# Lionel Sanders + Ironman World Champs + T100 French Riviera

An episode of [The Triathlon Hour](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/1595443343), 1 Sep 2025, 1 h 18 min.

Audio: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2640942/episodes/19698033-lionel-sanders-ironman-world-champs-t100-french-riviera.mp3

The boys are back to break down all the racing for the weekend, give you a Lionel Sanders update and deep dive discussion, discuss the upcoming men’s Ironman World Championships & discuss some things that have been annoying them! Lever: Use the code TTH for 20% off your Lever system Lever 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 Patreon: We put a lot of time & energy into bringing you this podcast every week and have done for 4 years now. If you appreciate what we do, we would love your support and you can do so for less than the cost of a coffee per week on Patreon - Patreon link

## Transcript

[0:18] SPEAKER_01: Yes, it's good to be back in your ears for another week at the Triton Hour Pretenders.
[0:22] SPEAKER_01: And joining us today, as always, is the most opinionated man in Triton, who backs it up on the race course, by the way, Greg Harper.
[0:28] SPEAKER_01: Greg, good to be here.
[0:31] SPEAKER_05: Thanks for having me, Jack.
[0:32] SPEAKER_01: And of course, the 19 time, yes, you heard that right.
[0:35] SPEAKER_01: 19 time 70.3 champ Sam Appleton.
[0:38] SPEAKER_01: Apple, kick us off today.
[0:40] SPEAKER_04: They're all cherry picks, Jack.
[0:41] SPEAKER_04: So uh finally he admits it.
[0:44] SPEAKER_03: We already knew that.
[0:45] SPEAKER_04: No, I did um I did see you get roasted, Greg, in the uh in the Spotify comments.
[0:50] SPEAKER_04: Someone uh called you out from last week's episode about what position you finished at Oceanside.
[0:57] SPEAKER_05: Dude, the best part about that is I made a cheeky comment, like, oh, actually I got 32nd, but I didn't even read what they said.
[1:02] SPEAKER_05: So the whole point was that I got beat by an amateur and I should have put 33rd.
[1:06] SPEAKER_05: So yeah, it kind of blew up my face a bit, honestly.
[1:10] SPEAKER_05: No, it's good to be here.
[1:11] SPEAKER_01: I agree with them.
[1:12] SPEAKER_01: I think that I I expect it of the professionals and the age groupers, it's not just the age groupers.
[1:17] SPEAKER_01: I think as a professional, you're racing against the whole field as well.
[1:21] SPEAKER_01: And if you come 32nd a professional, but one age grouper beats you, then you you came 33rd.
[1:26] SPEAKER_05: I agree, honestly.
[1:27] SPEAKER_05: And and till that moment I didn't even know because I just, you know, you don't pay attention.
[1:32] SPEAKER_05: But uh yeah, sure.
[1:34] SPEAKER_05: Worst race of my career.
[1:35] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, maybe I'll go edit my Instagram caption, but unlikely.
[1:40] SPEAKER_01: All right, Atho.
[1:41] SPEAKER_01: Like I said, kick us off.
[1:43] SPEAKER_04: I want to start off with the um obviously the T100 biggest race of the weekend.
[1:48] SPEAKER_04: Um, I mean, first off, I think congrats, Jack, Greg, and Joe.
[1:53] SPEAKER_04: Great commentary.
[1:54] SPEAKER_04: I didn't watch it live, but I did wake up and tune in the next morning, and I think it was uh I think it was great.
[2:00] SPEAKER_04: You guys did great, great insights.
[2:02] SPEAKER_04: I mean, Jack, you've been pretty critical of commentary in the past.
[2:06] SPEAKER_04: How do you find obviously you've done it before?
[2:08] SPEAKER_04: I'd be interested to see, like, obviously it's harder than a lot of people think.
[2:12] SPEAKER_04: How is your experience with the commentary?
[2:15] SPEAKER_04: And do you, now that you've done a couple of these T100s, do you give a little bit more slack to to some of the people you've criticized in the past?
[2:25] SPEAKER_01: Or uh I don't know.
[2:27] SPEAKER_01: It's a good question, Apo.
[2:28] SPEAKER_01: It's definitely harder than you think in some ways, and and not as hard as you think in some ways.
[2:34] SPEAKER_01: I think the thing that kind of frustrates me is that Iron Man is the biggest uh corporation in our sport, but I just don't think they have the best people.
[2:42] SPEAKER_01: I think the T100 have good people now.
[2:44] SPEAKER_01: Like I think Emma and Vicky are good, I think Jarn's good.
[2:48] SPEAKER_01: But I don't know that I think Iron Man I think Iron Man have all the money in the world and could literally just about ask anyone, but they they stick with a crew that I'm not the biggest fan of.
[2:57] SPEAKER_01: It's just not really commentary I enjoy that much.
[3:00] SPEAKER_01: I find myself kind of bored throughout it.
[3:02] SPEAKER_01: Um but but then I don't know what conditions they're working under.
[3:05] SPEAKER_01: Like I don't know if they are like I I just don't know if it's really hard to broadcast with all the things they have to do for Iron Man.
[3:12] SPEAKER_01: So I mean it's a bit fence-sitting, it's kind of Apo style, but I I'll tell you one thing.
[3:17] SPEAKER_01: I really like the format we did on the weekend.
[3:19] SPEAKER_01: I think that is easy and fun, and I just loved it so much.
[3:22] SPEAKER_01: Like Apo, it was so fun, and I I I do want to apologize to you because we finished we we finished the broadcast, and then uh we were just like, oh, we realized we forgot to ask Apo to get on.
[3:39] SPEAKER_04: Well, to be honest, no, I was actually dreading if you guys were gonna ask me because it started at midnight my time, and I would not have done it.
[3:46] SPEAKER_04: So when I didn't get the uh the call up, I was just like, I was pretty secretly happy, actually.
[3:51] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, no stress there, mate.
[3:52] SPEAKER_04: No stress there.
[3:54] SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, let's touch on the race.
[3:56] SPEAKER_04: Hayden, what more needs to be said?
[3:59] SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, I mean, pretty pretty impressive.
[4:03] SPEAKER_04: Um I don't know.
[4:05] SPEAKER_05: What do you think, Greg?
[4:06] SPEAKER_05: Well, I got a question for you guys.
[4:08] SPEAKER_05: And I'm assuming Hayden has a 70.3 world spot.
[4:11] SPEAKER_05: I don't know for certain.
[4:12] SPEAKER_05: Maybe you guys can shed some light on that.
[4:14] SPEAKER_05: But do you think he goes undefeated the rest of the season in middle distance?
[4:18] SPEAKER_05: So all the T100s, and I'm assuming 70.3 world champs.
[4:22] SPEAKER_05: Yes.
[4:22] SPEAKER_05: Undefeated?
[4:23] SPEAKER_05: No, not undefeated.
[4:25] SPEAKER_04: Well, he doesn't have a 70.3 world slot, I don't think.
[4:28] SPEAKER_04: Jack, do you know?
[4:29] SPEAKER_04: Because I think he um I listened to a podcast he did, and I think he was reaching out to Iron Man to try and get one.
[4:35] SPEAKER_04: Um, but uh yeah, I don't think he has one, but I do think that he will go undefeated at the T100.
[4:41] SPEAKER_04: Every T100 race that he does, he'll win this year, I think.
[4:44] SPEAKER_01: I agree with you, Apo, in that I think, and I said this on last week's podcast with Joe, unless he decides he doesn't want to win a middle distance race, he'll go undefeated.
[4:54] SPEAKER_01: Like, I don't know.
[4:54] SPEAKER_01: I don't know if he just wants to share it around.
[4:56] SPEAKER_01: I think that's the only way he doesn't win a race.
[4:58] SPEAKER_01: He doesn't have a 70.3 world slot.
[5:00] SPEAKER_01: The last 70.3 he did was the Iron Man World Championships where Yalla beat him and he came second.
[5:05] SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
[5:05] SPEAKER_01: What do you think?
[5:06] SPEAKER_01: Do you guys think that if he reaches out to Iron Man just because of how big he is?
[5:09] SPEAKER_01: Because, in my opinion, he's becoming the face of the T-100.
[5:13] SPEAKER_01: I think I I kind of think it is him this year that's the face of it.
[5:16] SPEAKER_01: Do you think that Iron Man will go, well, we want to steal that from uh T100?
[5:20] SPEAKER_01: So him winning the 70.3 worlds will be great for us and really bad for the T100, and put a bit of a shadow and kind of push the T100 grand final and world series that he's clearly going to win into the shadows and make the 70.3 worlds the big racy one of the year?
[5:37] SPEAKER_01: Oof.
[5:37] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I don't know if they're like playing that game per se.
[5:40] SPEAKER_05: Now, has has this precedent been set?
[5:42] SPEAKER_05: Has it has this happened before where someone's reached out to get the spot and and been successful, or that has not happened yet?
[5:48] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's happened before.
[5:50] SPEAKER_05: I can't remember it happening.
[5:51] SPEAKER_01: It's happened before, and Iron Man have offered slots to people before as well who haven't qualified but who haven't taken it.
[5:56] SPEAKER_01: So Iron Man do this sometimes.
[5:58] SPEAKER_01: They they kind of make the rules, right?
[6:00] SPEAKER_01: They could be like, well, you won an Olympic gold medal, so we'll offer you a 70.3 world slot.
[6:05] SPEAKER_01: They have the decision to decide who races the race.
[6:08] SPEAKER_01: So it wouldn't be unprecedented for them to do this.
[6:11] SPEAKER_04: Personally, I think that they shouldn't.
[6:13] SPEAKER_04: I mean, he's had a lot of I know he'd had the injury, the accident, but if he really wanted to race 70.3 worlds, he probably should have locked that up, you know, well before the accident, I think.
[6:24] SPEAKER_04: You know, people that are serious about Kona and serious about 70.3 worlds, they're trying to wrap up and get their qualifications early and then just, you know, so they can put all their focus into the race.
[6:35] SPEAKER_04: So I mean, I would like to see Iron Man say no, but part of me also wants him to be there as well because I think it would be great as a spectator to watch him battle it out because it's gonna be, you know, the T-100 versus all the Iron Man athletes.
[6:51] SPEAKER_04: You're gonna have Christian there, you're gonna have all the people focusing on the Pro Series versus the T-100, it'll be pretty exciting, I think.
[6:57] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, I'm kind of as I always am on the fence about this one.
[7:03] SPEAKER_05: It would be good to have him there, though.
[7:05] SPEAKER_05: And that course, like 5,800 feet of climbing or something, like him.
[7:10] SPEAKER_05: I mean, we saw over the weekend what he did on that climb.
[7:12] SPEAKER_05: You know, we were talking about it on commentary, like, oh, what's gonna happen?
[7:15] SPEAKER_05: Like, maybe he's playing his cards, and then like it cuts back, and all of a sudden Hayden has a 30-second lead.
[7:20] SPEAKER_05: So it seems like he can kind of do whatever he wants on the climb over a really a lot of strong athletes.
[7:24] SPEAKER_05: So that course would be uh well suited for him for sure.
[7:27] SPEAKER_05: But yeah, I think I'd have to be on the fence, Apo.
[7:30] SPEAKER_05: It's like part of me is like, nah, he doesn't you can't play favorites like that, but then other part of me is like, no, just just let him race for the for the fan and me.
[7:39] SPEAKER_05: So I'm gonna send on the fence as well.
[7:41] SPEAKER_01: My question is if he if he does lose, who is it that beats him?
[7:46] SPEAKER_01: Because it at right now, on this form that I think he's only going to get better throughout the year, given that he had that little bit of an injury.
[7:53] SPEAKER_01: Well, who beats him?
[7:54] SPEAKER_01: Who like I just don't I don't really see a world where someone can beat him.
[7:58] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, maybe a really 70.3 fit Christian, but I think I even think Christian would have to have the race of his life to beat Hayden.
[8:07] SPEAKER_04: Um, I mean Hayden's almost making the T100 boring in terms of as a spectator, because it's like it's like when Alistair Brownley was winning everything.
[8:15] SPEAKER_04: It's like, you know, it seems like halfway through the bike Hayden's in that group, and it's just like, oh well, he's just gonna run away with it.
[8:22] SPEAKER_01: You know, a funny moment from the weekend appo was when Yalla Geans was sprinting in like the last few K to catch up to Hayden, and Hayden was literally jogging around, like he was talking, he would have talked to 20 people inside that last 2K.
[8:36] SPEAKER_01: He was like laughing, smiling, jogging it in, knew he'd won.
[8:40] SPEAKER_01: And then Yalla was catching him super quickly and sprinting as fast as he could, and we were laughing so hard about it on commentary, like we were pissing ourselves laughing.
[8:50] SPEAKER_01: And then as soon as Hayden realized, oh, he's actually like 20 seconds away from me, he just picked it up like at ease, so easily, dropped like a 60 second, 400 to win the race, and it it just it just was like it was kind of cruel that he was like letting Yalla think that Yalla was catching him, and Yalla was probably thinking, Oh my god, I can catch him, I can catch him, I can catch him, and then he'd rewatch the footage and be like that bastard.
[9:13] SPEAKER_05: He's out there like kissing babies at the end, just like doing what doing whatever he wanted.
[9:18] SPEAKER_05: Uh yeah, it was it was impressive to see.
[9:21] SPEAKER_01: And no swim skin too, Appo.
[9:23] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I I so I saw some photos, and I was trying to flick through the coverage to try and see him.
[9:28] SPEAKER_04: No swim skin, um, which I mean, yeah, I think no swim skin, he's still swimming, you know, in that front pack or within that 20 seconds off the lead.
[9:39] SPEAKER_04: And it's like, you know, this is a guy that's the swim is supposed to be his weakness.
[9:44] SPEAKER_04: And if he's doing no swim skin and still only losing 20 seconds, you know, coming out right where he needs to be, it's pretty dangerous.
[9:50] SPEAKER_04: And I wonder if I don't know, I wonder if the guys need to swim harder or form more alliances to try and isolate him or something like that.
[9:58] SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, obviously, yeah, he's just showing that he's got no weakness, really.
[10:03] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, over this distance, especially.
[10:05] SPEAKER_04: But yeah, great race by Yeller Geans as well in second.
[10:08] SPEAKER_04: Honestly, you know, on the bike, Yeller was only what 40 seconds behind Hayden, and it was looking like pretty interesting, like um with Yeller's run ability, but yeah, just not enough to match Hayden.
[10:19] SPEAKER_04: Um, and then Sam Dickinson, a great, you know, I don't think anybody had that on their bingo card and wildcard, um, pretty new to the middle distance um scene as well, like mainly focuses on the WTCS stuff.
[10:33] SPEAKER_04: So great race by him as well, and showed that he's got what it takes to ride with those guys.
[10:39] SPEAKER_04: Because that top five on the bike pretty much just closed the door on the rest of the field, right?
[10:43] SPEAKER_04: Like they got off the bike with five minutes, that top five, and then it was just they kind of worked out the podium from there.
[10:49] SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, great race, Sam Dickinson.
[10:51] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and he's he'll be a force to reckon with at 70.3 worlds, possibly.
[10:55] SPEAKER_05: I mean, he's obviously a good climber, he knows how to ride his bike.
[10:58] SPEAKER_05: So um if he I must I think I feel like he's going to 70.3 worlds too.
[11:02] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I'm not sure if he's switched his focus a bit, but a wild card on a podium, that's impressive.
[11:08] SPEAKER_05: Like, kudos to him.
[11:10] SPEAKER_05: Like you're earning your spot, right?
[11:12] SPEAKER_05: I mean, I feel like we see like wild cards DNF and drop out a lot.
[11:15] SPEAKER_05: He goes there, shows up, gets on the podium.
[11:17] SPEAKER_05: I mean, that hasn't only happened a few times before, and people have ended up with contracts, so uh good on him.
[11:23] SPEAKER_01: It was a massive step up for Sam Dickinson, too, because um, like his race that's the best race I've seen him do, by and my.
[11:30] SPEAKER_01: Like, um he was at uh I think it was 70.3 Sweden earlier in the year, where he he came second, but he was like pretty competitive with Harry Palmer, and then he did Swansea, which like I mean, this is kind of crazy to think about, which Harry Palmer won and Sam came fourth.
[11:46] SPEAKER_01: And we saw on the weekend, Harry Palmer was second last, I think, in the end, a long way back, and Sam Dickerson was at the front of this race fighting for the win.
[11:54] SPEAKER_01: But to be beaten by two minutes by Harry Palmer and people like Leon Chevalier and Kieran Linders at Swansea, you would never go while a guy who came fourth in that race could do what we just saw and be competitive with Hayden and Yalla and Rico at the front of a T100 race.
[12:10] SPEAKER_01: But I think it goes to speak about dynamics of these T100 races.
[12:13] SPEAKER_01: And if you are a really good swimmer and can ride well, you can find yourself in this front group of these T100 races and just get dragged along and finish better than what you would in a in a 70.3 race with different dynamics.
[12:28] SPEAKER_01: And maybe even the Hillier, more mountainous course at uh, you know, showed that it does suit different people versus these Iron Man 70.3 courses, which tend to be more kind of flat draft fest kind of races.
[12:40] SPEAKER_01: So that I I thought Sam Dickinson a great race, but also just a really interesting race.
[12:45] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I mean, and he'll likely get call-ups to the following T100s for the rest of the year, I'd imagine, with a with a podium.
[12:52] SPEAKER_04: They want to see him back.
[12:54] SPEAKER_04: Um, because he's likely if he gets another good result, he'll be, you know, well up there in the standings if he can yeah, notch up another result or two.
[13:02] SPEAKER_01: And Greg, I hate to bring him up, but uh, your boy Sam Long, I'm worried about him.
[13:08] SPEAKER_01: We have a set we have a segment called I'm worried about.
[13:10] SPEAKER_01: We don't even we're not even doing that today, but I am worried about Sam Long.
[13:15] SPEAKER_01: I I I don't think he's the best climber in the world.
[13:18] SPEAKER_01: I think he struggles on the climbs, and Nice is a crazy course coming up in exactly 14 days' time.
[13:25] SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm super worried.
[13:26] SPEAKER_01: I hope that he's just in heavy training fatigue, he can taper up over the last two weeks and come out strong, but it it isn't looking that positive for your boy.
[13:36] SPEAKER_05: Well, I have to say, I mean, besides those top five riders, everyone else, you know, he's in the ballpark of them.
[13:44] SPEAKER_05: So, I mean, maybe at Nice he doesn't climb as fast as the laid lows and some of the super strong guys, but I still think he's on for a good one.
[13:52] SPEAKER_05: He's running well.
[13:54] SPEAKER_05: Now he's a bit unproven over the long distance consistently, like the Iron Man distance.
[13:59] SPEAKER_05: So, yeah, I mean, I think he's taken away like some decent pot.
[14:02] SPEAKER_05: The swim was fine.
[14:04] SPEAKER_05: I wouldn't say it was an amazing swim.
[14:06] SPEAKER_05: I feel like the last one might have been a bit better.
[14:08] SPEAKER_05: I was kind of curious if the swim was maybe a little like slow.
[14:11] SPEAKER_05: We saw him bunched up a bit, and not that Hayden's the barometer, but you know, he got he was only like 20 seconds or 18 seconds back, but he was almost 30 seconds back today in the sprint distance race, you know, against the guys who are really gunning, you know, like Matt Hauser.
[14:25] SPEAKER_05: So um just curious to know like what the swim dynamics really were out there on on the weekend as well.
[14:30] SPEAKER_04: Just touching on Sam, I think you know, who knows?
[14:34] SPEAKER_04: He could be in pretty finishing up his last big block for Nice.
[14:37] SPEAKER_04: He might have been coming in a little bit tired.
[14:39] SPEAKER_04: Um, I don't think I think it's too early to ride him off for Nice just yet.
[14:43] SPEAKER_04: Like if he's got Nice as his A goal and he was coming with this as his last big hit out, he might be coming in, you know, with a little bit of fatigue in the legs.
[14:51] SPEAKER_04: Um so yeah, I wouldn't ride him off just yet.
[14:54] SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, maybe a little bit concerning.
[14:57] SPEAKER_04: But yeah, given that he might have just done you know back-to-back 30, 40 hour training weeks and coming in tired, that might be a little uh he's gonna be able to get it.
[15:05] SPEAKER_04: He's coming in tired.
[15:07] SPEAKER_05: I can I can assure you.
[15:08] SPEAKER_01: I think historically he's raced well tired, though.
[15:11] SPEAKER_01: I I think a strength of Sam Long in the past has been he can race well under heavy training load.
[15:16] SPEAKER_01: And if anything, I think he's raced poorly in the past off low training load leading into races and come out and had really great races off high training load.
[15:25] SPEAKER_01: So that's what worries me.
[15:27] SPEAKER_01: He's clearly in good run shape, and he's clearly going to need the marathon of his life to have a good race in Nice.
[15:33] SPEAKER_01: Like he had like the 13th fastest bike on the weekend in a T-100 race.
[15:37] SPEAKER_01: You would never have like you going into last year, you would never have said that Sam Long was going to have that because he was you know, he was riding as fast as anyone at the start of last year in T100 races, and he ran well, for sure.
[15:50] SPEAKER_01: He ran well, but oh yeah, I don't know.
[15:52] SPEAKER_01: I just think with the with the swim bike in Nice, he could be a long way back coming into the marathon and and might need to run like 230 to get himself up into a you know top five kind of position.
[16:02] SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm a little worried.
[16:03] SPEAKER_01: I love him, that's why I'm worried.
[16:05] SPEAKER_01: Uh I I I want to see him have have great results, especially for you, Greg.
[16:08] SPEAKER_01: Like it's it's great that you're a part of the team and and I'd like to see you two do big things together, but I I am I am a little bit worried, I can't deny it.
[16:17] SPEAKER_01: Um I also wanted to talk about another kind of Uber biker, Rico Bogan.
[16:21] SPEAKER_01: I have a question for you boys about Rico.
[16:24] SPEAKER_01: Is Rico the best version of himself right now, or was he better at the end of last year?
[16:31] SPEAKER_05: Always the loaded questions.
[16:33] SPEAKER_05: I you know, I I think he's still close to the best version of himself.
[16:37] SPEAKER_05: I mean, San Francisco was not that long ago, right?
[16:40] SPEAKER_05: That was in June.
[16:41] SPEAKER_05: He won the race.
[16:43] SPEAKER_05: Um you also got Hayden in the mix this year.
[16:46] SPEAKER_05: I mean, you just there's different dynamics.
[16:47] SPEAKER_05: If Hayden hadn't been in the mix, maybe Rico goes solo off the front, right?
[16:51] SPEAKER_05: And then he holds on to second.
[16:52] SPEAKER_05: The dynamics can change, right?
[16:54] SPEAKER_05: So I think every year Rico set the standard last year on the bike.
[16:58] SPEAKER_05: People closed gaps.
[16:59] SPEAKER_05: So I still think he's better.
[17:01] SPEAKER_05: And you know, we saw him win a race this year.
[17:03] SPEAKER_05: Does he did he, you know, peak too early in the season?
[17:06] SPEAKER_05: Like uh, who knows?
[17:07] SPEAKER_05: Maybe it was a small peak and he's kind of building towards the end of the year.
[17:10] SPEAKER_05: I mean, he still rode the fastest, he outrode Hayden by one second, so that's pretty massive.
[17:15] SPEAKER_04: His run has been a bit up and down this year.
[17:17] SPEAKER_04: It's like the uh it's like the Bitcoin stock, it's up and it's down.
[17:20] SPEAKER_04: It's you kind of you never know what you're gonna get from day to day.
[17:23] SPEAKER_04: Um trends up over time.
[17:26] SPEAKER_02: Yes.
[17:27] SPEAKER_04: Um I would say to your question, Jack, I think he was running better consistently last year.
[17:33] SPEAKER_04: I think you know that San Francisco race um a couple of months ago was awesome, but that was his best run, and I think he's misfired on his run at most other races this year.
[17:43] SPEAKER_04: In great swim bike form, and but once that run comes along, if he can get that consistency, I think he'll be, you know, a real threat to be podium at every single one of these T100s with his swim and bike, it's just so strong.
[17:56] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I agree.
[17:57] SPEAKER_01: I think he's overbiking this year.
[17:59] SPEAKER_01: I think he's in better shape than he was at the end of last year, but I think he's hurting himself with how he's racing.
[18:05] SPEAKER_01: I think he's got addicted to riding off the front of races, and and it's great, and it will win him races.
[18:12] SPEAKER_01: Like San Francisco was incredible, so his highs are going to be really high.
[18:16] SPEAKER_01: But I also think he sets himself up to blow up more frequently because of how he's racing, not anything to do with the shape he's in.
[18:23] SPEAKER_01: On the weekend, if he had not gone with Hayden and instead just stayed with Yeller, I really think he would have had a better race.
[18:29] SPEAKER_01: I think he would have come third because I think he would have outran Sam Dickinson.
[18:32] SPEAKER_01: And and he he he kind of was close to doing that, even though he clearly burnt a lot of matches on on the bike.
[18:39] SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of would have, could have, should have, and I'm just guessing.
[18:43] SPEAKER_01: But I do feel like he's overbiking a lot to get off the front, and he's showing that he's clearly the best cyclist in the world over this distance right now.
[18:51] SPEAKER_01: But is it what's gonna get in the best races this year?
[18:55] SPEAKER_01: Maybe not.
[18:55] SPEAKER_01: Maybe it'll help him out later on down the track, and it's all about development with him and his coach.
[18:59] SPEAKER_01: I'm not sure with the new coach, but it does seem to be a new tactic going into this year with his new coach that we're really gonna be aggressive on the bike and try and get off the front of races.
[19:09] SPEAKER_01: Whereas last year I felt like he tried to be a little bit more conservative.
[19:12] SPEAKER_05: It seems like the level of the run has increased this year.
[19:16] SPEAKER_05: I mean, I think the course was a bit short, but I'm kind of looking at run times and I feel like guys were running like 320 Ks and winning like the this year, they're everyone's running a bit better, it seems like, off really hard bikes, too.
[19:28] SPEAKER_05: So, you know, it's every three months the level seems to increase just a little bit.
[19:33] SPEAKER_05: Um, should we talk about the women's race?
[19:35] SPEAKER_05: Who we uh one of my not surprises, but just good to see, you know, kind of Paul.
[19:40] SPEAKER_05: I mean, Ash winning, you know, congrats to her.
[19:43] SPEAKER_05: You know, kind of a monkey off her back a little bit, maybe getting some confidence going to the end of the season.
[19:48] SPEAKER_05: I thought Paula was really impressive coming from way behind in the swim for her, and then like just rode like she she rode the climb nearly like a minute and a half faster than like the third or fourth place woman.
[20:00] SPEAKER_05: So I think that's gonna bode well for her in the end of the year and backing up with a solid run.
[20:05] SPEAKER_05: Uh it's like it's like the old times.
[20:06] SPEAKER_05: Ash, Paula, India on the podium.
[20:08] SPEAKER_05: Uh yeah.
[20:09] SPEAKER_05: So it's it's good to see them all back on the podium.
[20:11] SPEAKER_05: Um they all kind of probably wanted that and needed that a bit to take momentum into the end of the year.
[20:16] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's like the old guard, they're back.
[20:18] SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I think I think, like you said, probably yeah, great race by Ash.
[20:23] SPEAKER_04: She probably feels some um, you know, some relief from that after a bit of a tumultuous first half of the season, and India as well, like she's been a bit up and down.
[20:34] SPEAKER_04: So, yeah, great races by those.
[20:36] SPEAKER_04: Um, I think Ash, you know, given the the quality of this field, like you can only race who was showing up, but I think she was the odds-on favourite, and you know, that pressure is difficult to deal with, and to come out and deliver, I think, is great.
[20:50] SPEAKER_04: So, well done to her, and hopefully that's a shift in momentum for her as well for the back half of the season.
[20:56] SPEAKER_04: Um, and yeah, Paula, I mean, great.
[20:59] SPEAKER_04: Always love seeing Paula up there, and uh, yeah, and Indy, she's yeah, had a little bit of a up and down last few months, but yeah, she's back.
[21:08] SPEAKER_01: I thought it was great to see Ash win a race.
[21:10] SPEAKER_01: It was a feel-good win for Ash, but I I don't think it matters about what anyone else thinks.
[21:15] SPEAKER_01: I think Ash needed the race for herself.
[21:18] SPEAKER_01: Ash to me has always come across like an athlete who is up and down mentally based on how they're going.
[21:25] SPEAKER_01: Um, and and I think that she the lows affect Ash and the highs really positively affect Ash.
[21:31] SPEAKER_01: Like I think Ash with momentum is a powerful athlete, and Ash with self-doubt is not the best version of herself.
[21:38] SPEAKER_01: And I think she's been dealing with self doubt throughout the first part of this year, and it and it seemed like that to me.
[21:44] SPEAKER_01: So for her to get this win and get confidence back in her racing, yes, Taylor and Kate and and Lucy um weren't there, and and we know Julie Duron as well.
[21:56] SPEAKER_01: Like we know the big four this year weren't there, but I don't think it matters.
[22:00] SPEAKER_01: I still think Ash's confidence will be sky high.
[22:02] SPEAKER_01: And I think when she goes into races with those four later on in the year at the grand final, for example, I think she's going to be way more confident.
[22:10] SPEAKER_01: So I think a really, really great day for Ash's mentality.
[22:13] SPEAKER_01: And with Paula, I liked that Paula stayed tough because I think it's hard when you're, you know, living in America and you fly over to Europe to do a race and you have a shitty swim.
[22:24] SPEAKER_01: And by like Paula's come out and said that the swim was well below park.
[22:28] SPEAKER_01: I think she called it something like disastrous or something like that.
[22:31] SPEAKER_01: To stay mentally in the race, to have the fastest climb by a mile and to run as well as she did.
[22:36] SPEAKER_01: She ran so well, second fastest run of the day.
[22:39] SPEAKER_01: The best I've seen her look on the run in a long time.
[22:41] SPEAKER_01: It was an incredible, incredibly gutsy performance.
[22:44] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, the the the the women's race was awesome.
[22:47] SPEAKER_01: It was awesome to see Ash Paula and India, who we love on this show.
[22:50] SPEAKER_01: She's one of our favorites.
[22:51] SPEAKER_01: Um have good races.
[22:53] SPEAKER_05: Now, Paula, 70.3 worlds.
[22:56] SPEAKER_05: I mean, I know it's early and there's a lot of stuff before, but it's like, I'm really confident in her coming to 70.3 worlds.
[23:02] SPEAKER_05: There's a lot of other women who are going to be doing Kona.
[23:04] SPEAKER_05: She's not going to be, you know, she loves Iron Man distance.
[23:07] SPEAKER_05: She's climbing insanely well.
[23:09] SPEAKER_05: It's a ton of climbing.
[23:10] SPEAKER_05: If she can get out there early and recon the descents and be comfortable on that bike horse, I think she's on for a for a heater at 70.3 worlds.
[23:19] SPEAKER_05: And I don't know about uh upset alert like she could win, but she might be up there like really, really close to the front if she kind of has a performance that's similar today, maybe with a better swim.
[23:30] SPEAKER_05: So something uh something to watch as we go into the championship season.
[23:33] SPEAKER_04: I want to do a uh I just want to touch on Alana Siffit quickly.
[23:37] SPEAKER_04: She um she just really impressed me, like 23 years old, um you know, wild card, called up and just took the bull by the horns.
[23:46] SPEAKER_04: I don't know.
[23:47] SPEAKER_04: I just love to see it.
[23:48] SPEAKER_04: I think um, you know, young athlete not deferring to anyone um and just yeah, taking the race by the horns.
[23:55] SPEAKER_04: I think is she I don't know, she kind of reminds me of like a Brett Sutton athlete, the way she rides a bike.
[24:01] SPEAKER_04: Is she coached by Brett Sutton?
[24:03] SPEAKER_04: Do you know Jack?
[24:03] SPEAKER_01: Oh yeah, she's she she's coached by Sutto.
[24:06] SPEAKER_01: She she has all the trademarks of a Sutto athlete, doesn't she?
[24:10] SPEAKER_01: She can't, doesn't she?
[24:11] SPEAKER_01: You can watch someone ride and you can know if Brett Sutton coaches them.
[24:14] SPEAKER_01: They have their click position is more towards the midfoot, they have a more road bikey time trial position.
[24:21] SPEAKER_01: They have their all their but their chain doesn't leave the big chain ring no matter what.
[24:25] SPEAKER_01: They spend most of the time in TT position.
[24:27] SPEAKER_01: Their cadence is somewhere between 40 and probably 65.
[24:32] SPEAKER_01: And and they tend to move a lot on their bike.
[24:36] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, their seat tends to be a little bit more.
[24:37] SPEAKER_04: The seat looks a little high, but that's just classic Brett Sutton.
[24:40] SPEAKER_01: She has them all, by the way.
[24:42] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah.
[24:42] SPEAKER_04: Um, but yeah, I mean, you know, we we laugh now, but she uh yeah, she smashed that bike, so yeah, good kudos to her.
[24:50] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, Jack was loving it on the stream.
[24:52] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
[24:53] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[24:54] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[24:55] SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
[24:55] SPEAKER_01: Someone messaged me saying that those comments were a bit inappropriate, and I said, yes, they were fine.
[25:00] SPEAKER_01: I was hanging out with Greg and Joe because I said she looks like she's making like love to her bike, which it kind of does look like it if you but it it's probably a touch inappropriate.
[25:12] SPEAKER_01: It's probably a touch inappropriate.
[25:13] SPEAKER_01: So I do apologize for that, Alana, if you're listening.
[25:15] SPEAKER_01: It was more men as a bit of silly boy humor because I was talking to Joe and Greg and we'd been up, and it was 4 a.m.
[25:20] SPEAKER_01: when I got up.
[25:20] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, they're just excuses, but I've got to be better.
[25:23] SPEAKER_01: Uh sorry, Alana.
[25:24] SPEAKER_01: Uh, but she looks great on a bike, doesn't she?
[25:26] SPEAKER_01: Like God, she rides it fast.
[25:28] SPEAKER_01: It's just insane how effective Brett Sutton is at creating women who can ride bikes fast.
[25:33] SPEAKER_01: He just, he just always does it.
[25:35] SPEAKER_01: It's it's insane.
[25:36] SPEAKER_01: And Alana's the next one.
[25:38] SPEAKER_01: She's young, she's 23.
[25:39] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, she didn't hold on on the run, but she got like three days' notice for the call-up and was leading the the race by two minutes.
[25:46] SPEAKER_01: It was uh it was insanely impressive, and clearly she is gonna be someone who like is it just the next Sutton athlete who can win at Cona, I think.
[25:53] SPEAKER_01: Like, I I really I know that's crazy, but I think she will win a corner at some point.
[25:57] SPEAKER_01: She looks that good to me.
[25:58] SPEAKER_05: Well, and would we have seen this her do what she did on the bike without the course, right?
[26:04] SPEAKER_05: I mean, if it was a looped course for seven, seven laps with all these turns, like we might not have seen this.
[26:09] SPEAKER_05: And you know, I think it's just a testament to the one loop course with the climb and the descent and just just how the whole course flowed was really awesome.
[26:17] SPEAKER_05: I we didn't even mention the whole Leo Bergier clip out.
[26:20] SPEAKER_05: That was insane that he's that he saved that.
[26:23] SPEAKER_05: So kudos to him.
[26:24] SPEAKER_05: But it was a great pie course.
[26:26] SPEAKER_05: Now we want to see more of that.
[26:28] SPEAKER_05: What is gonna what does Qatar look like?
[26:30] SPEAKER_05: And like what are these Middle East race looks like?
[26:32] SPEAKER_05: Are these are we gonna get boring courses?
[26:34] SPEAKER_05: How can they make some of these courses better?
[26:36] SPEAKER_05: And maybe in a place like Qatar that's pancake flat, I'm assuming, and and you know, maybe just randomly in the desert.
[26:43] SPEAKER_05: I don't know how they're gonna make it fun like they had this course.
[26:46] SPEAKER_01: They can't, Greg, and that's the shit part.
[26:48] SPEAKER_01: This course was incredible.
[26:50] SPEAKER_01: It was by far the best bike course.
[26:52] SPEAKER_01: The one-lap bike courses are just incredible.
[26:54] SPEAKER_01: It didn't take away from anything.
[26:56] SPEAKER_01: You know that whole argument that it's like, no, we want the cameras to be able to see as many athletes as we can.
[27:01] SPEAKER_01: The coverage on that bike course was better on the weekend than any other race.
[27:05] SPEAKER_01: It was it's the least bored I've been in any race for the T-100 this year.
[27:09] SPEAKER_01: And you saw just as much of the action.
[27:11] SPEAKER_01: I feel like I didn't miss really anything that I wanted to see on the bike.
[27:14] SPEAKER_01: I thought they they covered it really well.
[27:17] SPEAKER_01: Actually, the best they have.
[27:18] SPEAKER_01: So that that excuse or that reason because they have more cameras and it's easier to follow the athletes.
[27:24] SPEAKER_01: The races that you've been doing on the crit like loop courses have been kind of boring and shitty, to be honest.
[27:28] SPEAKER_01: If we're if we're being real, we've all said this to each other behind the scenes.
[27:31] SPEAKER_01: Like, but I didn't feel that for a second on the weekend, and it's something Iron Man have done really well.
[27:36] SPEAKER_01: Like one or two loop courses have lots of hills, make the scenery great.
[27:40] SPEAKER_01: I thought it was incredible by the T100.
[27:42] SPEAKER_01: And if they don't learn from that, they're literally just crazy.
[27:45] SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, the answer, Greg, is I don't think they can make these Middle East courses as as entertaining as that.
[27:50] SPEAKER_01: But this is a lesson to try and make more courses like this in the future.
[27:54] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I agree.
[27:54] SPEAKER_04: I don't I don't think they can make it uh interesting.
[27:58] SPEAKER_04: But I do want to say the bike was great, the run left a little bit to be desired at uh at Fresjus, I think.
[28:05] SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, swim and bike were awesome.
[28:07] SPEAKER_04: The run was a little lackluster, so you know, two out of three ain't bad.
[28:12] SPEAKER_05: How can you really make the run awesome though?
[28:14] SPEAKER_05: I mean, like what, send them up super steep hills?
[28:16] SPEAKER_05: I thought it was like a mix of kind of gravel, and there was like I don't know.
[28:19] SPEAKER_05: I I seen it seemed like a fun course to race on to me if I was running it, um like a little packed gravel and just like a a bit mixed.
[28:27] SPEAKER_05: You can see your competition a bit on a few out and backs.
[28:30] SPEAKER_05: So I don't know.
[28:30] SPEAKER_05: Are are run courses ever that amazing?
[28:33] SPEAKER_05: I mean, think about Nice.
[28:35] SPEAKER_05: It's like, yeah, it's on the promenade, but it's flat.
[28:37] SPEAKER_05: I mean, Kona, you're running in a lava field.
[28:39] SPEAKER_05: Like, I I don't really know what run courses are like super.
[28:43] SPEAKER_05: I mean, Taupo, I guess, along the lake there was was cool, but there's not really that many dynamic run courses on the circuit.
[28:49] SPEAKER_01: Do you think we have to change the way we're going about run courses?
[28:53] SPEAKER_01: Like, I feel like we go more towards the marathon model where the course doesn't have to be picturesque because you're trying to appease participants so that they can run a relatively fast time or see lots of nice parts of a city.
[29:06] SPEAKER_01: Do you think we need to learn from UTMB on the weekend, which captivated way more of the endurance audience than the T-109 man together?
[29:13] SPEAKER_01: Like those runners and the the that course captures everyone's imagination.
[29:18] SPEAKER_01: Do we need to try and capture people's imagination and motivate and inspire?
[29:22] SPEAKER_01: Like, do we need to start sending athletes up bigger hills on the run and more trail?
[29:27] SPEAKER_01: Do we need to get off the road and make it more off-road?
[29:30] SPEAKER_01: And and instead of it being, you know, 90% flat and 90% concrete or bitumen, do we need to flip that and go 90% up and down and and and 90% off-road?
[29:40] SPEAKER_04: I think it would just need a little bit of spice in there.
[29:43] SPEAKER_04: You know, it doesn't need to be much.
[29:45] SPEAKER_04: We don't need to send them up a mountain, but you know, something something that adds I mean, that was that was pretty awesome.
[29:53] SPEAKER_04: So I mean, if they did that, I wouldn't complain.
[29:55] SPEAKER_04: But something that just adds a little bit of a dynamic element to the run rather than just, you know, it seems like a lot of the runs are just out and back, out and back, multi-lapped, and it's just yeah, a little bit tiresome for me.
[30:07] SPEAKER_04: Um, yeah, throw in some little, you know, throw in a set of stairs somewhere, or you know, I don't know, just make it interesting somehow.
[30:15] SPEAKER_05: I mean, that's that's kind of what Alcatraz is known for, right?
[30:18] SPEAKER_05: And they took out the stairs and the sand ladder of that race, which was like the iconic part of the whole run course.
[30:24] SPEAKER_05: So if they're going back to San Francisco, put that in and throw a little spice, like Apo says.
[30:28] SPEAKER_05: You don't need you can have a couple miles flat and then it's like a cool little trail loop or whatever it might be, just a little something so people can still run fast, but there's something to challenge, and you put a camera there and capture really great moments on the on the run as well.
[30:43] SPEAKER_01: The single hardest thing about training is being consistent.
[30:47] SPEAKER_01: 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 fractural reaction, runner's knee, or some plantar fasciitis.
[30:59] SPEAKER_01: That's exactly where lever can help.
[31:01] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[31:02] SPEAKER_01: 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.
[31:09] SPEAKER_01: 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.
[31:16] SPEAKER_01: Okay.
[31:17] SPEAKER_01: 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.
[31:26] SPEAKER_01: Okay, yeah.
[31:27] SPEAKER_01: And it's not just for rehabbing, although that is a great use for it, it's also a tool for performance.
[31:32] SPEAKER_01: What many people don't know is that seven of the top 11 women at the 2024 Iron Man World Championships used Lever to train and recover in the lead up to the race, including the world champion.
[31:43] SPEAKER_01: Okay, 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.
[31:51] SPEAKER_01: Okay, exclusive to the triathlon hour listeners, you can use the code TTH to get you 20% off your lever system.
[32:00] SPEAKER_01: Um, to do that, just visit levermovement.com and start running smarter today.
[32:05] SPEAKER_01: Get consistent in your running.
[32:07] SPEAKER_01: It's the main thing that will get you running faster.
[32:12] SPEAKER_01: A few more performances from the women's race that I'll just touch on quickly.
[32:15] SPEAKER_01: I thought Lucy Byrham and Ali Soldhouse in fourth and fifth were awesome.
[32:18] SPEAKER_01: Hannah Berry was right in there all day.
[32:20] SPEAKER_01: Carolyn Pohl disappointed me a little bit.
[32:22] SPEAKER_01: Seventh is great.
[32:23] SPEAKER_01: I had high expectations and thought she would podium on the weekend.
[32:26] SPEAKER_01: I thought I my prediction I had her as a second or third.
[32:30] SPEAKER_01: So I was a little disappointed despite it being a great race.
[32:32] SPEAKER_01: I thought Georgia Taylor Brown announced herself.
[32:35] SPEAKER_01: I didn't expect her to ride like that, and she was there all day.
[32:37] SPEAKER_01: She she finished, she blew up on the run, but she was running for the podium right up into the last few kilometres.
[32:43] SPEAKER_01: Um, and then probably the only other like two I would touch on is Jessica Liemont.
[32:47] SPEAKER_01: I was, you know, very disappointing race for her.
[32:49] SPEAKER_01: She um Joe picked her to win in the preview podcast, and and she was the highest-rated athlete going in, and and she she did her usual thing and looked like she was gonna get off the front and then just didn't.
[33:00] SPEAKER_01: So maybe that's a a case of the course not suiting her so much, I would think.
[33:04] SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, just one more Al's Visa.
[33:06] SPEAKER_01: I think something's going on with Al's.
[33:08] SPEAKER_01: She's she's just not racing to her potential right now, and yeah, maybe maybe needs to go to the full distance.
[33:14] SPEAKER_01: I think I don't think T100 racing is for Als.
[33:17] SPEAKER_01: I think it's it's kind of past her a little bit.
[33:19] SPEAKER_01: Uh and speaking of the full distance boys, I thought because we're two weeks out from the Iron Man World Championships, exactly two weeks out from the men's Iron Man World Championships in Nice, that we might start having some conversation about it.
[33:31] SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's a little bit too early, but it's the Iron Man World Championships, so I'm excited.
[33:34] SPEAKER_01: And what I wanted to do was bring you three categories.
[33:38] SPEAKER_01: So uh our favourite right now, who is the favorite to win right now?
[33:42] SPEAKER_01: If we had to put our life on someone winning it, and then we wanted to do like a roughie or like we want to do two things.
[33:49] SPEAKER_01: We'll so we we've got to pick our favourite, but then we want to pick someone that we think is unexpected, but we believe will finish in the top five, and and we're gonna they're kind of gonna be our horse in the race.
[34:00] SPEAKER_01: So for the next two weeks, we're gonna be barracking for that person, and then we thought it could be fun and funny and kind of fun to pick someone that we're cheering against.
[34:08] SPEAKER_01: So for the next two weeks and the race, we're gonna be cheering against this person.
[34:12] SPEAKER_01: It doesn't have to be because you don't like him, because I don't think any of us three dislike anyone in the race.
[34:16] SPEAKER_01: We just thought it's a funny little thing we could do.
[34:19] SPEAKER_01: So uh I'll start us off.
[34:21] SPEAKER_01: My pick to win the race right now is Sam Laidlow.
[34:24] SPEAKER_01: I think he's just prime.
[34:26] SPEAKER_01: I think he's he's kind of uh peaked perfectly this year.
[34:30] SPEAKER_01: We saw what he did in this course in 2023.
[34:32] SPEAKER_01: I think he's as good now, if not better, than he was in 2023.
[34:35] SPEAKER_01: I think he'll be off the front all day.
[34:37] SPEAKER_01: I don't know if anyone can ride as fast as him on this course, and I think he's been running as good as ever.
[34:42] SPEAKER_01: I think it'll take a huge performance for someone to beat Sam Laidlow.
[34:46] SPEAKER_04: He might uh, you know, that taking that break or having that time off earlier in the year might actually be like a blessing in disguise.
[34:56] SPEAKER_04: Like he's obviously coming into form.
[34:58] SPEAKER_04: He raced awesome in Roth and then um Leeds, was it?
[35:02] SPEAKER_04: Um, yeah, it might have actually been like a blessing in disguise.
[35:06] SPEAKER_04: Having all that time off, he's he's not gonna be tired, he's ready to go, he's coming in on the upswing.
[35:11] SPEAKER_04: I think it's a good pick, Jack.
[35:13] SPEAKER_04: I call this I think I I put this shot across the bow on the podcast a few weeks ago, but I think it's Christian.
[35:19] SPEAKER_04: I think he has shown that he's got the uh got the stuff, and I think he will win.
[35:25] SPEAKER_01: Apo, my question about uh Christian is I've been following his social media and his Strava, and I go and check it all, and I think he seems super fit, but he also to me looks the skinniest he's ever looked.
[35:39] SPEAKER_01: And I think he's purposely posting photos where he looks really skinny.
[35:43] SPEAKER_01: I've been noticing it for weeks now.
[35:44] SPEAKER_01: He's getting skinnier and skinnier and skinnier, and he's posting photos where he looks skinnier and skinnier and skinnier.
[35:51] SPEAKER_01: And we know this course is super mountainous.
[35:53] SPEAKER_01: We know the run is in the heat and it's brutal, and it's a battle of attrition out in that run.
[35:58] SPEAKER_01: Will he be the fittest he's ever been, lean, ready for this course, or will he be absolutely fucked because he's lost so much weight?
[36:08] SPEAKER_04: I mean, you asked me on this podcast, is it okay to talk about weight?
[36:11] SPEAKER_04: And uh, but I do agree, Christian.
[36:13] SPEAKER_04: Um, he does, he's he looks the skinniest I've ever seen.
[36:17] SPEAKER_04: And you're right, I think he knows it as well because he's posting a lot of you know shirtless photos, and he looks he looks kind of like gaunt in the face.
[36:26] SPEAKER_04: Um I mean, but for this course, like weight does matter.
[36:32] SPEAKER_04: And I think, you know, um if you can shave off a couple of pounds and still maintain the strength, like obviously there is that trade-off of um you know power to weight.
[36:42] SPEAKER_04: So if Christian has nailed it, we'll find out in two weeks.
[36:45] SPEAKER_04: And if he's yeah, if he's fit or if he's fucked, we'll find out.
[36:49] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I would get nervous to make it to the line if you're just trending that way under really hard training, right?
[36:55] SPEAKER_05: It's a fine line.
[36:56] SPEAKER_05: Now, I was thinking Christian for mine, and then I thought, what am I doing?
[37:01] SPEAKER_05: I can't I can't disrespect my boy, who I've lived and died for, who is going to win the Iron Man World Championship.
[37:10] SPEAKER_05: Jonas motherfucking Schaumberg.
[37:12] SPEAKER_05: Let's go.
[37:13] SPEAKER_05: That's my pick to win.
[37:14] SPEAKER_01: We love Jonas Schomberg on this podcast.
[37:16] SPEAKER_01: I can't even argue.
[37:17] SPEAKER_01: I I love him, Greg.
[37:18] SPEAKER_01: I'm with you.
[37:19] SPEAKER_01: I don't think he'll win, but I love that you pick him to win.
[37:22] SPEAKER_05: He he gets surprised though, don't you think?
[37:24] SPEAKER_05: Like, uh apparently this guy's been training the house down for all the years in his ITU days, and he trains insane.
[37:30] SPEAKER_05: He's gonna go with the front.
[37:32] SPEAKER_05: Like, if Laylo's going off the front, Jonas is going with him if he can, and maybe he holds on and runs 235 and it's enough to to win the race.
[37:40] SPEAKER_05: So I'm it's not it's not the craziest thing, but I I think it's a possibility, honestly.
[37:44] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and he's just such a crazy bloke, too.
[37:46] SPEAKER_01: Like he just he lives for doing crazy shit in races.
[37:50] SPEAKER_01: Like, we know that if App if Apo, if Laylo goes, Jonas will go with him, or if Laylo doesn't go, Jonas will go.
[37:58] SPEAKER_01: And he'll do it early, he'll do it on like K4 of the bike or something, and he'll just make it absolute suicide.
[38:04] SPEAKER_04: T1.
[38:05] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's just a crazy bloke.
[38:06] SPEAKER_01: He's one of those, he's just one of those proper psychopaths.
[38:09] SPEAKER_01: So, yeah, I mean, I I can't argue it.
[38:12] SPEAKER_04: He has no respect for the distance or the course, he just like sends it you like I love it, but yeah, it's a risky one, but um, if it pays off, it'll be it'll be awesome.
[38:24] SPEAKER_05: Do you think to win a world title in an Iron Man distance you have to have like a little bit of disrespect for the distance?
[38:30] SPEAKER_05: Or do you think like, you know, you can kind of just pace your thing and win it?
[38:34] SPEAKER_05: Or like you're gonna be like, oh, you know, it's like okay, Mirinda Carfrey comes back 15 minutes that one year.
[38:38] SPEAKER_05: She had to start running really fast to start, right?
[38:41] SPEAKER_05: So don't you think that kind of comes with the par for the course to win a world championship at the Iron Man distance?
[38:47] SPEAKER_01: I think that Mirinda Carfrey example is a good example of where it can work and can't work because I think it was Danny Allah Reef who disrespected the distance that day, and Mirinda Carfrey picked up the scraps of someone doing that.
[38:59] SPEAKER_01: But we saw ultimately that led to Danny Allah Reef winning the Iron Man World Championships five times.
[39:04] SPEAKER_01: I think we're in an era of the sport where you do have to be a little bit disrespectful to the distance and not be scared of the distance, but instead attack the distance.
[39:12] SPEAKER_01: Like it's just too, it's just too good at the top right now.
[39:15] SPEAKER_01: It's like 70.3 racing is now go as hard as you can the entire time, and Iron Man distance racing is getting towards that.
[39:23] SPEAKER_01: And I think this world championships, you are just gonna see it from the gun in this man's race.
[39:27] SPEAKER_01: Like, I think everyone will disrespect the distance, and there'll be heaps of chaos and carnage about 140k into the bike, I reckon.
[39:34] SPEAKER_01: Uh, our top five roughies, so someone who most people wouldn't think will finish in the top five, and then we're gonna ride and die this person all the way through the next two weeks.
[39:45] SPEAKER_01: Like, this is our person.
[39:46] SPEAKER_01: And for me, mine's Cam Worth, and this is how willing I am to ride and die with Camworth.
[39:53] SPEAKER_01: If he comes top five at the Iron Man World Championships, I'll get a tattoo of Camworth on my body, like his face or his whole body and face.
[40:02] SPEAKER_01: I will get Camworth tattooed on my body if he finishes in the top five.
[40:06] SPEAKER_04: It has to be the Steve O, like the full back portrait, you know.
[40:10] SPEAKER_04: Steve O, the bit how he's got the tattoo of his own face and it covers his whole back.
[40:15] SPEAKER_04: That's what you have to do.
[40:17] SPEAKER_04: Top five, not even a podium.
[40:19] SPEAKER_01: Uh okay.
[40:20] SPEAKER_01: No, yeah.
[40:20] SPEAKER_01: I like it, Jack.
[40:21] SPEAKER_01: A good call.
[40:21] SPEAKER_01: That's actually a good call.
[40:22] SPEAKER_01: Top five is too generous.
[40:23] SPEAKER_01: If he gets a podium, I'll get a tattoo of Worfie.
[40:26] SPEAKER_05: Is that is Worfe a roughie?
[40:29] SPEAKER_05: I mean, what the hell is a roffie?
[40:31] SPEAKER_05: I mean, what are you guys even talking about?
[40:32] SPEAKER_05: Okay, no one knows what that word means.
[40:34] SPEAKER_05: This is America where I live.
[40:36] SPEAKER_05: No one knows what a roffy is.
[40:37] SPEAKER_05: I guess it's a dark horse.
[40:38] SPEAKER_05: You're so you guys are saying smoky?
[40:40] SPEAKER_05: Is that another word for it, too?
[40:42] SPEAKER_05: Never heard that in my life.
[40:43] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's just like a horse in a race who like you don't expect to win and then and then comes up and does it and does it has a good performance.
[40:51] SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
[40:51] SPEAKER_01: Like Worfey, you gotta like he yeah, he came fifth at 2019 at the world championships.
[40:57] SPEAKER_01: That's his best performance ever.
[40:58] SPEAKER_01: So that's six years ago now.
[41:00] SPEAKER_01: He's ranked 58 in the world.
[41:02] SPEAKER_01: What's his best?
[41:03] SPEAKER_01: I don't think he's uh he's I think his best result this year was eighth at Iron Man Texas.
[41:07] SPEAKER_01: He he just came ninth at Iron Man Frankfurt, and uh I don't think he's he's barely come inside the top 15 in a 70.3 this year.
[41:15] SPEAKER_01: I think he came up 20th at Geelong, he came seventh at at Kona last year.
[41:19] SPEAKER_01: Like I think it would be a massive shock for him to be on the podium, don't you think?
[41:23] SPEAKER_01: Or top five.
[41:24] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, I'll allow it.
[41:25] SPEAKER_04: I think that's fair.
[41:26] SPEAKER_04: My um my roughie is Brad Weiss.
[41:30] SPEAKER_04: Um I did a bit of training with Brad earlier this summer.
[41:34] SPEAKER_04: Um and this is a course for him, man.
[41:38] SPEAKER_04: He in 2023 he was seventh and he got a five-minute penalty.
[41:44] SPEAKER_04: So, you know, if you take five minutes away, he's right up there battling for that podium.
[41:50] SPEAKER_04: Um I think you know, he's a light guy, super strong, awesome power to weight ratio.
[41:55] SPEAKER_04: I think this is a bite course for him, and he's always a great runner.
[41:59] SPEAKER_04: Um, so yeah.
[42:00] SPEAKER_04: My ride or die, Brad, don't let me down, brother.
[42:03] SPEAKER_01: Will you get his face tattooed on you if he comes top five?
[42:06] SPEAKER_01: Ooh.
[42:08] SPEAKER_04: If he wins, I'll get his initials.
[42:13] SPEAKER_01: That's the softest shit I've ever heard.
[42:17] SPEAKER_01: What about his appointment if he podiums, you'll get his initials, initials tattooed.
[42:22] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, and then I just need to come up with something else that BW stands for that means something to me.
[42:27] SPEAKER_02: Do we have a deal?
[42:32] SPEAKER_04: A soft deal.
[42:33] SPEAKER_05: A fencing deal.
[42:38] SPEAKER_05: All right, I'll jump in here and save Apo from the sitting on the fence.
[42:42] SPEAKER_05: I'm going with Daniel Backagard as my rough, aka smoky, aka dark horse.
[42:50] SPEAKER_05: I just think uh, yeah, he's looked, he's trended well this year.
[42:53] SPEAKER_05: Was it Texas?
[42:54] SPEAKER_05: His result kind of flew under the radar.
[42:57] SPEAKER_05: Um, he's coached by Laura Phillips' husband, who I forget his name.
[43:01] SPEAKER_01: Phillips saw it.
[43:02] SPEAKER_05: Yep.
[43:03] SPEAKER_05: He knows how to prepare a world champion and he knows how to peak for the biggest races because Laura seems to deliver on the on the big stages.
[43:10] SPEAKER_05: So um, yeah, that's that's my pick.
[43:14] SPEAKER_05: He's been pretty quiet as well this year.
[43:17] SPEAKER_05: I think that's gonna be good for him, right?
[43:19] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, he's like he's kind of quiet behind the scenes, like just understated, not doing too much of YouTubing, it seems like, too.
[43:26] SPEAKER_05: So uh yeah, calm, cool, calm, collected.
[43:29] SPEAKER_01: Do you think the core suits him?
[43:30] SPEAKER_01: Do you think he can climb well enough?
[43:32] SPEAKER_05: I I think so.
[43:32] SPEAKER_05: I don't think he's like an insane climber, but you know, when he's he's like a lean, he's not a huge guy.
[43:39] SPEAKER_05: He's not tiny, but he's just he seems like a middle ground.
[43:42] SPEAKER_05: So um I also just like love the way he runs, like kind of have like a crush on his run.
[43:46] SPEAKER_05: I like I watched it, I'm like, oh, this guy just looks looks good.
[43:49] SPEAKER_05: So um I think he'll be efficient on the run and he'll do well.
[43:53] SPEAKER_05: But you know, we know he's a front pack swimmer, and he, you know, he gets off the bike in that top ten and then kind of like runs around.
[44:00] SPEAKER_05: Really solidly, I think a top five is definitely uh in the possibility.
[44:04] SPEAKER_01: Okay, and now for the controversial one, the the horse that we're cheering against in the race.
[44:08] SPEAKER_01: This is the person that for the next two weeks you're going to hear each of us three bring up probably a million times and say why we don't want them to win.
[44:15] SPEAKER_01: Mine is Leon Chevalier.
[44:18] SPEAKER_01: And I have a very good reason, in my opinion, why I don't want Leon to win.
[44:22] SPEAKER_01: So I love Leon.
[44:23] SPEAKER_01: It's not personal, but Leon he behaves day to day in a way that I just I refuse to admit is the best way to bring out the best in your high performance.
[44:35] SPEAKER_01: So Leon Chevalier, he wakes up at you know 9 or 10 a.m.
[44:40] SPEAKER_01: He sits around, he drinks two or three coffees, he has two breakfasts every morning before he goes out about an hour apart, and he gets out the door for his first session at 1, maybe 2, maybe 3 p.m.
[44:50] SPEAKER_01: in the afternoon.
[44:51] SPEAKER_01: And he then he just comes back home, chills out, maybe takes the dog for a walk, does his next session at about 6, 7 p.m.
[44:57] SPEAKER_01: And then he does his third session, sometimes starting at 11 p.m.
[45:01] SPEAKER_01: at night.
[45:02] SPEAKER_01: And he doesn't sometimes finish training until midnight.
[45:05] SPEAKER_01: Like it to me, it's absolutely crazy.
[45:08] SPEAKER_01: And I'm a big believer that to be the best you you can possibly be, you wake up, you you start your day with purpose, you get out there, you train, you get it done relatively early in the day, maybe no later than finishing up at 5, later 6 p.m.
[45:22] SPEAKER_01: so that you can recover and get into it the next day.
[45:25] SPEAKER_01: So I just I can't, I just don't want to see Leon win because I'll have to rethink everything I think about getting the most out of yourself.
[45:33] SPEAKER_01: And I'm just not prepared to do that.
[45:35] SPEAKER_01: Okay, it would just, it would not, it would change the way I think about life.
[45:39] SPEAKER_01: So for that reason, I'm cheering against Leon Chevalier.
[45:44] SPEAKER_04: I mean, I like to train between the hours of like nine and three, so I kind of agree with you, Jack.
[45:51] SPEAKER_04: I'm I'm definitely a uh not a night owl, but uh when we did that Road to Kona podcast with Leon, Ben and I were both um we were stunned that he would get on the trainer at 5 p.m.
[46:03] SPEAKER_04: for a five hour, six hour trainer ride at 5 p.m.
[46:07] SPEAKER_04: You know, like I'm I'm like I'm finishing up dinner and you know almost on to dessert at 5 p.m.
[46:13] SPEAKER_04: with all my sessions done.
[46:15] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's insane.
[46:16] SPEAKER_01: It's insane.
[46:17] SPEAKER_01: You go to when he was doing T100 last year, everyone would come to breakfast and Lee, and like when the last person was leaving, Leon would show up to breakfast and he'd sit there for three hours before he went out and did anything, just reading a book, having two breakfasts.
[46:30] SPEAKER_01: It was so funny to watch.
[46:33] SPEAKER_04: All right, mine is, and again, for no personal reasons.
[46:38] SPEAKER_04: Um Patrick Lang, you've already won it enough times.
[46:43] SPEAKER_04: I want to see somebody else win an Iron Man World Championships.
[46:46] SPEAKER_04: Um, it's nothing personal, Patrick.
[46:48] SPEAKER_04: I love you, but uh yeah, someone else, please.
[46:52] SPEAKER_05: Another reason Patrick's not coming on the show.
[46:54] SPEAKER_05: Good good one, Apple.
[46:55] SPEAKER_05: Good one.
[46:56] SPEAKER_01: There's Nara now, Apple.
[46:58] SPEAKER_01: I reckon Patrick Lang is a huge chance to win.
[47:01] SPEAKER_01: I I don't anyone who rides off Patrick Lang is crazy.
[47:06] SPEAKER_01: I think this course is actually great for him.
[47:08] SPEAKER_01: People think he's not the strongest cyclist, but he climbs so well and he runs so fast, and and he's not the kind of guy who's gonna blow up and he swims front pack most days on on the big stage.
[47:19] SPEAKER_01: Like I'm I'm actually super high on Patrick Lang, so I think that could be a dangerous one to cheer against Apo.
[47:25] SPEAKER_05: All right, and my cheering against is someone who's already won before, Sam Laidlow.
[47:31] SPEAKER_05: And honestly, nothing against Sam, kind of similar reasons as Apo.
[47:35] SPEAKER_05: I want a new winner out there.
[47:37] SPEAKER_05: I want to see fresh blood on the top step.
[47:40] SPEAKER_05: Sam's already got his hometown, France, win.
[47:42] SPEAKER_05: Let's give to someone else, maybe Jonah Schoenberg.
[47:45] SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
[47:45] SPEAKER_05: So I'm cheering against Sam Laidlow.
[47:48] SPEAKER_05: I also think like, is it is there a world where Sam is a little tentative because he knows what happens last year and he doesn't ride too hard like he did last year, and then he can't win because he can't run fast enough.
[48:01] SPEAKER_05: That's kind of how I see it playing out in my head.
[48:04] SPEAKER_05: Um for for Sam, to be honest.
[48:06] SPEAKER_01: It's a great question, actually, Greg.
[48:08] SPEAKER_01: He can't, though.
[48:09] SPEAKER_01: He has to know that his avenue to win this race is to get off the bike with a lead and get out there and use his strength in the mountains, doesn't he?
[48:15] SPEAKER_01: Like he's not dumb.
[48:16] SPEAKER_01: He's a smart guy, Sam Ladelo.
[48:18] SPEAKER_01: You know, he really is.
[48:19] SPEAKER_01: He's a smart guy who knows what he's doing.
[48:21] SPEAKER_01: And anything you can think about him, he he's already got the answers figured out, I think.
[48:26] SPEAKER_01: I I yeah, one thing you can't question about him is his race IQ.
[48:30] SPEAKER_01: It's it's very, very high.
[48:32] SPEAKER_01: And uh people might be surprised with me saying that because he has historically blown up a lot and made poor decisions, but it is because he just loves to go out and race off the front really hard.
[48:41] SPEAKER_01: But I think I think this year he'll get it right with the perfect mix of racing smart but racing hard.
[48:46] SPEAKER_01: So I I don't see it happening, Greg, but but maybe, maybe.
[48:49] SPEAKER_01: I mean, I've been wrong plenty of times before, haven't I?
[48:51] SPEAKER_04: I think it was more the heat that was his undoing at Kona.
[48:54] SPEAKER_04: Um you know, more so, and I know it can be hot in Nice, but it's not Kona conditions.
[48:59] SPEAKER_04: I think it was the heat that undid him more so than well, it kind of goes hand in hand riding too hard in the heat, but yeah, I don't think I don't think he's got too many demons from last year that he'll be bringing into this year.
[49:12] SPEAKER_04: I think he's gonna throw caution to the wind again.
[49:14] SPEAKER_04: He's young, he's brash, he's just gonna send it.
[49:17] SPEAKER_01: We've all gone big hitters though, which I think is fun.
[49:20] SPEAKER_01: Like all three of those guys are three of probably the top five or six favourites to win the race.
[49:25] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I like it.
[49:26] SPEAKER_01: They've all they've all finished inside the top four and and two of them have won it.
[49:30] SPEAKER_01: So uh interesting.
[49:32] SPEAKER_01: If you're training for any triathlon or running event, you should 1000% start using precision fuel and hydration as your training and race day nutrition.
[49:41] SPEAKER_01: Their best products, in my opinion, are their gels.
[49:43] SPEAKER_01: I love the PF90, PF30, and PF30 caffeine gels, and I also love their flow gel for the bike.
[49:49] SPEAKER_01: All four of those are just amazing products.
[49:51] SPEAKER_01: The thing that separates precision gels from other brands is that they taste great.
[49:55] SPEAKER_01: They just have this really simple, sugary flavor that you don't get sick of.
[49:58] SPEAKER_01: Um, and in combination with that, they also have this texture that goes down really, really easily and doesn't leave you feeling gross and nauseous after taking it.
[50:06] SPEAKER_01: And I know for me, they're kind of two of the biggest factors that I've struggled with in other gels, but with precision, just a really simple, nice, sweet flavor, and they go down so so easily.
[50:16] SPEAKER_01: Um they've also nailed their packaging, which can be a bit of a bugbear of mine, but they've made a really um practical and simple packaging that that doesn't spill out and get everywhere in their smaller gels.
[50:27] SPEAKER_01: And the PF90 literally has an easy-to-use on-race day screw top.
[50:31] SPEAKER_01: And in training, the PF90 is just absolutely incredible if you're doing a long run or if you're out on the bike.
[50:36] SPEAKER_01: Like there's no better gel uh on the market than the PF90, in my opinion.
[50:40] SPEAKER_01: It's just the best.
[50:41] SPEAKER_01: Um, they also make electrolyte tablets that have become a staple in the Triton world.
[50:46] SPEAKER_01: So join the bandwagon, start using precision for your training and racing, and to get a discount code when you do, um, either use the code TTH25, which gets you 15% off the first time you use it, or click the link in this episode description if you want a bigger discount code.
[51:02] SPEAKER_01: Um, it's over on the Triton our Patreon.
[51:04] SPEAKER_01: So the link to the Patreon is in the description of this episode.
[51:07] SPEAKER_01: And there's a 20% off every time you shop at Precision Link if you do sign up for Patreon that you can take advantage of.
[51:14] SPEAKER_01: Boys, I want to talk about Lionel Sanders quickly.
[51:17] SPEAKER_01: We don't have to spend 30 minutes on Lionel Sanders.
[51:20] SPEAKER_01: I just I've got some quick fire questions.
[51:22] SPEAKER_01: I don't know if you guys have been watching his YouTube.
[51:24] SPEAKER_01: For those who haven't, Lionel came out and had one of the best performances of his life at St.
[51:28] SPEAKER_01: George, absolutely destroying Magnus Ditliv, which was quite incredible to watch, by the way, Magnus Ditliff.
[51:34] SPEAKER_01: How has he not been mentioned in that Iron Man World Champs conversation?
[51:36] SPEAKER_01: Surely he's one of the favourites.
[51:38] SPEAKER_05: That's crazy, actually.
[51:39] SPEAKER_01: It's always Magnus who got gets forgotten.
[51:41] SPEAKER_01: He could easily win it this year.
[51:42] SPEAKER_01: But anyway, Lionel kind of destroyed Magnus Ditlib, and then he has this stress fracture, and then he's dealing with potential red S.
[51:52] SPEAKER_01: We don't fully know.
[51:53] SPEAKER_01: I was a bit confused whether that's actually been diagnosed.
[51:55] SPEAKER_01: It's kind of hard.
[51:56] SPEAKER_01: He kind of hinted that he does go and see a doctor, but I don't know if he's if he's seeing someone specifically for that.
[52:02] SPEAKER_01: It's kind of a bit vague.
[52:03] SPEAKER_01: But if we if we listen to Lionel, he he's been struggling with red S and stress fractures related to that.
[52:09] SPEAKER_01: And he kind of has come out and said that he's going to target the Iron Man 70.3 world championships at the end of the year.
[52:15] SPEAKER_01: My first quick fire question for you boys do you think he can win the Iron Man 70.3 championships this year?
[52:22] SPEAKER_04: No.
[52:23] SPEAKER_04: My head's yeah, my head says no, my heart says yes, but I just don't think I don't think he can.
[52:28] SPEAKER_04: Not with that swim deficit.
[52:30] SPEAKER_04: I just don't think so.
[52:31] SPEAKER_05: I think if he hadn't gotten injured and continued to roll through the year, I would give him more of a shot.
[52:36] SPEAKER_05: But I mean, he just started running what in early August, maybe.
[52:40] SPEAKER_05: I mean, the YouTube video has come out a bit later, so I don't know exactly, but can you win a world championship with two months of running under your belt?
[52:46] SPEAKER_05: Maybe if you're Patrick or someone, like who's the best runner?
[52:50] SPEAKER_05: But I I don't see it happening.
[52:52] SPEAKER_01: Do you think the Lionel that won St.
[52:54] SPEAKER_01: George could have won the 70.3 world championships?
[52:57] SPEAKER_05: The right dynamics with allies, maybe possibly getting up there, but yeah, it kind of depends who who would be there.
[53:04] SPEAKER_05: But I mean, Sam's right.
[53:06] SPEAKER_05: It's the swim deficit would would let him down.
[53:09] SPEAKER_05: Um never say never though.
[53:11] SPEAKER_04: It's just it's so hard.
[53:13] SPEAKER_04: Like I've been in that front pack at 70.3 worlds in the swim, and it's once you get onto the bike and there's a bunch of motorbikes, there's a bunch of media, you just get sucked along, and it is so challenging for those guys that are coming back, you know, two, three, four minutes down out of the swim to just make any inroads.
[53:32] SPEAKER_04: And you know, Lionel is an amazing cyclist, but Oceanside and St.
[53:37] SPEAKER_04: George, they're just were they were great fields, but it's not the same as 70.3 worlds, I think.
[53:43] SPEAKER_04: Um yeah, I don't think I don't think you can get back into the race after that swim.
[53:48] SPEAKER_05: The co this is like almost the course for it, though, don't you think?
[53:52] SPEAKER_05: I mean, if there's 5800 feet of climbing, which is whatever, 1700 meters, 1800 meters, the motors played less of a role.
[54:01] SPEAKER_05: I mean, maybe on the downs, right?
[54:03] SPEAKER_05: So yeah.
[54:04] SPEAKER_05: I mean, Jack, what do you think?
[54:06] SPEAKER_01: I think Lionel climbed so much better than people give him credit for, and I think that's why he did what he did at St.
[54:11] SPEAKER_01: George.
[54:11] SPEAKER_01: Do you guys remember how quickly he rode up to Magnus Ditlive?
[54:15] SPEAKER_01: And I know Magnus had mechanicals or whatever, but Lionel was in the process of riding Magnus off his wheel.
[54:21] SPEAKER_01: That's Magnus Ditliv.
[54:22] SPEAKER_01: You like you guys, you know that guy, the best cyclist in the sport?
[54:25] SPEAKER_01: Lionel just crushed him.
[54:27] SPEAKER_01: He crushed his soul at St.
[54:28] SPEAKER_01: George.
[54:29] SPEAKER_01: It was like insane to watch.
[54:30] SPEAKER_01: I I didn't know who I was like.
[54:32] SPEAKER_01: I was like, is this Lionel?
[54:33] SPEAKER_01: Is this like Colin Chartier of 2023?
[54:35] SPEAKER_01: Like, that's not that's that's that's not that's not me saying Lionel's on drugs.
[54:41] SPEAKER_01: Lionel is the cleanest athlete you've ever seen.
[54:43] SPEAKER_01: Like 100%.
[54:44] SPEAKER_01: I would bet my I would bet my kids' life, if I had kids, that Lionel Sanity is clean.
[54:49] SPEAKER_01: That's not what I'm saying.
[54:50] SPEAKER_01: I'm saying that's how good he was.
[54:51] SPEAKER_01: He was like alien-like at St.
[54:53] SPEAKER_01: George.
[54:54] SPEAKER_01: I've never seen someone ride so well, I don't think, in all my years in the sport.
[54:57] SPEAKER_01: Maybe Sam Leto 2023.
[54:59] SPEAKER_01: It was just, it was just so, so strong.
[55:01] SPEAKER_01: It was incredible to watch.
[55:02] SPEAKER_01: And I think that version of Lionel on this 70.3 worlds with course with all the climbing, I think he could get up to the front.
[55:09] SPEAKER_01: I don't know if he'd win the race.
[55:11] SPEAKER_01: I think Hayden, if he's there, will still win it.
[55:13] SPEAKER_01: But I don't know.
[55:14] SPEAKER_01: I'm backing Lionel in many of those head-to-head run battles, like maybe not Yala, but I think he beats Rico head-to-head off the off the bike.
[55:20] SPEAKER_01: And and I think he beats a lot of a lot of the big hitters off the bike, and I think he could get there, but I do think you're kind of right, Greg, that maybe he hasn't had enough training under his belt, and that's it's just going to be a little bit too soon.
[55:32] SPEAKER_01: But I'd love to see it.
[55:33] SPEAKER_01: Uh, my next question then as a follow-up to that is if he doesn't win it, what's a pass mark when it comes to his result at 70.3 worlds?
[55:41] SPEAKER_05: For him, I would say I would say like a top, I mean, even a top ten was like fine.
[55:48] SPEAKER_05: Top five, I would say, would be really good.
[55:50] SPEAKER_05: I feel like in his own head, he probably thinks that maybe a top five would be good based on how the year has gone, but you know, maybe he wants to win too.
[55:58] SPEAKER_04: I think in his in his own mind, I think a pass mark for him's top three.
[56:03] SPEAKER_04: Um, but I think, yeah, I think a top five would be a great result.
[56:08] SPEAKER_04: I think he's probably shooting towards more that you know, fifth to eighth, in my opinion.
[56:13] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm with you, Apa.
[56:14] SPEAKER_01: I said exactly the same.
[56:16] SPEAKER_01: Top five is a pass mark on my standards for Lionel.
[56:19] SPEAKER_01: I think he would expect nothing less than the podium for himself, which is why he's so good.
[56:24] SPEAKER_01: Uh, can he win the Iron Man World Championship still in his career?
[56:28] SPEAKER_05: No.
[56:28] SPEAKER_05: Yes, we won it.
[56:32] SPEAKER_05: Is it possible?
[56:33] SPEAKER_05: I mean, I'll I'll never say never.
[56:36] SPEAKER_05: I mean, the thing about it, we watched him, just like Jack said, do what he did at St.
[56:40] SPEAKER_05: George.
[56:41] SPEAKER_05: One of the craziest rides.
[56:42] SPEAKER_05: If he has a ride like that on the Kona Lava Fields in 2026, does it put him in the dude?
[56:49] SPEAKER_05: Is like the most mentally tough guy out there, right?
[56:51] SPEAKER_05: I mean, so we think.
[56:52] SPEAKER_05: I don't know what's in Lionel's head.
[56:54] SPEAKER_05: That he seems to go to the well and depths that some people can't go.
[56:57] SPEAKER_05: So I think with those two things, we saw it this year still.
[57:00] SPEAKER_05: We everyone thought Lionel's been done.
[57:02] SPEAKER_05: We saw a glimpse of it.
[57:03] SPEAKER_05: So if he can get that glimpse in the full package in 2026 Kona, I think it's possible.
[57:09] SPEAKER_04: Dude, I Lionel's run past me before we're in a race, and he was just grunting and groaning, and I wasn't making a sound.
[57:16] SPEAKER_04: And I was like, just thinking to myself, I'm like, am I soft?
[57:20] SPEAKER_04: Like, should I be making grunts?
[57:23] SPEAKER_04: And like, should I be like, and then like he kind of made me feel bad about myself.
[57:30] SPEAKER_01: That's like the story of uh Tim Van Burkle that tells all the time of Jarn Fradino running past him on the Kona run course and just farting the whole time.
[57:38] SPEAKER_01: Have you heard that story, Apple?
[57:41] SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, have yeah.
[57:44] SPEAKER_01: Burkle was saying that when they when they raced Kona, Jarn passed him on the Queen K, and every step that he you know he was doing that thing where he'd take one step and then another, and every step led to a fart, so it'd be like as he passed him on the Queen Kh, yeah.
[58:02] SPEAKER_01: I uh no, I don't think Lionel can win the Iron Man World Championships.
[58:05] SPEAKER_01: I don't think he's built for Iron Man racing, I think he's the best 70.3 athlete we've potentially ever seen when it comes to consistency, and I think he's made for 70.3 racing and T100 distance racing.
[58:15] SPEAKER_01: I don't think he's made for Iron Man distance racing.
[58:18] SPEAKER_01: Um, which is my next question.
[58:20] SPEAKER_01: Should Lionel do Iron Man racing next year, or should he focus on the pro series, or should he focus on just 70.3s or should he sign with the T100?
[58:30] SPEAKER_04: I don't think T100 is for Lionel.
[58:33] SPEAKER_04: I think the smaller field size isolates him more in the swim.
[58:37] SPEAKER_04: Um it's it will kind of be, you know, a Sam Long situation.
[58:41] SPEAKER_04: Um, I think I think you're right, Jack.
[58:44] SPEAKER_04: He is arguably the best 70.3 athlete we've ever seen.
[58:48] SPEAKER_04: Um, and I think that's his bread and butter, and I think that little extra distance over a 70.3 over the T100 suits him.
[58:55] SPEAKER_04: Like he needs that extra, you know, seven to ten minutes on the bike and that extra 10 minutes on the run.
[59:02] SPEAKER_04: I think that really benefits Lionel.
[59:03] SPEAKER_04: Like you've seen a lot of Oceanside, like if it was an 18k run, would he uh yeah, I think he was just getting to the front, so he still might have won.
[59:13] SPEAKER_04: But yeah, like a lot of races that Lionel has come through, it's been in that last third of the run.
[59:18] SPEAKER_04: So yeah, I think 70.3 is where his home is, and I think, you know, I'm not his advisor, but I think that's where his best results will be.
[59:26] SPEAKER_05: Do you think he would go into the year though, like thinking, oh, I'm just gonna do 70.3s?
[59:29] SPEAKER_05: Or he's like, oh, I'll I'll dabble in an Iron Man, see how this Pro Series goes.
[59:33] SPEAKER_05: Because I mean, everything you said, you hit the nail on the head, that's all true, but it seems like he probably is anyone really going into the year thinking like the big names, they're thinking Pro Series or T100, not I'll just do 70.3s and then do 70.3 worlds.
[59:47] SPEAKER_05: So I see him like still trying to, you know, hit the early season Iron Man and things like that.
[59:52] SPEAKER_05: Um and it makes for good like TV, like we all want to see Lionel do an Iron Man well as well, and he probably wants that, but he's quit Iron Man like four times, so you never really know.
[1:00:05] SPEAKER_01: I want to see him go and try and set a record for the most 70.3s won in a season that no one will ever touch.
[1:00:11] SPEAKER_01: I think if I I think he's won four or five multiple times in a season, I want to see him set a target and put it out there.
[1:00:19] SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna win 10 70.3s in 2026 and then just make a YouTube series all year, like it's just a year-long narrative, the T100 classic saying, of Lionel going about trying to break the record and and set a mark that no one will ever achieve in the history of the sport again, which is winning 10 professional 70.3s in a year.
[1:00:40] SPEAKER_01: Because I don't think he can win Iron Man World Championships, and I think Kona will break his heart in 2026, and I'm not prepared to watch that uh as a fan of him.
[1:00:47] SPEAKER_01: He will just I can't do another year of Lionel preparing for Kona and getting beaten by the island again.
[1:00:53] SPEAKER_01: It's just it I I've been there too many times.
[1:00:55] SPEAKER_01: I don't I don't want to go through it again.
[1:00:56] SPEAKER_01: I think T100 racing doesn't suit him.
[1:00:59] SPEAKER_01: Yes, he could probably win the Pro Series.
[1:01:01] SPEAKER_01: That would be that would be my second pick, but I like I just love this narrative.
[1:01:04] SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna go and achieve history.
[1:01:06] SPEAKER_01: I think brands would get behind it.
[1:01:08] SPEAKER_01: I think all of his fans would get behind it, and it would be so fun to watch because it means he's got to win one pretty much every month.
[1:01:13] SPEAKER_01: So I would love that.
[1:01:14] SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so that that's about it.
[1:01:17] SPEAKER_01: The only the only other thing I wanted to ask you guys about Lionel is rate his year so far.
[1:01:21] SPEAKER_01: Maybe let's give it a mark out of ten with with why.
[1:01:25] SPEAKER_04: I mean, he won the two biggest North American races earlier in the year, so it's hard to you know it's hard to ding him any points.
[1:01:32] SPEAKER_04: Um so I'd but then the injury, you know, I guess that dings him points.
[1:01:37] SPEAKER_04: I'd give it like a a seven.
[1:01:39] SPEAKER_04: You know, if he didn't get the injury, then it's a ten.
[1:01:41] SPEAKER_04: But yeah, I think he's kind of sitting at around that seven, isn't he?
[1:01:46] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I was actually thinking like five or six because of like it's a big injury, but just like what you said, I mean he won two big races, and like you know, he probably would have come in and just only raced in one boise or something, and we would still say he's on the great year, so I think seven's fair, and I'm gonna I'm gonna copy you on that.
[1:02:04] SPEAKER_05: Um obviously a big stress fracture is like not what you want, and it might hurt his end of the year chances, but seven for me.
[1:02:12] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, if we if we had asked this on May 10th, we would have said 10 out of 10, all three of us, wouldn't we?
[1:02:17] SPEAKER_01: We would have been like overwhelmingly, this is a 10 out of 10.
[1:02:20] SPEAKER_01: And kid considering it's only September, you would have to do something crazy for that 10 out of 10 to become five out of ten in only a couple of months with the with heaps of the season still to go, and he could he could go and win 70.3 worlds.
[1:02:31] SPEAKER_01: So taking that all into account, I think it's like an eight out of ten.
[1:02:35] SPEAKER_01: I think it's really, really impressive.
[1:02:37] SPEAKER_01: He's won two of I think probably the two biggest 70.3s in America this year.
[1:02:40] SPEAKER_01: He's won them both.
[1:02:41] SPEAKER_01: And the the seven that St.
[1:02:43] SPEAKER_01: George race was so impressive.
[1:02:45] SPEAKER_01: And keep in mind he beat the Norwegians at Oceanside.
[1:02:48] SPEAKER_01: So yeah, for me, yeah, seven and a half to eight.
[1:02:51] SPEAKER_01: It's it's right there.
[1:02:52] SPEAKER_01: Um okay, boys, let's finish up the show.
[1:02:55] SPEAKER_01: We're gonna finish it with something a little bit different, but we're all gonna bring something that annoyed us this week and something that made us happy this week.
[1:03:02] SPEAKER_01: So we'll start with the anno something that annoyed us this week so that we can finish the show on a positive note with something that made us happy.
[1:03:09] SPEAKER_01: So the thing that annoyed me this week do you and I I don't know if I'm the only one who gets annoyed by this.
[1:03:15] SPEAKER_01: This has always annoyed me.
[1:03:17] SPEAKER_01: When you've organized to go and train with someone, and it's one of those plans that you didn't make last minute, you made it maybe a week in advance or a few days in advance, and you haven't heard anything about it, or you've messaged, or whatever, and it's still happening, and then you know, an hour beforehand you get that message, oh sorry, mate, can't make it, blah, insert random excuse that you know isn't a real thing, you know they just have woken up and can't be bothered or want to delay it or whatever it is, or they've changed their mind.
[1:03:46] SPEAKER_01: That happened to me, and it just drives me insane.
[1:03:49] SPEAKER_01: Like, why go through the process of saying you're gonna do it and organize it all and then make the other person get real like get organized for it all, plan it all, only to bail.
[1:03:58] SPEAKER_01: Like you you knew you were gonna bail.
[1:04:00] SPEAKER_01: If you wanted to do it, you would do it, you know.
[1:04:02] SPEAKER_01: So I don't know.
[1:04:03] SPEAKER_01: Am I the only one who that really annoys?
[1:04:06] SPEAKER_04: Who was it, Jack?
[1:04:06] SPEAKER_04: Put them on blast.
[1:04:08] SPEAKER_04: Put him on blast on the pod.
[1:04:09] SPEAKER_04: Sorry, Jack.
[1:04:11] SPEAKER_04: I was really tired.
[1:04:12] SPEAKER_05: Okay.
[1:04:13] SPEAKER_05: Sorry about that.
[1:04:14] SPEAKER_01: You only have to do a 17-hour plane, Five.
[1:04:16] SPEAKER_01: It's not that big of you.
[1:04:18] SPEAKER_01: No, no, no, I'm not putting the person on blast because they are, they've been pretty good, but at this one.
[1:04:23] SPEAKER_01: And there's people who do it chronically, so you expect it of them.
[1:04:25] SPEAKER_01: This isn't a chronic, this isn't someone who does it chronically.
[1:04:28] SPEAKER_01: Like the person who does it chronically, they almost don't annoy me because you you just know that they're a 50-50 chance to show up.
[1:04:35] SPEAKER_01: But this this person, yeah, that yeah.
[1:04:37] SPEAKER_04: I mean, I'm pretty Apple's the guy who does it.
[1:04:43] SPEAKER_04: No, I uh I've definitely bailed on people before, but it is, it can be annoying for sure.
[1:04:48] SPEAKER_04: But I think what's worse, I would prefer someone to bail on me, like message me an eye like an hour before and be like, hey, I'm not gonna ride, rather than me waiting for them for like 15 or 20 minutes.
[1:04:59] SPEAKER_04: If we're gonna meet at 8 and that they're not meet, they're not there until 8.15 or 8.20.
[1:05:04] SPEAKER_04: I'm just like, yeah, that would annoy me more.
[1:05:06] SPEAKER_05: See, I don't mind the way I would agree too.
[1:05:08] SPEAKER_05: And oh well, it the thing is if I'm already on my way and someone's like, hey, I'm gonna be late, it's like you have to let me know an hour in advance, like if you're gonna be late, right?
[1:05:16] SPEAKER_05: Before you actually go through the motion.
[1:05:19] SPEAKER_05: So that shit pisses me off too.
[1:05:21] SPEAKER_05: Um, I try to be punctual.
[1:05:23] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, see, I don't mind that because for me, the lateness thing doesn't matter because I'm just happy to sit there and chill and wait, and that's fine.
[1:05:30] SPEAKER_01: Like, I'm never like that person who's in a rush and we've got to go if it's eight o'clock, then you've got to be at 7.55 and we've got to go at eight.
[1:05:36] SPEAKER_01: I don't mind.
[1:05:36] SPEAKER_01: I'm I'm really relaxed about that.
[1:05:38] SPEAKER_01: The thing for me is that when that person bails, this is what it does to me.
[1:05:42] SPEAKER_01: Oh, well, now I don't want to do it.
[1:05:44] SPEAKER_01: Now I can't be fucked.
[1:05:45] SPEAKER_01: And then it makes it much harder for me to go out and get out the door.
[1:05:49] SPEAKER_01: Whereas this person coming had made me motivated and I was accountable to them, and I knew I was gonna go and do it.
[1:05:55] SPEAKER_01: And I if you're really so self motivated, it probably doesn't matter you matter to you that much because you just go, Oh, yeah, I'll just go.
[1:06:00] SPEAKER_01: And do it by myself.
[1:06:00] SPEAKER_01: But if it's like a four-hour ride or something, I'm just like, oh, well, I'm not going to do this now.
[1:06:05] SPEAKER_01: And then I get out of my cycling kit and then I go and sit on the couch and it's it's done for me.
[1:06:09] SPEAKER_01: That's why it annoys me so much, because it's like it's a tactic for me to get out there and train, which is harder for me with every year that passes.
[1:06:16] SPEAKER_01: Apo, what annoyed you this week?
[1:06:18] SPEAKER_04: Um, so mine's been doing the rounds a little bit the last day.
[1:06:22] SPEAKER_04: Um, and I guess it's just more evidence that uh we need 20-meter draft rule in the in pro triathlon after the footage of um that massive group at Zell M Z in Austria, the 70.3 over the weekend.
[1:06:35] SPEAKER_04: I think it's uh yeah, it's just getting to the point now.
[1:06:38] SPEAKER_04: Like the the races are too competitive.
[1:06:41] SPEAKER_04: Everyone is so good.
[1:06:42] SPEAKER_04: I think five or six years ago, or even more, when you know there was a a lot more, you know, not everybody was so good at swimming and biking and running.
[1:06:51] SPEAKER_04: Now everyone is so good at all three sports that the packs are just massive, and we need we need something to break up these packs more.
[1:06:58] SPEAKER_04: And um it just annoyed me a little bit.
[1:07:00] SPEAKER_04: I just want to see 20 meters across the board um and just make it consistent.
[1:07:04] SPEAKER_04: All professional races, regardless of the governing body, regardless if it's Iron Man T100 challenge, it's just 20 meters.
[1:07:12] SPEAKER_04: Everyone knows what it is.
[1:07:13] SPEAKER_04: Let's uh yeah, I just want to see it.
[1:07:15] SPEAKER_01: Not the first time you've called out Jimmy Riccatello on this podcast either, Apo, but it is the second time in a row you've seen by name, even though that's who you're talking about.
[1:07:25] SPEAKER_04: And we know for a fact that Jimmy listens, don't we, Joe?
[1:07:28] SPEAKER_01: He does listen, Jimmy.
[1:07:29] SPEAKER_01: So does he?
[1:07:30] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he does.
[1:07:31] SPEAKER_01: I think yeah, I think he's just not happy at some of the things you've said in the past.
[1:07:35] SPEAKER_01: But Jimmy, 20 meters at at 70.3 races would make it would just it would just sort so many issues for the pros.
[1:07:41] SPEAKER_01: They all complain about it.
[1:07:42] SPEAKER_01: They I think what would you say?
[1:07:44] SPEAKER_01: I think it would probably be a number of somewhere like 70 to 80 percent of the pros would be for 20 meters, if not more.
[1:07:50] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, it's gotta be.
[1:07:51] SPEAKER_04: And it almost feels like I'm draft legal guys.
[1:07:56] SPEAKER_04: It's inevitable, right?
[1:07:57] SPEAKER_04: Like it is gonna happen.
[1:07:59] SPEAKER_04: It's almost like they're just delaying the inevitable.
[1:08:01] SPEAKER_04: And I think we'd just rip the band-aid off.
[1:08:03] SPEAKER_04: I feel like it's gonna happen next year, don't you?
[1:08:06] SPEAKER_01: I do too, Greg.
[1:08:07] SPEAKER_05: It seems like it's gonna it it it has to.
[1:08:09] SPEAKER_05: Like there's been way too much chatter.
[1:08:11] SPEAKER_01: It's in the next two.
[1:08:12] SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna rally the draft legal fan base and we'll we'll make our final push as well.
[1:08:16] SPEAKER_05: But I think the 20-meter draft will win out in the end.
[1:08:19] SPEAKER_01: It does feel like they've just dug their heels in because they made the decision and they're like, nope, we made this decision, we're sticking to it.
[1:08:25] SPEAKER_01: Like, kind of like the the kid who wants the toy because someone else has it, but they don't really want the toy.
[1:08:30] SPEAKER_01: They're just kind of, you know, like it's just it's like it's one of those situations.
[1:08:34] SPEAKER_01: It's actually quite funny, but I reckon within the next two years for sure, Greg, I'm with you.
[1:08:38] SPEAKER_05: All right.
[1:08:38] SPEAKER_05: What annoyed me this week was listening to broadcasters saying that swimming on the hip is the best place.
[1:08:44] SPEAKER_01: Who said it?
[1:08:45] SPEAKER_05: Because I I heard it from a couple different.
[1:08:47] SPEAKER_05: I'm not gonna no no one on blast.
[1:08:49] SPEAKER_05: I'm doing fence sitting.
[1:08:50] SPEAKER_05: Um, and honestly, it's like I heard it once, and then it's I've heard it so many times, and it's just so untrue.
[1:08:56] SPEAKER_05: Now, if you're in the pool in an insanely controlled environment, fine, swimming on the hip, you will get the best draft, and it will have but in the open water, it's idiotic, okay?
[1:09:06] SPEAKER_05: If you swim on the hip, it slows the person down.
[1:09:08] SPEAKER_05: You also both aren't gonna swim straight, so you're gonna swim on top of each other.
[1:09:12] SPEAKER_05: The whole thing is just slow, slow, slow.
[1:09:14] SPEAKER_05: The best place to swim in the open water is not on your hip.
[1:09:17] SPEAKER_05: It's actually the worst place.
[1:09:18] SPEAKER_05: You're probably better off pulling to the side and swimming next to someone with a little bit of gap than actually swimming on their hip because there's just no way you guys can swim straight and you're slowing them down.
[1:09:27] SPEAKER_05: So that pisses me off.
[1:09:29] SPEAKER_05: Well, sorry, that annoys me.
[1:09:31] SPEAKER_05: I'm not an angry person.
[1:09:32] SPEAKER_05: That just annoyed me a little bit.
[1:09:33] SPEAKER_01: You're from New York, you're definitely an angry person.
[1:09:38] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's actually really helpful.
[1:09:40] SPEAKER_05: We just mind our business.
[1:09:41] SPEAKER_01: That's actually super insightful though.
[1:09:42] SPEAKER_01: Like a lot of people wouldn't understand that, and uh, and so that's that's good.
[1:09:46] SPEAKER_04: Because Greg, if I'm if I'm swimming on your hip, so you and I are leading a race, you know, and I'm swimming on your hip, I'm slow I'm getting a better draft than on your feet, but I'm slowing you down, therefore slowing me down.
[1:10:02] SPEAKER_04: And maybe it's like that's even, right?
[1:10:05] SPEAKER_05: Say, like if you were drafting me.
[1:10:09] SPEAKER_05: Yes, you're right on that.
[1:10:10] SPEAKER_05: But the the thing about it is you don't swim straight in the open water.
[1:10:14] SPEAKER_05: Like, even the best people, like you're constantly making these micro adjustments, you know.
[1:10:18] SPEAKER_05: So if you're on someone's hip, like they're making a micro, you sight, and then you're microwing the wrong way, and all of a sudden you're stroking on their leg, which is going to affect their stroke.
[1:10:27] SPEAKER_05: It's like those small motions happen so frequently because we're constantly adjusting our line, like very slightly, over and over and again.
[1:10:36] SPEAKER_05: So that's just I feel like that's almost the biggest reason.
[1:10:38] SPEAKER_05: It's like, yes, if you're in a pool and you're swimming in someone's lane right next to each other, you see it in professional swimming.
[1:10:44] SPEAKER_05: They go, they ride their wake, they try to get on that, but it's so controlled because you see where you're going, but in the open water, it's just insane.
[1:10:51] SPEAKER_05: So um, it's just it's not smart to do.
[1:10:54] SPEAKER_05: And I am tired of commentators who say that because it's just completely wrong.
[1:10:58] SPEAKER_01: All right, boys.
[1:10:59] SPEAKER_01: Something that made us happy to finish the podcast on.
[1:11:02] SPEAKER_01: We're finally finishing on a positive note once, which is just a real, real growth moment for the triathlon hours.
[1:11:07] SPEAKER_01: So my thing, okay, so I reckon everyone can relate to this.
[1:11:11] SPEAKER_01: So um tell me if you boys can.
[1:11:13] SPEAKER_01: Do you ever have a situation where maybe you feel like someone doesn't like you, or like maybe someone said something negative about you, or you're a little bit unsure about a situation, and the only way you're dealing with it is processing it in your own head.
[1:11:29] SPEAKER_01: So something's happened, or someone said something, or you have a feeling that someone thinks something about you, and then you're in your own head, you're building it up and you're making it worse and worse and worse, and you think it's a really big deal, and and you're kind of it's you're kind of just stressed and anxious about it, but then you have a friend that you talk to about it, or and they let they kind of just like they make they they they put great perspective on it and they make you realize how insignificant it is, or how little everyone else cares about it, and or how it's kind of just like nothing, and you've built it up to be in your own head, and you walk away from that conversation with them, and you just feel so much lighter, you feel like a weight's being lifted off your shoulders, and you you feel you feel relaxed and stress-free, and you're like, Oh yeah, like it's not that big a deal.
[1:12:16] SPEAKER_01: Has that happened to you guys?
[1:12:17] SPEAKER_05: Most definitely it's happened to me.
[1:12:19] SPEAKER_05: Uh, in a couple different like variations, and you're totally I thanks for being vulnerable with us, Shaq.
[1:12:25] SPEAKER_05: Where this is the safe space on the triathon hour, and I totally can relate to what you said.
[1:12:31] SPEAKER_05: So I'm glad that happened to you recently, and you've seemed lighter, so I'm I'm happy for you, buddy.
[1:12:37] SPEAKER_04: I think I think we're just our worst critics, right?
[1:12:41] SPEAKER_04: And we analyze what we do and what we say, and um yeah, and sometimes I think it's yeah, we get in our head a little bit, and it's things are often not as bad as we think.
[1:12:53] SPEAKER_04: Um sometimes they are, but sometimes they're not.
[1:12:55] SPEAKER_01: You know what's I this I don't this I'm not meaning this to be a name drop, it's more just like a shout out.
[1:13:00] SPEAKER_01: It was Taylor Nib who did it for me.
[1:13:03] SPEAKER_01: And like she's a like Taylor Nib's became a become a really good friend of mine, and that's funny because when we first we probably didn't get along that well to start, and now she's become a really good friend of mine.
[1:13:14] SPEAKER_01: And she just she's so she's so she keeps perspective in her friends' lives, I reckon.
[1:13:19] SPEAKER_01: And if you if you've got an issue, or like if Taylor senses that you've got an issue, she talks you off cliffs.
[1:13:25] SPEAKER_01: She's just I'm a uh yeah, just a shout out, Taylor Nib.
[1:13:27] SPEAKER_01: She's such a great person.
[1:13:28] SPEAKER_01: So interesting little fun fact.
[1:13:30] SPEAKER_05: She does give that aura for sure.
[1:13:32] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, she actually um she got angry at me at I saw her at the pool the other day, and she was mad that I picked uh in that I think Greg, you were doing the uh pick one, and you pick uh the options were Lucy and Taylor, and I picked Lucy and then Taylor saw them.
[1:13:48] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, anyway.
[1:13:48] SPEAKER_04: Um mine is um, so we just got back from a trip um to Aspen over the weekend, and uh my wife did a 40-mile trail race, so 60 odd K across the the Grand Traverse, and it was pretty epic, man.
[1:14:05] SPEAKER_04: And I think, you know, it's kind of nice to be on the other side of the fence, and me and Toby were supporting supporting Judy, and yeah, it's just nice, you know.
[1:14:14] SPEAKER_04: Triton can be a selfish endeavor, and it's not just selfish for me, but you know, my wife, and it takes a team effort, and yeah, it just felt nice to give back and have a good weekend away uh supporting her and her goals.
[1:14:29] SPEAKER_04: So that was my that's what made me happy.
[1:14:31] SPEAKER_01: Shout out Sarah.
[1:14:32] SPEAKER_01: That's awesome, mate.
[1:14:33] SPEAKER_01: That's so good.
[1:14:33] SPEAKER_05: Also, 40 mile trail race, that's kind of badass.
[1:14:36] SPEAKER_05: So congrats to her and good on you, Sam.
[1:14:38] SPEAKER_04: All all above 12,000 feet as well, so you know, up in the high country.
[1:14:43] SPEAKER_01: But Sarah's kind of like a lifelong athlete a little bit, isn't it?
[1:14:45] SPEAKER_01: Like, didn't you and her meet because you're both like outdoorsy athlete type people?
[1:14:49] SPEAKER_01: Like she she's always ran and rode her bike and stuff, hasn't she?
[1:14:52] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
[1:14:53] SPEAKER_04: Yeah, she's outdoorsy, so but this was definitely probably the biggest um the biggest thing that she's done in terms of you know a physical feat.
[1:15:02] SPEAKER_04: Um so yeah, I was just proud of her and wanted to share it on the pod.
[1:15:06] SPEAKER_01: Was she happy with the performance?
[1:15:08] SPEAKER_01: How how did she analyse her race?
[1:15:13] SPEAKER_04: Um she was asking me for like fueling tips and everything, and I'm like, you gotta smash 140 grams an hour, you've got 750 milligrams of sodium an hour.
[1:15:22] SPEAKER_04: Rookie numbers, you gotta pump those numbers up.
[1:15:25] SPEAKER_04: 180, 180.
[1:15:26] SPEAKER_00: She crossed the finish line, we just spit them all over her shirt.
[1:15:31] SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
[1:15:32] SPEAKER_04: Um, no, she was happy.
[1:15:34] SPEAKER_04: I mean, trail running is so like you can't put times or anything, it's just about finishing.
[1:15:40] SPEAKER_04: And you know, it's kind of refreshing because I think as high performance athletes, we're always about time and position and performance, and you go into these other worlds like trail running and things like that, and it's just about getting to the finish, you know.
[1:15:55] SPEAKER_04: I kind of kind of like that.
[1:15:56] SPEAKER_05: Awesome, mate.
[1:15:57] SPEAKER_05: I'll say one thing on that.
[1:15:58] SPEAKER_05: It it's like everyone's there to conquer the course, you know, and just like do their best, and it's lot less about all the times and stuff.
[1:16:05] SPEAKER_05: So yeah, I've done a couple ultra marathons, um, and it's the same vibes out there.
[1:16:09] SPEAKER_05: It's like they're good vibes, and it's good to get away from all the CDA and all that stuff.
[1:16:14] SPEAKER_05: Um for me this week for the made happy.
[1:16:16] SPEAKER_05: I was gonna do a triathlon one, but then I was like, that's super lame.
[1:16:20] SPEAKER_05: So I'm gonna I'm gonna change it.
[1:16:22] SPEAKER_05: And now that I know what everyone else is doing, and it's similar vein to Apple.
[1:16:27] SPEAKER_05: Um, my wife is eight and eight and a half months pregnant, so we're getting to the the final stretch here.
[1:16:32] SPEAKER_05: And I don't know, just watching her navigate this whole process and like staying like things are getting a little uncomfortable, but she's just like, I don't know, she's just being like a badass, I feel like, through the whole thing, and um, we're just really excited.
[1:16:44] SPEAKER_05: And I feel like she's so happy and we're like so ready to have a kid.
[1:16:47] SPEAKER_05: It's just like I don't know.
[1:16:48] SPEAKER_05: It's all making me super happy, and the fact that she's so excited about it is like making me really happy too.
[1:16:54] SPEAKER_05: So um, maybe Apple can relate a little bit, Jack.
[1:16:58] SPEAKER_05: No chance.
[1:16:58] SPEAKER_01: I got a dog though.
[1:17:01] SPEAKER_04: Dog dad.
[1:17:02] SPEAKER_04: Oh no.
[1:17:03] SPEAKER_04: No, it's beautiful.
[1:17:04] SPEAKER_04: It's uh, you know, it's making me tear up at the end of a triclone hour podcast.
[1:17:08] SPEAKER_04: Who would have uh who would have thought that?
[1:17:11] SPEAKER_01: As a friend of yours, Greg, you do seem the happiest that you've been since I've been your friend.
[1:17:16] SPEAKER_01: You seem so happy at the moment.
[1:17:18] SPEAKER_05: That's just as you're coaching me.
[1:17:19] SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, I'll take all the credit.
[1:17:21] SPEAKER_01: I think it's got absolutely nothing to do with me, but you do seem happy.
[1:17:24] SPEAKER_04: It's a fun time.
[1:17:25] SPEAKER_04: Well, good luck, Greg.
[1:17:26] SPEAKER_04: Good luck, and uh yeah, all the best to you and your wife.
[1:17:29] SPEAKER_01: Greg, do you know the sex of the baby?
[1:17:30] SPEAKER_05: Daughter.
[1:17:31] SPEAKER_01: Daughter.
[1:17:32] SPEAKER_01: You got a name picked out?
[1:17:33] SPEAKER_05: Yeah, but we haven't shared it with anyone, so I'll let you guys know in a few weeks.
[1:17:37] SPEAKER_01: How many letters does the name have?
[1:17:38] SPEAKER_05: Well, it's a uh four.
[1:17:42] SPEAKER_05: Starts with a J.
[1:17:45] SPEAKER_05: No, I'm just kidding.
[1:17:46] SPEAKER_00: Um Jack Harper, Greg Harper's daughter.
[1:17:58] SPEAKER_01: Uh good, good note to end it on.
[1:18:00] SPEAKER_01: Apo, 19 time champ.
[1:18:01] SPEAKER_01: Yes, you heard that right.
[1:18:02] SPEAKER_01: 19 times 70.3 champ.
[1:18:04] SPEAKER_01: Thank you.
[1:18:05] SPEAKER_01: And Greg, the most opinionated man on the race course who backs it up.
[1:18:10] SPEAKER_01: Uh, thank you, brother.
[1:18:12] SPEAKER_01: Thank you, boys.
[1:18:13] SPEAKER_01: I mean, uh, let's do it all again next week.
[1:18:15] SPEAKER_04: Thanks, Jack.
[1:18:16] SPEAKER_04: That was fun.
[1:18:16] SPEAKER_04: Thanks, Jack.

Shows are listed from Apple Podcasts' charts and directory, and Podcast Index where it is used. Every show and episode belongs to its publisher and plays from the publisher's own feed; this site hosts none of them.