Triathlon Training Plan with Flexible Days

Triathlon Training Plan with Flexible Days

Do You Have a Triathlon Mentor?

Do You Have a Triathlon Mentor?

First: Done. On to the Second!

First: Done. On to the Second!

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2016 Habana CAMTRI Sprint Triathlon American Cup and Iberoamerican Championships

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Beginner Tips for Triathlon Success

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Valentina Carvallo puts Rio in focus

You wouldn’t have guessed it given her World Cup win last year, but Chilean native Valentina Carvallo got her start in triathlon late in the game by elite standards. While Carvallo always had a passion for endurance-type sports, competing in trail running and adventure races, it wasn’t until she was in her mid-twenties that she “tri’d.”

Even then, Carvallo was initially drawn to long distance triathlons, first competing in the Ironman 70.3 series. In 2013, she became the first Chilean triathlete to win the Ironman of Pucon, where she raced with a time of 4 hours and 39 seconds. She followed up her historic performance the following season with a back-to-back title in the same race. While she dabbled in the standard distance world occasionally, her main focus was to race longer.

It wasn’t until a major lifestyle change occurred that she began to hone in on the idea of seriously competing in shorter races. In 2013, Carvallo moved to the United States in order to take advantage of the strong triathlon community that the nation has to offer.

“I could write a big story about my experience in the U.S., especially in Boulder,” Carvallo said. “I moved there with my husband and it has been not just a sport experience, but an unforgettable family experience as well, we love Boulder!”

“I have amazing teammates and coaches that I have learned a lot from. They are great people and amazing athletes with large backgrounds in the sport and in competition, which I think has been one of the most important benefits in my career,” said Carvallo.

In 2015, another opportunity arose that would mean a huge benefit for her. During the Chengdu World Cup, Carvallo raced as a part of the Team ITU scholarship program. Being a member of the team meant receiving not only a travel subsidy for the race, but also the benefit of racing with a support staff.

Speaking on the program, Carvallo said, “The ITU scholarship program has been a great support, not just in supporting with camps and races, but the people and group behind it. I found great professionals and athletes that make your dreams closer that you can imagine. They always supported us and give all we need for achieving our goals.”

The combined experience of training in the US under renowned coach Siri Lindley, as well as being a part of Team ITU, quickly paid off for the Chilean athlete. Just one month after her race in Chengdu, she went on to win in Huatulco, scoring her first World Cup...

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ITU President meets with IOC President

ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado this week met with IOC President Thomas Bach to discuss several recent updates from the triathlon world, as well as the advancement ITU has made on its good governance policies.

As part of the measures included in the IOC’s Agenda 2020, Casado had the opportunity to explain to Bach the different good governance measures taken by ITU in the recent months, including the publication of budgets on the website, as well as the minutes of assemblies and meetings in a new specially designated section of the triathlon website, which can be found here.

Bach and Casado also discussed various ideas on ways to improve anti-doping measures that International Federations can take to ensure athletes compete in an equal playing field.

On the agenda of the meeting was the agreement that has been reached between the company that recently bought IRONMAN, Dalian Wanda Group, to acquire the endurance division of Lagardere Sports. For ITU, this agreement means building stronger relationships with IRONMAN, so we can both continue working to establish triathlon as one of the most attractive sports in the world for both athletes and spectators.

On Tuesday, Casado also attended the SportAccord Council meeting in which the decision was taken to postpone merging with SportAccord Convention. Instead, SportAccord will continue working on its governance structure before merging both institutions into one organization.

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Boris Teddy trains with Tokyo on his mind

In 2014, the second Summer Youth Olympic Games was held in Nanjing, China. Young triathletes from all across the globe gathered at a start line and raced in honour of their nation. Representing the Solomon Islands, Boris Teddy was among the chosen few selected to compete at YOG.

Teddy, 18, started in the sport of triathlon back in 2011, when he was encouraged by his mother to participate in a race that was happening the very next day. Without training and without experience, Teddy competed in the triathlon and it has been the sport for him ever since.

Now, Teddy trains full-time six days a week with a dedicated schedule that includes alternating swimming and cycling every other day and running afterwards every evening. He has been competing in races around Oceania, sticking to a regiminted schedule that has proven to have a beneficial impact on his life.

Commenting on what life could be like for him without the involvement of triathlon, Teddy said, “Triathlon gives me a healthy lifestyle that most importantly keeps me fromn getting involved in drinking alcohol, such as Kwaso, which is a local homemade spirit, smoking marijuana or involving in criminal activities, which unfortunately is a norm in my community.”

In 2014, Teddy was given an opportunity in triathlon that would change the course of his career, he was invited to compete in the Nanjing Youth Olympic Games. And while his experience was unlike any other athlete competing, the lessons that Teddy learned were immeasurable.

Teddy finished in last place in the race, but that didn’t matter to him, because despite his position, he was proud to have finished.

“The Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing added another huge step up in my triathlon career. Although the race was really tough for me, I still had the courage to move on in my race day,” said Teddy. “It was tough because I had no coach with me, but I was glad that ITU sent Rolf Ebling to assist me in my race. Although I was last in my race, it was a milestone achievement for my National Federation because I raced without being lapped.”

“All I could think was WOW! I was overjoyed because this was the achievement my National Federation President asked me to achieve before the actual race day. He told me ‘Never to be lapped in the competition and enjoy your race.’”

Finishing the race brought pride and excitement to his home nation, but that excitement was close to never existing, if it weren’t...

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ITU helps rebuild schools in Nepal

Following the tragic earthquake that hit Nepal in April 2015, the International Triathlon Union (ITU) began a fundraising campaign to help the Nepalese people, and the Nepal Triathlon Association (NTA), which succeeded in raising more than $10,000 for Nepal. Half a year later, ITU an agreement is now in place to not only rebuild a school in Nepal, but to also create a Triathlon Talent School, to help promote triathlon to the new generation of young athletes in the country. “I’d like to thank everyone that donated to the campaign, as well as to all of the National Federations that stepped forward to assist us in helping our friends in Nepal,” said ITU President and IOC Member Marisol Casado, who traveled to Nepal to sign the agreement and see first-hand how the funds will be distributed. ”It really is an honor to see that the funds raised by the triathlon family will be used to help Nepalese students, as well as young triathletes, who will now have new facilities to learn and practice”, remarked Casado. “The Nepal Triathlon Association family is really thankful to the ITU President, Marisol Casado, for her initiative to call on the global triathlon family to come together to help Nepal in this difficult situation. We thank all who have been a part of this campaign, who will now be able to see that dream, the one of helping our people, a reality,” said NTA Secretary General Nilendra Shrestha. “As there is a need of help and assistance in every sector, NTA decided not to spread the amount on individuals, but to choose one school that was destroyed and help completely rebuild it.” On January 12 2016, ITU and the NTA were on site when a Memorandum of Understanding was signed with the management committee of two schools in Bhaktapur - the Ganesh Primary School and Binayak Saraswoti Secondary School- to use the $10,500 that ITU raised last year to rebuild the facilities. The two schools will be merged into a new school named Shree Ganesh – Binayak Saraswoti Lower Secondary School. Also, the new school management will provide five Ropanies (aprox. 2500 m2) to build the Triathlon Talent School and a student hostel within its structure. The Nepal Triathlon Association will select talented young athletes from all over the country and accommodate them in the newly built hostel, and they will be educated in the Shree Ganesh – Binayak Saraswoti Lower Secondary School. The funds donated by ITU were raised in a solidarity campaign called the...

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Best of 2015: Gwen Jorgensen’s perfect season

When it comes to listing off our favourite moments of 2015 and picking out the “Best”, American Gwen Jorgensen‘s season of perfection was near the top. Jorgensen became a female elite icon in 2015 when she not only won her second consecutive World Championship title in her host nation, but did so after winning every single race she competed in throughout the whole season in order to earn a perfect rank score of 5200 Columbia Threadneedle points that guaranteed her the crown. AND as if she could be any more historical, her six-time winning streak of 2015 was added to her overall WTS winning streak and brought the total up to 12 consecutive victories since the first one in Yokohama back in 2014. Domination. Perfection. Champion. All words that describe Jorgensen’s year. So in honour of all of her phenomenal accomplishments and undefeated glories, let’s take a look back and each individual 2015 WTS win that captured her a back-to-back title. Abu Dhabi For the first time in ITU history, the WTS season started off in the Middle East. Jorgensen claimed her first victory after she trailed in the swim and then started off the run with a deficit of over a minute. But with her best leg left, she closed the gap by 45 seconds in the first lap and ultimately surpassed her competition and seized the victory. Auckland A win in Auckland was the first time in three attempts. Jorgensen once again was trailing after the swim by 40 seconds, but her strong efforts catapulted her into a comfortable lead where she was able to cross the finish line with a 90-second lead over the silver medallist. Gold Coast An uncontested run to the finish line saw Jorgensen grab another slice of ITU history as she claimed her eighth consecutive WTS victory. The Gold Coast victory marked the longest-running WTS streak of any elite woman since the inception of the series at the time. Yokohama Crossing the line once again with a lead that stretched a little over a minute, her win in Yokohama granted her a three-peat victory in the Japanese city. London In London, Jorgensen stood on top of the podium, but for a second time in the season was accompanied by her two U.S. compatriots, in a sweep of the medal count. Hamburg In her first sprint race of the season, Jorgensen proved that she was a threat no matter the distance in her Hamburg victory. Chicago And in the 2015 Grand Final in Chicago, the season of perfection was finalized after she was able to breakaway in...

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Best of 2015: Lauren Steadman’s undefeated season

Becoming a World Champion is a HUGE accomplishment for any athlete. Becoming a two-time World Champion? Now that is just unbelievable! Great Britain’s Lauren Steadman conquered such a feat in Chicago at the 2015 Paratriathlon World Championships in the women’s PT4 sport class. But what makes her achievement even more remarkable, is that she did with an undefeated season! After earning the World title in Edmonton in 2014, she started the 2015 ITU race season in London, where she claimed her first victory of the year. EArning more WPE victories in Besancon and Rio de Janeiro, she ended the season in Chicago where the gold medal was ultimately retained for her wearing. During the women’s race, Steadman completely crushed the field by holding onto a lead that she earned early. As she exited the waters she was up by over a minute and never lost any time throughout the whole race. She earned the gold medal and a consecutive World Championship title without any threat. “It’s a fantastic feeling, I’m really pleased,” Steadman said. “The girls are fiercely competitive and I knew I had to do something really well to win. I didn’t have the best swim so I tried to pull up on the bike, which I did. And then on the run I just tried to have the best run of my life.” The first female #Paratri World Champion of the day goes to Lauren Steadman of GBR! Total domination on the PT4 field!— TriathlonLIVE (@triathlonlive) September 18, 2015 Retained my world title yesterday, impossible without @HUUBDesign @OPOuk @cyclesuk @iamspecialized @portsmouthuni pic.twitter.com/R21TwR2EL5— Lauren Steadman (@LaurenSteadman) September 19, 2015

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Best of 2015: Mario Mola becomes fastest man

It is no secret that when it comes to conquering the last discipline in a race, Spaniard Mario Mola is one of the greats. But in 2015, his domination reached new heights when he not only ran a race that caused him to win the WTS Grand Final Chicago, but also granted him the title of fastest runner in ITU history. The split time that landed him the coveted title? 28:59. In the final lap of the Chicago race, both Javier Gomez and Mola took turns accelerating up the flank, trying to leave the other, but it was an effort that went unsuccessful as both were stuck in sync. Giving one last push, Mola finally pulled the trigger in the last 100 metres and was able to sneak away from Gomez and carry himself into the finish line first with the fastest-ever 10km run split of 28:59. The historical run gave Mola the win and ultimately finish second overall in the Columbia Threadneedle Rankings. “I think I have just done one of the best races of my life,” said Mola on his win. “The feeling is amazing. Just to be able to run with Javi at the end, I hope the people enjoyed that as much as we did. It was an unbelievable race. That run split from @mariomola was 28:59 Fastest run split in the history of the world triathlon series.— World Triathlon (@worldtriathlon) September 20, 2015

Best of 2015: Stefan Daniel dethrones Schulz

The first sport class to be contested at the Paratriathlon World Championships in Chicago was men’s PT4. Stefan Daniel (CAN) became the first athlete to take down the finish tape, taking home his first world title with it. Daniel had a phenomenal comeback victory after he trailed behind Germany’s Martin Schulz for the first half of the race. Schulz led out of the swim and first two laps on the bike, but lost momentum. As athletes rounded into the second transition area, Daniel, Schulz and Yannick Bourseaux (FRA) blasted out onto the run neck and neck. It was then when Daniel proved worthy of a World Championship when he was able to make a move to get away from his rivals and create enough distance between himself to easily stroll into the finish line and claim the gold medal. Schulz finished with the silver medal, while Bourseaux took home the bronze. As Schultz was the reigning World Champion in men’s PT4 for two consecutive years (2013 and 2014), Daniel was finally able to edge out and dethrone the previous victor. With the win, Daniel also qualified himself a spot on Team Canada for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games. So happy to win Paratriathlon World Championships today and qualify for Rio 2016! Thanks for all the support!! pic.twitter.com/OJqMn8vROq— Stefan Daniel (@sdaniel97) September 18, 2015

Best of 2015: Richard Murray qualifies for Rio in Rio

When it comes to momentous years, 2015 was quite possibly Richard Murray‘s (RSA) best yet. Starting off the ITU season with a bronze medal in WTS Abu Dhabi, he then followed it up with a win at the New Plymouth World Cup. But as impressive as that was, it was the way that he ended his season that puts him on our Best of 2015 list. In preparation for the 2016 Olympic Games this summer, 2015 brought forth the chance for a Rio Test Event, that a lot of National Federations used as a qualification event. Murray seized his opportunity and showcased an epic come-from-behind performance that punched his automatic Olympic ticket to Rio when he placed third. During the race, Murray found himself among the chase pack on the bike. But after a swift second transition and a blistering run in the Brazilian heat, Murray was able to pick off men left and right, pulling himself up from a minute gap and onto the podium. The bronze medal was enough to guarantee a spot for the South African to compete in his second Olympic Games. And if the reassurance that he would be competing at Copacabana Beach wasn’t enough to satisfy a successful season, Murray then continued a streak of winning in WTS Edmonton, earning the bronze in WTS Chicago and ending his ITU season by winning the Cozumel World Cup.

Best of 2015: Nicola Spirig dominates Baku

Nicola Spirig (SUI) reigns supreme when it comes to elite racing and high-stake conditions. Having won the 2012 London Olympic Games gold medal, she has a wide range of experience and knowledge on what it takes to win an exclusive title. Her abilities in 2015 were no different. In its inaugural year, the Baku European Games kicked off in June. Just like she did in London, Spirig was able to walk away with a Major Games gold medal, proving to be a moment worthy of making the Best of 2015 list. The race started out with tough swimming conditions as the wind blew at such a strong force that officials made a decision to keep the triathletes in the water for the entirety of the swim, instead of having a pontoon-dive lap transition. Spirig had a consistent swim, but left her in a position to be in the chase group on the bike after the first transition zone. While she led the chase pack for a good majority of the bike leg, she was able to find a burst of energy that catapulted her on a breakaway ride that put her into the group of leaders. As the women entered the second transition, Spirig was among the top alongside Rachel Klamer (NED) and Lisa Norden (SWE). It was on the run that Spirig proved her gold medal status. With a few strides, Spirig was able to lose the others and put forth a lead big enough that the gold was easily placed in the palm of her hands.

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Sture Jonasson RIP

ITU regrets to announce the death of Sweden’s Sture Jonasson, ITU’s first Secretary General. He passed away before Christmas, at the age of 70. A dedicated administrator of the sport, Sture dedicated countless hours to the development of the sport and the foundation of the International Triathlon Union. He will be missed by so many around the world. Our thoughts go to Sture’s family and friends at this difficult time. He is pictured on the tab photo with Gunnar Eriksson at ITU’s first Congress in Avignon, France.

Best of 2015: Vicky Holland’s first WTS win

When Great Britain’s Vicky Holland crossed the finished line in the World Triathlon Series Cape Town in April, no one was more surprised to be getting a gold medal than Vicky herself. After taking home the bronze in the elite women’s race and then a gold in the 4xMixed Relay at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014, she started the 2015 year by injuring herself and having to sit out from the first three WTS races. Cape Town was her first competition back. Racing was meant to be an experiment to see how fit she was, but not only was she fit enough to finish the race, she was fit enough to bust out a performance that would land her her first WTS victory of her career. Holland’s win would be the first stepping stone in a long list of achievements that she would earn in 2015, including another WTS title in Edmonton and taking podium at the Rio Test Event and Grand Final in Chicago that would qualify her for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.

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Best of 2015: Andrea Hewitt Podiums again

Since the inception of the World Triathlon Series in 2009, there has been one person who has grazed the women’s rankings podium more than any other athlete, and that person has been New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt. Making five appearances in the final top-three leaderboard (2009, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015) out of the six years that the Series has existed, she has become one of the most successful women in the circuit. In 2015, that continued to be true. In the season she earned a bronze medal in WTS Auckland and WTS Stockholm and remained within the top ten every WTS race contended in. During the Grand Final in Chicago, she hammered out a consistent swim, bike and run to finish fourth and ultimately grant her enough Series points to bypass American Katie Zaferes in the CT rankings and land her the runner-up position to end the year. Take a look back at all five of Hewitt’s final podiums. 2015 2014 2012 2011 2009

Best of 2015: David Hauss’ shoeless ETU win

The 2015 season saw non-stop action that awed the triathlon world over and over again. The World Triathlon Series was nothing short of historical, the World Cup circuit saw 12 new athletes claim their first titles, Paratriathlon saw new and old champions earn gold, the Rio Test Event gave a preview of what is to come next summer at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and multiple champions were crowned in other Games settings that would all add up to total one of the best years that this sport has ever seen. So, in order to wrap up the year and gear up for what is also going to be a momentous and epic 2016, we write an ode to 2015 and share the top 15 best of 2015 moments from the year. Starting things off is the European Triathlon Championship win by Frenchman David Hauss in Geneva in July. After a solid swim and maintaining his place within a 20-man pack during the bike, Hauss seized his ETU title after a blistering breakaway run. His performance granted him his first ETU crown and gave him the momentum to go on to also claim the gold in the 4X Mixed Relay race two days later. And while winning in Geneva twice was impressive and surely worth a “Best of” spot in our countdown, what really makes Hauss’ victories remarkable was that he won both titles barefoot - without shoes! And the reason for running the final leg barefoot? Did he have comfort issues with his shoes? Did he not want to waste a few precious seconds on his transition time? Did he not like the look of his shoes that day? Nope! He just wanted to. He thought it would be fun, simple as that! We need fun in triathlon ahaha ... Because we all love it #barefootstyle @NewtonRunning #Triathlon pic.twitter.com/9f4yXgNHnv— David Hauss (@davhauss) July 12, 2015