just thought I would be I'm a fit and healthy person, I'm a professional athlete.
[52:07] SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna be one of these people who is the same size just with my bump.
[52:11] SPEAKER_00: You know, I'm gonna look great, I'm gonna fit in everything I want to fit, clothes are gonna still look nice on me, I'm just gonna go through doing all the training I want to do, and it's gonna be fine.
[52:23] SPEAKER_00: And I've discovered twice now that that is not the case.
[52:26] SPEAKER_00: And I deluded myself thinking it would be different second time round, and it was not.
[52:31] SPEAKER_00: And both pregnancies, I've been a very, very big and slightly unhealthier version of the Vicky that I would like to be.
[52:39] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's uh pregnancy doesn't really look good on me.
[52:42] SPEAKER_00: I just don't think it's it's just not my thing, it's not my bag.
[52:45] SPEAKER_00: Let's just move on by it.
[52:49] SPEAKER_03: Um, mine isn't necessarily a lesson I learnt this year.
[52:52] SPEAKER_03: It's something that's been happening for quite a few years now, but I think it's really kind of crystallized this year is that just how rapidly the sport of Triton is evolving and how much better and everybody is getting, and the times, the boundaries, everything's getting pushed to the extreme, right?
[53:13] SPEAKER_03: And that's reflected in the results, in the times, and um yeah, I just think the sport is in such a healthy place and it's just so competitive at the moment.
[53:23] SPEAKER_03: And yeah, I guess, you know, while I said I didn't learn it this year, but I think this year's really put it on show just how fast the sport is getting.
[53:32] SPEAKER_04: So Apo, in 2016, 17, and 18, you came fifth, fourth, and sixth at the 70.3 World Championships.
[53:40] SPEAKER_04: You're nowhere near that right now in terms of results.
[53:43] SPEAKER_01: Brutal.
[53:44] SPEAKER_01: But click a guy while he's down, Jack.
[53:47] SPEAKER_01: Brutal, absolutely brutal.
[53:48] SPEAKER_04: I mean, it's objective.
[53:49] SPEAKER_04: It's in terms of results at a at a world-class event like that, Sam isn't coming in the top four five or six like he did three years in a row.
[53:57] SPEAKER_04: My question was gonna be how does the Sam Appleton of 2025 beat the Sam Appleton of those three years in a 70.3?
[54:06] SPEAKER_03: Yes, I think so.
[54:08] SPEAKER_03: I think the sport is evolving and I'm improving, but I do think the sport is evolving quicker than I'm improving, if that makes sense.
[54:18] SPEAKER_03: Like my year-to-year improvements are slower than the sports.
[54:24] SPEAKER_03: You know, the sport is moving at a faster rate than I'm improving.
[54:27] SPEAKER_03: Um but I do think that overall I'm a better athlete now than I was in that 16, 17, 18 period.
[54:35] SPEAKER_03: I think if I was to race myself now at 35 back then, I think I'd be able to beat myself.
[54:41] SPEAKER_03: But I wouldn't be upset if the other if the younger version beat me either.
[54:45] SPEAKER_04: That's why I asked though, because I assumed that would be the answer, and I think that's the answer as well.
[54:50] SPEAKER_04: I do think you're better than what you were then.
[54:53] SPEAKER_04: I just wanted to use it as a as a like a case study of hey, this is how much the sports evolved.
[54:59] SPEAKER_04: Like Sam was one of the one of the favourites going into the 70.3 world championships all of those years.
[55:05] SPEAKER_04: And we had Jan Fradino and Alistair Brownley and Javier Gomez racing, Ben Canute was at the peak of his powers, Tim Dom was still around, Lionel Sanders was strong.
[55:14] SPEAKER_04: Like it was good athletes, but yeah, I um I just wanted to use that to showcase that I think Apo's point is is so true.
[55:22] SPEAKER_04: And since COVID, triathlon has just become an insane, insane sport at the top level.
[55:29] SPEAKER_00: I am gonna talk about pillar performance.
[55:32] SPEAKER_00: And before I start, I have to make a bit of a disclaimer because throughout my career I sort of tried to stay away from too many supplements.
[55:41] SPEAKER_00: Largely I didn't believe in them, I was hadn't done the research and I was a bit scared of contamination risk.
[55:47] SPEAKER_00: So the evidence out there though is really strong enough that I should have been looking into certain supplements.
[55:54] SPEAKER_00: And when you come across a brand that you trust, like Pillar Performance, you really need to invest and you'd be silly not to.
[56:02] SPEAKER_00: Now, whether it's for performance benefits, your immune health, or sleep and recovery, Pillar have got you covered.
[56:10] SPEAKER_00: Jack is a very well-known fan of triple magnesium, which by the way now comes in peach iced tea flavour, if you didn't know already.
[56:18] SPEAKER_00: Because it assists with your sleep and recovery, and whether that's because you're someone who is looking to optimise your training, or whether it's simply to get the sleep that you need after stressful work, travel days, or maybe perhaps you're a mum like me who really, really values high-quality sleep.
[56:35] SPEAKER_00: Whatever it is, magnesium is what you need.
[56:38] SPEAKER_00: When it comes to athletic performance, Pillar also got you covered.
[56:41] SPEAKER_00: They have both creatine monohydrate and collagen, which are two of the most studied, researched, and proven supplements in the world.
[56:50] SPEAKER_00: If you don't already know, then creatine monohydrate promotes strength and power.
[56:53] SPEAKER_00: And then there is collagen for both tendon and ligament health and repair, something that's just more and more important to me as an athlete as I age.
[57:03] SPEAKER_00: The benefits of collagen, however, are far reaching.
[57:06] SPEAKER_00: And I did a little bit of a Google dive.
[57:09] SPEAKER_00: It's been known to help anti-aging, joint support, tissue strength, help with skin elasticity and hydration, reduce your wrinkles, strengthen hair, nails, easing joint pain, especially post-menopause when levels of collagen naturally drop.
[57:25] SPEAKER_00: It's also great in supporting bone density, promoting your gut health, aiding in postpartum recovery, which again is something that's really important for me right now.
[57:33] SPEAKER_00: It helps by rebuilding connective tissues.
[57:36] SPEAKER_00: So there's just such a multitude of reasons there.
[57:38] SPEAKER_00: If one of those doesn't hit home for you, then I don't know what I can say.
[57:42] SPEAKER_00: You're just perfect.
[57:42] SPEAKER_00: Go away.
[57:43] SPEAKER_00: We don't want you to listen.
[57:45] SPEAKER_00: We need you to head to Pillar Performance to get your supplements.
[57:50] SPEAKER_00: You know it's the place to go.
[57:52] SPEAKER_00: They've got a code TTH, 15% off any of your needs.
[57:57] SPEAKER_00: If you're not in the UK or Europe, if you're in the States, go to the feed.
[58:00] SPEAKER_00: If you're anywhere else, go to Pillar's website.
[58:02] SPEAKER_00: Again, code TTH for 15% off.
[58:07] SPEAKER_04: Uh the next one, uh, the classic game that they do in the corporate world, or maybe you do it at school or at uni, is um in 2026, I'm gonna keep doing stop doing and start doing, and we'll we'll start with our keep doing.
[58:20] SPEAKER_04: So in 2026, I am going to keep prioritizing my own training.
[58:25] SPEAKER_04: In 2024, I fell into the trap of prior prioritizing um everything else and everyone else, and did not focus on my own training and my own health.
[58:35] SPEAKER_04: Uh however, what I've learned in 2025 is that when you prioritize your own training and your own health, everything around it gets better anyway.
[58:42] SPEAKER_04: So that's what I'm gonna keep doing in 2026.
[58:44] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I mean, mine's along the same lines really, and it's that I'm gonna keep trying to carve out some time for me because as I mention all the time, I'm a mum of two now, and it's hard sometimes to feel that you owe yourself that time.
[59:01] SPEAKER_00: It's easy to put other people in front of you, those two little girls have to come first and their needs have to come first, and my husband has a demanding job and works quite extreme hours at times and is often away as well.
[59:14] SPEAKER_00: But I know that for me to be the best version of myself, not just in my own head, but in my own body, and also for my children, I need that time for me too.
[59:24] SPEAKER_00: And I'm very lucky that I've got a husband who is on board with that and is wherever possible, like we need to get you, even if it's an hour a day, we need to get you an hour a day so you can do something, and it doesn't happen every day.
[59:37] SPEAKER_00: And obviously, the last couple of months have been difficult because I've only just had my daughter, but going forward, that is my number one thing that I want to keep doing, just having that hour for me each day to just try and get something done.
[59:49] SPEAKER_00: It will probably be exercise because that's what makes me feel good, but just some time that's for me.
[59:54] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's a good one, Vicky.
[59:55] SPEAKER_03: And mine is kind of in a similar, similar vein to that.
[59:58] SPEAKER_03: But I want to I think in 2025, something that I'm pretty proud of is um and something I want to keep doing in 2026 is just balance being the best dad, husband, and athlete I can be.
[1:00:10] SPEAKER_03: And I I profess that I haven't always got that balance right, and um, you know, we're only human, and I think I think that's quite normal to not get that b balance right, but um yeah, it's family time is important to me, and being there for my my son and being the best dad and husband to my wife, Sarah, is really important, and then trying to be the best athlete I can be as well.
[1:00:33] SPEAKER_03: Um, and that's not an easy thing to do, right?
[1:00:35] SPEAKER_03: It's um you know, sometimes one pulls you in the other direction than others, and um yeah, I just want to keep trying to balance those three things.
[1:00:44] SPEAKER_04: Ours were all along the same lines there, and I always go back to the analogy that if a plane is crashing, you've got to put your own oxygen mask on before you can start helping others.
[1:00:53] SPEAKER_04: You're no use to anyone else around you if you're dead.
[1:00:56] SPEAKER_04: And in this kind of analogy, that's not the best version of yourself.
[1:00:59] SPEAKER_04: So chuck your own oxygen mask on and then help everyone around you.
[1:01:03] SPEAKER_04: Uh my stop doing in 2026 is and this one's kind of funny, but also kind of true.
[1:01:09] SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna try and stop sending a really tiresome amount of training essays to my athletes that I coach.
[1:01:16] SPEAKER_04: Now, I think it's a really a real a real strength to be obsessed with the the athletes that you work with as a coach.
[1:01:24] SPEAKER_04: But sometimes I take it to the extremes and I probably care more about their training and their racing than what they do, even.
[1:01:33] SPEAKER_04: And at times I can get asked, hey, why are we doing this or what do you think about this?
[1:01:37] SPEAKER_04: And I'll type out an eight-page essay that you know is like university standard, in my opinion, um, that I've gone through and like fact-checked and spell checked and word counted to make sure it, you know, hit the 4,000-word uh minimum.
[1:01:50] SPEAKER_04: So I've got to stop doing that because sometimes I can get the same like message across to my athletes in maybe one one hundredth of the words, and they'll actually take it in more because my obsession isn't always met in the way that maybe I would like it to.
[1:02:09] SPEAKER_04: Um so that's my that's my thing that I'm gonna try and stop doing.
[1:02:12] SPEAKER_04: It's it's just gonna kind of simplify my communication about my my training to my athletes.
[1:02:18] SPEAKER_00: So basically be a little bit more concise.
[1:02:20] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I think I could probably deal with that as well in my just general life because it's one thing I'm not just concise, as hence is shown or has been shown, I should say, on this podcast.
[1:02:31] SPEAKER_04: The triathlon uh two hours.
[1:02:33] SPEAKER_00: Exactly.
[1:02:33] SPEAKER_00: The reason the triathlon hour is gonna become the triathlon two hours pretty soon is basically my fault.
[1:02:39] SPEAKER_00: Okay, uh, so for me it's I mean it's a bit lighthearted, but it's also not to stop eating my body weight in chocolate and biscuits.
[1:02:49] SPEAKER_00: Now, for those who are not in Europe or Australia, I don't think you know what biscuits are because I think in America biscuits are something very different.
[1:02:58] SPEAKER_00: But I think if I asked you guys, what would you say, what would you say a chocolate biscuit is?
[1:03:02] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, a chocolate biscuit.
[1:03:03] SPEAKER_04: It's like uh God, like a short bready type thing with like a chocolate uh lemon.
[1:03:08] SPEAKER_03: An Oreo or something.
[1:03:09] SPEAKER_04: Oreo Tim Tim.
[1:03:11] SPEAKER_00: Or even I've even put like Tim Tams to speak your language.
[1:03:15] SPEAKER_00: I put them in that bracket as well.
[1:03:17] SPEAKER_00: That kind of stuff.
[1:03:18] SPEAKER_00: Basically, I have always my entire life had a sweet tooth.
[1:03:22] SPEAKER_00: Always loved sweet.
[1:03:23] SPEAKER_00: Oh, sweet over savoury.
[1:03:25] SPEAKER_00: If you ask me if you're going for starter and main or you go main and dessert, I'm going main and dessert every single time.
[1:03:31] SPEAKER_00: That's just that's my that's that's what floats my boat.
[1:03:34] SPEAKER_00: And while I've been pregnant, I have absolutely turned into Augustus Gloop.
[1:03:39] SPEAKER_00: And there has been a lot of extra chocolates and things in my life.
[1:03:43] SPEAKER_00: And I don't for I don't regret that actually.
[1:03:45] SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna say right now, because I needed that for my own sanity.
[1:03:50] SPEAKER_00: I was not about cutting out the calories, I'm not living that kind of life, I'm not doing that to myself, especially when I'm pregnant.
[1:03:57] SPEAKER_00: Baby wanted chocolate, baby gets chocolate, it's fine.
[1:04:00] SPEAKER_00: Um, and since baby's been born, I've also been living off a lot of sugar because honestly, I am sleep deprived and it's just what gets me through from one hour to the next.
[1:04:11] SPEAKER_00: But it has got to stop.
[1:04:13] SPEAKER_00: It's become a little bit out of control.
[1:04:15] SPEAKER_00: My weekly budget for how much sort of chocolate and those kind of biscuity things that we're speaking about has gone through the roof, and so we are bringing that back down to a baseline level.
[1:04:25] SPEAKER_00: We're not cutting it out, it'll never go altogether.
[1:04:27] SPEAKER_00: I'm not doing that, but it just needs to come back down a bit.
[1:04:30] SPEAKER_00: So that's my uh that's my stop doing for next year.
[1:04:33] SPEAKER_04: The midwives were in shock when uh little baby Rose came out smelling like a Tim Dam.
[1:04:39] SPEAKER_00: Pretty much.
[1:04:40] SPEAKER_00: In in the UK, we have something called penguins, and they're they're kind of like Tim Tams.
[1:04:44] SPEAKER_00: They're not as good as Tim Tams, but they're sort of they're the bet the closest thing I can say.
[1:04:48] SPEAKER_00: And penguins became a huge part of my pregnancy.
[1:04:52] SPEAKER_03: Because in America, a biscuit is like a a bready, like what people in the UK and Australia would call a scon, that is a biscuit in the US.
[1:05:03] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so to clarify, I wasn't interested in those.
[1:05:05] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, they were not part of my life this year, whereas chocolate biscuits, kind of like cookies, I guess, is what we'd say in America.
[1:05:12] SPEAKER_03: Cookies, what yeah, Americans would call them.
[1:05:14] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
[1:05:15] SPEAKER_00: But we have we have so many types of cookies.
[1:05:17] SPEAKER_03: Yes.
[1:05:17] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, but a cookie is a very specific type of biscuit.
[1:05:20] SPEAKER_04: Is a cookie is like a circle biscuit with chalk chips in it or white chock chips in it.
[1:05:26] SPEAKER_04: You know, that that's a cookie.
[1:05:27] SPEAKER_04: Like a Tim Tam's not a cookie.
[1:05:29] SPEAKER_00: Whereas we have so many different types of biscuits that are don't necessarily have to have chocolate in them and all sorts, you know.
[1:05:35] SPEAKER_00: We are we are big on biscuits in the UK.
[1:05:38] SPEAKER_00: Yep.
[1:05:38] SPEAKER_03: Tea and biscuits, right, Vicky?
[1:05:40] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
[1:05:40] SPEAKER_00: That's that's basically my life at the moment, after tea and biscuits to dunk in it, yeah.
[1:05:45] SPEAKER_00: Ginger nuts, especially, they're an elite dunking biscuit, shall I just say, you know.
[1:05:50] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I've got to stop talking about it, it's making me hungry.
[1:05:53] SPEAKER_03: All right.
[1:05:53] SPEAKER_03: Mine is, it's not training related or anything, but I want to be do um.
[1:06:00] SPEAKER_03: More less time on my phone mindlessly scrolling.
[1:06:03] SPEAKER_03: And I think that's something I've become aware of and um something I've actually started doing already is like leaving my phone out of arm's reach or I don't bring it into my bedroom anymore because I was in a habit of first thing I do is waking up and you know opening my phone and things like that and became a pretty bad habit.
[1:06:22] SPEAKER_03: And um I just want to send a good example for my son and as well that you know when he wakes us up, he's the most important thing, right?
[1:06:29] SPEAKER_03: I don't want to be grabbing my phone and opening Instagram or something like that.
[1:06:33] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I want to do less time on my phone, mindlessly scrolling, and I've actually implemented some like timekeeping apps that tell me, you know, oh you've used your 20 minutes or whatever it is, you can set whatever limit you want.
[1:06:47] SPEAKER_03: Um, but that's what I'm gonna start doing uh this year or next year, 2026, less time on my phone.
[1:06:53] SPEAKER_04: I doubt there's a single person listening, and me and Vicky, I doubt anyone uh can't uh also maybe use a bit of that in their life, Apple.
[1:07:01] SPEAKER_01: That's just uh We're nodding along, aren't we?
[1:07:03] SPEAKER_04: I was it's embarrassing, honestly.
[1:07:05] SPEAKER_00: Um yeah, I totally agree.
[1:07:07] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, anyway.
[1:07:08] SPEAKER_04: It's been it actually we've noticed that.
[1:07:10] SPEAKER_04: It's been bloody hard to get a hold of you the last few weeks, Apo.
[1:07:12] SPEAKER_04: I thought it was just I thought it was just the alcohol, mate.
[1:07:15] SPEAKER_04: We thought you were at the pub all the time being a neglectful husband and and father.
[1:07:18] SPEAKER_01: But he's just being a better dad.
[1:07:22] SPEAKER_04: Turns out he's just being a better person.
[1:07:24] SPEAKER_04: All right.
[1:07:25] SPEAKER_01: Now we feel shitty, don't we?
[1:07:27] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, you guys are making me feel bad.
[1:07:29] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it turns out he's just being a better person.
[1:07:32] SPEAKER_01: He's putting his phone down, he's not scrolling, and he's spending more time with his son and his wife.
[1:07:36] SPEAKER_01: Oh, and now we feel that crap.
[1:07:38] SPEAKER_04: Some of the abusive messages we've sent Apple in the group chat, and he's just been hugging his hugging his hugging his kid in bed.
[1:07:44] SPEAKER_04: Uh, anyway, um, my start doing is showing up every day, regardless of how I feel.
[1:07:51] SPEAKER_04: So that's number one.
[1:07:52] SPEAKER_04: And then I I couldn't decide between these two, so I've just gone with them both.
[1:07:56] SPEAKER_04: And my second one is investing more of my money into things that benefit my goals and less into random shit that doesn't do anything for me.
[1:08:05] SPEAKER_00: Well, like random midnight Amazon purchases.
[1:08:08] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, like you scroll on Instagram and something pops up and you buy it, or you go out and you know, you you buy some random shit from the shops or the supermarket or the cafe that you you don't need and you're only buying because you're there, or you know, your six subscription services that you know you can just get NordVPN and only have one of them, you know, things like that, versus being like, oh no, I'm not gonna pay for that gym membership with the sauna.
[1:08:31] SPEAKER_04: I'll just go the one that doesn't have the sauna because it saves me 18 bucks a month when I spend 18 bucks a day on random shit.
[1:08:38] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, things like that.
[1:08:40] SPEAKER_04: Um, and the showing up every day regardless of how I feel.
[1:08:43] SPEAKER_04: Sometimes I wake up and I just don't want to do things.
[1:08:46] SPEAKER_04: Sometimes we uh are two hours away from starting this podcast and I just can't be fucked doing it.
[1:08:51] SPEAKER_04: You know, sometimes I've got to organize getting a guest for the podcast, I don't want to do it.
[1:08:55] SPEAKER_04: Sometimes it's too cold to go out and run, I don't want to do it.
[1:08:58] SPEAKER_04: Sometimes I have a social activity planned and it gets to the time.
[1:09:01] SPEAKER_04: I just can't be fucked doing it.
[1:09:02] SPEAKER_04: And in the past, I've let those things get the better of me and randomly pulled out of podcasts, randomly pulled out of social stuff, not gone and trained, not prepped a meal, all those kind of things.
[1:09:14] SPEAKER_04: But regardless of how I feel in 2026, I'm gonna tell myself to shut up a little bit and just do the thing that I know long term will be better off for me.
[1:09:22] SPEAKER_03: A little peek behind the curtain.
[1:09:24] SPEAKER_03: Yesterday we came to record a podcast and Jack said that his internet wasn't working.
[1:09:28] SPEAKER_03: So, Jack, was your internet not working, or could you just not be fucked showing up to the podcast to record with us?
[1:09:35] SPEAKER_01: Did you just bend us off because you couldn't be asked?
[1:09:38] SPEAKER_01: Is that what happened?
[1:09:39] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, it's getting increasingly hard to come on here and put up with uh your two shit every week.
[1:09:44] SPEAKER_00: So careful, careful.
[1:09:47] SPEAKER_00: You might need a whole new panel soon if you keep going like that.
[1:09:51] SPEAKER_04: No, no.
[1:09:51] SPEAKER_04: I I I honestly, honestly, I've never enjoyed the podcast more.
[1:09:56] SPEAKER_04: I love this weekly show we do.
[1:09:58] SPEAKER_04: I love you guys and Greg.
[1:09:59] SPEAKER_04: I think what we've got going on right now is like one of my favorite parts of the week.
[1:10:03] SPEAKER_04: Whereas in the past, when I'd done four years of interviews exclusively, I was getting real sick of asking people how many hours of training they did that week or what their bike sessions looked like.
[1:10:14] SPEAKER_04: Like I had literally done like 300 of the exact same podcasts, and I was just really sick of it and struggled with motivation for it.
[1:10:22] SPEAKER_04: Whereas now I look forward to this podcast.
[1:10:25] SPEAKER_04: Like you guys know it.
[1:10:26] SPEAKER_04: I'm constantly messaging in the group chat.
[1:10:28] SPEAKER_04: I'm like always excited to talk about podcast ideas and that kind of thing.
[1:10:31] SPEAKER_04: Like it honestly is one of the highlights of my week now.
[1:10:34] SPEAKER_00: Okay, so for me, the big thing that I'm gonna start doing in 2026, uh, and it's a good thing as far as I'm concerned, is that I'm gonna start running again.
[1:10:42] SPEAKER_00: Hallelujah! I am pretty excited about that.
[1:10:46] SPEAKER_00: I haven't ran now since uh it would have been late September, and I think I did quite well.
[1:10:51] SPEAKER_00: I ran until uh the 36th week of my pregnancy.
[1:10:55] SPEAKER_00: So I've got quite a long way through.
[1:10:56] SPEAKER_00: That's about eight months.
[1:10:58] SPEAKER_00: Um, I haven't ran since.
[1:11:00] SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna start at some point, hopefully in January, all being well.
[1:11:04] SPEAKER_00: And, you know, running is the one of the three sports of Tarathlon that I love the most.
[1:11:08] SPEAKER_00: It's the thing I still love to do the most.
[1:11:10] SPEAKER_00: It's also the most time efficient.
[1:11:12] SPEAKER_00: You get the most bang for your buck.
[1:11:13] SPEAKER_00: You can do a really good workout in a short period of time and feel really good at the end of it.
[1:11:17] SPEAKER_00: So I'm really looking forward to getting running again and sort of on the same vein as that.
[1:11:23] SPEAKER_00: I just I really missed kind of pushing myself and bringing some intensity into my training because from you know, a few months into pregnancy, I sort of took all that intensity out.
[1:11:32] SPEAKER_00: I was still exercising, but I wasn't really doing anything that was getting my heart rate too high.
[1:11:37] SPEAKER_00: And so I'm I'm pretty excited about that.
[1:11:39] SPEAKER_00: I actually did um a little bit on the turbo today where I got my heart rate up for a bit, but uh that's that's to uh to be continued in 2026.
[1:11:48] SPEAKER_00: And on that note, I should say I have downloaded Strava.
[1:11:52] SPEAKER_00: I have not worked out how to sync things to Strava.
[1:11:56] SPEAKER_00: It's coming.
[1:11:57] SPEAKER_00: I had some problems today.
[1:11:58] SPEAKER_00: I'll get there, guys.
[1:12:00] SPEAKER_00: But Strava has been downloaded, so I've started to fulfill my uh my chat my challenge that Jack sent me last week.
[1:12:06] SPEAKER_04: I was gonna say, you've got you've got a few big goals, you've got to do a longer travel race, you've got to break at least at minimum 117.30 for the half marathon, and you've got to log it all on Strava.
[1:12:16] SPEAKER_04: So it's a good thing that you're looking forward to starting to push yourself, I reckon.
[1:12:20] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I I I think I thrive off that.
[1:12:22] SPEAKER_00: Like that's what motivates me as well.
[1:12:24] SPEAKER_00: Like, not just going out for steady runs as a time and a place for that, or rides or swims or whatever, but like real focus sessions, doing something hard.
[1:12:31] SPEAKER_00: Like before I got pregnant, I'd obviously already retired and I was doing like HIIT training at the gym.
[1:12:35] SPEAKER_00: I really enjoy that as well.
[1:12:37] SPEAKER_00: So I can't wait to like get some of that back in my life.
[1:12:40] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[1:12:40] SPEAKER_03: And once you sync it all up, Vicky, you could probably never open Strava.
[1:12:44] SPEAKER_03: Like once you save your workout on your watch or whatever, it should just automatically go to Strava.
[1:12:50] SPEAKER_03: And you could literally upload everything without ever opening the Strava app.
[1:12:54] SPEAKER_00: Well, that would be good because at the moment I'm I don't know how you upload.
[1:12:58] SPEAKER_00: I mean, I know Camworth is notorious for uploading his yoga or whatever it was that came on it through his watch or something random like that.
[1:13:04] SPEAKER_00: But you know, I I like I said, I like HIT training, I like doing weights in the gym.
[1:13:10] SPEAKER_00: I don't really know how that works, but I'm gonna find out.
[1:13:13] SPEAKER_04: Also, Vicky, you're 100% gonna become one of the people who puts photos on your Strava and captions and titles.
[1:13:19] SPEAKER_04: I I know you are.
[1:13:20] SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna become obsessive, aren't I?
[1:13:22] SPEAKER_00: That's what's gonna happen here.
[1:13:24] SPEAKER_00: You know, it's a part of my personality, it's probably gonna become my whole personality, it's gonna be Strava.
[1:13:28] SPEAKER_00: This time next year, when we're talking about these kind of same things, it's gonna be what are you gonna stop doing?
[1:13:32] SPEAKER_00: Obsessing over Strava.
[1:13:34] SPEAKER_04: I'm gonna set you another goal as well, which is to have 5,000 Strava followers by the end of 2026.
[1:13:40] SPEAKER_00: Oh my god, you sent me three now.
[1:13:43] SPEAKER_00: That's a bit harsh, right?
[1:13:44] SPEAKER_00: Okay, we'll see.
[1:13:45] SPEAKER_00: If I can hit one of the goals that you sent me, I'll be pleased.
[1:13:48] SPEAKER_03: That's a lot of followers.
[1:13:50] SPEAKER_03: 5,000?
[1:13:50] SPEAKER_04: It's more than double what you have, Apple.
[1:13:52] SPEAKER_01: Oh, bloody hell, that's not fair.
[1:13:55] SPEAKER_01: Jesus, you've and you've been on it for ages.
[1:13:57] SPEAKER_04: I checked what Apple had today because I knew I was going to set that goal for you.
[1:14:00] SPEAKER_04: I think it was like 2,391 or something like that.
[1:14:03] SPEAKER_01: How many have you got, Jack?
[1:14:04] SPEAKER_04: 3,000.
[1:14:05] SPEAKER_00: Oh, so Jack's got more than Apo right now, and you think I need more than both of you.
[1:14:10] SPEAKER_00: You think I need as many as both of you combined.
[1:14:12] SPEAKER_04: You're the queen of the show.
[1:14:14] SPEAKER_04: You're the best athlete, you're an Olympic medalist, you're a world champion.
[1:14:18] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but right now my Strava will look like, for example, what I did today, 50 minutes on the bike.
[1:14:23] SPEAKER_00: Like that's the sort of shit that my Strava's gonna look like.
[1:14:26] SPEAKER_04: But that's the journey.
[1:14:27] SPEAKER_04: People can start on the ground floor.
[1:14:29] SPEAKER_00: Like literally, you're gonna come on a journey with me this year, Josme.
[1:14:32] SPEAKER_04: Exactly, exactly.
[1:14:33] SPEAKER_04: Get in on the ground floor.
[1:14:35] SPEAKER_03: Alright.
[1:14:36] SPEAKER_03: Mine uh my start doing is to be more intentional with my training rather than just showing up and doing it, right?
[1:14:43] SPEAKER_03: Because there's a difference between being present at training and actually being intentional.
[1:14:48] SPEAKER_03: And I think sometimes I get caught up in the trap of just, you know, getting it done, getting it through it, and just yeah, forgetting about it.
[1:14:58] SPEAKER_03: But I think I want to be more intentional, um, especially with my key sessions and things like that.
[1:15:03] SPEAKER_03: I just want to be yeah, more present with my training, more intentional, rather than just completing it and forgetting about it.
[1:15:10] SPEAKER_04: If you want to be the best athlete you can be, Apo, you cannot, you just can never fall into the trap of going through the motions.
[1:15:17] SPEAKER_04: No, no world champion has ever become a world champion by going through the motions that year, have they?
[1:15:23] SPEAKER_04: It is uh it is a non-negotiable and I think for you, from like getting to know you, it's just gonna come with how excited and motivated are you by the goals you've set yourself and the training that you've got set.
[1:15:35] SPEAKER_04: And I think I like just I I really do feel a bit of a shift happening in you where I can sense that you maybe were, you know, maybe three months ago were thinking I'm really not far off retiring.
[1:15:46] SPEAKER_04: Whereas I kind of have set have sensed a shift where I reckon you're you're gonna set yourself up for a big year and we might get the best year that you've had in a long time, I reckon.
[1:15:55] SPEAKER_03: Thanks, Jack.
[1:15:57] SPEAKER_04: Okay, so a quick break from the show to talk about something that's a game changer, not for your training, but for your online life, and that's Nord VPN.
[1:16:06] SPEAKER_04: As triathletes, we're constantly on the move.
[1:16:09] SPEAKER_04: Training camps, races, overseas trips, airports, hotel, Wi-Fi, and let's be honest, not all of those connections are secure.
[1:16:17] SPEAKER_04: That's where NordVPN comes in.
[1:16:19] SPEAKER_04: It protects your data and keeps your online activity private no matter where you are in the world.
[1:16:25] SPEAKER_04: I use NordVPN every single time I travel.
[1:16:27] SPEAKER_04: It's fast, it's reliable, and I can even use it to access my favorite streaming services and race coverage from anywhere in the world.
[1:16:34] SPEAKER_04: It's like having a secure internet connection that travels with you wherever you go.
[1:16:38] SPEAKER_04: So if you want to stay safe online and stay connected wherever your trython journey takes you, head to NordVPN.com forward slash triathlon hour for an exclusive deal.
[1:16:49] SPEAKER_04: Plus, there's a 30-day money-back guarantee if you want to try it completely risk-free.
[1:16:55] SPEAKER_04: So that's NordVPN.com forward slash trython hour.
[1:16:59] SPEAKER_04: Protect your data, protect your privacy, keep training smart and watch those movies, TV shows, or race streams wherever you are in the world for free.
[1:17:09] SPEAKER_04: Okay, and now it's time for probably the segment of today's show that we're the most excited for.
[1:17:14] SPEAKER_04: It's the first ever edition of the Pretendees, the inaugural pretendees, what we hope to become the most prestigious award in Trithlon, the Pretender of the Year, will headline the Pretendees Award ceremony tonight.
[1:17:28] SPEAKER_04: And I figure that what we should do is with all of these categories, which I'll read out in a minute, there's going to be five people voting for it.
[1:17:36] SPEAKER_04: There's going to be the four hosts of this show, which is myself, Vicky, Apo, and Greg, and also the people.
[1:17:42] SPEAKER_04: Now, if you missed out on that and you're thinking, wait, I didn't get to vote out on that.
[1:17:45] SPEAKER_04: That was put out uh the earlier today on the triath on our Instagram story.
[1:17:50] SPEAKER_04: So you might have missed out, but don't worry.
[1:17:52] SPEAKER_04: Only have to wait a year and you can get on uh the next the second edition edition of the pretendees.
[1:17:58] SPEAKER_04: But what I was gonna say is I figure that we start with the people's vote, then I'll read my vote, then Vicky, then Apo, and then we'll read out Greg's vote.
[1:18:05] SPEAKER_04: Now there can be a tie, but if there is a tie, how we're gonna break it is that the people's vote breaks the tie.
[1:18:12] SPEAKER_04: So essentially, uh for there to be a tie, it it's pretty unlikely that the people vote for someone who isn't involved in that tie.
[1:18:21] SPEAKER_04: However, if they did, for example, if me and Vicky vote for the same person, if Apple and Greg vote for the same person, and then the people voted for someone different, then my vote's gonna break the tie because I can make the rules around here.
[1:18:35] SPEAKER_04: It's my show.
[1:18:37] SPEAKER_00: I was waiting to hear why, and I was like, oh, okay.
[1:18:41] SPEAKER_00: I thought you were gonna say it was gonna go to whoever the people voted for second, you know, who was who was or who was highest on the people's vote, but you've just gone in there and decided it it's your podcast, and so you're gonna make the decision.
[1:18:53] SPEAKER_04: Well, the listeners, the people, the audience, the fans, the pretenders come first, but I come second, so that's what I figured.
[1:18:59] SPEAKER_04: Um, all right, let's start with the the least prestigious of the awards.
[1:19:03] SPEAKER_04: Now keep in mind there's only six categories, so they're all extremely prestigious.
[1:19:07] SPEAKER_04: The best podcast guest of 2025.
[1:19:10] SPEAKER_04: The nominees were this for this were Hayden Wilde at the start of the year, came on, talked about his new coaching structure, everything that he'd done in the the preseason and offseason of 2024 that set him up for this fantastic year that he's had in 2025.
[1:19:25] SPEAKER_04: Taylor Nib, she was on multiple times.
[1:19:27] SPEAKER_04: Her episode with Joe Skipper, which was one of the most listened to episodes we had.
[1:19:31] SPEAKER_04: She came on for the daily pods in the lead up to Kona.
[1:19:35] SPEAKER_04: She was her own guest earlier in the year.
[1:19:37] SPEAKER_04: Taylor Nib was a massive part of the triathon hour as a guest in 2025.
[1:19:41] SPEAKER_04: Jan Fredino obviously came on and told the soup and coffee, the soup and black coffee zero calorie diet stories of his heyday, which were extremely insightful in the daily podcasts.
[1:19:52] SPEAKER_04: And Alex Yi did uh, I think one of the only podcasts he did in the year, if not the only podcast he did that wasn't a sponsors podcast in 2025, and it was an amazing interview.
[1:20:04] SPEAKER_04: So uh the people have voted, and it's not a huge surprise to me, but they voted for Taylor Nib as the podcast guest of the year, and it was extremely close between her and Jan Fredino.
[1:20:14] SPEAKER_04: Less than a hundred votes separated those two.
[1:20:17] SPEAKER_04: And I should note, guys, there was over 5,000 people who voted within eight hours of us posting these on Instagram, which is a huge, a huge amount.
[1:20:28] SPEAKER_04: So we thank all 5,000 plus of you who voted on the first edition of The Pretendees.
[1:20:32] SPEAKER_00: So I also voted for Taylor Nib.
[1:20:35] SPEAKER_00: Not only was she on the podcast several times, but I also just really loved her honesty and her humour.
[1:20:42] SPEAKER_00: I think I've said this in other podcasts or on our podcast show in previous episodes that she has shown this side of her that maybe hasn't been seen previously, and I really love it.
[1:20:55] SPEAKER_00: I think she's just a gift to traff on, and I think it was close to me between her and Jan, but I didn't hear enough from Jan.
[1:21:02] SPEAKER_00: I would have loved it if Jan had come on and done that tell or maybe he's still coming, fingers crossed.
[1:21:07] SPEAKER_00: Um, but for me, that's why I chose Taylor.
[1:21:10] SPEAKER_03: Jack, any update on the Janice Fredino tell or it's coming, it's coming.
[1:21:15] SPEAKER_04: Uh like like I talked about, off season Triton Radio is going to be big and Jan will be a part of it, let me just say that.
[1:21:21] SPEAKER_04: So that's coming.
[1:21:23] SPEAKER_04: Um okay, two votes for Taylor Nibb so far.
[1:21:26] SPEAKER_04: Apo, who's your vote?
[1:21:28] SPEAKER_03: Mine is for Jan Fredino.
[1:21:30] SPEAKER_03: Um, I just think the guy is just a he's just class, right?
[1:21:35] SPEAKER_03: And he's um I wanna every time I speak to him, this just I just want to keep asking him questions and I never want the uh the questioning to end.
[1:21:42] SPEAKER_03: And yeah, it was great having him on and he made time for us.
[1:21:45] SPEAKER_03: I think he was connecting through an airport and he jumped on in the airport lounge.
[1:21:50] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, that was great.
[1:21:51] SPEAKER_03: Um, and I always enjoy hearing what Jarn has to say.
[1:21:54] SPEAKER_03: So he is my podcast guest of the year.
[1:21:57] SPEAKER_04: I found this the hardest category to vote for.
[1:21:59] SPEAKER_04: I thought all the others, in my opinion, there was an obvious winner.
[1:22:03] SPEAKER_04: In this one, I've gone through all four of them.
[1:22:05] SPEAKER_04: Loved Jan's interview, thought it was awesome, but because it was just a short one and it was part of the daily podcast series, I've gone not the Jarn Fredino one.
[1:22:14] SPEAKER_04: I loved Hayden's one.
[1:22:15] SPEAKER_04: Hayden gave us so much exclusive uh content.
[1:22:18] SPEAKER_04: Like he told us so much stuff that was exclusive and he had never talked about before at that podcast from the start of 2025.
[1:22:25] SPEAKER_04: And it it clearly, if you go back and listen to it, you're like, wow, all this stuff that he talked about worked in the biggest way in 2025.
[1:22:32] SPEAKER_04: But I haven't gone for that.
[1:22:34] SPEAKER_04: Alex Yi, like I talked about, again, the word exclusive is probably probably overused, but that was kind of a bit of an exclusive podcast and and a huge, a huge thing for Alex Yi to do.
[1:22:42] SPEAKER_04: But I haven't done that.
[1:22:43] SPEAKER_04: I've gone with Taylor Nib.
[1:22:45] SPEAKER_04: I just think Taylor Nib has become kind of synonymous with the Triton Hour.
[1:22:48] SPEAKER_04: I think the Triton Hour is where Taylor Nib has probably shown her full self more than any other media that she's done, whether it's race media or trython podcast media or YouTube media.
[1:23:00] SPEAKER_04: I reckon the Triton Hour listeners have been really lucky that because maybe we've had Taylor on so many times and she's so such good friends with all of the hosts, that she's opened up here and she's she's been able to be her full authentic self on the podcast.
[1:23:14] SPEAKER_04: And I reckon we saw that in in multiple interviews that we did with Taylor Nib in 2025.
[1:23:20] SPEAKER_04: And good news going forward, she's gonna be a massive part of the show in 2026 as well, including in off-season radio, where she's gonna come on um at least once, but probably more than once.
[1:23:30] SPEAKER_04: So uh Greg voted for Jan Fredino.
[1:23:33] SPEAKER_04: It doesn't matter, it's two votes uh to Jan Fridino, three votes for Taylor Nibb.
[1:23:37] SPEAKER_04: So Taylor Nib is the inaugural winner of the pretendee for the best podcast guest of the year.
[1:23:47] SPEAKER_00: We need an acceptance speech now, don't we?
[1:23:49] SPEAKER_04: And now, yeah, I should have I should have hit them all up and and done it, but I couldn't be bothered.
[1:23:53] SPEAKER_04: That's the truth.
[1:23:54] SPEAKER_00: Maybe for next week.
[1:23:55] SPEAKER_00: We'll see.
[1:23:55] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, next week we'll do an acceptance show.
[1:23:57] SPEAKER_04: Or maybe in 2026 we'll be more prepared.
[1:23:59] SPEAKER_04: Um our next category, the most impressive Strava file of the year.
[1:24:05] SPEAKER_04: So for this one, there was only three nominees because we thought there were three standouts as a as a panel.
[1:24:11] SPEAKER_04: Alex Yee's 30k training run at 301 per kilometre average, where he did a session of 5x5k with 1k float in between in the lead up to his groundbreaking marathon at the Valencia Marathon where he ran 206.
[1:24:26] SPEAKER_04: Gustav Eden's insane brick session that he did seven days out before the Iron Man World Championships, where he wanted to finish second.
[1:24:34] SPEAKER_04: Um, now himself, Christian Blumenfeld, and Kasper Stoyners were all involved in that.
[1:24:38] SPEAKER_04: Christian pulled out in the run, and Kasper didn't quite do things as fast as Gustav Eden.
[1:24:44] SPEAKER_04: That's why he's got the nod ahead of those two.
[1:24:46] SPEAKER_04: Or Camworth's insane training day, where he just did one of the more crazy rides you'll ever see.
[1:24:53] SPEAKER_04: 307 Ks, 9,960 metres elevation, almost 14 hours of time in the saddle.
[1:25:00] SPEAKER_04: Uh, and that was only about three weeks out from the Iron Man World Championships in Nice.
[1:25:05] SPEAKER_04: So the people have voted, and again, this was a really close one as well.
[1:25:09] SPEAKER_04: I think there was about 300 votes difference.
[1:25:12] SPEAKER_04: Uh, Camworth is the people's vote.
[1:25:14] SPEAKER_00: So for me, Camworth was the only one I discounted, and the reason I discounted him is because, yeah, it was impressive, but it didn't pay off.
[1:25:24] SPEAKER_00: Do you know what I mean?
[1:25:24] SPEAKER_00: He then went on to Nice, and it wasn't like he was insanely good in Nice because he'd done this incredibly impressive training.
[1:25:33] SPEAKER_00: He he didn't have a great day in Nice at all, whereas both of the other two nominees went on to deliver really well in races soon after they put these finals together.
[1:25:42] SPEAKER_00: So for that reason, I narrowed it down to both Gustav and Alex, and I just can't look past my boy Alex Yee for what he put together there.
[1:25:50] SPEAKER_00: 30k at 301s.
[1:25:52] SPEAKER_00: He then went on to run the 442k at well, I think it was an average of 259, three minutes per K.
[1:25:59] SPEAKER_00: I mean, absolutely incredible, such consistency.
[1:26:02] SPEAKER_00: He's such a meticulous athlete, and um that Strava file really showed it for me.
[1:26:07] SPEAKER_03: That's an interesting thought processor you had for that one, Vicky, because I didn't think of it like that.
[1:26:13] SPEAKER_03: And I thought Alex Yi's 30k run at 301s, that's a great run, right?
[1:26:18] SPEAKER_03: It's um but it's not an crazy session for marathon runners.
[1:26:23] SPEAKER_03: Like quite a few marathon runners would do that.
[1:26:26] SPEAKER_03: Um and Gustav Eden's I discounted because I don't think it's while it was a great brick session, I think the one he did in Kona in 2022 was even bigger and therefore better.
[1:26:39] SPEAKER_03: I'm gonna go with Cam Worth because yes, it didn't pay off for him in the race, but are any other triathletes doing that?
[1:26:46] SPEAKER_03: Like that kind of ride three weeks out from the woods.
[1:26:50] SPEAKER_03: Potentially, but it still looked impressive to me on Strava, so that's why I'm awarding to Cam Werf for, you know, maybe not the smartest thing, but uh maybe the most impressive, from my opinion.
[1:27:02] SPEAKER_04: Uh and Greg has voted for Alex Yee, similar to the lines of thinking with Vicky.
[1:27:07] SPEAKER_04: He thinks it's uh it's about the result that that that came afterwards as well, and he just disagrees.
[1:27:12] SPEAKER_04: He thinks performance for performance Alex Yee session was better than Cam Wir's.
[1:27:17] SPEAKER_04: Camworth's was long and looks good, but Alex Yee's from a performance standpoint was better.
[1:27:22] SPEAKER_04: So it's two votes uh Alex Yee, two votes Camworth.
[1:27:26] SPEAKER_04: Uh on the on the deciding vote.
[1:27:29] SPEAKER_04: And uh Oh, you love this, don't you?
[1:27:31] SPEAKER_04: Well, it's just it's just funny because I've gone Gustav Eden.
[1:27:35] SPEAKER_04: Uh and I went Gustav Eden because I think, along the same lines of Vicky, it's about the result.
[1:27:43] SPEAKER_04: And Gustav Eden came second at the Iron Man World Championships.
[1:27:46] SPEAKER_04: Keep in mind Kasper Stoyners did the same session and came first.
[1:27:49] SPEAKER_04: Christian Blumentfeld pretty much did and come third.
[1:27:52] SPEAKER_04: So clearly this session worked.
[1:27:53] SPEAKER_04: But also, to Apo's point, who's doing it?
[1:27:57] SPEAKER_04: Like, I think more people are doing crazy long rides like.
[1:28:00] SPEAKER_04: Like Cameron Wirf than are doing a brick like that one week out from the Ir Man World Championships.
[1:28:04] SPEAKER_04: I think the Norwegians are the only people doing that.
[1:28:07] SPEAKER_04: And again, to Apo's point, I think lots of Kenyans could do that rum with Alex Ye.
[1:28:12] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, but no triathletes could and we're not judging him on being a cyclist or a runner or whatever.
[1:28:18] SPEAKER_00: We're judging him on a triathlete shortly.
[1:28:19] SPEAKER_04: I agree.
[1:28:20] SPEAKER_04: I don't think a single triathlete in the world, not even Hayden Wilde, could keep up with Alex Yi in that session, not Morgan Pearson, not Ari Clare, not no one.
[1:28:27] SPEAKER_04: So I agree with that.
[1:28:28] SPEAKER_04: But Alex Ye was a runner in 2025.
[1:28:31] SPEAKER_04: He was uh in a running group, he went on and did the Valencia Marathon, not the Iron Man World Championships with a marathon at the end.
[1:28:37] SPEAKER_04: So I, yeah, for my own reason, I thought Gustav Edens was the most impressive.
[1:28:42] SPEAKER_04: And that means that because of the hierarchy of how we break a draw, Cam Worth is the winner of the most impressive Stravifile of the Year because the people voted for Cam Worth, and in this situation, their vote means more than ours.
[1:28:55] SPEAKER_04: So congratulations to Cam Worth.
[1:29:01] SPEAKER_04: Okay, biggest cock-up of the year.
[1:29:03] SPEAKER_04: Now, this one's kind of funny, but this is where all the drama in the triform world is, isn't it?
[1:29:09] SPEAKER_04: And our nominees for the biggest cock-up of the year, obviously, T100 Dubai.
[1:29:14] SPEAKER_04: Obviously, the missed sprint finish on the coverage at the Iron Man 70.3 World Championships in the men's race between Yala Geens and Christian Blumenfeld, Hayden Wilde Shoegate, which caused a lot of drama, and Taylor Nibb collapsing two kilometres from the finish line in what looked like an unlosable position to win her first ever Iron Man World Championships.
[1:29:36] SPEAKER_04: And the people overwhelmingly voted for T100 Dubai to be the winner of the biggest cock-up of the year in 2025.
[1:29:44] SPEAKER_00: So I thought they were all pretty big cock-ups in their own way, but I actually went for Marbella and the missing of the finish there from 70.3 worlds.
[1:29:52] SPEAKER_00: And the reason I went for that is because for all of the others, the only person who really lost out was Hayden shot himself in the foot.
[1:30:03] SPEAKER_00: Then you had Taylor obviously lost out, then but that was just herself.
[1:30:07] SPEAKER_00: There was no other casualties from that.
[1:30:09] SPEAKER_00: And then with Dubai, all we really lost was Hayden winning by country mile again.
[1:30:15] SPEAKER_00: It actually made the race exciting because we didn't know what was going on or who was going to win.
[1:30:20] SPEAKER_00: Whereas with Marbella, what we lost as a collective is we lost that exciting sprint finish, like the best finish we were going to see in a 70.3 worlds in God knows how long.
[1:30:30] SPEAKER_00: And the people lost out on that because of the the angle at the finish.
[1:30:34] SPEAKER_00: So that's why I voted for that.
[1:30:38] SPEAKER_03: I've gone T100 Dubai.
[1:30:41] SPEAKER_03: Um I think I don't think Taylor Nib's what happened to her at Kona was necessarily a cock-up.
[1:30:48] SPEAKER_03: Like a cock-up when I think of it is like a stuff up.
[1:30:52] SPEAKER_03: And I mean, yes, you can make the argument that it was stuffed up by Taylor Nib, but you know, she just collapsed at the finish line.
[1:30:58] SPEAKER_03: Like I think T-100 Dubai stuffed it up, right?
[1:31:02] SPEAKER_03: They stuffed up the race, the broadcast, everything.
[1:31:05] SPEAKER_03: Um, even how they handled it.
[1:31:07] SPEAKER_03: Um, I think post cock-up was um not the best.
[1:31:12] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I just don't think there was any other choice but to go with the T-100 Dubai as the biggest cock-up of the year.
[1:31:19] SPEAKER_04: So Vicky and Apo, I thought that of these four, there are three, maybe two that you could vote for.
[1:31:25] SPEAKER_04: I think you could definitely vote for both Marbella and T-100.
[1:31:28] SPEAKER_04: I thought at a stretch, because of how much was on the line, and I'm uh a debut Iron Man World Champs win, you could vote for Taylor.
[1:31:36] SPEAKER_04: I thought shoegate was the thing that you couldn't vote for.
[1:31:39] SPEAKER_04: But like I said earlier in the podcast, our boy Greg Harper does not miss a chance to dig the heels into Hayden Wilde and kick a man when he's down.
[1:31:47] SPEAKER_04: So it should come as no surprise to anyone that Greg voted for Hayden Wilde Shoegate as the biggest cock up of the year in 2025.
[1:31:54] SPEAKER_01: Of course he did.
[1:31:55] SPEAKER_01: Of course he did.
[1:31:56] SPEAKER_01: Did we expect anything else?
[1:31:58] SPEAKER_04: I would have been disappointed if it was anything else.
[1:32:00] SPEAKER_04: I don't even know if he truly believes it.
[1:32:02] SPEAKER_04: Um, because for me, and keep in mind everyone, Vicky is obviously employed by the T-100, so she's very, very biased here.
[1:32:09] SPEAKER_04: For me, of course, as a former employee of the T-100.
[1:32:12] SPEAKER_00: Not an opinion, then.
[1:32:13] SPEAKER_00: It's not right.
[1:32:13] SPEAKER_04: For me as a former employee of the T-100 uh and a and a fired, sacked member of the T-100 commentary team, I have to vote for T-100 Dubai as the biggest cock-up of the year.
[1:32:24] SPEAKER_04: I don't think any of them are crazy.
[1:32:26] SPEAKER_04: Like, I don't think any of these are really bad.
[1:32:29] SPEAKER_04: I think they were talking points and dramatic, but I think if these are our biggest cock-ups of the of the year, it's been a pretty good year.
[1:32:36] SPEAKER_04: The reason I vote for T100 Dubai, I like Apo and the people, is I just think the T100 have the most to lose.
[1:32:41] SPEAKER_04: Like I think they're the ones with more on the line.
[1:32:44] SPEAKER_04: Taylor Nibb's already going to go down as one of the greatest athletes that we've ever seen.
[1:32:47] SPEAKER_04: Iron Man are established.
[1:32:49] SPEAKER_04: They could fucking, they could not even show the coverage for the 70.3 world champs.
[1:32:52] SPEAKER_04: It wouldn't matter.
[1:32:54] SPEAKER_04: Um, and Hayden Wilde Shoegate was a storm in a T-Cup, in my opinion, uh, despite what Greg thinks.
[1:32:59] SPEAKER_04: So I think the only people with really much to lose are the T-100.
[1:33:03] SPEAKER_04: So for me, uh it had to be them.
[1:33:05] SPEAKER_04: And the T-100 are the inaugural winner of Biggest Cock Up of the Year.
[1:33:14] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[1:33:14] SPEAKER_04: Don't know if that's one worth clapping about.
[1:33:18] SPEAKER_01: They won an award.
[1:33:19] SPEAKER_01: I mean, why not?
[1:33:20] SPEAKER_03: Can we get Sam on the podcast to accept the award, please, and give his uh acceptance speech?
[1:33:25] SPEAKER_04: We'll ask, do you think, Vicky, there's a chance that the biggest cock-up of the year award, because we're going to get all these m made up and posted out to the winners.
[1:33:33] SPEAKER_04: Do you think there's a chance the T100 put it on display in the T100 offices in London?
[1:33:39] SPEAKER_03: It has to be phallically shaped.
[1:33:41] SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
[1:33:41] SPEAKER_03: Can it be phallically shaped?
[1:33:43] SPEAKER_03: The uh because it's the biggest cock-up of the because we're British and we don't do things like that.
[1:33:48] SPEAKER_04: No, no.
[1:33:48] SPEAKER_04: It won't, it won't be.
[1:33:49] SPEAKER_04: It will, I don't know what it will be, but it'll be it'll be serious.
[1:33:52] SPEAKER_04: Um, okay.
[1:33:53] SPEAKER_04: Now the big three awards.
[1:33:55] SPEAKER_04: These are the coveted awards, these are the ones you want to win.
[1:33:58] SPEAKER_04: There's nothing jovial about these three awards, and we're going to do these in order of importance.
[1:34:03] SPEAKER_04: So the third most important award of the inaugural pretendees, the Glovely Award, that is named after the great Olav Alexander Boo, who liked to use gloves in his training methodology.
[1:34:13] SPEAKER_04: This is the award for best coach of the year.
[1:34:16] SPEAKER_04: Again, we only had three nominees this year because we thought there were three standouts.
[1:34:20] SPEAKER_04: That is uh Ben Rezel, Christian Blumenfeld, and Dan Lorang.
[1:34:26] SPEAKER_04: The people have voted for Christian Blumenfeld, obviously, with his podium clean sweep as a coach at the Men's Iron Man World Championship, and then backing it up with a second and third place finish um at the 70.3 World Championships.
[1:34:37] SPEAKER_04: So that's the people's vote.
[1:34:38] SPEAKER_00: I'm with the people, yeah.
[1:34:40] SPEAKER_00: Uh for me, it's got to be Christian Blumenfeld.
[1:34:42] SPEAKER_00: I mean, you've probably got to give a nod to the other people who were involved in that kind of setup, the coaching team that therefore created that uh Norwegian sweep at the world champs, you know.
[1:34:54] SPEAKER_00: Altveiten has obviously been a huge part of that over the years, but you know, Blumey was given the um accolade, if you like, by his fellow Norwegians.
[1:35:06] SPEAKER_00: He was the leader of the pack, he was the one creating most of the the training programme, and so for me that's why it's uh Christian Blumenveld.
[1:35:14] SPEAKER_03: I went against the grain a little bit, and I've gone with Ben Rezel, but um he's obviously got um sorry, I was about to say Hayden, he's obviously got Yellow Geans um backing up two back-to-back 70.3 worlds wins.
[1:35:30] SPEAKER_03: He also has Mika Knut, who had a really, really good T100 season.
[1:35:34] SPEAKER_03: Um Hannah Wells, he took um her, well sorry, Hannah Berry to fifth place at Kona, which is an amazing result for her.
[1:35:44] SPEAKER_03: Um yeah, and I just couldn't look past Ben.
[1:35:47] SPEAKER_03: Christian was up there, but you know, Christian, I don't know, he got third, and I think he's really disappointed with that, right?
[1:35:56] SPEAKER_03: Like he really wanted to win.
[1:35:58] SPEAKER_03: And I think it was almost I don't know, I feel like Christian coaches himself and the other two just tag along.
[1:36:06] SPEAKER_03: And I think for himself, like we want more, but just just how long to yeah, like I'm not convinced that it's a as much as a collaborative effort, um, that Norwegian coaching dynamic as maybe what other people think.
[1:36:20] SPEAKER_03: I think it's Christian mainly writing the program for himself, and the other two are like, yeah, that sounds good, let's do that.
[1:36:26] SPEAKER_03: And I think Christian accidentally coached um Gustav and Caspar to beat him.
[1:36:33] SPEAKER_00: So he's accidentally discovered that he's a brilliant coach, is what you're saying.
[1:36:36] SPEAKER_03: Well, yeah, actually, yeah, by that logic, maybe it should be Christian.
[1:36:39] SPEAKER_03: But um, no, I've gone with Ben um Ben Rezzel.
[1:36:42] SPEAKER_04: I've gone with Ben Rezzel as well, Apo.
[1:36:45] SPEAKER_04: Kind of similar line of thinking.
[1:36:47] SPEAKER_04: I think that um I don't know if I consider Christian Blumenfeld a coach.
[1:36:52] SPEAKER_04: Like I think that they're a product of their environment, and I think Christian is the linchpin of the environment.
[1:36:57] SPEAKER_04: So yes, he probably does set and dictate a lot of the training, but I really think they've benefited from the coaches they've had in the past and the training environment they have, and the three of them working together as training partners more than they do as Christian as a coach.
[1:37:12] SPEAKER_04: Now, if Christian does go into coaching, I strongly believe he'd be a very, very good coach.
[1:37:17] SPEAKER_04: But for me, it's Ben Rezzel.
[1:37:19] SPEAKER_04: There's a saying in coaching, I said it last week on the podcast, that the best coaches pick the best athletes.
[1:37:24] SPEAKER_04: I don't think Ben Rezzel necessarily does that.
[1:37:26] SPEAKER_04: I think he has a couple of athletes who he's done that with, obviously Yaligans and Patrick Lang, they're slam dunks.
[1:37:32] SPEAKER_04: If you don't have good results with them as a coach, you're kind of a shitty coach.
[1:37:35] SPEAKER_04: Now, Patrick Lang didn't have his big biggest year or his best year, and that's the only reason there's any doubt into my mind.
[1:37:41] SPEAKER_04: But if if Patrick Lang had have had a good year, this would have been a no-brainer for me.
[1:37:44] SPEAKER_04: But you know, Mick and Newt being close to the best middle distance athlete in the world, I think that's a really good coaching performance from Ben Rezzel.
[1:37:51] SPEAKER_04: Hannah Berry finishing fourth at Kona and having great T100 results.
[1:37:55] SPEAKER_04: Hannah Berry isn't the world's most talented athlete.
[1:37:58] SPEAKER_04: That's a great coach athlete job.
[1:38:00] SPEAKER_04: Daniela Kleiser, I think, is one of the most forgotten athletes in Ben Rezzel's stable.
[1:38:05] SPEAKER_04: She's the number one ranked runner in female long course triathlon.
[1:38:08] SPEAKER_04: She ran like a 114 half marathon off the bike.
[1:38:11] SPEAKER_04: Like that's like what Pace Apo runs off the bike, and he's one of the better runners in North America male triathlon.
[1:38:17] SPEAKER_04: So, I mean, I think Ben Rezzel is the athlete who has done the best balance of coaching great athletes to great results, like Yaligin's back-to-back Iron Man 70.3 world championship win.
[1:38:27] SPEAKER_04: And maybe taking some athletes like Hannah and Mika and Danny Aller, who I don't consider like, you know, like absolute tip of the the tip of the iceberg athletes to still really, really world-class results.
[1:38:40] SPEAKER_04: So, yep, for me it was Ben Rezzel.
[1:38:42] SPEAKER_04: Um, Greg has gone for Christian Blumenfeld, however.
[1:38:46] SPEAKER_04: So I think by process of elimination, that means uh three votes to Christian Blumenfeld, two votes to Ben Rezzel.
[1:38:52] SPEAKER_04: So Christian Blumenfeld is the inaugural glovely winner, which like, come on, you can't make this stuff up.
[1:38:59] SPEAKER_04: It had to be a Norwegian.
[1:39:00] SPEAKER_03: Serendipitous.
[1:39:01] SPEAKER_03: Serendipitous.
[1:39:02] SPEAKER_00: I know.
[1:39:02] SPEAKER_00: And he's and it's great because it means he's won something this year.
[1:39:10] SPEAKER_03: Don't forget about that$2,000 and$200,000 from Iron Man that he's uh pocketed.
[1:39:15] SPEAKER_01: It sounded worse than I meant it to be, but I'm just gonna roll with it.
[1:39:20] SPEAKER_01: Sorry, Christian, I didn't mean it like that.
[1:39:21] SPEAKER_04: I thought without Greg on the podcast, we wouldn't have something.
[1:39:24] SPEAKER_04: But like Vicky's just assumed the mantle of Wow.
[1:39:28] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's why we call her the most opinionated woman in Trithlon.
[1:39:30] SPEAKER_04: She's gone away for a few weeks, she's back.
[1:39:32] SPEAKER_04: Uh, well done.
[1:39:33] SPEAKER_04: Christian Blumenshell taking out the Glovely.
[1:39:39] SPEAKER_04: That one has to be a glove-shaped award, though, for sure.
[1:39:42] SPEAKER_04: Okay, now these are without question the two most prestigious awards at the pretendees.
[1:39:47] SPEAKER_04: The contender of the year is the second most prestigious.
[1:39:50] SPEAKER_04: It is for the best athlete in Trithlon.
[1:39:53] SPEAKER_04: We don't believe in best male athlete, best female athlete, best long course, best middle distance, best short course.
[1:39:58] SPEAKER_04: We hate the division.
[1:39:59] SPEAKER_04: We're anti-division at the Trithlon hour.
[1:40:01] SPEAKER_04: We want the world to come together.
[1:40:03] SPEAKER_04: So we group them all together, unless they're short course athletes, because we didn't nominate any of them because we pretend that short course racing doesn't exist.
[1:40:10] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, yeah, yeah, wah, wah, wah.
[1:40:12] SPEAKER_04: Because Maddie Hauser probably would have won this award, let's be honest.
[1:40:15] SPEAKER_04: And we couldn't have that happening at the first ever edition of the Contender of the Year.
[1:40:19] SPEAKER_04: So our nominations for Best Triath of the Year, Contender of the Year, Hayden Wilde, Lucy Charles Barclay, Solvig the Glove, Lofseth, and Kasper Stoyners.
[1:40:28] SPEAKER_04: The people overwhelmingly voted for Hayden Wilde.
[1:40:32] SPEAKER_00: I have to agree with the people.
[1:40:33] SPEAKER_00: I think you've just got to look at the season that he had.
[1:40:37] SPEAKER_00: Absolutely undefeated, barred the disaster that was T-100 Dubai.
[1:40:43] SPEAKER_00: He would have won that as well.
[1:40:46] SPEAKER_00: I think we can be pretty certain of that.
[1:40:49] SPEAKER_00: I think he probably would have won or come pretty close to winning Mar Bay.
[1:40:52] SPEAKER_00: It would have been really good to see him versus Yeller there, but I think there's a really good chance he would have done.
[1:40:58] SPEAKER_00: And on top of all that, it was in a year where he had a near career-ending crash and injury off the back of that.
[1:41:04] SPEAKER_00: He had surgery, got back to racing within a hundred days, back to winning ways straight away.
[1:41:09] SPEAKER_00: I think I don't think we're going to see a season like that for a really long time.
[1:41:13] SPEAKER_00: Not with that kind of story to it as well.
[1:41:16] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, for me, it's Hayden.
[1:41:17] SPEAKER_03: So Vicky, you've just said that Hayden was undefeated.
[1:41:20] SPEAKER_03: Does that also mean that you're ignoring WTCS?
[1:41:23] SPEAKER_00: I'm just talking about middle distance.
[1:41:25] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, that's correct.
[1:41:26] SPEAKER_03: Um I've also gone with Hayden Wilde.
[1:41:28] SPEAKER_03: Um, yeah.
[1:41:29] SPEAKER_03: I mean, Vicky said it pretty much undefeated, apart from the debacle at Dubai.
[1:41:35] SPEAKER_03: And I think, yeah, he would have won that hands down, probably, if um if everything went to plan.
[1:41:40] SPEAKER_03: So Hayden Wilde is my contender of the year.
[1:41:44] SPEAKER_04: Correct me if I'm wrong, Vicky, but Hayden Wilde, he won the first WTCS race of the year as well.
[1:41:50] SPEAKER_04: He beat Matty Haso.
[1:41:51] SPEAKER_00: He did, yeah.
[1:41:52] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, he did, and then also from there went on to run that insane 10k in Tokyo just the day before he had that really bad crash.
[1:42:00] SPEAKER_00: And yes, his sort of dabbling in short course racing later on in the year didn't go to plan.
[1:42:06] SPEAKER_00: But I sort of forgive him that because the biggest issue he had, obviously, with that crash was his shoulder.
[1:42:13] SPEAKER_00: He had that really, really big surgery that he needed to have in a certain time frame, or it was going to completely end his career.
[1:42:19] SPEAKER_00: And it just meant that his swimming hasn't quite been up to the standard it needs to be in the short course racing, especially where there's so many athletes.
[1:42:26] SPEAKER_00: It's such a washing machine situation, and he's he's struggled to put his swim together.
[1:42:31] SPEAKER_00: But I I think he'll probably get back to a standard that at least gets him in the race again.
[1:42:36] SPEAKER_00: But yeah, he's um he's put together an insane year.
[1:42:39] SPEAKER_04: For me, this is just the biggest no-brainer of all time.
[1:42:42] SPEAKER_04: Six T100 wins.
[1:42:43] SPEAKER_04: Like good luck.
[1:42:44] SPEAKER_04: Good luck doing that.
[1:42:45] SPEAKER_04: I don't think that'll ever be done before.
[1:42:47] SPEAKER_04: They're the highest standard long course races of the year.
[1:42:50] SPEAKER_04: Um, he would have been seven, like you said.
[1:42:52] SPEAKER_04: I I I've said this to Yeller.
[1:42:54] SPEAKER_04: I I don't know if he'd be a two-time champ if Hayden was there.
[1:42:57] SPEAKER_04: He wasn't, so it's coulda, woulda, shoulda.
[1:42:59] SPEAKER_04: But for me, Hayden Wilde had probably the most dominant middle distance uh race season I've ever seen.
[1:43:05] SPEAKER_04: Taylor Nib has held that crown forever, but I think Hayden Wilde's year has surpassed that.
[1:43:09] SPEAKER_04: So no brainer for me that Hayden Wilde is the contender of the year.
[1:43:12] SPEAKER_04: So I think it's going to be a clean sweep with ever.
[1:43:15] SPEAKER_04: Oh, hang on.
[1:43:16] SPEAKER_04: Greg's voted for Lucy Charles Barclay.
[1:43:19] SPEAKER_01: Of course he has.
[1:43:21] SPEAKER_01: He just can't bring himself to do it, can he?
[1:43:24] SPEAKER_01: No offense to Lucy Charles Barclay, who has been exceptional.
[1:43:28] SPEAKER_01: But really, come on, Greg.
[1:43:30] SPEAKER_04: It's just unbelievable.
[1:43:31] SPEAKER_04: It's unbelievable.
[1:43:32] SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I mean, he's done it.
[1:43:35] SPEAKER_04: So it's uh it wasn't quite our first clean sweep in the pretendees history.
[1:43:39] SPEAKER_04: It's a four vote to one win for Hayden Wilde.
[1:43:41] SPEAKER_04: Hayden Wilde, you are the winner of the Contender of the Year.
[1:43:49] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[1:43:50] SPEAKER_04: And now it's time for the most hotly contended for prize in Triathlon, the most coveted prize in Triathlon, the most prestigious prize in Triathlon.
[1:44:01] SPEAKER_04: It is the award that triathletes, young and old, go to bed dreaming about winning.
[1:44:06] SPEAKER_04: It is the Triathlon Hour Pretender of the Year Award, the people's champion, and the people, again, overwhelmingly and as a surprise to no one, have voted for the eight-time gold medalist, Benjamin Zorgnotti.
[1:44:21] SPEAKER_00: Well, I'm with the people.
[1:44:23] SPEAKER_00: I didn't think I could possibly vote for anyone else.
[1:44:26] SPEAKER_00: I mean, he has got to be the most surprising discovery of this podcast in 2025.
[1:44:33] SPEAKER_00: He was absolutely hilarious.
[1:44:36] SPEAKER_00: And the reaction that we've had to his appearances on the podcast have been huge and shown by the fact that the people voted for him in their droves.
[1:44:46] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I just didn't think I could vote for anyone other than Benjamin Zorgonotti.
[1:44:51] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, it's um Benjamin Zorgnotti for me as well.
[1:44:54] SPEAKER_03: Um the question is, we need to start getting this put into uh athletes' contracts.
[1:44:59] SPEAKER_03: Like there must be some kind of bonus attached to uh the pretender of the year on the triathlon hour.
[1:45:04] SPEAKER_03: So, you know, if you haven't finalized those 2026 contracts, athletes listening, make sure you uh, you know, try and put that amendment into your um yeah, go back to your brands, put it in to the contract, and uh yeah, you could be millionaires.
[1:45:19] SPEAKER_04: And of the over 5,000 people who voted, uh there was 2,750 people who voted for Benjamin Zorgnotti.
[1:45:27] SPEAKER_04: So it really was an overwhelming win from him uh through the through the eyes of the people.
[1:45:32] SPEAKER_04: I voted for Benjamin Zorgnotti as well, and so did Greg Harper.
[1:45:36] SPEAKER_04: So it's a unanimous agreement that the pretender of the year, the people's champion, the one and only, Benjamin Zorgnotti.
[1:45:44] SPEAKER_04: You keep in mind, this was the main reason that Christian Blumenfeld wanted to race the Iron Man World Championships this year because he had a losing record to Benjamin Zorgnotti.
[1:45:59] SPEAKER_04: And Benjamin Zorgnotti came on the podcast and called him out and said, I am a better, I am a better athlete than Christian Blumenfeld.
[1:46:06] SPEAKER_04: He's got more to lose at the Iron Man World Championships than me, and he's only racing because he wants to beat me.
[1:46:11] SPEAKER_04: So that's the calibre of athlete we're talking about here.
[1:46:14] SPEAKER_04: What a surprise packet Benjamin Zorg Notti was, though, Vicky and Apo.
[1:46:18] SPEAKER_04: Truly, I I think the highlight of the uh of the trifle on our year was his interview before the Iron Man World Championships at Nice.
[1:46:26] SPEAKER_04: That was like, if you haven't listened, go back to the Men's Iron Man World Championships in Nice daily podcast and listen to the Benjamin Zorg Notti interview.
[1:46:34] SPEAKER_04: It was the best 10 minutes of the podcast that we've ever done in the five-year history of the podcast, I think.
[1:46:40] SPEAKER_03: Agreed.
[1:46:40] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it was just comedy gold, wasn't it?
[1:46:42] SPEAKER_00: It was just it was brilliant.
[1:46:44] SPEAKER_04: And everyone thought it was scripted, Vicky, but it wasn't.
[1:46:46] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I did, because I wasn't on the podcast at that time, and I just assumed you'd written it for him and he was reading it.
[1:46:52] SPEAKER_00: And it turns out he's brilliant.
[1:46:54] SPEAKER_00: So that's why he deserves to be the pretender of the year.
[1:46:58] SPEAKER_04: And if you haven't already, go and uh send Benjamin Zorgnotti a message on Instagram, congratulate him on being the first ever winner of the Pretender of the Year, the people's champion.
[1:47:08] SPEAKER_04: Give him a follow on Instagram, send him a message, give him some love, make him make him know that he is loved in the Trithorn community because it's easy to send a message to Jan Fredino or Lucy Charles Barclay, but they pale in comparison to the Pretender of the Year, Benjamin Zorgnotti.
[1:47:22] SPEAKER_04: So go and show him some love.
[1:47:25] SPEAKER_04: The single hardest thing about training is being consistent.
[1:47:28] SPEAKER_04: And there's nothing more frustrating than when you want to be consistent or you've finally found some consistency and you get yet another running-related injury like Achilles pain, a stress fracture or reaction, runner's knee, or some plan of fasciitis.
[1:47:41] SPEAKER_04: That's exactly where lever can help.
[1:47:43] SPEAKER_04: Lever is a tool that allows you to keep training while reducing impact so you can recover, rebuild, and stay on track with your running.
[1:47:50] SPEAKER_04: Lever is a bodyweight support system that attaches to your treadmill and can remove up to 45 pounds or 20 kilos of your body weight while you run.
[1:47:58] SPEAKER_04: By reducing impact, it helps you train through little niggly injuries, safely rebuild after some time off running, and increase your mileage without fear of breaking down.
[1:48:08] SPEAKER_04: And it's not just for rehabbing, although that is a great use for it, it's also a tool for performance.
[1:48:13] SPEAKER_04: What many people don't know is that seven of the top 11 women at the 2024 IMAN World Championships used Lever to train and recover in the lead up to the race, including the world champion.
[1:48:25] SPEAKER_04: Lever is lightweight, it's portable, and connects with a digital scale so you can dial in exactly how much load you want to take off while you run.
[1:48:33] SPEAKER_04: Exclusive to the triathlon hour listeners, you can use the code TTH to get you 20% off your Lever system.
[1:48:41] SPEAKER_04: Um, to do that, just visit levermovement.com and start running smarter today.
[1:48:47] SPEAKER_04: Get consistent in your running.
[1:48:48] SPEAKER_04: It's the main thing that will get you running faster.
[1:48:53] SPEAKER_04: Okay, we're gonna wrap up the podcast now.
[1:48:55] SPEAKER_04: We've got your Spotify comments to read.
[1:48:57] SPEAKER_04: We don't have as many as usual because we knew that we were gonna take ages getting through everything we had planned on the show.
[1:49:02] SPEAKER_04: So some quick fire Spotify comments.
[1:49:04] SPEAKER_04: I'll start us off.
[1:49:05] SPEAKER_04: I don't know how to say this name, whether it's T Scap or TSCAP or TizCap, whatever the name is.
[1:49:12] SPEAKER_04: Just put your real name.
[1:49:13] SPEAKER_04: It makes it so much easier.
[1:49:14] SPEAKER_04: But Tuz Cap says, train first thing Christmas morning.
[1:49:18] SPEAKER_04: Does nobody have kids waiting to open gifts that morning?
[1:49:21] SPEAKER_04: I can't imagine telling my kids they have to wait for dad to finish his session before they can see what Santa got them.
[1:49:27] SPEAKER_04: I spend so much time away from my family throughout the year training.
[1:49:30] SPEAKER_04: Least I can do is take the morning off on Christmas.
[1:49:33] SPEAKER_04: I mean, I don't have kids, so I can't relate TS Cap, but there there's many things that come to my mind here.
[1:49:39] SPEAKER_04: A, your kids are selfish.
[1:49:41] SPEAKER_04: B, just tell them Santa doesn't exist and go out on your bike for six hours.
[1:49:46] SPEAKER_04: Or C, I guess you can be a good bloke and put your kids first for one day.
[1:49:50] SPEAKER_04: Do whatever you want, mate, but they're your options as I see them.
[1:49:53] SPEAKER_03: Alright.
[1:49:54] SPEAKER_03: Tri Doc 1980 says Guys, I have to ask, is Christian Blumenfeldt six hours?
[1:50:00] SPEAKER_03: Hour brick, which was a four-hour ride, and a four times four K run off the bike at 307 per kilometer on Christmas Day, inspiring or sad?
[1:50:10] SPEAKER_03: And I think if you asked T scap, he would say it's sad.
[1:50:13] SPEAKER_03: And I tend to agree.
[1:50:14] SPEAKER_03: I mean, I don't know.
[1:50:16] SPEAKER_03: I listened to your guys' um episode last week about the Christmas, and I kind of think Christmas is a good day to not feel bad about doing absolutely no training and just being a pig all day and enjoying opening presents.
[1:50:28] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm sort of with you.
[1:50:30] SPEAKER_00: I think um I don't know if it's sad, it's more just, I guess, a reflection on what he loves to do on that day.
[1:50:37] SPEAKER_00: Um, I don't know what his family want him to be doing on that day, or whether they might think they're gonna get to spend a bit of time with him.
[1:50:44] SPEAKER_00: Maybe that's the more pertinent question.
[1:50:46] SPEAKER_00: But yeah, uh, I'm not sure where I sit on that.
[1:50:48] SPEAKER_00: It wouldn't be for me, let's just say that.
[1:50:50] SPEAKER_04: Who am I to question what the coach of the year, the glovely award winning coach of the year, if he said that for himself, he has to do it.
[1:50:58] SPEAKER_04: He's the glovely award winner for a reason.
[1:51:00] SPEAKER_00: And I wonder if both Gustave and uh Casper did the same.
[1:51:03] SPEAKER_00: Jace Bland says, a wise coach once told me it's not what you do between Christmas and New Year that counts, but what you do between New Year and Christmas.
[1:51:13] SPEAKER_00: And I really like that because that was sort of what I was alluding to last week when I was saying that, you know, set yourself realistic targets, allow yourself to enjoy that festive period, um, try and tick over, but it really isn't about that week in the context of the other 52 weeks or 51 weeks, I should say, of the year.
[1:51:30] SPEAKER_04: I just think ultimately, at the end of the day, it's whatever is best for you.
[1:51:34] SPEAKER_04: Now, some people have the luxury of having a loving, supportive family that they look forward to seeing on Christmas.
[1:51:40] SPEAKER_04: Other people don't have that.
[1:51:42] SPEAKER_04: You know, not everyone has the perfect Christmas setup.
[1:51:45] SPEAKER_04: So many people, and it's a lot more than you might think, are lonely on Christmas.
[1:51:49] SPEAKER_04: They don't have a big family, they don't have kids, they don't have a significant other.
[1:51:53] SPEAKER_04: If if you getting up on Christmas morning and going out and enjoying the quiet roads on your bike because there's less traffic around makes you happy, do it.
[1:52:02] SPEAKER_04: If training makes you happy, do it.
[1:52:04] SPEAKER_04: If if if you know packing up for the day, having a day off and spending it with your loved ones makes you happy, do it.
[1:52:09] SPEAKER_04: I think at the end of the day, we shouldn't judge anyone no matter what they decide to do.
[1:52:14] SPEAKER_04: Do what's best for you, do what makes you and those around you happy.
[1:52:17] SPEAKER_04: I I just think, yeah, sometimes uh it's very easy for people to think that everyone has this perfect setup at Christmas.
[1:52:23] SPEAKER_04: And uh speaking as someone who doesn't, not everyone does.
[1:52:26] SPEAKER_04: And and sometimes training can be a great escape for that.
[1:52:29] SPEAKER_04: So yes, in in principle, I agree with the, you know, obviously it's like four or five days of training versus a whole year of training.
[1:52:36] SPEAKER_04: So obviously, Jace, that makes sense.
[1:52:38] SPEAKER_04: But also, I mean, true Christmas and New Year period can be a great training time to train for others.
[1:52:43] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, um, whatever works for you.
[1:52:45] SPEAKER_03: Not everyone celebrates Christmas as well.
[1:52:47] SPEAKER_03: So um true.
[1:52:48] SPEAKER_03: That's another thing to think of.
[1:52:50] SPEAKER_03: So maybe Christian doesn't celebrate.
[1:52:52] SPEAKER_00: Or it reminds them of a particularly tough time.
[1:52:55] SPEAKER_00: You know, there's a lot of reasons why people don't enjoy Christmas or don't celebrate Christmas.
[1:52:59] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, it's it's it's whatever works for you.
[1:53:02] SPEAKER_04: Underdog Triathlete says, Love all these training tips.
[1:53:05] SPEAKER_04: Although I have one exception.
[1:53:07] SPEAKER_04: If you're telling yourself, I don't feel good about eating this on Christmas Day, that's not you talking, that's an eating disorder.
[1:53:15] SPEAKER_04: Full credit to Jack, I know that's not what he was getting at, but speaking from experience, that kind of self-restricting mindset is what led me down the path of bulimia for years, and it definitely didn't make me a better athlete.
[1:53:27] SPEAKER_04: Now, underdog triathlet, you said it, that's definitely not what I was getting at.
[1:53:31] SPEAKER_04: I did say that, you know, if you go out and train, it means you can come and enjoy some guilt-free food throughout the day.
[1:53:36] SPEAKER_04: Now, what I meant by that, because that does sound a little bit eating disorder-ish and a bit of like an advocacy for promoting eating disorders, but that's not what I meant.
[1:53:45] SPEAKER_04: I meant that, you know, when you go for a run or a ride or a swim and then you come home and you eat your normal breakfast, or maybe you get a coffee on the way home at a cafe with a friend and a bit of cake.
[1:53:56] SPEAKER_04: Food to me has always just tasted sweeter, and I've been able to enjoy the experience of eating food more if I've exercised.
[1:54:03] SPEAKER_04: Like I never enjoy the taste of food more if I've been inactive throughout the day versus if I've been active throughout the day.
[1:54:11] SPEAKER_04: I don't know if I'm alone in that.
[1:54:12] SPEAKER_04: I I assume I'm not, but I just think food just tastes so much more sweeter and I can just soak it up and enjoy it if I have exercised.
[1:54:20] SPEAKER_04: It's it's got nothing about to do with restricting or not eating it if you haven't exercised.
[1:54:25] SPEAKER_04: I still eat the same food year round and and I advocate for that.
[1:54:28] SPEAKER_04: I don't advocate for disordered eating or or rewarding yourself because you've done a certain activity.
[1:54:34] SPEAKER_04: I think that's a really bad mindset.
[1:54:36] SPEAKER_04: I just I just love when I've trained and food tastes better.
[1:54:40] SPEAKER_04: Like I just love food after I've trained.
[1:54:42] SPEAKER_04: That's all I was getting at.
[1:54:43] SPEAKER_03: Alright.
[1:54:44] SPEAKER_03: John Snell says, I cannot figure out if Greg is just being sarcastic or is he really just a dick?
[1:54:52] SPEAKER_03: And doesn't he realise he wouldn't have a fucking job if it weren't for age group triathlete who aren't fast enough to be pros?
[1:55:00] SPEAKER_03: And if it weren't for age groupers, there would be no Iron Man business.
[1:55:04] SPEAKER_03: And you know what, John Snell?
[1:55:06] SPEAKER_03: Greg isn't being sarcastic, he really is a dick.
[1:55:12] SPEAKER_01: You just chose that so you could say that knowing that Greg wouldn't be here.
[1:55:20] SPEAKER_04: Love him or hate him.
[1:55:22] SPEAKER_00: Right, seeing as we're sticking the boot in with Greg, I've got one.
[1:55:25] SPEAKER_00: Stefan De Pizol says, wouldn't it be awesome if Greg had to run his sub-three-hour marathon as the official pacemaker at a somewhat major city marathon, dressed in a bunny costume because it's too easy for him otherwise.
[1:55:39] SPEAKER_00: And again, Greg isn't here to defend himself, so I think maybe we can just vote on it as a team and say that we think that this would be a really good idea.
[1:55:48] SPEAKER_00: I've no idea about the logistics of getting uh him to be a pacemaker at a major city marathon, but I I vote for this.
[1:55:55] SPEAKER_04: Greg would just laugh and think it's too easy.
[1:55:57] SPEAKER_04: Like, imagine the arrogant thing he would say as a response to this now.
[1:56:01] SPEAKER_04: Whatever you're picturing him saying.
[1:56:02] SPEAKER_00: It's not even fast.
[1:56:03] SPEAKER_00: It's not even fast.
[1:56:04] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, dude, I'll do that tomorrow.
[1:56:05] SPEAKER_04: I could do that tomorrow.
[1:56:06] SPEAKER_00: I'd do it in training anyway, it's fine.
[1:56:07] SPEAKER_04: I probably already have done it.
[1:56:08] SPEAKER_04: Just go back and check my Strava.
[1:56:10] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[1:56:11] SPEAKER_04: Heather says, Loved the convo about being a coachable athlete.
[1:56:15] SPEAKER_04: In my house, there are two kinds of this.
[1:56:18] SPEAKER_04: Me, tell me what to do.
[1:56:20] SPEAKER_04: I don't care why I'm doing it.
[1:56:21] SPEAKER_04: I'm too lazy to figure out my own training.
[1:56:23] SPEAKER_04: And my husband will do anything you say, but not until he has asked exactly a hundred questions about its purpose and goal.
[1:56:32] SPEAKER_04: Now, Vicky and Apo, I have a question for you.
[1:56:35] SPEAKER_04: When it comes to describing an athlete as coachable, do you think that if you're a coach and you set sessions for your athletes and every time you set it, they have to ask you a hundred questions before they commit to it, does that actually mean they are coachable, or does Heather have this wrong and her household actually only consists of one coachable athlete in herself and her husband, low-key, not coachable?
[1:57:00] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, I'm not sure he's particularly coachable because that is so draining.
[1:57:04] SPEAKER_00: So draining for the coach to have to explain every single session, every suggestion, recommendation that they've made.
[1:57:13] SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's great that he does it eventually, but it just shouldn't need to be every single time.
[1:57:18] SPEAKER_00: And it's again, it's good that you're got an inquisitive mind and that you're thinking about things, but not every single time.
[1:57:25] SPEAKER_00: That that is just too much.
[1:57:26] SPEAKER_03: I agree, Vicky.
[1:57:27] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think it's okay to ask questions about, you know, the maybe a really key session of the week that you aren't too familiar with, or what its pros and you know, what are the benefits going to be, or how should you execute it?
[1:57:39] SPEAKER_03: I think that's fine.
[1:57:40] SPEAKER_03: But if you're asking questions if you set a two-hour aerobic ride and they're asking a hundred questions about it, I don't think necessarily that that person is coachable.
[1:57:50] SPEAKER_04: I think as the coach, it's on you to always have a why for everything you set, whether it is a two-hour easy ride or a really chaotic, kind of hard to understand brick session.
[1:58:01] SPEAKER_04: You should always have a why as to why you're setting something.
[1:58:04] SPEAKER_04: If you're setting something and you haven't figured out the why, you're being a lazy coach.
[1:58:08] SPEAKER_04: However, there's definitely a limit on how many times you can answer the why question.
[1:58:13] SPEAKER_04: I would say maybe once a week would be probably the the upper end.
[1:58:17] SPEAKER_04: Like that that ends it ends up being over 50 times a year that you have to explain yourself, maybe at a stretch twice a year, like a hundred times a year of explaining it.
[1:58:25] SPEAKER_04: But any more than that, that is just too draining as a coach, I think.
[1:58:29] SPEAKER_00: Agree.
[1:58:30] SPEAKER_00: Aaron Michael Hyman says, end of season, not just for retirements, but for sponsor deals.
[1:58:36] SPEAKER_00: When an athlete rolls through tons of sponsors, how should we understand that?
[1:58:40] SPEAKER_00: High maintenance.
[1:58:41] SPEAKER_00: How does one lose a Red Bull sponsorship?
[1:58:44] SPEAKER_00: That is not just from a season or two of underperformance.
[1:58:47] SPEAKER_00: Help us understand this landscape, friends.
[1:58:50] SPEAKER_00: Now, the reason I chose this was because I wondered if it was something that maybe at a later date, probably not right now, when we're two hours into this podcast, we can talk about in more detail if that's something that the the public want to want to hear.
[1:59:03] SPEAKER_00: But from my perspective, quickly, I would just say that that is actually how you do sponsors.
[1:59:10] SPEAKER_00: A year or two of underperformance does often result in renewals of contracts just simply not happening.
[1:59:15] SPEAKER_00: Because when you sign with a sponsor, it's not for lifetime.
[1:59:18] SPEAKER_00: Some people do have lifetime deals, but they're really rare and they're usually only reserved for people who are extremely high performers.
[1:59:26] SPEAKER_00: Most people have a contract that might be a year, might be two years, might be four years.
[1:59:30] SPEAKER_00: And when that contract is up, if you haven't been performing to the level that the sponsor thinks is appropriate, they often decide not to renew with you.
[1:59:39] SPEAKER_00: There's also other things in around, for example, social media usage, how often you promote the brand.
[1:59:44] SPEAKER_00: If you're not doing things like that enough, they might not see the value in continuing the partnership.
[1:59:49] SPEAKER_00: And also as an athlete, you might just decide that the brand doesn't work for you.
[1:59:52] SPEAKER_00: They're not the right fit for you as an athlete.
[1:59:55] SPEAKER_00: So those are the reasons that I can say that sponsorship deals do end.
[1:59:59] SPEAKER_00: I don't think it's usually because an athlete is high maintenance.
[2:00:02] SPEAKER_00: It could be.
[2:00:04] SPEAKER_00: But that's that's my take on it.
[2:00:05] SPEAKER_00: I don't know whether you've got any uh different thoughts on that, Apo.
[2:00:08] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, I think I think you're right.
[2:00:10] SPEAKER_03: Um, some brands I think uh are a little bit more patient than others.
[2:00:16] SPEAKER_03: Um, you know, some companies, I'm sure, want immediate return on investment.
[2:00:20] SPEAKER_03: Um, some brands, I'm sure, uh, you know, I've had long-term partners that have stuck with me through a bad year because I've been with them for a long time and they believe in my ability to come back and deliver performances, right?
[2:00:33] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, I think it kind of depends on the brand and who you're working with.
[2:00:37] SPEAKER_03: And um, yeah, I think some brands are more tolerable than others to a year or two of poor results, but yeah, it absolutely happens.
[2:00:45] SPEAKER_03: Like if you sign a deal and you have a year of bad results, then you know it's not uncommon for a brand to then look at another athlete or go in a different direction.
[2:00:55] SPEAKER_03: Um, so in terms of that question, how does one lose a Red Bull sponsorship?
[2:00:59] SPEAKER_03: Yeah, um, I'm not sure if that because I know Daniel Backegaard has just come out and announced that he's um you know been been dropped by Red Bull, which is sad because that's a dream sponsor for a lot of people.
[2:01:10] SPEAKER_03: And yeah, I think I would I didn't watch the video, but I'd imagine that it was because he hasn't really performed in the last couple of years, especially at the big races like Kona last year and then uh and then Nice in 2025.
[2:01:24] SPEAKER_03: So yeah, it happens, it sucks.
[2:01:26] SPEAKER_03: Um, but yeah, I think the best thing you can do is kind of bet on yourself, come back and um yeah, race well and try and earn the trust of brands back again.
[2:01:36] SPEAKER_04: Massive year for Daniel Backgard in 2026.
[2:01:39] SPEAKER_04: He can do one of two things here, can't he?
[2:01:41] SPEAKER_04: He can fold, he can turn over and fold, he can, he can lay down and bury, and you know, he can grab a shovel and dig his own grave and and help his sponsors who have left him uh finish off that burial site.
[2:01:52] SPEAKER_04: Or he can say, fuck you, I'm gonna prove to you how good I am and come out and have the best season of his career, train harder than ever, race harder than ever, go all in.
[2:02:00] SPEAKER_04: So I can't wait to watch what Daniel Backgaard does in 2026 because this is very clearly directed at the uh loss of Red Bull sponsorship for Daniel Backgard.
[2:02:08] SPEAKER_04: Because Aaron's right, Red Bull don't easily throw in sponsorships in Trithlon.
[2:02:12] SPEAKER_04: Usually, if you have them, you have them for a bloody long time, if not for your entire triathlon career.
[2:02:17] SPEAKER_04: So I I would say this is on the rarer side for Red Bull.
[2:02:20] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, it's almost a challenge to Daniel Backgard, I reckon.
[2:02:23] SPEAKER_04: And and I know Daniel a little bit, I reckon he'd be he'd be more motivated than ever, and I and I hope he is.
[2:02:29] SPEAKER_04: Um, last Spotify comment for today's show.
[2:02:32] SPEAKER_04: It's been a massive show.
[2:02:33] SPEAKER_04: Thank you for sticking around all the way till the end.
[2:02:35] SPEAKER_04: We've hope you we hope you have enjoyed it.
[2:02:37] SPEAKER_04: Um Charlie V77 says, Funny how even when the late and great, rest in peace, Justin Riale, goes to his mother-in-law's for Christmas, she already has the floor-to-ceiling mirrors waiting for him.
[2:02:50] SPEAKER_04: Will there be a pretendee for the triathlet that spends the most amount of time checking out their dad bod in the mirror?
[2:02:56] SPEAKER_04: Now, Charlie, the pretendees have obviously already been, and there wasn't an award for that.
[2:03:01] SPEAKER_04: It's a pointless award.
[2:03:02] SPEAKER_04: If we did have it, it would be called the Justin Reale Memorial Trophy.
[2:03:07] SPEAKER_04: This guy is outrageous, Vicky and Appo.
[2:03:09] SPEAKER_04: He literally, like, how narcissistic, arrogant, self-obsessed you have to be to install floor-to-ceiling mirrors on every single wall surface in a room in your house and go and train in there with your shirt off.
[2:03:25] SPEAKER_04: And not just train in there for your own enjoyment with your shirt off to look at yourself, but take photos and send them to your friends on WhatsApp messages or Instagram DMs.
[2:03:36] SPEAKER_04: Or if that's not enough for you, posting them to your social media, to your Instagram stories for everyone in the world to see.
[2:03:43] SPEAKER_04: Now that is a narcissist of the nth degree.
[2:03:46] SPEAKER_04: I don't think I've ever met someone who loves the look of himself in a floor-to-ceiling mirror more than Justin Reale.
[2:03:54] SPEAKER_04: So it comes as no shock to me that he, probably, I assume, at least six months ago, messaged his mother-in-law and said, Look, I'm assuming her name's Mary.
[2:04:04] SPEAKER_04: She looks like a Mary.
[2:04:05] SPEAKER_04: Mary, I'm not coming to Family Christmas this year unless you install floor-to-ceiling mirrors in at least one of your rooms.
[2:04:13] SPEAKER_04: I cannot go a day without getting my shirt off and staring at myself in the mirror, flexing, kissing my biceps, taking selfies in front of said floor-to-ceiling mirrors.
[2:04:23] SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, Charlie.
[2:04:24] SPEAKER_04: Comes as no surprise to me at all that Justin Reale has made those demands of his family for Christmas.
[2:04:29] SPEAKER_00: Justin's really, really copping it here.
[2:04:32] SPEAKER_00: And I'll I'll be honest, I admire the guy.
[2:04:34] SPEAKER_00: I think if I could have an ounce of that self-confidence, I would absolutely love it.
[2:04:40] SPEAKER_00: I want to know how you project that because that's just not me, and there's no way I would feel comfortable doing that.
[2:04:47] SPEAKER_00: So yeah, for me, I say good on you, Justin.
[2:04:50] SPEAKER_03: The thing is, though, the thing that really chaps my ass is that Justin's rig isn't even very good.
[2:04:55] SPEAKER_02: Like if he had a good phrase.
[2:05:01] SPEAKER_03: If he was aesthetically pleasing, I wouldn't mind it.
[2:05:03] SPEAKER_03: You know, you've got those mates that are like, ah, yeah, you're a bit full of yourself, but you've got a good body, whatever, you know, you do you.
[2:05:09] SPEAKER_03: But Justin, he doesn't even have an excuse.
[2:05:11] SPEAKER_04: Wait, just so just I'm sorry, Appo, I yeah, point taken.
[2:05:15] SPEAKER_04: But just to be clear, if Justin's rig was better, you would let him chap your ass, or your ass would be chapped?
[2:05:24] SPEAKER_01: Well, I don't How does an ass get chapped?
[2:05:28] SPEAKER_01: Don't lips get chapped?
[2:05:32] SPEAKER_01: I mean it's a phrase I've never heard.
[2:05:34] SPEAKER_04: What what are you saying would happen to your ass if Justin had a better rig is what I'm asking, actually.
[2:05:40] SPEAKER_03: Look, maybe that turn of phrase wasn't the best to use um ahead of what I just said, but um yeah, you know, I think uh you what you never heard that phrase, chaps your ass, you know, when something annoys you or you know something pisses you off?
[2:05:56] SPEAKER_00: No, I think that's Aussie.
[2:05:57] SPEAKER_04: I'm just thinking in 2026, if Justin Reale finds himself in the position in a race on the bike where he's the wheel behind you and he's looking at that ass, there's gonna be some thoughts going through his head.
[2:06:08] SPEAKER_03: Well, he had plenty of views of uh looking at my ass at Boise 70.3, so he knows uh, you know, it's not a position.
[2:06:15] SPEAKER_03: It's a it it's a familiar position for Justin.
[2:06:21] SPEAKER_04: Okay.
[2:06:21] SPEAKER_04: If uh if Justin and Apo were a gay couple, we uh we know who would be top and who would be bottom.
[2:06:27] SPEAKER_04: On that, uh on that lovely uh mental image, it's time to wrap up the last podcast for the year here at the Trithlon Hour.
[2:06:34] SPEAKER_04: It was a big one, it was a fun one, the first ever edition of The Pretendees.
[2:06:38] SPEAKER_04: We hope you got lots out of our tips about off-season and pre-season training and enjoyed everything else.
[2:06:43] SPEAKER_04: Um, Vicky and Apo, probably my highlight from a podcast perspective, apart from the Benjamin Zorg Notti interview, is that I think the big change that we've made in the in the Trithlon Hour sphere is getting everyone involved in the podcast and the Spotify comments, like the week-long podcast series that we did that had like five to six hundred people commenting on the Spotify throughout the week, and and every single week we get, you know, so many comments on the Spotify.
[2:07:08] SPEAKER_04: I think getting everyone involved, having all these in-jokes between not only ourselves, but everyone who listens has been like the most positive change to the podcast ever, and it's made me enjoy it so much more.
[2:07:19] SPEAKER_04: So um, thank you to both of you and Greg and Justin and Ari and everyone who's been involved in in making the trifle now, what it what it has ultimately become uh at this point in 2025.
[2:07:30] SPEAKER_04: But also thank you to all of you listening.
[2:07:32] SPEAKER_04: We love you guys being involved.
[2:07:34] SPEAKER_04: We love what the podcast has become.
[2:07:35] SPEAKER_04: It's it's just so much so much fun to do it every week.
[2:07:38] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, thank you, thank you to all of you out there and Apple and Vicky.
[2:07:41] SPEAKER_04: Thanks for a great year, and and we'll do it all again next year.
[2:07:44] SPEAKER_03: Sounds good.
[2:07:44] SPEAKER_03: We've also got the Strava group as well, which is um which is popping off as well.
[2:07:48] SPEAKER_03: So if you're on Strava and you haven't joined the Pretenders, I think it's what's the group called, Jack?
[2:07:52] SPEAKER_03: Trithon Hour Pretenders, I think.
[2:07:54] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, the Trithon Hour Pretenders.
[2:07:56] SPEAKER_04: You just search it on Strava.
[2:07:57] SPEAKER_00: Hang on, is this something else I've got to do?
[2:08:00] SPEAKER_00: I've got to join the group as well.
[2:08:02] SPEAKER_04: Exactly.
[2:08:02] SPEAKER_04: You'll be the leader of the group once you're once you're fully on board, Strava Vicky.
[2:08:05] SPEAKER_00: Oh, I've got so much homework, guys.
[2:08:08] SPEAKER_04: You would have been a good student though.
[2:08:10] SPEAKER_04: You would never have missed homework.
[2:08:12] SPEAKER_00: Oh, you know it.
[2:08:14] SPEAKER_04: You would have been the biggest brown nose ever at school.
[2:08:17] SPEAKER_01: Absolutely, I was, and I'm proud of it.
[2:08:19] SPEAKER_04: You like Hermione Granger, actually.
[2:08:23] SPEAKER_00: No, she's really clever as well, so I'd take that.
[2:08:25] SPEAKER_00: That's good.
[2:08:26] SPEAKER_04: Aiden's Draco Malfoy, your your uh your Hermione Granger, Alex Ye's Harry Potter.
[2:08:31] SPEAKER_04: Who's Voldemort?
[2:08:32] SPEAKER_04: Gotta be Andrew Messick.
[2:08:34] SPEAKER_03: Greg is Neville Longbottom.
[2:08:35] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, 100%.
[2:08:37] SPEAKER_00: What about you then?
[2:08:38] SPEAKER_00: You guys?
[2:08:39] SPEAKER_03: I'm Cedric Diggory.
[2:08:41] SPEAKER_03: Good looking, achiever.
[2:08:45] SPEAKER_04: I don't know who I am.
[2:08:46] SPEAKER_04: I think maybe Dumbledore.
[2:08:49] SPEAKER_01: Oh self-proclaimed leader.
[2:08:53] SPEAKER_01: I like it.
[2:08:53] SPEAKER_01: Yes.
[2:08:54] SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
[2:08:54] SPEAKER_04: All right.
[2:08:55] SPEAKER_04: Enough Harry Potter chat.
[2:08:56] SPEAKER_04: Vicky Apo.
[2:08:57] SPEAKER_04: That was awesome.
[2:08:58] SPEAKER_04: Uh talk to you next week, aka twenty twenty-six.
[2:09:00] SPEAKER_03: See you, Jack.
[2:09:01] SPEAKER_00: Yeah, see you all in twenty twenty-six.

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