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FLIP OVER!

TIME FOR TOKYO JULY/AUGUST 2 02 1

T R I AT H L E T E .CO M

O U R M A N I N JA PA N HOW THE COUNTRY PREPARED FOR THE STRANGEST GAMES EVER

M E E T T H E O LY M PI A N S WHO WILL WIN? WHEN TO WATCH? WHAT IS TEAM RELAY?

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S U B S C R I B E AT T R I AT H L E T E .CO M /O U T S I D E P L U S

CONTENTS

JULY/ AUGUST 2021 BEHIND THE SCENES Olympic hopefuls Matt McElroy, Morgan Pearson, and Grace Norman cut loose at our shoot in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this summer. While Pearson and Norman are Tokyo-bound now, McElroy ultimately wasn't named to the team.

FEATURES

48 58

The Complete Guide to the Olympics Who to watch and how to watch it at this summer's Games

BY TRIATHLETE EDITORS, BRAD CULP

How Tokyo Prepared for the Olympics It's been the strangest lead into an Olympics—how did Japan do it?

BY BRETT LARNER, MIKA TOKAIRIN

DEPARTMENTS

TRAIN

8 Editor's Note

25 Taper Time

10 Membership Preview

Unlocking the mysteries of peaking and tapering

14 First Wave 44 PROfile 46 Trispo 66 Last Shot

27 Your Taper Checklist A day-by-day guide to nailing your taper

30 Thirty Minutes to Win It Race week mobility

START 16 Destinations A local's view of Los Angeles, home of the 2024 Olympics

20 Triathloning with Taren

FUEL 34 Fueling the Distance A guide to fueling for every distance

How not to watch the Olympics with your friends

36 Ask Stacy

21 Commentary

37 Sweat Testing

What happens after the closing ceremony?

How to race well in the heat The science behind sweating

22 A Race to Tri Bermuda plays host to the Age Group Mixed Relay World Championship

GEAR 40 Wheel Talk Diving into the details on rim depth

42 Our Summer Wheel Guide

TIME FOR TOKYO

M E E T T H E O LY M PI A N S WHO WILL WIN? WHEN TO WATCH? WHAT IS TEAM RELAY?

ON THE COVER Photo by Brad Kaminski Triathlete Issue #429 (ISSN 08983410), a publication of Outside Interactive, Inc., 5720 Flatiron Parkway, Boulder, CO 80301, is published six times per year: Jan/Feb, Mar/Apr, May/June, July/Aug, Sept/Oct and Nov/Dec. Annual subscription $34.95, Canadian remit $60.95 in US funds (includes GST); other international air mail $94.95 in US funds only. For subscription inquiries, please call 800-336-5653 or email Triathletemagazine@emailcustomerservice.com. Periodical Postage paid at San Diego, California and additional offices. Canada Post International Publications Mail Agreement #40064408. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: OnTrac International PO Box 25058 London BRC, Ontario, Canada N6C 6A8. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Triathlete, PO Box 463093, Escondido, CA 92046. Printed in the U.S.A.

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PHOTO: BRAD KAMINSKI

O U R M A N I N JA PA N HOW THE COUNTRY PREPARED FOR THE STRANGEST GAMES EVER

A look at six wheelsets that'll make you faster

A Novel about Swim, Bike, Run, Life

An action-packed portrayal of how people become involved in triathlon, how they train, and what it means to become the best you can be.

—Scott Berlinger, Founder/Head Coach, Full Throttle Endurance Racing, NY, NY Full of powerful truths that resonate deeply. A great read for fiction and non-fiction readers alike! —Joanne Frantzis, Endurance Triathlete, Connecticut I loved this book because it covers so many of the internal personal battles one faces in the sport. —Jake Bailey, Endurance Triathlete, California I’m amazed that a book like this wasn’t written sooner!

—Casey Conlon, Endurance Triathlete, Texas

Learn more at StevenDecker.com Purchase at amazon.com

EDITOR'S NOTE

RINGS & THINGS the challenges, the ups and downs that come with them—and there are plenty of those. But there are also plenty of amazing moments, of life-changing moments, of dreams realized. I love the Olympics so much that one summer as a kid I tried to imitate the divers (even though I know nothing about diving), jumping off the side of my Grandma’s pool over and over, trying to get my “dive” just right, until I smashed my chin into the cement. Whatever it took, I wanted to be an Olympian.

Want to get excited about the Olympics too? We have your complete guide on p. 48—who to watch, how to watch, and what to watch. Can Team USA beat France in the mixed relay? (If you get really excited about mixed relay and want to give it a try, check out A Race to Tri on p. 22.)

We also took a deep dive into how Tokyo and Japan have prepared for a Games like no other (p. 58). And don’t just forget about these Olympians after the closing ceremony; there will be exciting racing for the next three years (p. 21).

You’ll notice we’ve refreshed the magazine, too, to give you distinct sections to help with your gear, training, and fueling. This month, those sections have Olympic themes—how to deal with the heat (p. 36), a tearout guide to tapering (p. 27), and everything you want to know about race wheels (p. 39).

One of the cool parts of this job is that I’ve met a lot of Olympians and Olympic hopefuls, like Paralympic gold medalist Grace Norman (p.

44), who cracked me up while I drove her from the airport for our cover shoot. I like to say: Olympians, they’re just like us—but better. They work hard and make jokes and skip drinks with friends to nap and eat burgers

We were disappointed to learn some readers interpreted our editor’s note in the May/June issue as making light of serious issues in Boulder. We never intended it that way, but rather it was meant to be about finding your community wherever you are and putting aside differences to come together in times of crisis. We are proud to be a part of the triathlon scene here and will continue to support all of our amazing local triathlon, swimming, cycling, and running communities.

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and have their entire lives set up with this one goal in mind. They’re regular people doing not-regular things.

And sometimes it’s all worth it. But the other thing I’ve learned is: For every dream that gets realized, someone else’s doesn’t. So often what separates someone from being an Olympian versus just an amazing athlete who didn’t make the Games, or what separates a medalist from a finisher, can just be luck. Luck and talent and hard work and timing and a million other things have to fall into place.

That’s the brutal beauty of the Games. For these few weeks, we can live the highs and lows with them, scream at our TVs, and cheer for our favorites.

Get excited, there’s nothing like it.

KELLY O'MARA EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @kellydomara

PHOTO: BRAD KAMINSKI

I LOVE THE OLYMPICS. I love the Olympics despite all of the problems,

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MEMBER SPOTLIGHT RON S. RACE: Ironman 70.3 Blue Ridge Virginia AGE GROUP: 40-44

Each month, a top triathlon photographer shares an iconic image and we uncover the stories behind it—like this shot of Caroline Steffen's triumphant Ironman Western Australia win in 2018.

10 WEEKS TO YOUR BEST 70.3 Coach Jim Vance’s complete online education program gives you the tools you’ll need to race your best half-irondistance triathlon—from a training plan and workouts to technique to race selection and bike fit.

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TAKE YOUR OPEN-WATER SWIMMING TO THE NEXT LEVEL These tips aren’t just for pros— we share essential skills that are important for anyone looking to get the most from their open-water swimming.

WHAT’S WITH THE SUPERSAPIENS HYPE? What is Supersapiens—and what’s all the buzz about? We find out more about the company that's now the title sponsor of triathlon’s biggest event. What is blood glucose monitoring and how does it work?

ARE YOU DOING THIRST RIGHT? THE SCIENCE SAYS PROBABLY NOT Susan Lacke dives into the great hydration debate. Are you drinking enough, too much? How do you know?

PHOTOS: STEF HANSON; TOM PENNINGTON/GETTY IMAGES; COURTESY SUPERSAPIENS; FINISHERPIX

BEHIND THE PHOTO

“After my first return to Ironman after the pandemic—and after a four-year hiatus—I feel very positive about the upcoming season. The energy was alive with excitement and anticipation after being cooped up and prohibited from racing for over a year. I’m definitely looking forward to more racing this season. Up next is Ironman 70.3 Augusta in September and Ironman 70.3 Florida in December. Racing is back, baby!”

WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE (NON-TRI!) OLYMPIC SPORT TO WATCH?

The new mixed medley relay in swimming—it'll be super interesting with men and women going up against each other in different legs

Women's gymnastics!

My sister and I were obsessed with watching it as kids.

EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Kelly O'Mara Executive Editor Chris Foster Senior Digital Editor Liz Hichens Managing Editor Emma-Kate Lidbury

3000m steeplechase—I ran it in college and there's always carnage.

Contributing Writers Sarah Barker, Andy Blow, Jon Blyer, Pat Casey, Brad Culp, Taren Gesell, Brett Larner, Dr. Stacy Sims, Mika Tokairin, Sarah Wassner Flynn

I will drop everything to watch artistic swimming—and wonder if I could pull off a bedazzled swimsuit at Masters.

50m and 100m freestyle in the pool—so fast!

Online Writers Sarah Barker, Nick Busca, Brad Culp, Dr. Alex Harrison, Kristin Jenny, Matt Kadey, Susan Lacke, Bethany Mavis, Sara McLarty, Dr. Jeffrey Sankoff , Dr. Stacy Sims, Dr. Jim Taylor, Sarah Wassner Flynn

ART Art Director Heidi Carcella Photo Director Brad Kaminski Photo Editor Hannah DeWitt Senior Designer T.J. Erny

Women's MTB, I can't wait to see if Kate Courtney will dominate!

Contributing Artists & Photographers Oliver Baker, Karli Foster, Lenard Miebs, Mike Reisel

PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION Senior Director of Production + Circulation Heather Arnold Director of Production + Manufacturing Barb Van Sickle Salesforce Coordinator Cossette Roberts Prepress Manager Joy Kelley Circulation Manager Angela Martinez

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FIRST WAVE

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TAKE YOUR MARKS: There's no question that racer #31, Bence Bicsák, of Hungary, was ready for the start of the elite men's race at the Leeds World Triathlon Championships Series on June 6. The men's race was won by Briton Alex Yee, with American Morgan Pearson taking second, and Marten van Riel, of Belgium, finishing third. In the women's race, Maya Kingma, of the Netherlands, took top honors, while Brits Jess Learmonth and Sophie Coldwell were second and third on home soil.

PHOTOGRAPHED BY TOMMY ZAFERES/ WORLD TRIATHLON

Canon EOS-1D X Mark II 70-200mm f/2.8L ISO 1000 f/4.0, 1/3200sec.

TR IATH LE TE .COM

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DESTINATIONS

TRI HERE: LOS ANGELES

After a peaceful open-water swim, rinse off at one of Alamitos Bay's public showers.

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PHOTOS: KARLI FOSTER/HYPERBLACKSTUDIOS(2); BOSTON GLOBE/GETTY IMAGES

The host of the 2028 Olympics is known for its traffic and sprawl, but there’s plenty of swim, bike, run, and fun in the City of Angels too. BY CHRIS FOSTER

When most people think of Los Angeles, they think of gridlocked traffic on eight-lane mega freeways. Sure, if you’re trying to head from the San Fernando Valley into Santa Monica on a Monday morning or anywhere from downtown on a Friday afternoon, you’ll get just that. But there’s another side of Los Angeles—one that makes it an ideal training ground for triathletes. Use our guide to make the most of your SoCal trip.

Swim and gaze upon the many waterfront houses on Naples Island.

SWIM While L.A. has its share of 50-meter outdoor swimming pools (look in Santa Monica, Culver City, and the Pacific Palisades, for example), if you’re a triathlete you should be in your native habitat: the open water. Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach all have dedicated open-water swimming groups, but if ocean swimming (with the waves and the marine life) isn’t for you, then you need to head to “The Aquatic Capital of America”—Long Beach.

Not only did Long Beach play host to the Olympic Trials in the pool back in 2004, but more importantly for triathletes, the perfectly calm and quiet waters of Alamitos Bay were the site of the 2010 National Open Water Championships.

Today, the hidden gem of Alamitos Bay boasts very slow and quiet boat traffic most days, multiple beach access points, and a measured and marked buoy line along the shoreline off Bay Shore Avenue. Tired of swimming back and forth? Alamitos Bay also has a unique loop in a canal around the inside of man-made Naples Island, or try the “big-kid version” that takes a 3-mile loop around the entire island with views of beautiful boats and marinas the whole way.

BREAK Sure, there are fantastic places to eat in L.A., but what are the hidden gems off the well-worn thoroughfares? Ask any local Angeleno what cools you down after a good summer workout, and they’ll tell you: It’s the fruit carts. Scattered throughout L.A.’s paved cityscape, you’ll find these little hot-dog-carts-turned-healthy-oases. Depending on where you go and how good your negotiating skills are, $5 will get you a plastic bag of freshly chopped watermelon, mango, cucumber, coconut, pineapple, and the always-inscrutable jicama—or any combination thereof. The seller will ask if you want salted chile powder and/or squeezed lime (say yes to both), they’ll give you a plastic fork for your bag, and you’ll be on your way to your next workout.

TR IATH L ET E.CO M

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DESTINATIONS

You'll have the ocean just over your shoulder while riding along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH).

BIKE

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STAY Obviously a city this big has any number of accomodations, but it’s all about location, location, location.

If you’re really looking to maximize your training time and minimize your driving time, be sure to look near the ocean—either north Santa Monica Bay (think Santa Monica or Malibu) or in the South Bay (think Redondo Beach or near the Palos Verdes Peninsula). Want the secret spot that has a lap pool, ocean swimming, miles of open roads, and killer trails all right out the lobby door? Head to Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes.

PHOTO: BRAD PHOTOS: KARLIKAMINSKI FOSTER/HYPERBLACKSTUDIOS; GETTY IMAGES

Though Los Angeles is most commonly defined by its automobiles, you can still find plenty of roads to ride on two wheels too. Cyclists often head west to L.A.'s oceanfront bike paths to escape traffic, but in recent years “the strand” has become nearly as congested as the freeways. If you’re on the southern side of L.A. County and are hoping to avoid the notorious traffic, then keep heading south to Orange County’s slightly quieter oceanfront roads. Or ride way north to the hills of the Santa Monica mountains.

Better known for its surfing, beach culture, and celebrity abodes, Malibu is also the spot for cycling Angelenos. The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH to locals) provides the main artery out of Santa Monica for, well, everyone—and is home to small shoulders, busy weekend traffic, and distracted drivers.

That’s why it’s the roads and climbs to the east of PCH that lure cyclists past those dangerous stretches of road. The smartest cyclists will drive down PCH to park anywhere north of Topanga Canyon Boulevard and find fantastic climbs like 7-mile Latigo Canyon, 5-mile Encinal Canyon, 8-mile Yerba Buena Canyon, and more that are easily connected via roads like Mulholland Highway to the north. If you’re not looking for elevation, PCH eventually opens up past Pepperdine University to rolling oceanfront roads that you’ll recognize from nearly half of the car commercials on TV.

Panoramic views await runners willing to tackle Palos Verdes' trails.

RUN Here, veteran Angelenos will typically steer clear of beachfront bike paths on weekends and head north to the dusty hills of Malibu and the Pacific Palisades for some excellent trail running. Will Rogers State Park has been the epicenter of L.A. trail running for years, though parking is expensive and weekends can be busy. Elsewhere on the north side, you’ll find open fire roads with ocean views off Mandeville Canyon Road to the south, Mulholland Drive to the north, or any number of other trailheads leading into the expansive Santa Monica Mountains.

But if you want to dig into some deep cuts in L.A., head way

south to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. This big patch of green in the otherwise paved South Bay area boasts rolling oceanfront trails near the National Golf Course and Palos Verdes Estates area. “PV,” as locals call it, also has some of the most severe and breathtaking ocean-view trails slightly inland at the Portuguese Bend Preserve at the end of Crenshaw Boulevard and at Filiorum Reserve off Palos Verdes Drive South. For more gentle dirt, check out the land side of “the hill,” on the soft and shaded horse trails of Rolling Hills Estates (park at City Hall off Palos Verdes Drive North to get started).

DO Sure, you could take the family to Disneyland, or even go to slightly-under-the-radar local favorite Knott’s Berry Farms, but for a real family gem for those with young kids head to the unique Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena. This huge 3.5-acre campus near the heart of L.A. is more than just a theme park, it encourages kids to be active and piques their interest with exhibits and activities like the “physics forest,” a stream adventure, rope bridges, musical features, and more. Sure, you won’t find Mickey and Minnie, but your kids will get to have their own mini active vacation.

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TRIATHLONING WITH TAREN

HOW TO NOT BE “THAT PERSON” WHEN WATCHING THE OLYMPICS WITH FRIENDS Enjoy the Games this summer, but remember when to hold your tongue.

BY TAREN GESELL

THE OLYMPIC GAMES ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER AND,

MARATHON: Under no circumstances should you blurt out, “I know

as triathletes, there will be plenty of events us multi-sporters can relate to as we watch with our friends. There’ll even be many sports we know how to do. And while we may be tempted to highlight our prowess, it’s important to not come across as a know-it-all when watching the Games. After all, we want to get invited back to our friends’ houses again in four years.

To save you from yourself, here are some potential hot-button tri-related topics to avoid as you’re watching the Tokyo Olympics.

they’re running 4:30-minute miles for two hours straight, but they’d be sooooooo much slower if they had to swim and bike first.” The urge to say this will be overwhelming. Resist! Remember that even Jan Frodeno’s fastest marathon time is almost 30 minutes slower than what these runners are capable of. And you’re no Jan Frodeno.

have bikes, hold yourself back from saying that anyone can win a swimming medal because there are thousands of events (there’s 18, actually). I’ve been that guy, and I’ll tell you that the reaction from most people is a look that says, “Taren, you swim like a drowning French Bulldog, so zip it.” Save yourself the embarrassment and just be happy for the winning swimmers—who are all still much much faster than you, no matter the stroke.

ROAD CYCLING: You’re going to have to put a chicken-wing in your mouth

when you feel the urge to say, “These road cyclists are fast because they only have to train for one sport.” (And don’t you dare mention the drafting thing.) Pro cyclists train 20 to 30 hours a week. Forget about your legs being strong enough to handle it, your bum couldn’t even handle that many hours in the saddle. I’ve ridden with pro triathlete and roadie Cameron Wurf and he shattered me...on his recovery ride. Sorry, but they’re on a different level.

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ance ability. “They might be able to lift a car over their head, but I could totally take them in a 5K.” Remember when you got injured just trying to take 10-pound weights off the bar two summers ago? Check your ego at the gym door, and you won’t risk getting that car dropped on your head.

TRACK & FIELD: Don’t, do not, under any circumstances say, “I bet they’ve

never even done an Ironman.” Actually, just don’t say that about any of the Olympians. You’re right, they probably haven’t; they probably could, though.

And keep in mind that Usain Bolt has reached a top speed of 27.8mph—so he could outrun you even if you had on a pair of Nike 400% shoes.

TRIATHLON: OK, finally, here’s where you can let loose! Share your

knowledge with all your friends, tell them how great the sport is, and brag about how welcoming most triathletes are. Tell them everything you know about triathlon until you wear them down and convince them to do one.

You never know, you might just get a new training partner out of it too.

ILLUSTRATION: MIKE REISEL

SWIMMING: When watching swimmers rack up more medals than triathletes

WEIGHTLIFTING: For your own safety, do not comment on their endur-

COMMENTARY

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE CLOSING CEREMONY? Or—why you should care about draft-legal triathlon all of the time.

ONCE THE OLYMPICS ARE OVER, THE

sports we cheer so loudly for all but disappear from mainstream attention—until the next one, four years later. It’s only when someone breaks a world record or Simone Biles invents a new move that Olympic sports catch a blip of our attention in non-Olympic years.

It’s even worse for triathlon. Most years, draft-legal racing doesn’t garner nearly as much interest as the Ironman World Championship—especially in the U.S. Some of that has to do with location.

Ironman has hosted its main event on American soil every year since 1978. Meanwhile, World Triathlon has only hosted its Championship Series Grand Final in the U.S. once, in Chicago back in 2015.

Then there are the athletes. America’s only gold-medal winning triathlete is no longer a triathlete (Gwen Jorgensen). And World Triathlon athletes are seen very much as representing their countries first, meaning their fanbase is comprised mostly of people from that home country. Ironman athletes, on the other hand, draw fans and interest from all over. The most popular Ironman athletes in the U.S. aren’t, in fact, from the U.S. Lionel Sanders, Jan Frodeno, Daniela Ryf, and Lucy Charles-Barclay draw support and interest from all over the world.

With the exception of Alistair Brownlee, it’s rare for a short-course specialist to draw such international attention.

So why should you care about World Triathlon racing during the lull between Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024? Because it’s still the most exciting form of triathlon there is, and it’s only going to get better in the next three years. Expect to see a lot more sprint-distance races, as well as a major focus on the mixed relay, both of which are very TV-friendly. If you want to bring a sport to the masses, it starts with broadcasting deals—and those are much easier to come by with fast, frantic racing that fits perfectly in a one-hour time slot. There’s a big push within World Triathlon to contest the Olympic triathlon over the sprint distance, and that could happen as soon as 2024.

BY BRAD CULP

“It's the most exciting form of triathlon there is, and it's only going to get better in the next three years.

”

It’s also where you’ll find the highest concentration of the best triathletes on earth.

With hundreds of long-course events all over the world each year, the professional fields tend to get watered down. It’s hard to create a compelling event when there are only three men and two women capable of winning. At nearly every World Triathlon race, there are at least 20 men and women who could win on any given day.

What’s more, among those 20 men and women is likely the next big thing in longcourse racing. Daniela Ryf was once a slightly-above-average short courser, and now she’s the greatest Ironman athlete of all time. Jan Frodeno has transitioned from the most unlikely gold medalist in triathlon history to Kona course-record holder. There are plenty of athletes who dove headfirst into long-course without coming up through the World Triathlon ranks first, but the majority of those at the pointy-end of the race in Kona each year started out sharpening their skills in draft-legal racing.

The next three years could see a lot of changes in World Triathlon racing, and every innovation will be aimed at making it a more exciting race that engages fans in person and on live TV: harder courses with punishing climbs; the mixed relay on center stage at marquee venues; federations more open to bringing in athletes from outside the Olympic pipeline. Could an Ironman superstar like Charles-Barclay actually be competitive repeatedly on the circuit? We’ll get our answer over the coming seasons.

There’s never been a better time to be a fan of draft-legal racing. Enjoy the big show in Tokyo this July, but don’t forget that there will be dozens more thrilling races during this once-in-a-lifetime three-year hiatus between Olympics too.

TR IATH L ET E.CO M

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A RACE TO TRI

TRI IT: AGE GROUP MIXED RELAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Break out of your tri bubble with a mixed relay in a beautiful Bermudan beach setting.

BY KELLY O’MARA

THE SPRINT AND RELAY WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

WHAT: The Sprint and Relay World Championships will kick off with the elite super sprint elimination events on Friday, then the age-groupers race in the individual sprint on Saturday before the elite finals. But the real kicker is on Sunday: the age group and elite mixed relay world championships.

Athletes will sprint up, down, and around the tri-crazy Bermudan town of Hamilton. Never done a mixed relay before? It’s a four-person event (two men, two women), where each athlete completes a full-speed super sprint tri (around 20 minutes for the pros) before handing off to the next person.

Expect the Bermudans to come out and cheer like crazy for the Bermudan squad—likely to feature world champion Flora Duffy and Kona top five finisher Tyler Butterfield.

WHY: Because it’s the first time there’s been a chance to race a mixed relay championship as an age-grouper! Get inspired watching the fast and furious action in Tokyo, then go out and try the super sprint relay format for yourself. Plus, you can make it a full vacation—the family and kids can

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jump in the open race on Saturday, and you can all enjoy the island life after.

OK, BUT HOW? Since this is the first time they’ve tried an age-group team relay event like this, it’s a “bit of an unknown quantity,” said race director Alec Shepherd.

While anyone can sign up for the open race, the world championship events are official World Triathlon championship events—which means each country manages its own qualifying process.

In the U.S., to qualify for the relay, you must have been top 12 in your age group at the 2019 Age Group Sprint National Championships or come in the top 12 this August at the 2021 Age Group Sprint National Championships.

Spots will be offered and then roll down, teams will be matched up, Facebook groups will be established to get to know your new relay teammates, and then you’ll all be off to Bermuda.

Get more info: bermuda.triathlon.org

PHOTOS: JANOS SCHMIDT; COURTESY BERMUDA TOURISM BOARD (2)

WHERE: Hamilton, Bermuda WHEN: Oct. 15-17, 2021

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TRAIN 24

TR IATH LE TE // JU LY/AUG US T 2021

TAPER TIME

Tapering can instill fear in even the most accomplished of athletes, but this comprehensive guide will lead you to the start line with just the right blend of fitness and rest. BY SARAH BARKER

A ROMP THROUGH THE FIELD OF SPORTS PHYSIOLOGY EXPERTS AND taper gurus starts and ends with this unsettling consensus: The taper is very important, yet highly individual. We can’t give specifics, but don’t screw it up.

Comforting, yes?

But put your pre-race nerves at ease. We’ve scoured the literature and quizzed top taper guides. And we’ve got a day-by-day plan that you can hold in your hot little hands through the darkest depths of those stressful pre-race weeks.

What Is A Taper According to Iñigo Mujika, a sport physiologist who has extensively studied tapering and coached numerous Olympians, a taper is “a progressive, nonlinear reduction of the training load during a variable period of time that is intended to reduce physiological and psychological stress and optimize sport performance.” In other words, it’s the period right before a peak race that allows you to shed the accumulated fatigue from weeks of hard training and top up glycogen stores, while maintaining the sharp edge of that hard-won fitness so you can be your best and fastest when the gun goes off.

Why Taper?

PHOTOS: DELLY CARR/GETTY IMAGES; GETTY IMAGES

In a word: supercompensation. A taper lets you get more bang for your training buck. The basic idea behind training is to progressively stress your body, which adapts by building strength and aerobic fitness. But you can game that system by going to extremes. Six to eight weeks of progressively greater training load results in accumulated fatigue (as any triathlete who’s put in big training blocks knows). You’re tackling volume and intensity on already fatigued muscles. You’ve applied super stress. By easing back on the pedal, your body gets busy adapting, even after the stress has lessened. In fact, it’s supercompensating—rebounding to a higher level of fitness than if you had recovered fully after every workout. Doing this effectively after all the big training is in the bank gets you tapered for a peak performance. According to Mikael Eriksson, founder of Scientific Triathlon coaching, an effective taper can provide a 2% to 3% performance improvement—a small but significant edge.

For supercompensation to kick in, though, the training load that precedes it needs to be fairly heavy. If you’re exercising only enough to finish an event, without carrying over much fatigue, then you likely shouldn’t worry about tapering at all, Eriksson said. Tapering is more about performance than completion.

How To Taper Unfortunately, tapering isn’t just a matter of settling into the couch, remote and snacks in hand. To strike a balance between resting and maintaining fitness, there are four variables to manipulate: taper duration, training volume, frequency, and intensity. There are also various patterns of training reduction (all in one go, linear, or exponential), and individual modifications to the amount and timing in each discipline.

First, the easy one: frequency. Numerous studies indicate it’s best to reduce training frequency minimally, if at all. If you worked out five days per week, then keep working out five days per week but make the sessions shorter. The second workout in a day may go away in the taper, but taking more days off is not beneficial. Frequent training stimulus keeps muscle memory sharp and prevents detraining.

Experts also agree that the proportion of intensity should remain the same or even increase. As you reduce the overall volume, keep the race-pace workouts—restructured into shorter intervals with more rest. For example, an interval session of 5 x 800m with a 200m jog might become 6 x 400m with 400m recovery. Coach and founder of D3 Multisport Mike Ricci recommends increasing short interval sessions from once to twice per week to “ingrain race pace.”

To preserve intensity while reducing overall volume, associate professor at University of Montreal, Guy Thibault, PhD, suggests: • Dividing intervals into several sets • Taking a long, inactive recovery between intervals rather than an active one • Cutting warm-up and cool-down Consensus is that the sweet spot of taper duration is eight to 14 days, but athletes have benefited from tapers ranging from three days to four weeks. “The optimal duration of the taper for a given athlete varies with training done before the taper TR IATH L ET E.CO M

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(not the length of the event),” Mujika said. More intense training can lead to more performance gains, but requires a longer taper too.

Most athletes do log high volume and intensity in preparation for longer events—training blocks to prepare for an Ironman, for instance—so a three- to four-week taper is probably necessary. But an Olympic-distance race, too, might require a two-to-three-week taper if training has been particularly intense. Thibault adds that age can be a factor, noting that masters athletes recuperate more slowly and may need a longer taper.

While it may be tempting to rack up eight weeks of monster training, followed by a similarly monster four-week taper, training adaptations decay quickly without frequent training stimulus. It’s exponentially trickier to balance rest, reduced volume, necessary intensity and frequency, calorie intake, sleep, and things like confidence and race readiness in tapers lasting more than three weeks— hence why experts do not recommend it.

You also might taper your run, swim,

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and bike training on different timelines.

Ricci advocates cutting back on running first, then cycling, then swimming—because running incurs the most muscle damage. He might taper the run three weeks out for an Ironman and each other leg a week later, but for an Olympic-distance race, it would start 10 days out and progress. Mujika, however, suggested a shorter run taper for sprint and Olympic events.

When it comes to volume, there’s universal agreement that total hours and miles should be reduced by 40% to 60% over your pre-taper peak. So if you hit a peak of 10 to 12 hours per week of training, you should ultimately reduce it to four to seven hours per week. Eriksson said there’s some evidence, though, that the decrease in run volume should be kept lower, at a 20-40% reduction, and supplemented with a greater drop in swimming and biking volume.

Tapering More Than Once In A Season There’s no hard data about how many taper and peak cycles can be managed in

one season. The structure of a taper—a heavy training load to achieve supercompensation—is inherently stressful. Putting your body through multiple wash-n-wear cycles increases that risk.

If your target race is an Ironman, you’ll probably taper completely only once and use shorter races as stepping stones throughout the season. Tapering is more complicated, though, with frequent sprint or Olympic-distance competitions.

“Ideally, you should reach a high fitness platform in the pre-season, and aim to maintain it for the duration,” Mujika said—and only taper for the events you want to be at 100%.

He estimates a taper/peak could be achieved three or four times during a season. Thibault, though, believes that athletes should not undertake more than one full taper per season. Eriksson, too, finds only one ultimate taper/peak cycle is possible. “It usually comes down to peaking for multiple sprint- or Olympic-distance races at a level just below one’s ultimate performance peak.”

PHOTO: FRANCOIS NEL/GETTY IMAGES

TRAIN

Tear this plan out and take it with you to ease you through those stressful taper weeks.

BUILD YOUR TAPER CHECKLIST Reduce overall volume by 40% to 60%, though the reduction in each discipline varies.

Optimal taper duration is eight to 14 days; in general, more training equals longer taper.

Keep intensity high during the taper. Aim for one or two interval sessions per week— short and fast, with more rest.

Maintain about the same training frequency as pre-taper.

Volume should have a steep reduction in the first few days that levels off—with a slight bump (pre-race sharpening) three or four days prior to the event.

PHOTO: JULIE VANDENOEVER

Ironman? That’s your season— one long build-up, one full taper. A string of sprint- or Olympic-distance events? If less than three weeks apart, taper between with plenty of intensity. If more than three weeks apart, take a few easy days, hit training hard enough to accumulate fatigue, then taper four to seven days for the next one.

HOW YOU’LL FEEL That last monster week of training, your body is maxed and you’re really looking forward to some taper R&R. It’s going to feel great, right? Yeah, maybe. But you may feel awful. Keeping your head straight while your body is taking its own mysterious route to recovery and adaptation is, by far, the hardest part of the taper. ® Sluggish: That’s your body shifting from workout to recovery mode. Usually, this happens while you’re sleeping, but during the taper you’re in recovery mode all day long.

Feeling sluggish is your body repairing itself. ® Twinges/injuries: For weeks, your body has been flooded with stress hormones that override pain/fatigue signals and allow you to keep putting in hard sessions. When you shut off those stimuli, you notice injuries/inflammation that had been masked. Your body has identified the problem and is on it.

WHAT TO DO ABOUT THOSE FEELINGS: ® Accept them! ® Objective measures like heart-rate, power, and pace can confirm your fitness is there. ® Don’t obsess about any one workout or niggling pain. ® If you can get them measured, lowered resting cortisol values and higher blood lactate values are indicators you’re recovering and adaptations have occurred. ® Double down on recovery: Get a massage, foam roll, stretch gently, nap, wear compression socks, and elevate your feet above your heart for 20 minutes a day. ® Pain during an interval session? Stop, stretch, go easy for a few minutes and try the effort again. If pain returns, you’re done with that discipline for the day. ® Resist the temptation to test your fitness or panic train. ® Fill spare time with race-related logistical and gear checks, and with non-race-related things like reading, cooking, and listening to music.

® Fidgety: You’ve suddenly got a lot of time and energy on your hands.

Flip the page over to get a day-by-day guide for your taper based on your event* *Tapers are highly individualized and may need to be adjusted

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TRAIN

Tear this plan out and take it with you to ease you through those stressful taper weeks.

YOUR DAY-BY-DAY TAPER GUIDE IRON/HALF-IRON DISTANCE

OLYMPIC/SPRINT DISTANCE

21 DAYS OUT: Cut back on running, specifically long easy efforts and two-a-day workouts, instead do a mid-distance (10-ish miles) run with 6-7 x 1K pickups or 10 miles total with seven miles at tempo. Maintain bike and swim volume.

14 DAYS OUT: If you’ve had more than six weeks of high-volume and/or high-intensity training, if this is a high-priority event, or if you’re showing

19 DAYS: As you cut volume,keep shorter intervals with more rest between reps. Minimal warmup and cool-down. For instance: 6-8 x 400m one day; 5 x 1K three days later.

signs of fatigue, then start tapering now. Reduce run volume this week by 40%. Spike a shorter run with fartlek or do a five-mile tempo.

18 DAYS: Say goodbye to heavy weight training.

16 DAYS: Pay attention to eating well. Your energy needs are still pretty high, but that will change as you continue to taper.

10 DAYS: Otherwise, start tapering now. Cut back on length of runs, keep intensity. Maintain some high-volume workouts in cycling or swimming, but not both. Are you lifting? Stop—but keep mobility work.

14 DAYS: Start reducing cycling volume by first eliminating long easy sessions. Aim for less distance with short bursts of high-intensity or a mid-distance race-pace effort. Keep swimming, maintaining the intensity and losing any “garbage yardage.”

10 DAYS: Make sure you’re recovering fully. If you’re traveling to compete, try to get a solid week of sleep before you leave home.

8 DAYS: One-hour run at a quick but sustainable pace. Modify reductions in overall volume to your personal preference. For example, if cycling rings your bells, then do more volume on the bike and ease back further on running and swimming.

7 DAYS: Reduce swimming volume last, cut the volume this week by 40% to 60%. Plan your midweek sharpening workouts around travel.

6 DAYS: Do a thorough gear check, so you have time to fix things that need fixing.

4 DAYS: If you’re feeling flat, try Ricci’s strategy: Tuesday, run intervals, such as 3-4 x 800m or 2 x 1-mile. On the bike, on Wednesday, add in 4 x 3 minutes at 95% of FTP. Or try Mujika’s advice— bump up cycling or swimming distance by 20% to 30% over the last few days. For instance, if you’ve been biking for 45 minutes, go 55 minutes with some 30-second ventures into maximum effort.

3 DAYS: If this is a travel day, mobilize and activate your body on arrival to open everything up. Check out the course and transition areas with an easy 35-minute spin on the bike or jog with some strides.

Eat safe, familiar foods, and stay hydrated.

2 DAYS: If you’re going to take a day off, this is the one—or swim out to the first buoy and check the sight lines on the way back. Eat three square meals and then some. Stay hydrated. Today’s and tomorrow’s meals are going to fuel your event.

DAY BEFORE: Early, before you have to turn in your bike, take it out for a 20-30 minute spin. Jog 10-15 minutes. Stretch gently, stay off your feet and out of the sun, imagine success. Finish dinner

7 DAYS: Start reducing time on the bike, but throw down some 3-5 minute bursts at 95% FTP. 6 DAYS: Do a thorough gear check.

4 DAYS: Pre-race sharpener! Choose run, bike, or swim—your favorite—and pop in 20 minutes of threshold running, or short fast swim intervals.

Or try this bike session: 15 minutes easy at high cadence, 3 minutes at 70-80% FTP with last 30 seconds above FTP, 10 minutes easy, 30 seconds max effort, 5 minutes recovery.

3 DAYS: If traveling, consider compression socks and stretch frequently during the trip. Reconnoiter the course on foot or bike, or both.

2 DAYS: Run a couple miles easy, then 5 x 100m strides. Easy 30-minute spin on the bike with some 30-second build/30-second sprints. Get in the water at the time your wave will go off to see where the sun is. Swim out to the first buoy and back with a few sprints.

DAY BEFORE: Get in 30-40 minutes before turning in your bike (if you can’t rack it on race morning). Jog for 10 minutes, 3 x 100m strides.

Stretch gently, stay off your feet. Eat your biggest meal of the day between noon and 3 p.m., with a smaller dinner that you finish by 6 p.m., and voila, your work is done!

early, and turn in early. Don’t sweat it if you don’t sleep well; it won’t affect your performance. *Modify volume down slightly for sprint *Modify volume slightly down for 70.3 event

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TRAIN

RACE WEEK MOBILITY This circuit will help get your body primed and activated for the big show on race day.

BY PAT CASEY | ILLUSTRATIONS BY OLIVER BAKER

It’s race week! Your training is in the bank and you’re tapering to a peak.

This means your training volume is lower and you’re likely resting more (or you should be!). While this is an important part of getting race ready, it can also pose some unique challenges to triathletes. Staying off your feet can keep inflammation down and let your leg muscles rest, but prolonged time sitting can result in pressure to the posterior chain. The glutei, hamstrings, and lower back are often the culprits of common tension and unwelcome discomfort in the days leading up to race time.

So instead of spending all your free time sedentary, try incorporating

engaging and purposeful mobility work into your taper routine. A good combination of mobility, stability, and activation can help encourage better neurological connections to your muscles—which will then be called to action on race day. This routine can help bring you into your race with the freedom of movement and flexible confidence to execute your training to the best of your ability. Before getting started, be sure to spend five minutes foam rolling your glutes, upper back, lats, and quadriceps.

1

Hip Flexor/ Psoas Pushes

Begin in a half-kneeling position. Before pressing forward, bring your chest up and engage your glute on the leg that is planted on the floor. While squeezing your glute, push your hip forward, lengthening your abdominals, obliques, and anterior hip capsule—but still keep the glute engaged.

This is not meant to be a maximal stretch, but rather mobilize the fascia in your anterior hip and to help lubricate your spine. Maintain control through the movement and always move on an exhale.

Do two sets of 8-10 reps on either side.

Set 1: Keep arms at sides and press hips forward with your chest raised.

Set 2: Bring the hands together and extend arms overhead.

2

Glute Bridges

With a mini-resistance band around your lower legs, lie on your back and drive your hips off the ground by engaging your glutes. This will encourage glute activation and add some stability to your hips by engaging the gluteus medius—a common culprit of poor knee tracking and hip stability when it's not conditioned properly. Perform three sets (30-45 seconds per set) with the following variations in foot/ankle position for extra lower leg activation and to provide different proprioceptive feedback through your posterior chain.

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Set 1: Perform on flat feet Set 2: Perform on your heels Set 3: Perform on your toes

3

PAILs & RAILs

This stands for Progressive Angular Isometric Loading (PAIL) and Regressive Angular Isometric Loading (RAIL) and they’re both important for rotation. Begin in a figure four position with your back leg at a 90-degree angle (not quite a pigeon pose) and start with a 15-second progressive load by pressing your front leg (which should be flat against the floor) into the floor without allowing your knee to lift. Start very lightly, then progress to a fairly hard contraction for 15 seconds total. Immediately following, you will perform the movement in the opposing direction. Take a deep breath, and now lift this lower leg off the floor in a strong isometric hold for 15 seconds.

Do three sets of 4-5 reps of each progressive and regressive movement.

4

Founders

Position your feet about shoulder width apart. For an added challenge, rotate your feet inward slightly. Hinge at your hips with a slight bend in your knees, bringing your hips back, and your chest forward. The knees should be behind your ankles and the weight of your torso should counterbalance your body mass. Next, bring your arms back to build tension in your lower back. Hold for 10 seconds, then sweep your arms straight forward, maintaining a strong hold in your lower back. Continue pressing your arms forward while driving your hips back. Maintain the bend in your knees. While holding this position, slowly raise one forefoot by flexing at your ankle. Alternate feet. While raising and lowering your feet, keep striving to find length from your hands to your hips by reaching forward while pressing back into the hips. Repeat this entire movement three times, with each rep taking 60-90 seconds.

5

McGill Roll-Ups

This is a modified movement meant to really activate the rectus abdominis, without overshortening the already overworked hip flexors and psoas muscle. Begin by lying on your back, with legs flat. Bend one knee and bring the heel of your foot to your bum. Maintain dorsiflexion at the foot of your extended leg. Place your hands at your lower back to maintain a more neutral spine position for the movement. Engage your abdominals, and raise your head up off the floor by just a few inches. Hold this position for 10 seconds. You should not have any movement in your lower back or feel any strain on the lumbar spine.

Do 3 sets of 10-15 second rollups, taking 30 seconds to relax between sets.

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GWEN'S GOLD-MEDAL WINNING RICE BOWL During race week, Gwen Jorgensen uses a rice cooker to make this simple and nutritious chicken and veggie bowl. Triathlete members can get the full recipe and tips on taper nutrition from the gold medalist at triathlete.com/magazine

PHOTO: HANNAH DEWITT TR IATH LE TE .COM

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FUEL

TRIATHLETE’S GUIDE TO RACE FUELING With the help of Dr. Stacy Sims, we’ve compiled this at-a-glance nutrition guide to keep your race fueling on track.

SPRINT DISTANCE (up to 90 minutes) Fueling for sprint racing is more about what you consume pre-race than what you consume in the race itself.

One to three hours pre-race: The goal is to top up glycogen stores and prevent hunger. Be wary of too much fat and fiber. Good options include: low-fiber toast with nut butter and jam or avocado; cereal with milk/milk alternative; oatmeal with berries.

KNOWING HOW MUCH TO EAT AND DRINK during your

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30 minutes before: Sip on your preferred hydration drink (ideally a lower-carbohydrate, higher-electrolyte option).

During the race: For the shorter distances (up to an hour), your job is to focus on hydration, taking small sips throughout the race. If you are lagging on the run, you can use a few glucose tablets or energy chews to boost your blood sugar. If racing for closer to 90 minutes, hydration is still a focus (aim for 0.1 to 0.15 fluid ounces per pound of body weight), but look to top up with carbohydrate for the last half of the race. It’s not about how many calories or grams of carbohydrate per hour, but rather about boosting blood glucose. Aim for one to two energy chews every 15 minutes.

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES

race can be a tricky task: consume too much and you run the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) distress; consume too little and you could bonk or get dehydrated. Of course, your calorie and fluid needs vary significantly depending on the race duration, so we’ve created this guide to race fueling by distance—from sprint all the way through to long course. We’ve also added suggestions for pre-race nutrition options. Remember (as is the case with most things): Don’t try anything new on race day! Make sure to test everything in training so there are no surprises when the gun goes off.

OLYMPIC DISTANCE

70.3 DISTANCE

FULL DISTANCE

(2.5 to 4 hours)

(4 to 7 hours)

(8-17 hours)

An Olympic-distance race is interesting from a nutrition perspective as it stretches the fueling limits to the point where you do need to pay attention, plan, and have it dialed in. For some, this distance is about hard sub-threshold racing, while for others it might be slightly less intense with the goal of finishing well. This can obviously change fueling options, so if you’re planning to race at high-intensity, make sure you practice what works for you when your body is under duress.

Many 70.3 races start early, which—if you live by the “eat breakfast three hours pre-race” rule—can mean setting your alarm very early!

While some athletes will always want to do this, it’s not essential. Regardless of when you eat, the focus for your race-morning breakfast should be on topping up the glycogen that was used during sleep.

As with 70.3 racing, Iron-distance events often start early, so the same rule applies here—no need to stress about eating three hours before (unless you want to!), but do make sure to top up glycogen with your usual pre-race breakfast options.

One to three hours pre-race: Eating before the race is critical to top up glycogen, prevent hunger, and boost blood sugar for the swim.

Similar to sprint racing, you want to be wary of too much fat and fiber content, but still have a good hit of nutrition density. Aim for 300-400 calories in your pre-race meal. Good options: low-fiber toast or bagel with jam, a serving of instant oatmeal with protein powder, a banana with nut butter, or a banana smoothie (frozen banana, a packet of instant oatmeal, one scoop of protein powder, milk/milk alternative/water).

30 minutes before: Sip on a hydration drink (lower carbohydrate, higher electrolyte). If it's been three hours or more since you last ate, aim to eat half of an energy bar or half of a bagel with jam to top off glycogen stores.

However, if you are nauseous/nervous, it may pay to have a few chews instead, as they are easier to digest.

During the race: Once out of the swim, focus on hydration with small sips of drink, and then aim to eat 200-300 calories of food per hour.

Good options include: energy chews, stroopwafels, or small bites of energy bars. Stay focused on hydration, aiming for 0.1 to 0.15 fluid ounces per pound of body weight. Whatever you opt for, make sure it’s easy to digest and won’t lead to blood sugar swings. On the run, it's about keeping blood sugar up to maintain pace and prevent dips in energy. Energy chews, soft candies, Coke, and glucose tablets are all good options here.

TIP Aim to top off glycogen stores 30 minutes pre-race with half an energy bar or a few energy chews

One to three hours pre-race: Consume an easy-to-digest, low-fiber, higher-complex carbohydrate breakfast. Go with what you know.

This can be as simple as toast with nut butter and jam, or a smoothie for those who struggle with solids on race morning. Try instant oatmeal mixed with 6-10 ounces of milk/milk alternative. You can add in protein powder, but the sugar and sodium of the instant oatmeal are great for pre-race top ups.

30 minutes before: Sip on a hydration drink (lower carbohydrate, higher electrolyte). If it's been three hours or more since you last ate, aim to eat half an energy bar or half a bagel with jam to top off glycogen stores. However, if you are nauseous/nervous, it may pay to have a few chews instead as they are easier to digest.

During the race: When it comes to fluid needs, follow the same guidelines as outlined for sprint and Olympic: 0.1 to 0.15 ounces per pound of body weight per hour of racing. Drink to thirst for the first two hours, and then set an alarm to remind yourself to stay on schedule with fluid intake. As you fatigue, it can become easy to lose track and/or lose focus.

On the bike, your calorie intake should be between 1.4 to 1.8 calories per pound of body weight per hour. If this seems like a lot, remember that you are “front-loading” calories to ensure you have reserves for the run too. As an example, a 130-pound athlete should be looking to consume ~180 to 230 calories per hour.

On the run, the goal calorie intake should be between 1 to 1.5 calories per pound of body weight per hour. The goal here is different than the bike—it’s simply to keep blood sugar up and minimize digestion issues, which is where energy chews, soft gummy candies, and jelly beans all come into play. Coke and glucose tablets can work well in the last 40 minutes.

Pre-race: Sip on electrolyte drink up to swim start, top up on fuel with half an energy bar or half a bagel with jam 30-45 minutes pre-race.

Energy chews are also a good option.

During the race: For the first half of the bike, take on 0.1 to 0.15 fluid ounces of electrolyte drink per pound of bodyweight per hour. For fuel, the goal is 1.5 to 2 calories per pound of bodyweight per hour, and it’s important to go for mixed macronutrients to keep energy levels even and allow less full glycogen depletion to occur.

Remember that small bites of food frequently are better than huge calorie intakes all at once. Good examples include: small salted potatoes, white bread peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and energy balls.

On the second half of the bike, aim to keep it similar if you can, but it’s not uncommon to feel like you can’t stomach solid foods. If this happens, stay focused on hydration, and move to energy chews or even candy, but try to avoid that until the last hour. Wait for your stomach to settle and resume food calories if/when you can.

On the first half of the Ironman run, aim for 1 to 1.5 calories per pound of bodyweight per hour—small bites of energy bars or salted sweet potato bites. Aid stations often offer pretzels or potato chips, as well as energy bars and chews, so small quantities of these are good if you can stomach them (only if you’ve practiced this in training). The goal, though, is to keep blood sugar up and minimize digestion issues. Keep consuming electrolyte drink—ideally from a bottle you carry with you from T2.

Obviously this isn’t possible throughout the entire marathon, but you can adapt by using on-course electrolyte drink diluted with water.

As the race goes on, it’ll likely get harder and harder to keep eating and drinking. Move to energy chews or jelly beans for the last six to eight miles of the marathon (and Coke too) and also remember that glucose tablets are a great go-to—take them on every five to seven minutes.

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FUEL

ASK STACY

Leading sports nutritionist and exercise physiologist Dr. Stacy Sims answers your most pressing questions.

Racing can be hard enough on any day—and when you add heat and/or humidity, it can wreak havoc on your body if you’re not adequately prepared. Knowing you’ve done all you can to get ready for racing in hotter conditions can set you up for success. But before we look at the best strategies to prepare before and during, let’s first dive into some of the physiology involved in effective hydration.

Remember that water in your body is your means of dissipating heat—the blood circulates to the muscles to bring fuel and, at the same time, picks up metabolic by-products, one of which is heat produced through muscular contractions. Blood then circulates to the skin to offload the heat through several mechanisms, the most effective being evaporative cooling, also known as sweating.

As you sweat, you lose water from the blood (and as the plasma volume drops, the body pulls water from other spaces to try to keep blood volume up). This means if you are slack on your hydration, you compromise your blood volume, which means compromised blood circulation to the muscles and the skin—and thus less water for sweating.

There are specific things the body needs to create a net water gradient in the small intestines (where 95% of water flux takes place). These key things are: glucose, sucrose, sodium, and on a smaller scale: potassium, magnesium, chloride, and calcium. Without glucose and sucrose, the constant flow of sodium and water into the body becomes rate-limited (i.e., slows down as the body tries to find glucose to work with the sodium).

Sodium intake is always a hot topic and athletes are always asking me how many salt tablets they should be taking in a race. Let’s be clear here: The body has ample sodium stores, and the misconception is that you need sodium during training and racing to replace losses. You do not need salt tablets! Even as a “salty sweater” the sodium from the foods you are eating—and from your hydration drink, if you choose wisely—will ensure you have adequate sodium. Salt tablets contribute more stress to the gut than most people realize. When you ingest a high dose of sodium, you end up with some reverse water flux; water goes toward the sodium, so if you have a high concentration of sodium in the digestive tract, water will leach into the GI (gastrointestinal) tract, contributing to additional issues with gut sloshing and dehydration.

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Managing the Heat Before the gun goes off, there are a few things you can do to “pre-cool,” reduce your core temperature, and effectively delay the time it takes to reach a critical core temperature (i.e., fatigue). These strategies can include a 10-15 minute pre-race swim in cool water, drinking an icy slushy, or for those lucky enough to have access to one, wearing a water-perfused vest can also help (not to be confused with an ice vest).

During your race, in an ideal situation you’d be slurping down an icy cold hydration drink that is 3-4% glucose/sucrose/ sodium—but that obviously isn’t always possible. Anything you can ingest that is cold will help reduce the rate at which your core temperature is rising. Grab some ice water from an aid station and drink it down—also suck on the ice, but do not pour ice water on your head! (The ice water is too cold, the head is very vascular, so the cold of the ice will constrict those vessels, sending hot blood back to the core, but cool water on the head is fine). Cool water on your forearms is also a great way to off-load heat, as well as using UV protectant arm skins to prevent sunburn and to hold cool water against your forearm Above all else, keep drinking—and do so often!

PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES; LUCY ENGELMAN

How Can I Race Well in the Heat?

Sodium intake is always a hot topic and athletes are always asking me how many salt tablets they should be taking in a race. Let’s be clear here: The body has ample sodium stores, and the misconception is that you need sodium during training and racing to replace losses. You do not need salt tablets!

SWEAT CHECK Learning more about how much you sweat could help you nail your next race, especially if it’s a hot one. BY ANDY BLOW

THERE’S A FEROCIOUS PHYSIOLOGICAL BATTLE GOING ON

every time you start a long race or begin a hard training session. It’s a fight that’s centered around your body desperately trying to maintain homeostasis.

Homeostasis is a term that describes the way the body maintains a relatively stable internal environment in the face of various changes and challenges from the outside world—think core body temperature, blood pressure, and pH levels. Ultimately, fatigue and slowing down is usually traced back to a failure of homeostasis in one way or another. When you exercise for prolonged periods (particularly in the heat), homeostasis is challenged by the loss of blood plasma volume and electrolytes that can occur through sweating.

SWEATING Sweating is an extremely effective way of cooling down, and it’s the main reason we can continue to exercise for prolonged periods—even in pretty hot conditions (Ironman World Champs, anyone?). However, it is a double-edged sword, as it also can cause the potential loss of too much fluid (and electrolytes) from the blood—where the fluid for sweat is drawn from—decreasing cardiovascular function, and that can make us slow down or collapse if it goes unchecked for too long.

SWEAT TEST ANALYSIS Check out triathlete.com/ magazine for our in-depth sweat test analysis the amount of sodium you lose in your sweat).

Sweat testing is often misunderstood or misrepresented as a method for getting a very exact hydration prescription, when in reality it’s actually more productive to think of it as giving an athlete ballpark guidance on how much fluid and sodium they will likely need.

The ballpark figures derived from sweat tests can then be used to create a rough sodium and fluid intake strategy that is further refined by trial and error in training—and then adjusted on the fly by the athlete listening to their body on race day.

HOW TO DO A SWEAT RATE TEST HYDRATING Clearly, drinking to hydrate and replace lost sweat is critical for performance.

But the question of exactly how much and what to drink has a long and controversial history in the field of sports science, with seemingly little in the way of a consensus on what best practice is. Enter sweat testing.

WHY SWEAT TEST?

PHOTO: BRAD KAMINSKI

One big reason there is no consensus or one-size-fits-all piece of advice for athletes on how much and what to drink is that everyone’s sweat is different.

It’s different in both the total amount of sweat lost during a given workout or race and also very different in the level of sodium (the key electrolyte lost in sweat). Sweat rates can vary five-fold and sweat sodium concentrations 10-fold between individuals. This leads to massive potential differences in net fluid and sodium losses between athletes, even those competing at the same or similar events.

All of this means that it’s impossible to make generalized fluid and sodium suggestions that will be adequate for all athletes to meet their hydration needs and keep homeostasis in check in all situations. Cue the potential for much argument and conflict when strategies that work for one person are totally ineffective for another!

Sweat testing seeks to help athletes tailor their own fluid and sodium intake parameters by establishing two key factors: your sweat rate (i.e., how much fluid you lose per hour) and sweat sodium concentration (i.e.,

Estimating your sweat rate is simple and only requires a set of bathroom scales. Simply weigh yourself before and after a workout—and account for the weight of any food or liquid consumed during the workout. The weight loss in kilograms can then be easily converted to a rough estimate of sweat rate in milliliters (1kg of weight loss = ~1 liter of sweat output).

Repeat this a few times in race simulation conditions (environment, mode, and intensity) and you start to build up a rough idea of how much fluid you’ll probably lose per hour in a race.

HOW TO DO A SWEAT SODIUM TEST Sodium loss tests usually require some kind of lab analysis (although wearable sweat patches to measure sodium loss on the skin are starting to emerge) but the good news is that it’s probably only something you need to do once or twice, as sweat sodium levels remain generally stable within an individual.

One common method involves applying absorbent patches to the skin which are then collected after an exercise session and squeezed out into syringes so that the sweat can be sent to a lab for analysis.

Getting to know your own numbers around sweat rate and sweat sodium loss is extremely useful if you’re aiming to perform at your best in longer and hotter events. The knowledge allows you to conduct some targeted trial and error in training so that you can show up on race day and be confident in consuming the right volume of fluid and amount of sodium to perform at your very best.

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GEAR HOOP IT UP!

Turn the page to become a wheel expert and read our comprehensive guide to this summer's hottest carbon wheels.

PHOTO: BRAD KAMINSKI TR IATH L ET E.CO M

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GEAR

WHEEL TALK Not sure which rim depth to use when? We’ve unlocked the mystery.

BY CHRIS FOSTER

IN THE WORLD OF TRIATHLON GEAR, BIKE FRAMES OFTEN GET

the most attention. We assume the frame is responsible for everything from aerodynamics to ride quality to acceleration and more. And while bike frames are a big part of the equation, many triathletes don’t pay as much attention to the spinning things underneath them: the humble wheel.

While each component of a wheel is important—hubs, spokes, and even the tires and tubes that go on them—thanks to the proliferation of carbon and, more recently, disc brakes, triathletes have more choices than ever before when it comes to rims. And rims are a huge player in the aerodynamics/ride quality/acceleration jigsaw puzzle.

The biggest variety of wheel choices comes, even within a certain brand or model, via the depth of the wheel’s rim. Traditionally, the deeper a rim the more aerodynamic it is when the wind is hitting it at certain angles.

“With a deeper cross section, the airflow stays attached to the rim longer and separates later, minimizing the size of that low pressure region behind it,” said Luisa Grappone, the engineering and product manager for the Rider Firm, the company that owns Hunt Wheels, among others. “By minimizing the size of that low pressure region, the magnitude of the turbulence is smaller and the drag force is lower.” In other words, a deeper rim creates

less drag, which is a good thing—but there’s more to a rim than just drag.

First, a deeper rim is typically heavier—which isn’t quite as important in triathlon as in cycling, since you don’t generally need to attack suddenly or do long, steep climbs. But a deeper wheel also presents a bigger side profile to the wind and gets more side forces. “Those forces will be the same for both a heavier and lighter cyclist, but a heavier cyclist—assuming he has the same riding skills as the lighter rider—will better oppose the force of the wind trying to push the wheel perpendicular to the direction of travel,” Grappone added.

“A deeper wheel is more difficult to handle or, at least, requires better riding skills, as it’s subjected to higher side forces and steering moments.”

A deeper rim is also stiffer, for better or for worse. This means that if everything else is equal (and it’s important to note that hub flange size and spokes also play big roles here), a deeper rim will ride rougher than a shallower counterpart with the same construction. A deeper rim will also have greater lateral, side-to-side, stiffness due to the bracing angle of the spokes. So which is best? Our chart/graphic below can help you choose the right rim depth, our primer on the new world of rim width on the next page will then help you narrow down your wheel war chest even more. Finally, check out our expert guide on this year’s top wheel choices on page 42.

NOTE A lighter rider will require exponentially greater skill with more wind on a deeper front rim in particular.

BEST WIND CONDITIONS

BEST COURSE PROFILE

BEST COURSE CONDITIONS

RIDER WEIGHT IMPACT

RIDER SKILL REQUIRED

ANY SPEED

EXTREMELY HILLY

VERY ROUGH

ANY WEIGHT

ANY SKILL

30MPH & LESS

HILLY

MODERATELY ROUGH

MINIMAL IMPACT

MODERATE SKILL

20MPH & LESS

ROLLING HILLS

SLIGHTLY ROUGH

MODERATE IMPACT

VERY SKILLED

20MPH & LESS

FLAT TO ROLLING

SMOOTH

VERY IMPACTED

EXTREMELY SKILLED

<40MM

40-65MM

>65MM

DISC

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WIDE OR DIE

Rims are getting wider each year, but should triathletes invest in extra wide wheels—and what’s next? BY JON BLYER

WHEN IT COMES TO BICYCLE TIRES AND WHEELS,

we now know: wider is better. Of course, old-school thinking was just the opposite—and many veteran triathletes might remember gluing 19mm tires onto their tubular rims. But tires have been steadily getting wider over the years, and if 25mm is currently the new 23mm, 28mm will soon be the new 25mm. The reality seems simple: The ride quality of a bike equipped with wider tires is notably better. Wide equals smooth and smooth equals fast, but there’s more to it than that: Wider also means less flats and a better-handling bike.

The Tire/Ground Connection When it contacts the road, a tire slightly flattens—a section of tire referred to as the “contact patch.” Tire pressure determines the total area of a contact patch, and if tire pressure is equal, a wider tire will have a wider and shorter contact patch than a narrow one, due to the shape of the rubber meeting the road, even though the net area is the same.

If pumped to the same pressure, the difference in contact patch shape between a wider tire and a narrower one creates less rolling resistance on the wider tire. However, it’s common to pump wider tires to lower air pressures, since there are other benefits such as better suspension and reduced chance of a pinch flat with a lower tire pressure. Using slightly less air pressure in a wider tire, e.g., about 10-15psi, will generally increase the rolling resistance, making it roll about as efficiently as a narrower tire at higher air pressure. That means that with the lower pressure and wider tire, you’ll still get the boost in comfort and speed without any rolling resistance penalty—compared to a narrow tire at a higher psi.

STANDARD CLINCHER

HOOKLESS RIM

32mm contact patch

25mm contact patch

TIRE UNDER LOAD Contact patch area is flattened

The Tire/Wheel Connection As tires became wider over the past few years, there was one downside: aerodynamics. The mismatch in tire width to rim width created an aerodynamically inefficient shape. According to Nathan Barry, a design engineer at Cannondale, your rim needs to be wider than your tire for optimum aerodynamics. Josh Poertner, formerly of Zipp, coined the term “the rule of 105%,” which means that the rim should be 105% the width of the tire in order to allow for a smooth transition of air between the tire and the rim.

Wider bicycle wheels for road and triathlon are now mainstream, with virtually every manufacturer embracing the wider tire trend and offering much wider rims than they used to. A tire mounted on a wheel with a wider internal width will inflate to a wider width and larger diameter than on a narrower inner wheel width (all else being equal), so riders with a wide wheel and wide tire are effectively doubling down. Considering that for maximum aerodynamic efficiency your rim should be slightly wider than your tire and that there are hundreds of tires to choose from, it can become tricky to figure out which wheel and tire combination will yield you the fastest overall bike split. Fortunately our guide on the next page has manufacturers’ recommended widths for maximum aerodynamics.

What’s Next?

Of course, bike engineers aren’t going to stop at widening tires, the whole tire/wheel interface is constantly evolving—just like it did with width.

“Hookless” rims, such as the new Zipp 303S and Enve’s Foundation series wheels, are compatible with tubeless tires only, and they feature a special smooth and aerodynamically optimized interface between the tire and the rim. This technology has carried over from the mountain bike world, retaining a lot of the original tubeless tire benefits while allowing for a near-seamless aerodynamic transition from tire to rim with appropriately sized tires. Much in the same way that rims had to adapt to the “wider is better” philosophy to take full aero advantage, hookless rims could do the same. Hookless rims are relatively new to wheels designed for aerodynamics, and they may change the game to some extent in the future in the same way that rethinking width paved the way for faster wheel/tire combos in recent years.

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GEAR

TRIATHLETE'S SUMMER WHEEL GUIDE Now that you know a little more about why wheel depth and width matter, we present our expert-tested wheel guide with a range of six hoops that'll make you faster (and less fatigued) on the roads. BY JON BLYER

MEMBERS ONLY Check out triathlete. com/magazine for in-depth wheel reviews.

Wheelset

Swisside HADRON2 Classic 500

Vision Metron 81 SL DISC

Campagnolo Bora Ultra WTO 60

Website

swissside.com

shopvisiontechusa.com

campagnolo.com

Price

$1,650

$1,834

$3,802

Weight (Pair)

1642g

1850g

1530g

An aero, lightweight wheelset that handles well and works in a wide variety of conditions

A pro-tour proven wheelset, available at non pro-tour prices

An engineering masterpiece, truly beatiful to look at and to ride

Wheel Depth (mm)

50

81

60

Inner Rim width (mm)

20

19

19

Outer Rim Width (mm)

27

26.8

26.1

Suggested Tire Size (mm)

25 front/28 rear

N/A

25

Rim Type

Tubeless ready

Tubeless ready

Tubeless ready

Rolling hills and steep hills

Flat

Flat/rolling

Conditions

Great in most conditons except high wind

Low wind

Low/moderate wind

This is for...

The triathlete who also dabbles in gravel or road racing and wants to use the same wheel

A bigger rider who favors flat courses and wants a stiff wheelset

The triathlete with bucks to burn who wants an incredibly well-constructed and very capable wheelset with a Euro heritage

TL;DR

Overall Value Ride Quality Handling Aero Tech Hub Quality

Terrain

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Most of the wheels in our guide come in different depths. Be sure to buy the right depth for your most common conditions.

Fulcrum Wind 75 DB

Princeton GRIT 4540

Bontrager Aeolus RSL 75 TLR Disc Road Wheel

fulcrumwheels.com/en

princetoncarbon.com

trekbikes.com

$1,581

$2,800-$3,750

$2,400

1820g

1530g—varies based on hub

1645g

A great wheelset for the money, with great looks, albeit a bit on the heavy side

A bit of everything, great aero tech, great quality, and great custom build options

A very high-quality wheelset which boasts pretty much everything

75

40 to 45 (Variable)

75

19

21

23

27

29.9

31

25

25 on road/28 off road

25

Tubeless compatible

Tubeless ready

Tubeless ready

Flat

Hilly, gravel

Flat or rolling hills

Low wind

All wind conditions, rough roads

Low wind, rough roads

Great for a rider on a budget who favors flat courses

The person who wants one wheelset that can do it all

The savvy speed demon who wants great value and performance

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PROfile

TIME FOR GRACE

A two-time Paralympic medalist chooses to adapt and evolve through a year of loss.

BY SARAH WASSNER FLYNN

IN 2016, GRACE NORMAN, A TEENAGER OUT OF

PHOTO: BRAD KAMINSKI

Jamestown, Ohio, became the unsung star of the Paralympic Games: First, she won gold in her division in the inaugural paratri event, and then went on to pick up a bronze on the track, running 1:01.83 and setting an American record in the 400m. Norman, whose left leg was amputated below the knee soon after birth due to congenital constriction band syndrome, rightfully lived up to her nickname: Amazing Grace.

Since then, Norman, now 23, has turned her attention entirely to triathlon after the 400m event was scrubbed from the Paralympic line-up. She also picked up a new coach, graduated from college with a nursing degree, moved to South Bend, Indiana, and, of course, endured the stress and heartbreak that accompanied living through a pandemic. The COVID-19 shutdowns meant Norman couldn’t race with her teammates in her senior track season at Cedarville University, or finish out the semester on campus with her friends. She graduated without an actual graduation ceremony. And then came the ultimate blow of the Paralympics being postponed for another year.

“At the time, I was devastated,” she said. “Everyone lost something during the pandemic, and I felt that loss greatly.

It was shocking, and sad, and difficult to work through.”

A year later with a dose of fresh perspective, Norman believes the delay ended up benefitting her. The extra year provided Norman time to grow and adjust to a different coach in Greg Mueller. And it allowed her to sharpen her physical skills—she is now faster across the board, most recently averaging nearly 23 mph on the 12-mile bike course and hitting 5:48 per mile over the 3.1-mile run at Challenge

Daytona in December. She said she’s also mentally matured.

“I’m a much stronger athlete, a much stronger person, and so much more grateful,” Norman said, adding that Mueller introduced her to training with data and power, which has boosted her performance. “This extra year has been really big in what I hope to accomplish this summer.”

Norman, who is unrivaled in the women’s PTS5 division in the U.S., welcomes the momentum being gained among paratri in general, and hopes that means she will have more of a push in Tokyo. (She won her sprint-distance race at the Paralympics in Rio by more than a minute).

“Paratriathlon is gaining more steam, so it’s exciting to see new athletes come out,” said Norman, who placed third in the 2019 world championships in Lausanne, Switzerland.

“There has been a strong field building over the past few years, and that’s a good thing.”

After the Paralympics, Norman hopes to start a job in either emergency or psychiatric nursing, carrying on the family tradition of working in healthcare (her mom, Robin, is a doctor, and her two sisters are in nursing as well). But for now, she’s remaining laser-focused on breaking the tape in Tokyo.

“Most definitely, the goal is to defend my gold,” she said.

“It’s what I’ve been waiting for.”

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PARATRI CLASSES, EXPLAINED There are six categories in paratri—but not all of them are contested in every Olympics. In Tokyo, the events will include: PTWC men and women, PTS2 women, PTS4 men, PTS5 men and women, and the PTVI men and women.

PTWC: All wheelchair users; athletes bike on a recumbent handcycle and use a racing wheelchair on the run segment PTS2*: Athletes with severe impairments in the lower and/or upper limbs PTS3: Athletes with significant impairments in the lower and/or upper limbs PTS4: Athletes with moderate impairments in the lower and/or upper limbs PTS5: Athletes with mild impairments in the lower and/or upper limbs *Athletes in PTS2-PTS5 are allowed to use prosthetics and have bike modifications.

PTVI: All athletes with visual impairments who must use a guide throughout the race and ride a tandem during the bike segment

TR IATH LE TE .COM

45

TRISPO

Taylor Knibb is the youngest U.S. triathlete to qualify for the Olympics.

Where did she get it from? Her mom, of course. BY SARAH WASSNER FLYNN AFTER TAYLOR KNIBB QUALIFIED FOR

the Tokyo Olympics by winning the World Championship Triathlon Series race in Yokohama, Japan, the first thing she did when she returned to her hotel room was call her mom, Leslie. Given the time difference, it was about 3 a.m. when the elder Knibb heard her phone buzz, but she picked up right away.

“We talked for three hours,” said Leslie Knibb, 58. “We dissected the entire race. We talked through it all. I’d tell her what the broadcast showed, and she would tell me what it was like for her. We went through every single aspect of that two-hour race. That’s just how we are.”

After all, the pair has been dissecting and rehashing and going over races with a fine-tooth comb for years. They began racing together when Taylor, now 23, was just a precocious tween tagging along with her mom to races. When Taylor was 12, Leslie asked a race director to make an exception to allow her to enter despite her age.

He said OK, as long as Leslie stayed alongside her daughter. But it didn’t take long before Taylor took off and began beating her mom. “And it’s been that way ever since,” she said, adding that although they did bond over triathlon, she always let Taylor make the decisions about where and when she wanted to race. “I didn’t want either of my children to pursue something because I wanted them to do it,” she said. “I wanted them to find their passions on their own. I take absolutely no credit.”

Well, maybe she can take some credit.

While Taylor’s journey into the upper echelon of the sport is, in many ways, just sprouting, Leslie’s has much deeper roots. She was introduced to the sport in her 30s by a boyfriend (“he soon became an ex-boyfriend after I beat him,” Leslie joked), and achieved elite age-group results many times over. She never went pro, although she could have. She placed near the top of big races, including the popular Mrs. T’s Pierogies Triathlon and in the Bud Light U.S. Triathlon series. She raced as a semi-elite cyclist and was

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even recruited by the U.S. Olympic Committee to be a whitewater kayaker based purely on her athleticism—an offer she passed on.

Rather, Leslie viewed the sports as hobbies and opted to focus more on her career—she works as a nutrition professor at American University now—and, later, supporting Taylor and her younger son, Jack. But that hasn’t stopped her from racing every distance, from sprint to Ironman, and reaching world championships in all of them. In 2018, she finished third in her age-group at the Ironman World Championship in 11:15.57. In 2019, she collected age-group wins at Ironman Maryland, 70.3 Mont Tremblant, and 70.3 Atlantic City. (In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find a race where Leslie hasn’t claimed an age-group podium spot in the past five years.)

While her competitive fire rivals her daughter’s on the race course, she admits that these days she gets much more nervous for Taylor’s races than she does for her own.

When Taylor took the lead in Yokohama, Leslie, riddled with anxiety, left the house to take their 15-year-old Labrador for a walk. “I just couldn’t just sit and watch. I had a stomachache the whole time. I was better off that I wasn’t watching,” she said. “I couldn’t relax until she crossed the finish line. As her mom, I just want to know when she’s out of the water, when she’s off the bike, and when she’s done.”

Leslie may be experiencing the Olympic dream through her daughter’s eyes now, but she’s also holding on to big goals of her own.

After having her races canceled in 2020, she’s planning to compete at the Olympic and 70.3 distance this season, while also continuing to teach classes. And, of course, she’ll be slightly preoccupied in late July when she’ll be watching—or not watching—Taylor in Tokyo from home.

“I don’t think it’s hit me yet that she’s going to the Olympics,” she said. “Beforehand, I didn’t dare to dream about it. You have hope, but you don’t hope too hard. And then she goes and makes it and it’s like, woah, it’s really happening.”

PHOTO: PAUL PHILLIPS

LIKE MOTHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

I didn’t want either of my children to pursue something because I wanted them to do it. I wanted them to find their passions on their own.

TR IATH LE TE .COM

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the OLYMPICS

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PHOTO: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/ GETTY IMAGES

Everything you need to know: who to watch, when to tune in, how the races might play out, and what to expect from the new mixed relay. Our experts break down the Tokyo triathlon events, so you’re ready for the Games.

BY TRIATHLETE EDITORS TR IATH LE TE .COM

49

the OLYMPICS

The Map

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TR IATH L ET E // JULY/AU GU S T 2021

On Course 7KH 7RN\R FRXUVH ZLOO EH KRW KXPLG ŗDW DQG WHFKQLFDO :LWK WHPSHUDWXUHV DYHUDJLQJ LQ WKH KLJK V WKHUHĹV D UHDVRQ WKH WULDWKORQ UDFHV ZLOO VWDUW DW D P ORFDO WLPH

What is Mixed Relay?

Mixed relay is making its Olympic

Athletes will dive off the dock from Odaiba Park into Tokyo Bay, with the famous Rainbow Bridge in the background, for a two-loop 1500m swim with steamy water temperatures that hit mid-80s at the test event back in 2019. They’ll then loop around the park on their bikes eight times to cover 40K. While it’s a flat course, there are lots of turns, so expect accelerations and riders to try breaking away. And finally, the athletes will finish with a four-loop 10K run that ends near to the start line.

debut in Tokyo (along with the mixed 4x400m relay in track and the mixed medley relay in swimming). What do you need to know?

First and foremost: Mixed relay is not a relay like you’ve done at your local triathlon, where one

It’ll be fast, exciting, and strategic.

person does each leg of the race.

Instead, in mixed team relay every athlete completes an entire mini swim-bike-run before tagging off to the next athlete. Each country’s team is made up of two men and two women, with the order as: female/ male/female/male. At the Olympics, each athlete will complete a super sprint triathlon of a 300m swim, 8K bike, and 2K run—which takes around 20 minutes total—before tagging the next athlete.

Strategy and short-course speed

TESTING, TESTING: Athletes on the bike at the Tokyo test event in 2019

are key to these events, and the French team has been dominant for the last few years. While they’re

How to Watch

considered the heavy favorites, the U.S. squad gave them a run for their money at the World Championship

PHOTOS: CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/GETTY IMAGES; DELLY CARR/ WORLD TRIATHLON

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in Hamburg this past fall. Expect WKDW ULYDOU\ WR EH ŖHUFH LQ -DSDQ

QHHG WR NQRZ WR SODQ DKHDG 0(1Ĺ6 5$&(

Watch: Sunday, July 25 at 5:30 p.m. ET (Local time in Japan: July 26, 6:30 a.m.) :20(1Ĺ6 5$&(

Watch: Monday, July 26 at 5:30 p.m. ET (Local time in Japan: July 27, 6:30 a.m.)

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Watch: Friday, July 30 at 6:30 p.m. ET (Local time in Japan: July 31, 7:30 a.m.)

3$5$ $7+/(7(6

Watch: Friday and Saturday, Aug. 27 and 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET In the U.S., the races will be broadcast on one of NBC’s channels (details TBD), on the NBC Sports app, the Peacock streaming service, and nbcolympics.com.

TR IATH L ET E.CO M

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the OLYMPICS

ABOVE: Athletes take part in the 5K open water swimming test event in Tokyo in 2019

ABOVE: The men on the bike at the triathlon during the Rio 2016 Olympics

Who and What to Watch in Tokyo The Olympic draft-legal race is all about strategy and positioning. There are a few ways it could play out.

Triathlon’s sixth appearance in the Olympic Games promises to be the most unpredictable yet. There are at least 10 legitimate medal contenders in the individual races, and the addition of the mixed relay makes WKLV WKH PRVW VLJQLŖFDQW 2O\PSLFV IRU triathlon since its debut in 2000.

If you’re new to draft-legal racing,

let’s start with a quick primer. The major difference is that drafting is allowed on the bike, because there would be no way to have a non-drafting race on a short, looped circuit with 65 athletes who are all within 1% of each other physiologically. That makes for pack racing, and the goal for the athletes trying to medal is to make it to T2 in the front pack—whether it’s a pack of four or 40.

What makes the outcome of these races so uncertain is that we don’t know which race strategy or dynamics will win out. Will a small breakaway of women

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get a few minutes on the field and battle out the medals among themselves? Will the lead group of men out of the water stay away on the bike or get swept up by the chasers?

We have no idea. What we do know is that, unlike 2016, there’s no clear-cut favorite in the individual races. (That said, the French are certainly a slight favorite to win the relay given how dominant they’ve been in that event.) Each athlete needs to play to his or her strengths, and that means there’ll be aggressive surges during the swim, bike, and run.

Here are a few scenarios we could see.

THE WOMEN The swim in Tokyo Bay could be a bit

rough, which may string things out from the start. Some of the strongest swimmers in the field are also among the best cyclists, and that means there’s a good chance of a breakaway right out of T1.

Taylor Knibb (USA), Flora Duffy (BER), Jessica Learmonth (GBR), and Maya Kingma (NED) have proven themselves to be the four strongest cyclists in the field. A breakaway of those four could put as much as two minutes into a large chase. Duffy is by far the fastest runner of that group, but she’s also the slowest swimmer, so it’s very possible she’ll miss the bullet train or have to play some hard-earned catch-up.

American Summer Rappaport should also be among the first to T1, but don’t expect her to be able to jump on the Knibb-Learmonth-Kingma express. The more likely scenario is that she's at the pointy end of the chase group that spends the entirety of the bike trying to close the gap. That’s where Duffy can really help, depending on which pack she makes, and if she sticks around or takes off.

The big unknown for the American

PHOTOS: KAZUHIRO NOGI/GETTY IMAGES; CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/GETTY IMAGES

BY BRAD CULP

HITTING DRY LAND: Athletes exit the water and head to T1 at the Rio Olympics in 2016

women is what version of Katie Zaferes we’ll see in Tokyo. If she’s back to 2019 form—when she won five WTCS races— then she should also make the breakaway. If she’s there and Duffy is not, Zaferes could be the fastest runner in the break, and she’ll do everything in her power to help keep the group away before the start of the run.

Perhaps the biggest wildcard is the Frenchwoman Cassandre Beaugrande. Beaugrande’s swim is hit-or-miss, so it’s more likely she’ll miss the lead group, which would leave her with some work to do to get into medal contention.

There’s also always the chance that the bike accordions together, and we’re left with a large group of 20-plus women to start the run. If that’s the case, Duffy, Beaugrande, and Georgia Taylor-Brown (GBR) could be the trio fighting out the podium, but don’t rule out Rappaport. She finished second to teammate Knibb who broke away in Yokohama, but if she can limit her losses on two wheels, she might be Team USA’s best shot for a medal in the individual race.

THE MEN PHOTO: LEON NEAL/GETTY IMAGES

While the women’s race will probably be all about the bike, it’s more likely that the men’s competition will come down to the run. Don’t expect a small group to get away. There are about 20 men capable of swimming close to 18 minutes (depending on conditions) and there might be another group of 20 not too far behind.

Positioning within a large group on the bike will be crucial heading into T2. Athletes vying for a medal want to be among

the top 10 making transition, and that could make for some intense (and dangerous) riding on the final lap of the bike.

If Britain’s Alex Yee starts the run among the leaders, he’ll be very hard to beat. The 23-year-old might be the class runner of the field, but he’s not the only professional runner in the mix.

The other is American Morgan Pearson—and the two could go head-to-head in the individual race and again as anchors on the relay four days later. They’ll both be very tough to keep off the podium if they exit T2 near the front.

While they head to Tokyo with the best running credentials, Norwegian Kristian Blummenfelt and Frenchman Vincent Luis are still the most proven triathletes, and they’re two of only a few who could shake things up on the bike. The other is Belgian Marten Van Riel, who’ll be happy to try a solo breakaway or three on the bike.

The men’s wildcard is New Zealand’s Hayden Wilde, but he might be better suited over the sprint distance—for now.

There’s a very real scenario in which Yee, Pearson, and Wilde break away right out of T2, and no one else is in medal contention for the next 29-ish minutes.

With two-time reigning gold medalist Alistair Brownlee out of the mix, the two returning Olympic medalists are his younger brother, Jonathan Brownlee (silver in 2016) and South African Henri Schoeman (bronze). It’s unlikely that the younger Brownlee will be able to run his way to a third Olympic medal, but Schoeman might have a shot at his second.

All that’s left to do now is sit back and watch how it all plays out.

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the OLYMPICS

The Contenders: The Women

We break down who to keep your eye on—and what chance they have of taking home the gold.

(STATS PROVIDED BY THORSTEN RADDE OF TRIRATING)

FLORA DUFFY

GEORGIA TAYLOR-BROWN

JESSICA LEARMONTH

Age: 33 / Country: Bermuda

Age: 27 / Country: Great Britain

Age: 33 / Country: Great Britain

WHO SHE IS The 2016 and 2017 World Triathlon Series world champion is also a multiple Xterra world champion and a Commonwealth Games winner.

WHO SHE IS A junior championship athlete, she moved up to the World Triathlon Series in 2018 and made her first podiums that year. She may be best known, though, for being DQ’d after crossing the line hand-in-hand with teammate Jess Learmonth at the Tokyo test event.

WHO SHE IS A swimmer as a kid, Learmonth picked up triathlon in her 20s after coworkers got her interested in a local race. She was soon a consistent podium performer at World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) races.

WHY SHE COULD WIN Known for her bike strength and handling skills, Duffy isn’t afraid to break away and lead from the front. She’s also proven in recent races that her run is one of the fastest on the circuit.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT Since her series of five straight wins in 2017, Duffy has dealt with injuries on and off. We haven’t seen much from her over the last two years—but when we have she’s been on the podium or near the front every time.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 5/5

WHY SHE COULD WIN After that erased win in Tokyo in 2019, Taylor-Brown won an abbreviated world championship event in Hamburg in 2020—and appeared to be coming into form during the pandemic year.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT It’s hard to know what kind of shape she’s in at the moment. Taylor-Brown skipped all the early 2021 races and seems to be nursing some niggles—or could be timing her triumphant return just right.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 5/5

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WHY SHE COULD WIN She was second at the WTCS Leeds race earlier this year and showed that she’s still consistently one of the front-pack swimmers and bikers—and is willing to make a play for a breakaway out of T1.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT If it comes down to a footrace, there are faster runners in the field. That said, there might not be faster swimmer-biker-runners.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 5/5

WILDCARD

TAYLOR KNIBB Age: 23 / Country: U.S. ride with the best—she also previously broke away with Duffy at a sprint event in Edmonton. Now she’s showing everyone her run is coming along too.

Swim: 3/5, Bike: 4/5, Run: 2/5 WHO SHE IS: The youngest female triathlete to make the U.S. Olympic team, the former U23 world champ arrived on the senior circuit in style with a breakaway win at WTCS Yokohama in May.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT: It’ll take a specific kind of race in Tokyo for Knibb to get away and stay away. If this year isn’t her year, though, 2024 could be.

WHY SHE COULD WIN: She’s already proven she has the bike chops to

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

SUMMER RAPPAPORT

KATIE ZAFERES

MAYA KINGMA

Age: 29 / Country: U.S.

Age: 32 / Country: U.S.

Age: 26 / Country: The Netherlands

WHO SHE IS A runner and swimmer in college, Rappaport was recruited to the U.S. tri program after graduating and was the first American to secure her Tokyo spot back in 2019.

WHO SHE IS The 2019 world champ is returning to her second Olympics after a dominant 2018 and 2019, but struggled early this year after the sudden death of her father.

WHO SHE IS After winning WTCS Leeds and taking second at WTCS Yokohama this spring, the young Dutchwoman went from underdog to number-one ranked in the world this year.

WHY SHE COULD WIN While her performances can be up and down, she’s consistently one of the top swimmers and can run her way onto the podium— which she did again in the WTCS Yokohama race earlier this year.

WHY SHE COULD WIN Zaferes was a favorite going into 2020—but a series of bad races this year left her fighting just to be named to the U.S. team. If she returns to form in time, she’ll be a front pack swimmer, biker, and runner.

WHY SHE COULD WIN In Yokohama, she proved she has the bike strength and guts to breakaway and build a huge lead. In Leeds, she showed she could run away from the breakaway to cross the line first.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT Not known for her biking, Rappaport is typically found in (or off the back of) the large bike pack. But she has shown repeatedly it doesn’t affect her ability to run her way through the field from T2.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT A 22nd and 18th at the WTCS races in Yokohama and Leeds in May and June didn’t bode well. A solid block of training could turn that around before Tokyo.

WHY SHE MIGHT NOT Her dominance near the front of the race is still relatively new, so it’s hard to say if she’ll perform under pressure.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 4/5 OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

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the OLYMPICS

The Contenders: The Men

The men's race is far more open, but we've taken a look at who to watch up front.

(STATS PROVIDED BY THORSTEN RADDE OF TRIRATING)

ALEX YEE

MORGAN PEARSON

VINCENT LUIS

Age: 23 / Country: Great Britain

Age: 27 / Country: U.S.

Age: 31 / Country: France

WHO HE IS A sometime professional runner, Yee made his World Triathlon Series debut in 2019 and won his first WTCS race on home soil in Leeds in June to lock down his Olympic spot.

WHO HE IS The former collegiate and pro runner picked up triathlon in 2017. He’s spent the last few years working on his bike and swimming skills and became the first American man to achieve multiple WTCS podiums earlier this year.

WHO HE IS An incredibly popular athlete in Europe and his home country (where triathlon has widely-followed leagues), Luis’ pedigree is long and impressive. He’s won multiple world titles, world series wins, and mixed relay world championships.

WHY HE COULD WIN Along with Yee, Pearson is hard to beat in a 10K run. The men’s race is likely to be a large pack on the bike, so if he can manage his losses on the bike and in transition, he could run his way to the front.

WHY HE COULD WIN If the Olympics had been held last year, Luis would have been the hands-down favorite.

There’s no one who is more consistently dominant.

WHY HE COULD WIN One of the fastest runners in the field, if Yee enters T2 with the front pack it’s likely that he’ll medal.

WHY HE MIGHT NOT He might not enter T2 near the front. Still an up-and-comer on the circuit, Yee has only really come into his own recently. If not this year, watch for both him and Pearson in 2024.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 4/5

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WHY HE MIGHT NOT His bike skills are still noticeably in development and Pearson is consistently one of the slower athletes in transition—where a few seconds can make a big difference.

WHY HE MIGHT NOT The Olympics were not last year, and it’s not clear if the extra year helped or hurt Luis. A lot was read into his lackluster sixth place in Yokohama—but he could be peaking at just the right time.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 5/5

WILDCARD

JONNY BROWNLEE Age: 31 / Country: Great Britain Swim: 5/5, Bike: 3/5, Run: 2/5

famous for pulling out big performances when it matters most.

WHO HE IS: The younger brother of Alistair, Jonny is a two-time Olympic medalist himself.

WHY HE MIGHT NOT: He’s looked sub-par so far this year and has been handily outrun. If it’s a big pack that comes down to the 10K, he simply might not be in contention.

WHY HE COULD WIN: You aren’t the defending silver medalist because you don’t know how to perform on the big stage. The Brownlees are

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 2/5

KRISTIAN BLUMMENFELT

MARIO MOLA

TYLER MISLAWCHUK

Age: 27 / Country: Norway

Age: 31 / Country: Spain

Age: 27 / Country: Canada

WHO HE IS The current world record holder in the 70.3 distance and part of the Norwegian squad that has swept World Triathlon podiums, Blummenfelt also won the 2019 World Triathlon Grand Final.

WHO HE IS Though he often gets overshadowed by teammate Javier Gomez, Mola is a threetime World Triathlon Series world champion in his own right.

WHO HE IS Even though the name might not sound familiar (or easy to pronounce), the young Canadian has already been to one Olympic Games, where he finished 15th in 2016.

WHY HE COULD WIN Throughout 2018 and early 2019, he won five straight WTCS-level races (then called WTS). He’s a solid swim-biker, but a top-class runner.

WHY HE COULD WIN One word: heat. Mislawchuk shines when things get hot, and he’s proven it with a win at the Tokyo test event in 2019 and the steamy Huatulco World Cup in mid-June.

WHY HE MIGHT NOT: His swim could keep him from making the bike pack—though he’ll work like crazy to catch up. And he might just simply get outrun.

WHY HE MIGHT NOT He hasn’t shown form more recently, with no appearances at the WTCS level this year and a mediocre showing at the last-minute world championship in the fall.

WHY HE MIGHT NOT Mislawchuk shines best in hot and short races, but he doesn’t have a long history of performing consistently at big Olympicdistance events on the WTCS.

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

OVERALL PERFORMANCE: 3/5

WHY HE COULD WIN He’s a smart racer, who knows how to use tactics to his advantage. He’s also not afraid to work on the bike, but can still run off those surges.

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Regardless of whether the Games finally happen, the people of Japan, the athletes, and the fans are facing obstacles unseen in modern history. Can Tokyo rise to the occasion?

BY MIKA TOKAIRIN WITH BRETT LARNER

PHOTO: BEN STANSALL/GETTY IMAGES

The Olympic and Paralympic Games are something that take years of meticulous planning and behind-the-scenes work to execute. Committees are formed and event directors plot out the specifics for each sport. Athlete housing and logistics are scheduled. Media operations are built from scratch. Years of work go into these finely-tuned plans. Yet, for the Tokyo Games, those plans have already been tossed out and reworked again and again and again.

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First, the 2020 Olympics were postponed in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, with the need to add an entirely new layer of safety measures outlined in a series of revised Olympic playbooks, the organizers have adjusted them until they’re down to the wire. The specifics of what COVID dictates will keep changing right up until the Games start. It makes for a nearly impossible task with a series of endlessly rising hurdles. Can the organizers pull off what no one has ever faced? Should they?

A SEA OF UNCERTAINTY Writing by email on May 17, just two months before the Olympics were scheduled to start, Tatsuo Ogura, project director of the international communications team, said: “Taking into account everyone who holds tickets for the Games and has been looking forward to attending, and the feelings of the families of athletes around the world who won’t be able to come to Japan to see them compete in person, we are using all of our resources to be

ready. The decision won’t come until the last minute, but while we are ultimately preparing to hold the Games without spectators, we are hopeful that the situation will allow for audiences to watch in person. This line of thinking remains unchanged, but no final decision has been reached yet.”

In other words, everyone involved—over 10,000 athletes, tens of thousands more support staff, organizers, officials, volunteers, medical and security personnel, and members of the media, international federations for 33 sports, national federations and Olympic committees from 205 countries, 81 sponsor companies, millions of fans, and almost double all of that again for the Paralympics—is in the unprecedented situation of trying to prepare for a massive, complex event without knowing if it actually is going to happen. All of this planning and infrastructure has to be dropped in the middle of a sea of uncertainty, against the backdrop of a growing rumble of popular opposition locally.

That’s where Tokyo 2020 finds itself right now in the middle of 2021. But how did we get here?

THE COST OF POSTPONEMENT Since the initial postponement of the original 2020 dates, plans for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have evolved along these lines: Mar. 24, 2020: The Games are postponed to the estimated loss of $5.9 billion.

Mar. 30, 2020: The IOC establishes new dates. The Olympics are now scheduled to start July 23, 2021, and the Paralympics will begin on Aug. 24, 2021.

Nov. 10-Dec. 21, 2021: Ticket holders are offered a chance for refunds; domestic ticket holders request refunds for 810,000 tickets with an estimated total value of over $80 million.

Feb. 3, 2021: Tokyo 2020 organizers release the first Olympic playbook, an outline of COVID-19 countermeasures planned to make the Games possible.

Mar. 20, 2021: The decision is made to bar spectators from overseas. More ticket refunds are expected.

Apr. 24, 2021: Triathlon’s Asian Championships held in Hatsukaichi, Hiroshima. Athletes from other Asian countries are isolated in a quarantine bubble throughout their stay in Japan.

Apr. 25, 2021: A state of emergency is declared in Tokyo for the third time and in three other prefectures. Initially set to continue until May 11, the declaration is extended until the end of May. Apr. 28, 2021: The second edition of the Olympic playbooks is released with more detailed (but not final) info.

May 15, 2021: World Triathlon Championship Series race is held in Yokohama, featuring elite athletes from around the world in quarantine setups—despite strict immigration restrictions.

May 16, 2021: Yokohama’s age-group race is held with approximately 1,500 participants.

June 2021: Final edition of Olympic playbooks released.

June 2021: Final decision made to allow 10,000 domestic spectators or 50% of venue capacity—with masks, and no shouting or cheering.

DOLLARS & CENTS Looking at the Tokyo Olympics from an economic standpoint, it was inevitable that the pandemic was going to result in a loss.

The question is: How big of a loss? According to calculations

by Katsuhiro Miyamoto, professor emeritus of economics at Kansai University, the initial postponement from 2020 to 2021 caused a loss of 640.8 billion yen, approximately $5.9 billion, in missed economic opportunity. Holding the Games with domestic-only crowds at half-capacity would bring the loss to approximately $14.9 billion. At press time, Olympic officials confirmed 50% venue capacity and maximum of 10,000 spec-

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tators—no shouting or cheering, and masks must be worn. But a state of emergency in the days leading up to the Games could reduce or eliminate that entirely. A completely spectator-free Games would lose $22.2 billion, and an outright cancellation would result in $41.4 billion in revenue gone. None of this even includes the massive amount of money already spent on the Games themselves.

After the initial postponement and then after the decision not to allow international spectators, there was nothing the organizers could do that wasn’t going to result in an economic outcome far distant from original forecasts, with no return on

ENGRAVING THESE OLYMPICS IN PEOPLE’S MINDS AS A BAD MEMORY COULD BECOME A NEGATIVE LEGACY ON JAPAN AND THE GAMES THAT WILL RESULT IN NEARLY UNLIMITED FUTURE LOSS.

PHOTO: CARL COURT/GETTY IMAGES

investments already made. The main question became simply how to reduce losses any further. Of course, Professor Miyamoto stresses that in the midst of a global pandemic the main focus is on human life and health. The loss will be far greater if health and safety concerns aren’t managed. “With available sickbeds becoming a scarcity, it is essential to provide the public with convincing explanations and to secure an adequate medical system to support the international athletes who will travel here,” he warned. “If they try to force their way ahead without these, it may become an international issue and we may lose even more beyond these calculations.”

Engraving these Olympics in people’s minds as a bad memory could become a negative legacy on Japan and the Games that will result in nearly unlimited future loss.

CALLS FOR CANCELLATION Even now, well over a year since the Olympics were originally postponed, Japan is riding out a fourth wave of infections. The

PROTESTORS IN TOKYO HOLD SIGNS AGAINST THE UPCOMING OLYMPIC GAMES AS PUBLIC OPINION HAS WANED.

number of cases and deaths is low, a fraction that of places like Europe and the U.S., but with virus variants now beginning to spread, the Japanese population’s anxiety is increasing every day and support is growing for canceling the Olympics.

In mid-May, polls by five major Japanese news organizations showed between 37% to 60% support for outright cancellation.

(There was greater support for cancellation when postponement wasn’t given as an option.) By mid-June that opposition still sat at just over 30%. The sentiment is no doubt partly combined with people’s frustration with the Japanese government’s repeated calls for them to voluntarily stay home and its failure to roll out vaccines effectively. Japan’s current fully vaccinated rate as of press time is only 7.3%—placing it below the worldwide average of 9.6% and one of the lowest among developed nations.

The International Olympic Committee has offered to vaccinate all athletes at the Games and Pfizer and BioNTech have committed to providing doses, but there is a sense that some athletes feel reluctant to prioritize themselves, especially in TR IATH LE TE .COM

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LEFT: CITIZENS STAGE A DEMONSTRATION AGAINST THE OLYMPICS IN FRONT OF THE TOKYO METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT.

pionship Series race in Yokohama—the final automatic Olympic qualifying event for many athletes—was held on public roads less than 20 miles away from To-

IT’S NOT THE KIND OF ATMOSPHERE WHERE YOU CAN JUST COME OUT AND SAY, ‘I’M GOING FOR AN OLYMPIC MEDAL’ LIKE YOU USED TO. I CAN FEEL THAT IT’S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT SITUATION FROM ANYTHING WE’VE EXPERIENCED BEFORE. “A lot of us are worried,” said Japanese triathlete and Olympian Ai Ueda, who is also a member of Japan’s Olympic Committee’s athlete commission.

“With people suffering and the number of infected going up, should the word ‘Olympics’ even be a part of the conversation? Athletes [like swimmer Rikako Ikee] have people on their social media telling them to drop out of the Olympics, and [the track and field test event] had an [anti-Olympics] demonstration outside the stadium while athletes were competing. It’s not the kind of atmosphere where you can just come out and say, ‘I’m going for an Olympic medal’ like you used to. I can feel that it’s a totally different situation from anything we’ve experienced before.”

AND THE BALANCE SHIFTS Yet, sports have marched on. Athletes have trained as best they can and, in May, World Triathlon reopened the Olympic points qualification window.

On May 15, the World Triathlon Cham-

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kyo, where a state of emergency was in place. Fans and locals mostly respected organizers’ requests not to spectate along the course, leding to smaller crowds, and no protests against the event or the Olympics were reported. On the course itself, and again in Leeds in early June, you could see a shift in the balance of power among elite trathletes.

Yokohama women's winner, 23-yearold American Taylor Knibb, and thirdplace men's finisher Morgan Pearson surprised many to earn spots on the U.S. team and emerge as new stars. In Leeds, Pearson followed that up with a second right behind British up-and-comer Alex Yee. For all three, the extra year was a gift.

But some who were favorites a year ago have struggled. 2019 world champion Katie Zaferes managed to snag the last spot on the U.S. team via discretionary selection—but finished mid-pack in both early season races. And France's Vince Luis, almost a lock for agold in 2020, was a worryingly lackluster sixth in Yokohama and a DNS in Leeds. All of a sudden,

it seems there are new medal favorites.

Among Japanese athletes, nobody benefited more from the Olympics’ postponement than Ai Ueda. In 2019 she suffered a plantar muscle rupture—a serious injury that took over a year to completely heal.

Having the extra time to heal has made a huge difference for her. It’s also been a year of evolution among the Japanese men, with Kenji Nener emerging after national and regional championship wins.

SWAYING THE PUBLIC Taro Shirato is a former pro triathlete and Ironman Japan Hokkaido organizer who is now a member of the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. His duties include working on the Olympic and Paralympic Games. He’s confident that if the Olympics are held without spectators they could be staged without any issues.

“I think the biggest concern that Japanese people have about the Olympics is the fear of the large number of athletes and others from overseas spreading infection,” he said. “The reality, however, is that the athletes will be isolated from the general public in a bubble and, that being the case, it is very unlikely that infection could spread. Since athletes and other people involved in the Games will have PCR tests performed every day, it will actually be far safer inside the isolation bubble than in the city of Tokyo. International competitions in different sports are being held successfully using the bubble isolation method, and athletes around the world are getting used to what that entails. I don’t

PHOTOS:DAVID MAREUIL/GETTY IMAGES; JAKUB PORZYCKI/GETTY IMAGES

countries (like the host nation) where vaccines haven’t even reached all of the most at-risk residents and healthcare professionals.

ATHLETES TRAIN INDOORS AT THE DEDICATED FACILITIES WITHIN THE BUBBLE AT THE YOKOHAMA WTCS EVENT.

see any reason the Olympics couldn’t be held without spectators.”

It’s not the logistics, but public opinion that is truly the critical factor in making the Games happen. Echoing Professor Miyamoto, Shirato emphasized that transparency and clear, honest explanations are necessary. “Nobody is going to be persuaded unless you give them the right information the right way,” he said.

“The only way to reduce opposition is to explain things correctly.”

HOW THE ‘BUBBLE’ WORKS—REALLY

PHOTOS: TOMMY ZAFERES/WORLD TRIATHLON (2)

To that end, the specifics of how these bubbles will work and be managed is key. “The Hatsukaichi and Yokohama competitions were effectively Olympic test events,” said Yoji Sakata, director of the JTU Marketing Business Bureau, which was involved in the management of both triathlons.

Athletes and support staff had to be completely isolated from the general public—from arrival at the airport to transfer to the hotel and all the way through to departure. Sub-bubbles within the larger isolation bubble were also established to keep people in smaller fixed groups for training, Sakata said. Dedicated training facilities were set up with treadmills, bike trainers, and an indoor pool—with a fixed schedule organized so that each smaller group could train privately at preset times.

The most difficult aspect for Sakata and the other organizers was creating an environment within these constraints that would still let athletes concentrate on their race.

TO KEEP THINGS FAIR AND PREVENT A HOME COURT ADVANTAGE, JAPANESE ATHLETES ALSO HAD TO GO THROUGH THE INCONVENIENCE OF LIVING IN THE ISOLATION BUBBLE LIKE THEIR INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS FOR THE SAME PERIOD OF TIME. “If the athletes perform well,” he said, “I think that will convince viewers of the value of what we’ve done.”

To keep things fair and prevent a home court advantage, Japanese athletes also had to go through the inconvenience of living in the isolation bubble like their international competitors for the same period of time. Japan’s rising star Kenji Nener went through the process in both Hatsukaichi and Yokohama. “At Hatsukaichi, we could only leave our hotel rooms for one hour per day to train in the training room inside the hotel, bike only,” he said. “In Yokohama, we were allowed to train outside the hotel, but only under strictly controlled conditions.

We were taken to the gym and pool by private bus and could swim, bike, and run. It was surprising, and I was really grateful that they went to such lengths.

There were some headaches, but you have to appreciate how hard it must have been for the organizers to pull this off.

And costly, extremely costly.”

There were three PCR tests during the week-long quarantine, Ueda added, and meals left outside the hotel room door three times per day—which had to be eaten in the rooms. Along with

the dedicated one to two hours of daily training, athletes got one hour to test ride the course before the start, which left some stressed.

“Some of the athletes were complaining,” Nener said, about all the restrictions and red tape, “but I felt like they should’ve been grateful for what we had.”

The measures tested at both triathlon events were also used at the official Olympic test events in diving, volleyball, track and field, and the marathon—giving organizers a crucial opportunity to assess and finesse their logistics and giving the athletes a taste of what to expect this summer. As at WTCS Yokohama, all four test events included international competitors, and out of nearly 8,000 athletes and support staff only one case of COVID-19 was found—a diving coach who tested positive at the airport after arriving in Japan and was quickly quarantined. As of this writing, there has been no spike in cases related to any of the events.

According to the third edition of the official Olympic playbooks, during the Games the entire Olympic Village will be a bubble. Under the supervision of a designated compliance officer appointed by each National Olympic Committee, TR IATH L ET E.CO M

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athletes and other international staff involved will have to register a detailed itinerary for their entire stay in Japan, install multiple tracing apps on their phones, and take PCR tests prior to departure for Japan, immediately after arrival, and daily throughout their stay. They’ll be barred from using public transportation, eating out, or having any other contact with the general public, and will be restricted to the Olympic Village and to official transportation to and from training and competition venues. Contact with other athletes and with the media will be minimized as much as possible to reduce the risk of community spread within the Village. Any positive cases or people experiencing symptoms will be immediately quarantined, with additional protocols for their close contacts, and everyone is asked to leave Japan as soon as possible after they’ve finished competing. Potential penalties for violating the Playbook guidelines range from fines to disqualification to deportation. It’s not exactly the kind of atmosphere you’d usually expect at the Games.

WHAT KIND OF OLYMPICS ARE WE GOING TO END UP WITH? With so many variables still to be determined, it’s impossible to say for sure what kind of Olympics this will be. But it’s

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safe to say that the Games will demand flexibility and adaptability from athletes and, more than ever before, superhuman powers of concentration and focus. In a regular year, the Olympics already put huge amounts of pressure on athletes.

Add to that uncertainty and the threat of the unexpected, and there’s never been an environment of this kind at this level of sport. If you thought Olympic triathletes were fast before, imagine having to be that fast on the right day with the right quarantine pre-race training, after getting all the right paperwork and tests, amid a flurry of unfamiliar and changing restrictions. How will people perform?

And the fans? Around the world it’s a mixture of anticipation, worry that overshadows simple enjoyment, indifference in the midst of so much else, and hope that the Olympics can be a net positive after a year-and-a-half of pandemic life.

“I’m feeling excited for the Games but also increasingly nervous and concerned,” said Dave Robertson, an Australian who went to the 2019 Olympic triathlon test event in Tokyo.

“I would say at the moment that interest levels in the Olympics are pretty low.

People are still very much focusing on getting life back to normal and being able to enjoy normal things again, like seeing

family and friends,” said U.K. resident and fan Tim Williams.

Costa Rican Arturo Delgado had planned to travel to Tokyo to see the Olympics but was forced to cancel his plans. “Even so,” he said, “I am super excited about the tri and will watch it on TV for sure. I am hoping for a fun Games and will spend hours a day following my favorite competition ever, the Olympics!”

And in Tokyo itself, all those feelings are mixed up together on a heightened scale. There’s worry, concern, anxiety, excitement, anticipation, and hope.

“I’d like to see the Games go ahead for the athletes’ sakes as well. I hope that will leave a positive impression in everyone’s minds, like the Rugby World Cup held in Japan in 2019, and that it’ll be something everyone can be happy with once it’s done,” said Tokyo’s Masaki Kusunoki.

In all this uncertainty, there’s one thing that’s certain: The Olympics have arrived at a point where they must demonstrate value in new ways. Will we see the true significance of the Olympics when we watch an athlete deliver a performance that drives away all the anxiety, the dissatisfaction, and the opposition? Or will it feel as empty as the stands? This is when sport’s true power to inspire will be put to the test.

PHOTO: JANOS M SCHMIDT/WORLD TRIATHLON

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UNITED TO TOKYO Olympic & Paralympic Guide P. 18 Pearson's Big Breakout P.22

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Emily Hewitt

Kammara Penick

Tanner Martin

Risk and Compliance Coordinator

Constituent Relationship Coordinator

Events and Programs Coordinator

First Olympic/Paralympic memory: I don’t know if I would call it a memory, but I was born right before the Lillehammer Games, so my mom sat in bed with me and watched the Games nonstop.

My family attributes my love of the Olympics to that!

Favorite Olympian: Simone Biles. The GOAT. No explanation needed.

If I could be an Olympian in any sport it would be: Ski racing! I love the mountains and love going fast.

Favorite Olympic/ Paralympic moment: Honestly the opening ceremony is always my favorite part.

Favorite Olympian: Usain Bolt. I love how humble he is and to watch him interact with the kids that are spectating or volunteering at his events.

If I could be an Olympian in any sport it would be: Gymnastics. I just really love seeing the complicated moves executed.

MAGAZINE STAFF Editor-In-Chief: Stephen Meyers Editors: Caryn Maconi, Nick Hehemann, Thomas Lenneberg Design: Kelsey Couts

Risk & Compliance Coordinator Emily Hewitt 719-884-5601 • Emily.hewitt@usatriathlon.org

Chief Executive Officer Rocky Harris

Program Coordinator Caroline Gearing

FOUNDATION Executive Director Dave Deschenes 719-884-5600 • Dave.deschenes@usatriathlonfoundation.org 719-955-2815 • Caroline.gearing@usatriathlonfoundation.org

USA TRIATHLON STAFF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & STRATEGY Chief Business Development Officer & Chief Of Staff Victoria Brumfield 719-955-2678 • Victoria.brumfield@usatriathlon.org Business Development Senior Manager Scott Miller 719-955-2677 • Scott.miller@usatriathlon.org Business Development and Major Gift Officer Kyle Smith 719-955-2803 • Kyle.smith@usatriathlon.org Corporate Partnerships Senior Manager Madison Anderson 719-955-2814 • Madison.anderson@usatriathlon.org Corporate Partnerships Assistant Manager Katie Varney 719-884-5608 • Katie.varney@usatriathlon.org Assistant Manager of Strategy & Data Liz Browne 719-955-2817 • Liz.browne@usatriathlon.org Business Development Senior Coordinator Ross Lippe 719-955-2673 • Ross.lippe@usatriathlon.org Growth Coordinator Emma O’Brien Emma.obrien@usatriathlon.org Corporate Partnerships Coordinator Lauren Benner Lauren.benner@usatriathlon.org Business Development Coordinator Madison Starr Madison.starr@usatriathlon.org FINANCE & IT Controller Katie Willemarck 719-884-5798 • Katie.willemarck@usatriathlon.org Technology Strategy & Planning Senior Manager Samantha Mehner 719-955-2808 • Samantha.mehner@usatriathlon.org Accountant Jim Morrow 719-955-2679 • Jim.morrow@usatriathlon.org Finance Analyst Brad Johnson Brad.johnson@usatriathlon.org Staff Accountant Marie Gadino Marie.gadino@usatriathlon.org Front Desk Coordinator Shella Heiens 719-884-5603 • Shella.heines @usatriathlon.org LEGAL & HUMAN RESOURCES Senior Counsel Nellie Viner 719-955-2813 • Nellie.viner@usatriathlon.org HR & Governance Assistant Manager Sandra Cook 719-597-1013 • Sandra.cook@usatriathlon.org

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HIGH PERFORMANCE High Performance General Manager John Farra 719-744-2842 • John.farra@usatriathlon.org Director, Paralympic Program Amanda Duke Boulet 719-955-2674 • Amanda.duke@usatriathlon.org Olympic Program Senior Manager Courtney Gardner 732-768-4819 • Courtney.gardner@usatriathlon.org Performance Advisor Ryan Bolton 505-660-4825 • Ryan.bolton@usatriathlon.org Project Podium Head Coach Parker Spencer 434-665-1123 • Parker.spencer@usatriathlon.org Collegiate Recruitment Program Coordinator Joe Maloy Joe.maloy@usatriathlon.org Programs Coordinator Tim Bosn 719-884-5606 • Tim.bosn@usatriathlon.org Paratriathlon Development Coordinator Mariah Rodriguez Mariah.Rodriguez@usatriathlon.org MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS Director Of Marketing & Communications Thomas Lenneberg 719-955-2816 • Thomas.lenneberg@usatriathlon.org Marketing & Public Relations Senior Manager Caryn Maconi 719-955-2828 • Caryn.maconi@usatriathlon.org Creative Services Manager Kelsey Couts 719-955-2830 • Kelsey.couts@usatriathlon.org Content Manager Stephen Meyers 719-884-5616 • Stephen.meyers@usatriathlon.org Social Media & Video Content Senior Coordinator Nick Hehemann 719-955-2833 • Nick.hehemann@usatriathlon.org Digital Strategy & Promotions Coordinator Cassie Prescott 719-884-5604 • Cassie.prescott@usatriathlon.org Digital Content and Resources Coordinator Mackenzie Brown 719-884-5604 • Mackenzie.brown@usatriathlon.org CONSTITUENT RELATIONSHIPS & ENGAGEMENT Chief Sport Development Officer Tim Yount 719-955-2831• Tim.yount@usatriathlon.org Director of Constituent Relationships Liz Kollar Liz.kollar@usatriathlon.org Constituent Relationship Senior Manager Andy Horn

Favorite Olympic/ Paralympic moment: Standing in the London Olympic Stadium on the final day of track and field and witnessing Usain Bolt and Team Jamaica break the 4x100 world record.

Favorite Olympian: Boris Berian — Team USA 2016 Rio Olympian (800 meters), my friend and fellow Adams State University athlete.

If I could be an Olympian in any sport it would be: Marathon. In my opinion the hardest and most sacred Olympic event.

719-955-2821 • Andy.horn@usatriathlon.org Coach & Member Relationship Assistant Manager Hope Smith 719-884-5620 • Hope.smith@usatriathlon.org Race Director & Member Relationship Assistant Manager Todd Brewer 719-884-5612 • Todd.brewer@usatriathlon.org Constituent Relationship Coordinator Alayna Davis Alayna.davis@usatriathlon.org Constituent Relationship Coordinator Kammara Pennick Kammara.pennick@usatriathlon.org EVENTS & PROGRAMS Director Of Events & Programs Brian D’Amico 719-955-2682 • Brian.damico@usatriathlon.org Events & Programs Manager Brad Hildebrandt 719-955-2820 • Brad.hildebrandt@usatriathlon.org Events & Programs Manager Cody Crowther 719-955-2806 • Cody.crowther@usatriathlon.org Program Manager Chad Cunningham 719-955-2676 • Chad.cunningham@usatriathlon.org Diversity & Inclusion Manager Megan Ritch 719-955-2829 • Megan.ritch@usatriathlon.org Education Manager Melissa Otterbein 719-884-5796 • Melissa.otterbein@usatriathlon.org Education Contractor Jon Metz 716-523-2367 • Jon.metz@usatriathlon.org Events and Programs Coordinator Tanner Martin 719-480-3785 • Tanner.martin@usatriathlon.org Programs Coordinator Lindsay Welker 812-243-5170 • Lindsay.welker@usatriathlon.org 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President/Athletic Director Joel Rosinbum Vice President/West Kevin Haas Treasurer/Independent Henry Brandon Secretary/North Central Keri Serota Northeast Chuck Graziano Midwest Dr. Tekemia Dorsey Athlete Director Ben Collins Southeast Susan Haag South Central Gabriela Gallegos Athlete Director Allysa Seely Independent Monica Paul Independent Scott Sternberg Ex-Officio Jacqueline McCook USA Triathlon National Office 5825 Delmonico Drive, Suite 200 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80919 719-597-9090

Blood, sweat and tears.

Make every drop count.

Caeleb Dressel U.S. Olympic Swimmer

Jessica Long U.S. Paralympic Swimmer

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Left Morgan Pearson and Kevin McDowell share a moment after crossing the finish line at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Yokohama, Japan. Pearson, who earned the bronze and qualified for the Olympics, raced just weeks after losing his older brother.

On the cover U.S. Olympic Team members Katie Zaferes, Summer Rappaport and Taylor Knibb.

Watch the trio compete in Tokyo in the women’s race on Monday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m. ET (Tuesday, July 27 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time).

Features 16 Gain confidence in the water We asked pro triathletes and USA Triathlon Certified Coaches for their open water swimming tips.

18-30 Olympics & Paralympics Primer Prepare for the Olympics and Paralympics by getting to know the U.S. Olympians and potential U.S. Paralympians, key competition dates, key facts and more in our Olympics & Paralympics guide.

at the first auto-qualification event in August of 2019. She’s since faced adversity and personal tragedy and learned her Olympic fate only six weeks before the Games.

22 Pearson’s big breakout Morgan Pearson always had the run speed. Now he’s a bona fide Olympics medal contender.

26 Allysa Seely is speaking out The Rio 2016 Paralympic gold medalist is done hiding her chronic illness.

18 Her long road to Tokyo

Go Digital Do you want to cut down on the number of USA Triathlon Magazine copies you receive?

Do you want to receive your subscription via our digital edition only?

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The world No. 1, Katie Zaferes was a shoo-in to qualify for the Olympics

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Sections 12 USAT Resources

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13 From the CEO

32 At the Races

38 The Lowdown

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© Copyright 2021 USA Triathlon POSTMASTER: Send address changes to USA Triathlon Magazine at 5825 Delmonico Drive, Colorado Springs, CO 80919-2401

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G e t t y I m a g e s / T r i a t h l e t e ( C o v e r ) / To m m y Z a f e r e s ( A b o v e )

Whether You Want To Win Or Just Challenge Yourself, You Have To Enter.

TicketSocket is proud to be the Exclusive Race Registration Provider for the USA Triathlon.

Sign up to learn more about TicketSocket’s Registration Solution: TicketSocket.com/usat-sign-up.

Do the Du Run-bike-run specialists from across the country raced in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, May 22-23 at the USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships for a welcomed return to national championship racing.

Duathlon Nationals was the first USA Triathlon-produced national championship race since 2019, and the event featured ample COVID-19 safety measures, according to USA Triathlon’s Safe Return to Multisport initiative. USA Triathlon also launched the awareness, education and impact campaign,“Together We Thrive: Sport is a Human Right,” as part of the organization’s overarching “Together We Thrive” initiative. Launched in the summer of 2020, Together We Thrive aims to combat discrimination, challenge inequalities and champion social justice in the multisport community and throughout the endurance sports industry.

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Not the slowest in the pool anymore “You know you can just stop showing up to practice.”

By Rayna Reid Joining the swim team in high school changed my life. Back then, I could hardly describe myself as a star athlete. In fact, I only tried out because I knew they didn’t make cuts. But I was bad — really bad.

I was slow and didn’t even know how to dive.

Eventually, my coach said to me, “You know you can just stop showing up to practice.”

Frankly telling me I should quit the team.

Rather than allow her attitude to crush my enthusiasm, her words truly sparked something within me. I decided to show up to every single practice after that conversation. Though I did not become the best swimmer in the world, by practicing every day, I did improve. At every meet I got faster and stronger. Eventually, I made it to the last meet of the season. Halfway through the race, I heard people cheering!

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that I was actually close to someone. I started to think that, for once, I would not come in last place. Even more motivated, I swam as fast as I could. When the race was over, I looked up to the scoreboard for the results. I had lost — again. But then I realized this: despite my seemingly fruitless efforts, I had succeeded, though not in the traditional sense. I learned that I wasn’t going to let others dictate who I was or what I could achieve.

Fast forward to 15 years later. That girl who once was told to quit the swim team completed her first IRONMAN triathlon (and wasn’t last out of the water)!

In a weird way, I’m thankful for my experience on the swim team, and believe that the growth I experienced changed my life for the better. Without it, I might not have found my Power Within or developed the attitude of perseverance that is necessary

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to compete in the sport of triathlon.

As one of the few African American women in this sport, I am extremely familiar with the feeling of not belonging, which is why I am so grateful to be a member of the All Women’s Tri Team (AWTT), a group of women from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life. My teammates are a well of inspiration, and truly are the epitome of what this sport represents.

As I reflect upon my journey in triathlon, I am so proud of all that I have accomplished, and also look forward to the new challenges and races to come!

Rayna Reid is a pop culture aficionado, movie trivia buff, fitness fanatic and IRONMAN finisher. Follow her on Instagram @raynareid. Learn more about the All Women’s Tri Team (AWTT) at www.allwomenstri.com or @allwomenstri on Instagram.

Share your Power Within Statement The moment inside you, the personal finish line in front of you, and the greatness already a part of you. What is your Power Within? Share your Power Within statement, which is your public declaration of triathlon’s unique contribution to your life — and your personal multisport journey, including what drove you to become a multisport athlete.

Visit ourpowerwithin.org.

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We’ve missed the unpredictability and drama of sports

By Stephen Meyers

With a courageous breakaway on the bike in Yokohama, Taylor Knibb became the youngest woman in U.S. history to qualify for the U.S Olympic Triathlon Team.

In a thrilling breakaway on the bike, 23-year-old Taylor Knibb took control of the World Triathlon Champion Series race in Yokohama, Japan, and never looked back.

The young upstart, the triathlete who more realistically had her eyes set on qualifying for Paris 2024, was going for it. She wanted to qualify today.

Knibb’s winning performance in May of course did qualify her for the Olympic Games Tokyo, as she became the youngest U.S. woman ever to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team.

The surprise performance reminded me of all that we’ve missed in the past year with the racing schedule wiped out due to the pandemic. The unpredictability. The drama. The triumphs.

The heartbreak.

For the past year, a cloud has loomed over the status of the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Should they really be held? Will they get postponed again? Or canceled.

As our colleagues at Triathlete detail in their section of the magazine, these Games will be unlike any we’ve ever seen before.

Regardless of what the Games look like and the protocols implemented, there will be competition. And there will be inspiring performances and surprises.

Over the next month, enjoy watching our U.S. athletes compete at the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. And as USA Triathlon CEO Rocky Harris writes in his column, our athletes need you and your support. Cheer your lungs out this summer.

Stephen Meyers is USA Triathlon Magazine’s editor-in-chief. Email him at stephen.meyers@usatriathlon.org.

Upcoming Events July 16-18: Aquathlon National Championships, Legacy Triathlon, Toyota Paratriathlon National Championships | Long Beach, California July 31-Aug. 1: Zone 3 Youth & Junior Nationals | West Chester, Ohio Aug. 7-8: Toyota Age Group National Championships | Milwaukee, Wisconsin Sept. 25: Collegiate Club National Championships | Malibu, California Sept. 25-26: Long Course Triathlon National Championships | Stony Point, New York For updates on National Championships, visit usatriathlon.org/nationalchampionships

New Membership Hub, New Race Calendar The slick new Membership Hub is the place for you to log into your membership profile, search for a coach or club and get training tips from Certified Coaches. The new Hub will soon also include a revamped Race Calendar with a more robust search functionality so you can find a race that’s a perfect fit for you! Log in to the new Hub at member.usatriathlon.org.

Together We Thrive USA Triathlon and the USA Triathlon Foundation are dedicated to combating discrimination, challenging inequalities and championing social justice in the multisport community.

Through community feedback, DEIA Round Tables with constituents and the formation of a DEIA advisory council, USA Triathlon has created four guiding principles: Inclusivity Starts With Us, A Community Focus, Accessibility & Impact and Representation Matters. But there is more work to do. Learn more and get involved by emailing diversity@ usatriathlon.org.

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In triathlon, we’re uniquely united Our Olympians and Paralympians need you

By Rocky Harris Tokyo United.

You’ve likely seen that phrase incorporated into USA Triathlon’s Olympic and Paralympic content as we gear up for the Tokyo Games this summer.

But what exactly does it mean?

Tokyo United exemplifies the resilience, determination and teamwork that has gotten USA Triathlon’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes — and really, all of us — to this moment.

What’s unique about Tokyo 2020 — postponed by a year due to COVID-19, but still retaining its original name — is that everyone can relate to what Tokyo Olympians and Paralympians have been through in some way. The pandemic put our plans on hold, deferred our dreams, and forced us all to work toward a moving target somewhere in the uncertain future.

That common experience gave us a rare chance to inspire one another, and to discover new ways to lift each other up. I’ve had several U.S. National Team athletes come to me and say that in the height of the nationwide lockdown last year, they were motivated to keep pushing because of the ways they’d seen the entire multisport community adapt. Age-group athletes fitting at-home workouts in between e-learning kids and full-time jobs.

Coaches volunteering their time to lead workouts via Zoom and write training plans for an uncertain race calendar. Race directors adjusting on the fly and shifting their in-person events to virtual races for the first time ever. Newbies trying their hand at running or cycling as a safe and healthy way to get outside. And the frontline workers who prioritized saving lives and keeping our communities afloat over their own multisport goals. Believe it or not, your actions over this past year have inspired and motivated our nation’s top athletes — and now, they’re ready to inspire you in Tokyo.

In one of my most vivid childhood memories, I was going through the McDonalds drive-thru with my dad — it’s so vivid because we never, ever ate fast food! — and the employee at the window gave me my very own 1984 LA Games hat. I literally wore that hat every day until it fell apart. I watched nearly every sporting event of those ’84 Games, and I’ve

been a true Olympic superfan ever since. Before I worked at USA Triathlon, I cheered for triathlete Hunter Kemper in each of his four Olympic appearances —the first four Games featuring triathlon — and gathered my three little girls for a watch party to witness Gwen Jorgensen take home USA Triathlon’s first Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games. And my all-time favorite Games moment was watching the U.S. podium sweep in the women’s PT2 category during paratriathlon’s debut in Rio — Allysa Seely taking the gold, Hailey Danz the silver and Melissa Stockwell the bronze. Now, as we charge ahead to Tokyo, our athletes are poised to create these inspiring and memorable moments once again for participants and fans across the country.

I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it.

Becoming an Olympian or Paralympian takes discipline, unrelenting hard work and belief in oneself. But more than any of that, it takes a community. No one makes it to the podium alone, and each of our Tokyo hopefuls has a “team behind the team” that has recognized, motivated, supported and cheered them along every step of the way. This may be an individual sport, but it’s not an individual journey. And in triathlon, we’re uniquely united because age-group athletes frequently compete in the same race and on the same course as the elites.

We tackle the same hills, face the same weather conditions, and cross the same finish line. Except, of course, at the Olympic and Paralympic Games — a special place in the stratosphere reserved for the very best in the world.

Our Tokyo-bound athletes will experience an Olympic and Paralympic Games unlike any other in history. There are no international fans allowed, including the families and friends of competitors.

This means our athletes need you, the nationwide multisport community, more than ever — to follow and support them along their journey to Tokyo, to tune in live on race days, and to cheer louder and more passionately than you ever have before.

They’ve got to hear you from all the way across the world. That’s what it means to be Tokyo United.

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Stay Connected Follow USA Triathlon on all your favorite social networks to stay connected with the best community in sports. Compiled by Nick Hehemann

Meet the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team

Virtual Tri to Tokyo

Get to know the people behind the race kit! USA Triathlon’s #TokyoUnited social media campaign shares stories of the U.S. National Team athletes in the lead-up to the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games. Find these stories on the @usatriathlon social media channels or at usatriathlon.org/tokyo2020.

Get in the spirit by competing in the Power Within Virtual Tri to Tokyo, presented by MANSCAPED. This team-based event challenges you and your teammates to complete the distance from Colorado Springs to Tokyo — 5,843 miles — through any combination of swimming, biking and running. Sign up at usatriathlon.org and tag @usatriathlon in your photos on social media to show us how your team is staying fit and getting ready for the Games.

Follow Us Facebook facebook.com/ USATriathlon Twitter @usatriathlon Instagram @usatriathlon

Olympic & Paralympic Coverage

Safe Return to Racing

YouTube @usatriathlon

USA Triathlon will have in-depth coverage each day throughout the Olympic and Paralympic Games this July and August to celebrate our U.S. athletes competing in Tokyo. Stay updated on all the latest — including race results, athlete interviews and features — by following @usatriathlon on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and checking out our online content at usatriathlon.org/tokyo2020.

Racing is back! With USA Triathlon’s Safe Return to Multisport guidelines leading the way with COVID-19 safety protocols, you can feel confident when racing at USA Triathlon sanctioned events this year. Learn more about the initiative and resources at usatriathlon.org/safe-return and sign up for a race near you at usatriathlon.org/eventcalendar.

LinkedIn @USATriathlon TikTok @usatriathlon Strava @USATriathlon

W a g n e r A r a u j o ( t o p l e f t ) / To m m y Z a f e r e s ( b o t t o m l e f t )

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Prepare for a smooth transition from the pool to the ocean or lake for your next triathlon.

Build confidence and skill in the open water We asked pro triathletes and USA Triathlon Certified Coaches for their open water swimming tips.

Racing is back! Yay. Are you ready for your open water swim?

Dealing with waves, murky water, wide-ranging temperatures, turns around buoys and flailing limbs from fellow competitors makes open water swimming more physically demanding than laps in your local pool. And with many of us not having raced since 2019, our open water swimming could use a boost of confidence as we jump back into racing.

We asked professional triathletes and USA Triathlon Certified Coaches for advice on mentally and physically preparing for open water swimming.

Consistent group practice “When I first started triathlon, I was extremely nervous to swim in open water. But the more I got out there, the more I did it, the more comfortable I got. So, grab a group of people, go out together and try to swim at least once a week (twice a week if you can!). That really helps you feel more comfortable in the open water, and helps you get used to swimming with other people around you. The consistency is key.” — Sarah Piampiano

Work on your breathing “Open water swimming is messy and imperfect. We may gulp water, become a bit ‘shell shocked’ with cold water, lose our breath or goggles or run into debris or people. All of these things require us to regain our com-

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posure and regulate breathing. Doing sets (in the pool) of breathing every three, five, seven and nine strokes will help do a few things — increase our lung capacity to take on these challenges, teach us to relax more and give us confidence that if we have to take an extra few strokes per breath during an open water swim, we can definitely do it.” — Amy Javens, USA Triathlon Certified Coach

Visualize the water “It’s all about the mental preparation. Visualize the swim and cover every little detail — before the race, create a long list of everything you can think of: is the swim an ocean or lake swim? How long is the swim?

Where is the first buoy? What are the turn-by-turn directions? How many people are in my wave? What are the water conditions? Where is the entrance to the water? Learn everything you can about the swim venue and visualize swimming the course and the water conditions. You mentally prepare and visualize those moments and nothing will surprise you; you’re going to be ready for everything. Your training will take over and you’ll get in the groove.” – Tommy Zaferes

Do a proper warm up “(In a race) triathletes can experience a sudden loss of breath after about a minute into the swim. You have rapidly gone from a resting po-

sition on the beach to a high-powered swim. This is an enormous shock to the system and a cause of anxiety and stress, both physical and mental. A good way to avoid this problem is to do a decent warm up routine to ramp up your heart rate and get your body moving beforehand.”

A good routine includes: • A quick swim on the race course, if permitted • Alternatively, a 5-10 minute jog, followed by 20 push-ups and 30 squats • Stretch and mobilize the major swimming muscle groups with arm rotations, shoulder rolls, shrugs, trunk rotations, neck rolls and hamstring stretches” — Peter Foster, USA Triathlon Certified Coach

Get away from people “(At race start) get as far away from people as you possibly can. Even if I have to swim a little extra, getting away from the crowd just relaxes me as I can look at the first swim buoy and visualize my race. I try to get somewhere that’s not in the riff-raff with everybody. It’s easy to get panicky out there when arms are flying and everything. We have a whole body of water – use it.” — Meredith Kessler

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She had to wait...

Amid personal tragedy and another grueling wait to be selected to the U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team, Katie Zaferes is ready to chase Olympic gold.

By Aimee Berg “I never thought I’d be in this situation for Tokyo 2020/21,” Katie Zaferes wrote in mid-May, after missing her last chance to automatically qualify for the U.S. Olympic triathlon team.

Instead of earning the requisite podium finish in Yokohama, Japan, the 2019 world champion placed 22nd while 23-year-old upstart Taylor Knibb clinched the second of three U.S. berths for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

That left Zaferes’ Olympic fate solely up to four people on the U.S. selection committee. The criteria? Discretionary.

Five years earlier, Zaferes was in the exact same position: waiting for the committee to award her the last berth on the 2016 Rio Olympic team. Back then, she was just a third-year pro.

But now in June of 2021, Zaferes had superlative qualifications. Every year, she had made a remarkable — and remarkably linear — progression at the highest echelon of the World Triathlon Series rankings.

She rose from fifth in 2015 to fourth in 2016 to third in 2017 to second in 2018 — and, two weeks after a major bike crash that left her with a broken nose, 23 stitches in her gums, and a shoulder and leg so banged up that she had to swim onearmed for half of the lead-up to the last race of the 2019 season — she didn’t just settle for a top-12 finish in the Grand Final to score the minimum points necessary to clinch No. 1 in the world, she won the entire race and, of course, the World Triathlon Series title.

During this quad, Zaferes had not only sculpted a sterling triathlon resume out of a semi-illustrious past as a second-team All-America in the steeplechase at Syracuse University, but she was also the last American woman in the elite field with Olympic triathlon experience.

This story should have been about how she surprised no one by clinching the first U.S. Olympic triathlon berth two summers ago. That was the plan, and Zaferes is a consummate planner. She likes a clear

18

SUMMER 2021

schedule. She races best on courses she’s seen. She breaks down all the steps to success into miniscule bits. She keeps at least three journals at a time for different aspects of her career and life. She fills them all out differently — sometimes with a fine-tipped pen, sometimes in pencil and later in pen. She visualizes. A lot. She rehearses. A lot. She reflects. A lot. She’s developed finely-tuned instincts about how much she can push and when it’s best to back off in training.

She has built an incredible “database of experience,” said Joel Filliol, her coach since 2014, and, in training has learned how to “disconnect the desire to be a completionist” from knowing how to train for a good performance.

But no one saw the crash coming in the penultimate event of 2019 — the first automatic Olympic qualifier — least of all Zaferes.

At the Tokyo Test Event, on a straightaway early in the ride, she looked back to shout something, when her wheels turned and went into a barrier, stopping her cold.

“I remember trying to decide: Can I keep going? A group passed. Blood was streaming. OK, I'm stopping,” Zaferes said.

En route to the hospital, “I remember learning the results of the women’s race in the ambulance,” she said.

It was complicated. The top two finishers held hands across the finish line. The ITU (now known as World Triathlon) rulebook prohibited the hand-held finish as “a contrived tie.” They were disqualified and everyone else moved up two places. Even without the boost to fifth place, Summer Rappaport was the top American in the top eight, so Rappaport claimed the first Olympic berth.

Zaferes thought: “I didn't just screw up qualifying for the Olympics, but did I just ruin my chance of being world champion?”

She went back to the crash scene the next day. It wasn’t far from the athlete hotel, on an unremarkable stretch of road with few barriers. Zaferes had just happened to nail one.

She and her husband, Tommy, a semi-retired pro triathlete and photographer for World Triathlon, tried to make the best of it. Doctors said she could eat whatever she could manage. “(So) of course, Tommy and I go to eat [Japan’s famous] fluffy pancakes — a terrible decision. I think I’d like to redo that experience without stitches in my mouth,” Zaferes quips.

Back at the team’s secondary training base near Lake Geneva, proper swimming was out of the question. Her shoulder didn’t have much range of motion. Healing would take time.

“But we didn't know if we had time,” Filliol said.

Zaferes maximized what little there was. Between single-armed pool sessions, she had her stitches taken out in Lausanne. While there, she checked out the course for the season finale. Realizing the notorious hill was steeper than those she trained on, she and Tommy immediately told Filliol to find a steeper hill.

In that 2019 Lausanne final, she proved fearless. To her relief, no one elbowed her broken nose in the swim. With one kilometer to go on the run, in a two-person breakaway with Jessica Learmonth of Great Britain, Zaferes accelerated for the win.

Bill Hursey, a 6-foot-3 Northrup Grumman systems analyst, waited to embrace her. Bill was the one who talked Katie into doing her first triathlon, on Father’s Day 2007, in Carroll County, Maryland. Bill was the one who struggled in the swim and wasn’t abashed when his lap-counter yelled, “Try backstroke!” in his triathlon debut. Bill was “Dad,” who eventually talked two of his three daughters into racing because, Katie assumed, he just wanted company.

It wasn’t entirely true. According to her mom, Mary Lynn, Bill kept pondering something Katie’s club swim coach told The Baltimore Sun in November 2006, when Katie was one of Maryland’s best high school distance runners and a top club swimmer.

“Honestly,” the coach told The Sun, “I

. Again.

"FIVE YEARS EARLIER, ZAFERES WAS IN THE EXACT SAME POSITION: WAITING FOR THE COMMITTEE TO AWARD HER THE LAST BERTH ON THE 2016 RIO OLYMPIC TEAM. BACK THEN, SHE WAS JUST A THIRD-YEAR PRO."

Getty Images

U S A T R I AT H LO N M A G A Z I N E

19

think she has Olympic potential in the triathlon.”

“Imagine if she had a bike” he’d tell her parents.

“Bill was like, ‘Hmm, yeah, let’s see what happens if she has a bike,’” her mother recalled.

She did get a bike and she was quickly discovered by Barb Lindquist, the 2004 U.S. Olympic triathlete who had just launched USA Triathlon’s Collegiate Recruitment Program. Yet if Bill hadn’t persuaded Katie into sticking out the program’s first week of residency at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, her life, she said, “would definitely be more predictable.”

She would have likely taught physical education, gotten a Master’s degree in health, and married a different man.

Instead, she made the 2016 Rio Olympic team three years after turning pro, and that article was resurfaced for posterity.

In Rio, however, Zaferes underperformed.

“Before Rio, I was listening and doing,” Katie said. “I was focused on my limitations. I forgot my strengths. Now, when I race, I think: ‘Let's see what I can do,’ rather than: ‘This is what I need to do.’”

After Rio, Zaferes also became highly proactive and fully invested in every part of her program. Her training group includes world champions Vincent Luis of France (2019, 2020), Mario Mola of Spain (2016, 2017, 2018), and Non Stanford of Great Britain (2013).

But when COVID-19 hit in March 2020, the world paused and everyone scattered.

“I WAS REALLY PROUD OF NOT GIVING UP." The first three months, Filliol said, “we're in a holding pattern, dialing back, but not really recovering. It wasn’t like the off-season. We had to be ready to restart when we got the green light. For Katie, at the pinnacle of her career, it was particularly difficult because there's few goals that she wants to achieve.”

When racing resumed, Zaferes strung together a trio of respectable results, albeit

20

SUMMER 2021

unremarkable by her standards: fifth in Hamburg in September despite lingering uncertainty whether athletes would be let into the country; 11th a week later in the Czech Republic; sixth in Italy in October.

The upcoming Yokohama race, on May 15, was potentially iffy due to the global pandemic situation.

Still training on April 8, Zaferes went for a run in Girona, Spain – carrying her phone, which she rarely does. It rang. She didn’t recognize the number. Probably spam, she thought. It rang again. She ignored it. When she got home, Tommy was waiting by the door. He said Bill had a medical emergency at a store back in Maryland and was in intensive care.

A couple hours later, Bill passed away at age 60. Katie couldn’t just hop on a flight. She first needed a COVID test. The clinic was closed. The results took time.

Finally, she flew to Maryland where, for 10 days, she did little to no training. In Spain, coach Filliol thought, “Maybe she won’t come back.”

But she did, on a Friday. On Saturday, she planned to do a 75-minute easy run.

She ended up doing a hard 95-minute tempo run. On Sunday, a similar thing happened on the bike. Filliol was checking in all the time.

“There was positive energy and she was motivated,” Filliol said. “She was really seeking out structure. Having a routine and training partners takes some of the thinking out. She wanted to join others for everything.”

Tommy was surprised by her strength.

“She’s been on fire,” he said at the time, “her training has been incredible.”

The truth? “I just really didn't want to run alone,” Katie said.

Either way, the Yokohama Olympic qualifier marked the first race without her father. Zaferes fought to stay in it from the start.

“The first lap of the swim I felt empty, but I stayed focused,” she said. On the bike, she got to the front group, only to get tangled in another rider’s crash. By the end of the bike, she nearly caught the front pack. She told herself to “stay calm, believe, keep moving up one stroke at a time, one pedal at a time, one stride at a time.”

“I was really proud of not giving up,” she said.

Getty Images

“I LOVE WHAT I DO. I DON'T FEEL LIKE I'M AT THE TOP OF MY CAPABILITIES.” Zaferes was still No. 1 in the world after Yokohama.

The Olympic selection committee had the option to announce early discretionary nominations by May 20. It didn’t.

Zaferes had 88 days to prepare for Rio. For Tokyo, the June 16 decision meant she had 41.

Regardless, Filliol said, “She's shown that she's capable of winning pretty much any race. She knows she doesn't need her lifetime-best performance. That’s a real asset, to go into a ‘goal race,’ knowing that you have achieved it before and you don't need perfection to achieve it again. She also has more than one way to be successful because she's very balanced across the three disciplines and doesn’t depend on a particular thing happening in the race.”

Ultimately, Zaferes said, “I love what I do. I don't feel like I'm at the top of my capabilities.”

Meet Team USA

ThewoMen Summer

Taylor

Katie

Rappaport

Knibb

Zaferes

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

29

23

32

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

Thornton, Colo.

Washington, D.C.

Cary, N.C.

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

First U.S. athlete to qualify for the 2020 U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team. … Finished fifth in the 2019 ITU World Triathlon Series overall rankings. … Five-time World Triathlon Championship Series medalist.

2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama gold medalist. … 2018 ITU Under-23 World Champion. … Two-time World Triathlon Junior World Champion (2016, 2017).

Get to know her:

Get to know her:

Competed in swimming and cross-country at Villanova University. … After college, she joined the USA Triathlon Collegiate Recruitment Program, and began competing as an elite triathlete in 2014. … Enjoys coloring, writing, coffee dates with her mom, calligraphy and cooking.

Inspired to become a triathlete after she watched her mom compete in an IRONMAN race. … Came up through USA Triathlon’s youth elite and junior elite pipelines. … In 2017, became the youngest woman ever to podium at a World Triathlon Series race. … Competed in cross-country, track & field and swimming at Cornell University.

2019 ITU World Triathlon Series overall champion and 2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final gold medalist. … Improved every year in the world rankings, from fifth in 2015, fourth in 2016, third in 2017, second in 2018 and overall champion in 2019. … 23-time ITU World Triathlon Series medalist. …

2016 Olympian in Rio where she placed 18th.

@summerrappz @taylorknibb

Get to know her: Competed in track and field for Syracuse University, specializing in the steeplechase and setting several school records. … Recruited to elite-level triathlon through the USA Triathlon Collegiate Recruitment Program. … Married to fellow elite triathlete and World Triathlon photographer Tommy Zaferes. @kzaferes6

U S A T R I AT H LO N M A G A Z I N E

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Need for Speed: Pearson’s Ready for his Moment

By Stephen Meyers

May 14 in Yokohama, Japan. It’s past midnight on the east coast in the U.S. and Morgan Pearson, the former University of Colorado All-American runner who became a pro triathlete only three years ago, has just passed 26 runners on the first lap of the run at the World Triathlon Championship Series Yokohama to move into ninth place.

“WOW... @_Morgan_Pearson is FLYING #WTCSYokohama,” tweeted four-time U.S. Olympian Hunter Kemper.

How many more people could he catch?

Eighth. Seventh. Sixth. Pearson only needed to finish in the top eight and he’d qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Fifth. Fourth. Pearson kept making his way to the front.

Third.

With a blistering 29 minute, 30 second 10k — that’s a 4:45 per mile pace — Pearson earned bronze, qualified for his first Olympic Games and loudly announced to his World Triathlon Championship Series competitors he’s a new force to be reckoned with.

The inspiring performance lit up social media, particularly among the running community.

“Watching the recap of the Yokohama race, @_Morgan_Pearson made up 35 PO-

22

SUMMER 2021

SITIONS on the run to finish 3rd, and qualify for the Olympic Games. The man is a competitor. Probably the fiercest I know,” tweeted Noah Droddy, a 2:09 marathoner also living in Boulder.

Jonathan Gault, a journalist for LetsRun.com, weighed in, tweeting Pearson’s running credentials: “Morgan Pearson is heading to the Olympics in the triathlon.

His running accomplishments: 17th at NCAA XC in 2013 as the #2 man on Colorado's NCAA title team (also 25th in '15 when Colorado was 2nd), 2019 USATF Club Nats XC champ, ran 62:15 to win 2020 Michigan Pro Half Marathon.”

“EVER SINCE I BECAME PRO, EVERY RACE I'VE STARTED, IT'S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT QUALIFYING FOR THE OLYMPICS.” Emma Coburn, a fellow University of Colorado alum and 2016 Rio Games bronze medalist in the steeplechase, messaged him congratulations.

Soon, media requests from outlets across the country flowed in. But Pearson

was especially proud his inspiring performance caught the eyes of his peers in the running community.

“That's something I take a lot of pride in. I've stayed engaged in the running world long enough and I think I can kind of bridge that gap between running and triathlon,” said Pearson, who has toyed with the idea of someday trying to qualify for and run at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in the 10k. “I know I'm not going to bring in crazy numbers of fans by myself, but I hope that more runners notice our races, my friends get excited to watch the races and they see triathletes, they see the times we’re running and they’re like, ‘wow, that was pretty cool.’”

The world-class run speed was always there for Pearson. It’s what always made him such a tantalizing triathlon prospect and a Collegiate Recruitment Program athlete. Just wait until the swim and bike come along, coaches said.

Pearson turned pro in 2018 (after winning USA Triathlon Age Group Nationals in 2017) and finished seventh in his first race, the Mooloolaba ITU World Cup in Australia. He anchored the U.S. at last year’s Mixed Relay World Championship in Hamburg, clocking the fastest run split of the entire field, to help the U.S. earn silTo m m y Z a f e r e s

Meet Team USA

TheMen ver. He’s steadily improved since 2018, and last year, with most of the racing calendar wiped away because of the pandemic, Pearson dialed in on improving his bike and swim.

If Yokohama showed the gains he’s made, his silver medal performance at the AJ Bell 2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds on June 6 showed the world he’s a bona fide medal contender in Tokyo. With the back-to-back medals, Pearson is the first U.S. man in history to earn multiple podiums in World Triathlon Championship Series racing (Jarrod Shoemaker and Matt McElroy are the only other Americans to podium).

“Ever since I became pro, every race I've started, it's always been about qualifying for the Olympics,” said Pearson, who is proud to represent the U.S. at the Olympics and proud of the direction the U.S. men are heading after years of being overshadowed by the strength of the American women. “You look at (Matt) McElroy, he got a podium in Leeds two years ago and that was an inspiration for me. Kevin McDowell has been a huge help to me since I started, giving me a ton of advice. We’re all supporting each other, we’re all rooting for each other, pushing each other. We’re moving in the right direction.”

Morgan

kevin

Pearson

Mcdowell

AgE:

AgE:

27

28

Hometown:

Hometown:

Boulder, Colo.

Geneva, Ill.

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

2021 World Triathlon Championship Series Leeds silver medalist and 2021 Yokohama World Triathlon Championship Series bronze medalist. ... The first U.S. man ever to medal at back-to-back World Triathlon Championship Series races and the only U.S. man to win multiple World Triathlon Championship Series medals.

2019 Cagliari ITU Triathlon World Cup bronze medalist. ... 2017 Huelva ITU Triathlon World Cup silver medalist. ...7-time World Cup Medalist. ...Pan American Games Toronto 2015 silver medalist.

Get to know him: Was a swimmer and runner in high school and ran collegiately for the University of Colorado Boulder … Was introduced to triathlon in 2017 through USA Triathlon’s Collegiate Recruitment Program. … Earned his elite license after winning the men’s overall title at the 2017 USA Triathlon Age Group Sprint National Championships.

Get to know him: One of the first members of the Elite Triathlon Academy, launched at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs in 2011. … A cancer survivor; was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2011 and recently celebrated 10 years cancer-free. @kevinmcdowell1

@morgan_cadwell_pearson @_Morgan_Pearson U S A T R I AT H LO N M A G A Z I N E

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USATRI

O LY M P I C

G U I D E

Follow the Action Mark your Calendars

Past U.S. Olympians

Olympic men’s race: Sunday, July 25, at 5:30 p.m. ET (Monday, July 26 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time).

Olympic women’s race: Monday, July 26, at 5:30 p.m. ET (Tuesday, July 27 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time).

Sydney 2000 Men: Ryan Bolton, Hunter Kemper, Nick Radkewich Women: Jennifer Gutierrez, Sheila Taormina, Joanna Zeiger

Mixed Relay: Friday, July 30, at 6:30 p.m. ET (Saturday, July 31 at 7:30 a.m. Tokyo time).

Athens 2004 Men: Hunter Kemper, Victor Plata, Andy Potts Women: Barb Lindquist, Sheila Taormina, Susan Williams (bronze medalist)

How to Watch Broadcast schedules and live streaming for the Olympic Games will be available on www.nbcolympics.com and in the NBC Sports app. USA Triathlon will share official broadcast times and channels when available at www. usatriathlon.org/tokyo2020.

Beijing 2008 Men: Hunter Kemper, Matt Reed, Jarrod Shoemaker Women: Laura Bennett, Julie Ertel, Sarah Haskins London 2012 Men: Manuel Huerta, Hunter Kemper Women: Laura Bennett, Gwen Jorgensen, Sarah True

Debut of the Mixed Relay The unique, gender-balanced, Mixed Relay race format leads to dramatic finishes, with teams consisting of four athletes, ordered female-malefemale-male, who each complete a super-sprint triathlon (300m swim, 8k bike and 2k run) before tagging their teammate. The short distances makes for fast racing with plenty of action. The U.S. team earned the silver at the 2020 Mixed Relay World Championships, with France taking the gold.

Rio 2016 Men: Greg Billington, Ben Kanute, Joe Maloy Women: Gwen Jorgensen (gold medalist), Sarah True, Katie Zaferes

Olympic Triathlon Timeline

24

Sept. 1994

may 2000

sept. 2000

At the 103rd IOC Session in Paris, triathlon was officially included on the Olympic Program starting with the Sydney Olympic Games of 2000, on a provisional basis.

The first U.S. Olympic Triathlon Team Trials took place in Dallas, Texas, selecting the team that competed at the Sydney Olympics.

Triathlon makes its long awaited Olympic Games debut as the women’s triathlon opens day one of competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

Switzerland’s Brigitte McMahon wins gold.

Joanna Zeiger of the U.S. places fourth, while Sheila Taormina finishes sixth. Canadian Simon Whitfield claimes gold in the men's race.

SUMMER 2021

aug. 2004 Triathlon makes its second appearance at the Olympic Games in Athens. Austria’s Kate Allen pulls off a stunning upset to claim Olympic gold. Susan Williams of the U.S. wins the bronze for the first Olympic medal for an American.

Hamish Carter of New Zealand wins the men’s gold medal.

aug. 2008 Australia’s Emma Snowsill and Germany’s Jan Frodeno win gold.

Laura Bennett of the U.S. places fourth.

aug. 2012 Switzerland's Nicola Spirig wins gold.

American Sarah Groff (now Sarah True) finishes fourth. In the men's race, Great Britain's Alistair Brownlee wins gold in his home country.

aug. 2016 The U.S. makes history with Gwen Jorgensen winning gold at the Rio Olympic Games. Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee repeat as Olympic medalists, with Alistair winning another gold.

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Allysa Seely isn’t quiet anymore

By Stephen Meyers It’s early June, just weeks away from the 2021 Americas Triathlon Para Championships, and finally, training isn’t miserable for Allysa Seely.

Finally, after a year of infections, surgeries, battles with doctors, a new diagnosis and months spent in hospital beds 900 miles away from home, the 2016 Paralympic gold medalist is able to push herself again. She has speed in her legs. The competitive fire is back.

It’s weeks before the June 27 race in Wisconsin that will serve as Selection Event No. 2 for the U.S. Paralympic Team and the dread about racing has vanished for Seely, who plans to defend her gold medal in Tokyo at the Paralympic Games scheduled for Aug. 24-Sept. 5.

“I'll go out there with a heart that wants this more than anything,” Seely said in a June interview. “I can't say for sure I want it more than anybody else, but I want it pretty damn bad and I'm not going to hand it to somebody else without a fight.”

Fight.

Seely’s fought through a tumultuous year and a half — but this fight began more than a decade ago.

Diagnosed in 2010 with Chiari II malformation, basilar invagination and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which affect her spine, brain and connective tissue, Seely had to have her left leg amputated below the knee in 2012. Living with a chronic illness, Seely quickly excelled in paratriathlon, taking gold at the 2012 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships. She’d go on to win gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and she’s won three ITU Paratriathlon World Championships.

As the calendar flipped to 2020, with the goal of earning more hardwear, Seely prepared for qualifying for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. Then came the first infection in her leg. Then surgery. Then four weeks on crutches.

Eventually, she returned to training

26

SUMMER 2021

only to find out she had another infection.

Another trip to the hospital. Another surgery. Surgeons agreed to remove stitches early — Seely had a March Paralympic qualifying event to race. She didn’t care if the surgeon took out the stitches the morning of the race or that she hadn’t been able to train — Seely was going to figure out a way to compete. Then the race was canceled, and the Paralympic Games postponed to 2021.

Now what?

Seely resumed training, as she always does.

But in July, she went to the emergency room again, with an infection in her bloodstream. The ER visit kicked off a sixmonth fight, much of it at Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston where Seely was diagnosed with endocarditis, a life-threatening inflammation of the heart’s inner lining, as well as a blood clot in her heart.

This period in 2020 was the sickest Seely had ever been in her life. And for the first time, she shared her experience, motivated to publicly share her story because of the gender bias and discrimination she has experienced in the medical field.

“My life was threatened because of medical bias. There have been times I haven’t been listened to and times when doctors don’t believe I’m as sick as I’m telling them I am. Knowing this is going to continue to happen to other women, to other girls, until more people speak out, if I have to be vulnerable and share my story and start screaming it from the rooftops, then that is what I’m going to do,” Seely said.

“I love being an athlete. I love the sport.

I love pushing myself to my boundaries.”

Recovered, healthy and logging heavy training mileage, Seely’s at peace with being vulnerable and with being outspoken.

She has a platform and she’s not afraid to use it.

She hopes she’ll be able to share her voice from the largest stage: at the Tokyo Paralympic Games.

“I love being an athlete. I love the sport.

I love pushing myself to my boundaries,” Seely said. “I know I'm not done in the sport. And (being a Paralympic athlete) does give me a platform to be a role model and to inspire others. And to, hopefully, give a voice for my group of people.”

Note: at press time, the U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team had not yet been selected or announced.

Allysa Seely won gold in the PT2 classification at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.

Getty Images

Meet Team USA

paratriathletes *Athletes featured include the entire roster of the Toyota U.S. Paratriathlon National Team. At press time, the 2020 U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team had not been selected and announced.

Elizabeth

jamie

hailey

amy

baker

brown

danz

dixon

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

47

41

30

45

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

Signal Mountain, Tenn.

Oceanside, Calif.

Colorado Springs, Colo.

Encinitas, Calif.

RGYYOc IGZOUT PTVI

RGYYOc IGZOUT PTS4

RGYYOc IGZOUT PTS2

RGYYOc IGZOUT PTVI

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Fourth at 2016 Paralympic Games. … three-time Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships champion (2016, 2017, 2019). …seven-time ITU World Paratriathlon Series medalist. … two-time USA Paratriathlon National Championships medalist.

2019 Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup bronze medalist. … six-time World Paratriathlon Series event medalist, three-time USA Paratriathlon National Championships medalist. … two-time ITU Paratriathlon World Championships bronze medalist.

2016 Paralympic silver medalist. … seven-time ITU Paratriathlon World Championships medalist. …

12-time ITU World Paratriathlon event medalist. … two-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion (2017, 2019). …2015 USA Triathlon Paratriathlete of the Year.

Nine-time ITU World Paratriathlon event medalist. … six-time ITU Paratriathlon World Cup medalist. … 2016 ITU Aquathlon world champion. … twotime USA Paratriathlon National Championships medalist.

Get to know her: Completed her first IRONMAN at age 40, winning her division. … Credits all of her coaches for being her biggest mentors within the sport, and her guide Jillian Elliot for being a great teammate to race with who she can fully trust. … Has a masters of physical therapy from Medical College of Georgia and worked as a physical therapist.

Get to know her: Get to know him:

Get to know her:

Played collegiate baseball for Chapman University, pitching in the 2001 Division III College World Series. … Before discovering triathlon, Brown was the assistant baseball coach at his high school alma mater for nine years. … Introduced to triathlon through the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) in San Diego. … Is a USA Triathlon Level I Certified Coach.

Competed in her first triathlon through the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club… Her biggest mentor in the sport is fellow triathlete and 2016 U.S. Paralympic bronze medalist Melissa Stockwell. … Besides triathlon, she enjoys trail running, downhill skiing, reading, psychology, brunch and coffee. @hailstormusa

Connected with her current guide, renowned age-group triathlete Kirsten Sass, after her previous guide was not able to compete 11 days prior to the 2017 ITU World Paratriathlon Series race in Yokohama, Japan. … Founded No Sight No Limits, a triathlon camp dedicated to producing elite-level blind triathletes in San Diego. … Is a certified sommelier.

Guide: Kirsten Sass of Guide: Jillian Elliot of Gig

@jamiebrowntri

McKenzie, Tenn.

Harbor, Wash. @nosightnolimits @LizBaker920 U S A T R I AT H LO N M A G A Z I N E

27

Meet Team USA

KElly

INXOY

MXGIK

Elmlinger

>XKZYIN

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

42

29

35

23

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

San Antonio, Texas

Downers Grove, Ill.

Elkins, W.Va.

Jamestown, Ohio

RGYYOc IGZOUT

RGYYOc IGZOUT

RGYYOc IGZOUT

RGYYOc IGZOUT

PTS4

PTWC

PTS5

PTS5

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Gold medalist at 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Leeds and 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama. … 2019 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships silver medalist.

Three-time ITU Paratriathlon world champion (2014, 2015, 2016). ... 2019 ITU Paratriathlon World Championships silver medalist. … five-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019).

Fourth at 2016 Paralympic games. …twelve-time World Paratriathlon Event medalist…three-time ITU Paratriathlon World Championships bronze medalist. …two-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion.

2016 Paralympic gold medalist. …six-time ITU Paratriathlon World Championships medalist. … three-time USA Paratriathlon national champion.

Get to know her:

Get to know him:

Also a winter-sport Paralympian, competing in Nordic skiing and biathlon. … Won two gold medals in Nordic skiing at the Paralympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018. … Became involved with triathlon through Dare2tri.

Competed at Paralympic Games London 2012 in track and field in the 1,500 meters and marathon. …

Head coach of the varsity women’s triathlon team at Davis & Elkins College. …

His name is on the wall of fame in a bar in Michigan for eating 12 chili dogs in one sitting.

Get to know her: Was named the 2018 USA Paratriathlon Developmental Athlete of the Year after winning the 2018 USA Paratriathlon National Championships in just her second triathlon since becoming an amputee. … She has a daughter named Jayden who is her biggest motivator. … Served 10 years in the U.S. Army, including three back-to-back deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq. @theekellye

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hammer

norman

Get to know her: Also competed in track and field at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016. …

Became the first female amputee to finish on the podium at a high school track and field state championship. … In 2019, raced at Collegiate Club Nationals, becoming the second adaptive athlete ever (Allysa Seely the other) to compete in the able-bodied field.

@k.gretsch @chrishammer8

@gracenormantri

paratriathletes

aaron

Allysa

brad

Melissa

snyder

ZUIQ]KRR

INKOJOKY

seely

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

AgE:

39

32

37

41

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

Hometown:

Seattle, Wash.

Glendale, Ariz.

Baltimore, Md.

Colorado Springs, Colo.

RGYYOc IGZOUT

RGYYOc IGZOUT

RGYYOc IGZOUT

RGYYOc IGZOUT

PTVI

PTS2

PTVI

PTS2

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Career highlights:

Seven-time ITU Paratriathlon world champion. … eight-time USA Paratriathlon national champion. … six-time ITU World Paratriathlon event gold medalist.

2016 Paralympic gold medalist. … six-time ITU Paratriathlon World Championships medalist. … twelve-time ITU World Paratriathlon event gold medalist.

Two-time Paralympian in swimming (2012, 2016). … seven-time medalist (5 gold, 2 silver). ... 2019 World Paratriathlon Series Yokohama bronze medalist.

Get to know him:

Get to know her:

Get to know him:

Has raced with his guide, professional triathlete Ben Collins, for more than a decade. … Together, the duo competed at the Paralympic Games Rio 2016 in road cycling, as the 2016 Games did not include the men’s PTVI classification in paratriathlon.

Won an ESPY in 2019 for Best Female Athlete with a Disability. … Was a member of the Arizona State University collegiate club triathlon team and a nationally ranked triathlete before being diagnosed with Chiari II Malformation, basilar invagination, and Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, which affect her brain, spine, and connective tissues. … Elite/Pro Athlete Representative on the USA Triathlon Board of Directors.

In 2011, was blinded after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in the U.S. Navy in Afghanistan. …

A year later, won gold in the Paralympic Games London 2012.

2016 Paralympic bronze medalist. … three-time ITU Paratriathlon World Champion (2012, 2011, 2010). … nine-time ITU World Paratriathlon Event medalist. … five-time USA Paratriathlon National Champion (2019,2018, 2013, 2012, 2011).

Guide: Ben Collins of Seattle, Wash. @aaron_scheidies

@triallysa

Guide: Greg Billington, 2016 U.S. Olympian, of Spokane, Wash. @bradsnyderusa

Get to know her: An Iraq War veteran, Stockwell became the first female American soldier in history to lose a limb in active combat. … Honored with a Purple Heart and a Bronze Star. … The first Iraq War veteran to qualify for the Paralympic Games, she competed in swimming at the Beijing 2008 Paralympics. … Co-founder of the Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club. … Serves on the board of directors for the USA Triathlon Foundation and the USA Triathlon Women’s Committee. @mstockwell01

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Follow the Paralympic Action Mark your Calendars

Wish Team USA Good Luck!

PTS4 men, PTS2 women, PTVI men and women: Friday, Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ET (Saturday, Aug. 28 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time) PTWC men and women, PTS5 men and women: Saturday, Aug. 28 at 5:30 p.m. ET (Sunday, Aug. 29 at 6:30 a.m. Tokyo time)

How to Watch NBCUniversal is making an unprecedented commitment to the Paralympic Games with a record 1,200 hours of programming, including the first-ever primetime hours on NBC. Broadcast schedules and live streaming for the Paralympic Games will be available on www.nbcolympics.com and in the NBC Sports app. USA Triathlon will share official broadcast times and channels when available at www.usatriathlon.org/tokyo2020.

Golden in Rio Triathlon made its Paralympic debut at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, and the U.S. women shined, winning four medals. Allysa Seely, Hailey Danisewicz (now Hailey Danz) and Melissa Stockwell captured a historic U.S. sweep in the women’s PT2 classification, while Grace Norman earned gold in the women’s PT4 classification. Will we see more hardware in Tokyo?

Let the U.S. Paralympic and Olympic Triathlon Teams know you’ll be cheering for them. Write a note, film a short video or take a photo to share your well wishes.

Post your message on social media using the hashtag #TokyoUnited and tag @usatriathlon or email it to USA Triathlon at communications@ usatriathlon.org with “Good Luck!” in the subject line.

the race format The paratriathlon events follow a sprint format, and consist of a 750-meter swim, a 20-kilometer bike and a 5-kilometer run at Odaiba Marine Park.

The program includes medal events for four classes for each gender:

PTWC men/women

PTS2 women

PTS4 men

PTS5 men/women

PTVI men/women

wheelchair users

severe impairments

moderate impairments

mild impairments

total or partial visual impairment

Overall, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be the largest in history, with 540 medal events in 22 sports and 4,400 athletes.

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SUMMER 2021

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Duathlon National Champions Crowned in Tuscaloosa

Duathlon Nationals drew athletes ages 14-85 from across the United States.

Fourteen-year-old Clara James-Heer (Grand Rapids, Mich.) ran away with the Draft-Legal Sprint national title May 23 at the USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, winning the title by 5 minutes, 12 seconds ahead of second place finisher Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.).

Hickey captured the Non-Drafting Sprint title on the first day of competition, while Todd Buckingham (Big Rapids, Mich.) took the men’s Non-Drafting Sprint title. Adoh Doherty (Taunton, Mass.) captured the victory in the men’s Draft-Legal Sprint.

Alex Arman (Boulder, Colo.) and Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.) claimed the Non-Drafting Standard-Distance national titles.

2021 USA Triathlon Duathlon National Championships Standard-Distance National Champions 10k run, 39.6k bike, 5.4k run Male Overall: Alex Arman (Boulder, Colo.), 1:53:46 Female Overall: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:12:50 Male Elite: Eric Hill (Waukesha, Wis.), 2:04:51 Female Elite: Kari Giles (Austell, Ga.), 2:19:48 Male Masters: Lee Piercy (Folsom, Calif.), 1:56:19 Female Masters: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:12:50 Male Grand Masters: Paul Greenberg (Westport, Conn.), 2:11:59 Female Grand Masters: Kirsten Chapman (Edmond, Okla.), 2:29:12 M17-19: Colin Wong (Roseville, Calif.) 1:59:39 F17-19: Margaret Anne Ridlehuber (Tazewell, Va.), 3:04:13 M20-24: Dixon Atkins (Isla Vista, Calif.), 2:03:51 F20-24: Katherine Guo (New York, N.Y.), 2:42:10 M25-29: Adoh Doherty (Taunton, Mass.), 1:55:14 F25-29: Samantha Downey (Denver, Colo.), 2:31:46 M30-34: Alex Arman (Boulder, Colo.), 1:53:46 F30-34: Paige Orcutt (Morrison, Colo.), 2:31:36 M35-39: Chris Gregory (Carpinteria, Calif.), 2:00:44 F35-39: Rendy Williams (Newport Beach, Calif.), 2:23:00 M40-44: Jerry Faulkner (New York, N.Y.), 2:03:08 F40-44: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2:12:50 M45-49: Lee Piercy (Folsom, Calif.), 1:56:19 F45-49: Erica Ruge (Longmont, Colo.), 2:23:48 M50-54: Thomas Woods (Lincoln, Neb.), 2:05:19 F50-54: Deanna Newman (Birmingham, Ala.), 2:14:35 M55-59: Ronald Reynolds Gambrills, Md.), 2:14:46 F55-59: Kirsten Chapman (Edmond, Okla.), 2:29:12 M60-64: Paul Greenberg (Westport, Conn.), 2:11:59 F60-64: Kathleen Johnston (Nashville, Tenn.), 2:44:36 M65-69: Rob Duncanson (Napa, Calif.), 2:34:29 F65-69: Lorrie Beck (Williamstown, N.J.), 2:41:42 M70-74: Bob Becker (Midlothian, Va.), 2:44:55 F70-74: Sharon Gerl (Bend, Ore.), 3:02:14 M75-79: Finn Hassing (Hickory, N.C.), 3:04:00 F75-79: Nancy Mallon (Denver, Colo.), 4:02:19 M80-84: Lockett Wood (Lyons, Colo.), 3:56:26 F80-84: Sharon Roggenbuck (Hillsborough, N.C.), 4:16:47 Clydesdale 40-59: Lance Fargo (Dover, Del.), 2:26:33 Athena 40-54: Nicole Dieckow (Anniston, Ala.), 2:40:00 Clydesdale 39 & Under: Jonathon Sellers (Indianapolis, Ind.), 2:38:16 Athena 39 & Under: Ashley Miller, 3:22:35

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Non-Drafting Sprint National Champions 5k run, 20k bike, 2.9k run Male Overall: Todd Buckingham (Big Rapids, Mich.), 57:24 Female Overall: Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.), 1:08:18 Male Masters: Todd Ricketts (Newark, Ohio), 1:03:06 Female Masters: Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 1:10:04 Male Grand Masters: Greg Pelican (Estero, Fla.), 1:10:42 Female Grand Masters: Patty Peoples-Resh (Redlands, Calif.), 1:16:41 M15-19: Connor Spencer (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.), 1:06:20 F15-19: Cassidy Hickey (Parker, Colo.), 1:08:18 M20-24: Blake Lowery (Gainesville, Fla.), 1:00:44 F20-24: Rita Johnson (Nashville, Tenn.), 1:27:27 M25-29: Clayton Wilson (Greensboro, N.C.), 1:06:50 F25-29: Abigail Busse (Ann Arbor, Mich.), 1:18:51 M30-34: Todd Buckingham (Big Rapids, Mich.), 57:24 F30-34: Julie Cushen (San Francisco, Calif.), 1:16:04 M35-39: Michael Fowler (Wichita, Kan.), 1:07:15 F35-39: Karoline Muehlfellner (Dunedin, Fla.), 1:13:16 M40-44: Todd Ricketts (Newark, Ohio), 1:03:06 F40-44: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:12:38 M45-49: Toby Dogwiler (Springfield, Mo.), 1:03:52 F45-49: Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 1:10:04 M50-54: Michael O’Riley (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:07:09 F50-54: Steph Popelar (Elizabeth, Colo.), 1:13:46 M55-59: Barry Phelps (Thompsons Station, Tenn.), 1:07:43 F55-59: Crystal Kyle (Peoria, Ill.), 1:24:21 M60-64: Greg Pelican (Estero, Fla.), 1:10:42 F60-64: Suzanne Cordes (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 1:21:16 M65-69: David Morrow (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 1:13:55 F65-69: Patty Peoples-Resh (Redlands, Calif.), 1:16:41 M70-74: Paul Braunschweiler (Omaha, Neb.), 1:18:17 F70-74: Ruth King (Ambler, Pa.), 1:39:46 M75-79: Richard Poole (York, Pa.), 1:31:27 F75-79: Heysoon Lee (Morristown, N.J.), 2:10:33 M80-84: Hugh Fish (Cary, N.C.), 2:06:55 F80-84: Luise Easton (Westlake, Ohio), 2:54:37 M85-89: Kenneth Fleischhacker (Littleton, Colo.), 1:42:01 Clydesdale 60+: Dominic Tocco (Waterford, N.Y.), 1:21:35 Clydesdale 40-59: Lance Fargo (Dover, Del.), 1:21:49 Athena 40-54: Jennifer Pollard (Milledgeville, Ga.), 2:22:15 Clydesdale 39 & Under: Kevin Gaston (Atlanta, Ga.), 1:34:29 Athena 39 & Under: Sharon Deane (Knoxville, Tenn.), 1:24:17 PC Open Male: Jeremy Winters (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 1:23:12 PC Open Female: Christine Wodke (Sulphur, Okla.), 1:55:51 Draft-Legal Sprint Duathlon National Championships 5k run, 20k bike, 2.9k run Male Overall: Adoh Doherty (Taunton, Mass.), 56:29 Female Overall: Clara James-Heer (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 1:04:34 Male Masters: Jared Nieters (Warrenton, Va.), 1:02:45 Female Masters: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:10:28 Male Grand Masters: Greg Pelican (Estero, Fla.), 1:08:04 Female Grand Masters: Jodie Bolt (Lakewood, Wash.), 1:17:43 M15-19: Jackson Parrill (Parker, Colo.), 1:00:12 F15-19: Clara James-Heer (Grand Rapids, Mich.), 1:04:34 M20-24: Nicolas Jaradelamaza (Ruskin, Fla.), 1:04:58 F20-24: Carolyn Hoover (Bethesda, Md.), 1:34:04 M25-29: Adoh Doherty (Taunton, Mass.), 56:29 F25-29: Samantha Downey (Denver, Colo.), 1:12:52 M30-34: Nick Aguila (Manchester, N.H.), 56:47 F30-34: Paige Orcutt (Morrison, Colo.), 1:14:10 M35-39: Chris Fischer (Brooklyn, N.Y.), 1:05:58 F35-39: Karoline Muehlfellner (Dunedin, Fla.), 1:20:20 M40-44: Jared Nieters (Warrenton, Va.), 1:02:45 F40-44: Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 1:10:28 M45-49: Leandro Contreras (West Palm Beach, Fla.), 1:04:16 F45-49: Celia Dubey (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 1:13:24 M50-54: Thomas Woods (Lincoln, Neb.), 1:06:02 F50-54: Cynthia Abrami (Santa Barbara, Calif.), 1:15:25 M55-59: Barry Phelps (Thompsons Station, Tenn.), 1:05:37 F55-59: Jodie Bolt (Lakewood, Wash.), 1:17:43 M60-64: Greg Pelican (Estero, Fla.), 1:08:04 F60-64: Suzanne Cordes (Daytona Beach, Fla.), 1:20:20 M65-69: Mike Lies (Lawrenceburg, Ind.), 1:13:41 F65-69: Colleen Rebant (Ovilla, Texas), 1:25:36 M70-74: Keith Woodward (Stowe, Vt.), 1:18:11 F70-74: Vicki McCloskey (Washington, N.H.), 1:34:04 M75-79: Leandro Contreras (West Palm Beach, Fla.), 1:16:40 F75-79: Nancy Mallon (Denver, Colo.), 2:02:23 M80-84: Lockett Wood (Lyons, Colo.), 1:55:06 F80-84: Sharon Roggenbuck (Hillsborough, N.C.), 2:16:25 M85-89: Kenneth Fleischhacker (Littleton, Colo.), 1:41:54 Clydesdale 60+: Michael Demello (Vacaville, Calif.), 1:44:38 Clydesdale 40-59: Marcelo DaSilva (Culver City, Calif.), 1:14:15 Athena 40-54: Kimee Armour (Auburn, Ill.), 2:13:06 Clydesdale 39 & Under: Jonathon Sellers (Indianapolis, Ind.), 1:16:13 Athena 39 & Under: Sharon Deane (Knoxville, Tenn.), 1:21:43

Champions crowned at Off-Road Nationals Kathryn Lockwood (Irvine, Calif.) and Tom Eickelberg (Leonia, N.J.) earned overall titles at the 2021 USA Triathlon Off-Road National Championships, hosted by Ready Set Go Adventures in conjunction with the Way Over Yonder the Beast Triathlon at Wawayanda State Park.

Off-Road Nationals featured a 1,500-meter swim, 30-kilometer mountain bike and 10-kilometer trail run. In total, 21 athletes won off-road national titles in their age groups or in the Clydesdale/Athena divisions.

2021 USA Triathlon Off-Road National Championships 1,500m swim, 30k mountain bike, 10k trail run Overall Female: Kathryn Lockwood (Irvine, Calif.), 4:07:25 Overall Male: Tom Eickelberg (Leonia, N.J.), 2:58:18 M17-19: Noah Wales (Springville, Calif.), 3:16:20 M20-24: Nathan Cohen (Oxnard, Calif.), 2:59:35 F25-29: Kelly Macchia (Coventry, Conn.), 5:07:19 M25-29: Maxime Troast (N.J.), 3:08:14 M30-34: Tom Eickelberg (New York), 2:58:18 F35-39: Jennifer Higgins (Bozeman, Mont.), 4:11:04 M35-39: Todd Stackhouse (Lakewood, Colo.), 3:24:50 F40-44: Amy Nalven (Brick, N.J.), 4:19:17 M40-44: Josh Flanagan (Alton, N.H.), 3:16:57 F45-49: Kathryn Lockwood (Irvine, Calif.), 4:07:25 M45-49: James Libecco (Solon, Ohio), 3:34:31 F50-54: Nicole Sin Quee (New York, N.Y.), 4:17:09 M50-54: Stephen Judice (Daytona, Ala.), 3:27:31 F55-59: Celeste St. Pierre (Lincoln, N.H.), 4:35:45 M55-59: Doug Guertin (Monson, Mass.), 3:43:11 F60-64: Beverly Enslow (Metamora, Ill.), 4:49:21 M60-64: Morgan Stebbins (Garrison, N.Y.), 3:42:34 F65-69: Susan Griffin-Kaklikian (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 5:24:13 M65-69: Steve Cole (Ga.), 4:17:58 M70-74: James Clark (North Haven, Conn.), 5:19:26 M Clydesdale 40-59: Nimmers Stern (Astoria, N.Y.), 4:13:39

First-ever Military Championships The inaugural USA Triathlon Military and First Responders National Championships were held Sunday, June 6, as part of Leon’s Triathlon in Hammond, Indiana, to honor the service and sacrifice of members of the U.S. Armed Forces as well as police, fire and EMS personnel in the multisport community. Leon’s Triathlon, dubbed “America’s Race,” has a long legacy of honoring and empowering U.S. service men and women, especially injured military veterans.

2021 USA Triathlon Military and First Responders National Championships Sprint-Distance 500-meter swim, 11.6-mile bike, 3.1-mile run) Military: Active-Duty/Reserves (F): Kimee Armour (Auburn, Ill.), U.S. Navy, 1:49:50 Retired/Veteran (M): Don Cain (Westerville, Ohio), U.S. Marine Corps, 1:06:09 Retired/Veteran (F) Para, Ambulatory: Lee Kuxhaus (San Antonio, Texas), U.S. Air Force, 2:46:54 Retired/Veteran (F) Para, Wheelchair: Jataya Taylor (Aurora, Colo.), U.S. Marine Corps, 1:37:54 First Responders: Police/Law Enforcement (F): Theresa Hickey (Chicago, Ill.), 1:49:16 Police/Law Enforcement (M): Joseph Giunta (Algonquin, Ill.), 1:41:42 Fire/EMS (F): Donna Wrenn (Chicago, Ill.), 2:15:48 Olympic-Distance 1,500m swim, 23.2-mile bike, 5.2-mile run Military Active-Duty/Reserves (F): Katie Cullingford (Jacksonville, Fla.), U.S. Navy, 2:10:40 Active-Duty/Reserves (M): Ian King (Shepherdstown, W.V.), U.S. Coast Guard, 2:01:39 Retired/Veteran (F): Nancy Lyon-Stadler (Shaker Heights, Ohio), U.S. Air Force, 2:39:52 Retired/Veteran (M): Douglas Marocco (Montclair, Va.), U.S. Marine Corps, 2:17:12 First Responders Police/Law Enforcement (F): Katie Negley (Aurora, Ill.), 2:49:58 Police/Law Enforcement (M): Jeffrey Zwit (Chicago, Ill.), 2:21:21 Fire/EMS (M): Jesse Oostema (Shorewood, Ill.), 2:28:40

Va s h a H u n t

AT H L E T E S P OT L I G H T

Grayson Masterson

Macie Whelan

Age 10, Kansas

Age 6, Pennsylvania

Who inspired me to start doing triathlon: I went to a triathlon camp when I was 9, and I loved it!

Why I love triathlon: I love to swim, bike and run.

Career goal: World champion triathlete

Favorite Olympic or Paralympic athlete: Simone Biles

Pre-race food: Any kind of pasta Advice for a new triathlete: My mom tells me "A good athlete works out. A great athlete out works."

Most memorable triathlon moment: When I got first place in my age group in my first international triathlon in Daytona, Florida

Pre-race food: Chocolate energy bar

Advice for a new triathlete: Don't stop until you get to the end, then you can fall down!

Most memorable triathlon moment: When I won first place at my first triathlon when I was 5.

Before a race, nerves are normal. Use this energy to perform your best. Tips from 2016 Olympic gold medalist, Gwen Jorgensen: Accept that you are nervous: Say to yourself, “I know I am nervous, but I will perform my best because I prepared with hard work, practice, and patience.”

Write your process-based goals: Process-based goals are not a finishing place or a time. They focus on technique and mental strategy.

Write and practice a race day timeline: A timeline should include when you will wake up, eat, hydrate and warm up. Following a schedule eliminates second guessing. A timeline is not static, but fluid and will be adjusted throughout the day. It provides a template to roughly base your day off of.

Reflect on your preparation: Review your journal if you have one, or the work you’ve done leading up to the race.

Don’t forget to smile: Race day is a time to have fun and make yourself proud. You’ve worked hard, and now it’s time to celebrate your fitness!

Converging Photography

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R E V I E W S

Gear Up For Summer 2021 The products featured below are from partners of USA Triathlon

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Company Says These gloves share the responsibility of keeping your extremities warm, without restricting any movement.

These innovative swimming socks are some of the warmest available on the market, perfect for those who suffer from cold feet or swim in cold water.

Tester Says I love these products. The socks are great to walk through weeds or to the beach and are skid resistant on wet tile floors. The sand doesn’t stick when they are dry and once they are wet, the sand quickly sheds off. It is

Rudy Project Spinshield USA Triathlon Edition $169.99 (25% off of MSRP for USA Triathlon members) www.rudyprojectna.com/collections/performance-sunglasses/products/spinshield-usa-triathlon-edition

Company Says The Spinshield has successfully paired an edgy stylish design with performance. The USA Triathlon edition is no exception, ensuring unlimited eye protection and superior eye comfort, while combining a wide wraparound deep horizon lens, ultra-grip rubber tips and nose pads. The elements ensure a snug stable fit thanks to the Pro-Fit ergonomic temple geometry.

Tester Says It’s easy to forget that you have these glasses on your face until people keep stopping you to ask about them because they are so distinctive.

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SUMMER 2021

so nice to have warm hands, which the gloves provide. It is easy to swim with them on. Both the socks and gloves are easy to use, similar to putting on a wetsuit. My hands and feet stay warm!

The Gist These tight-fitting and secure gloves and socks prevent water from coming in. The ease of putting on the gloves and socks, along with the ability to tuck them into a wetsuit, adds to the effectiveness of this product. These are perfect for early or late season open water swimming, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking or ice fishing.

Tester Dana Locken, 62, Bath, South Dakota

But they are not just good looking, they are feather light with a huge unobstructed field of vision. The lenses are clear, and the frames grip with just the right tension to keep them from bouncing during a run — but not so tight that they hurt. These sunglasses have become my primary daily sunglasses and I love them.

I have used them for cycling, running, cross-country skiing, downhill skiing and daily life.

The Gist These USA Triathlon edition sunglasses are stylish and effective.

The detailed elements added to the glasses, such as the ultra-grip rubber tips and nose pads, provide excellent eye protection while being light and unnoticeable when wearing them.

Tester Steve Van Wart, 66, Scottsdale, Arizona

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The Calm

By Jeff Matlow

ome experts estimate that as much as 77% of the population suffers from glossophobia.

No, it’s not the fear of lip gloss (that’s maquillaphobia), but rather it’s the fear of public speaking.

More people have glossophobia than they do thanatophobia (a fear of dying). In other words, dying, for many, is a less fearful outcome than having to speak in public.

I’m not one of those people.

Granted, I’ve got my fair share of phobias — basophobia, acrophobia, claustrophobia, arachnophobia, atychiphobia — but glossophobia is not one of them. I actually enjoy public speaking and I am fortunate to be able to do it fairly often.

I probably have a little bit of xenophobia (fear of strangers), though it’s oddly a reaction to a touch of isolophobia (fear of being alone) that I’ve come to notice in myself. In a funny way, public speaking allows me to be social without the xenophobia and lets me be alone without the isolophobia. Weird right?

When I think about it, which I clearly have done, these phobias (specifically xeno- and isolo-) are probably the reasons why I’m attracted to individual sports and not team sports. Like doing public speaking, when I swim, bike or run, I can be in a group and still be alone. Goodbye xenophobia. Adios isolophobia.

But, alas, hello kakorrhaphiophobia (fear of failure).

I have high expectations of myself.

I want to succeed but I don’t always define what success is, which sets me up for a feeling of failure. Enter agoraphobia (anxiety) to battle the kakorrhaphiophobia.

I’m convinced there is an agoraphobia gremlin that lives in my body.

He just sits on top of my brain in that creepy way with his legs crossed and his fingers thump thumping. When

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SUMMER 2021

The calm before the chaos: Triathletes at IRONMAN 70.3 Texas line up at race start this spring in Galveston, Texas.

I stay still and quiet, I can feel that steady hum of anxiety in the background. It’s subtle, but it’s there.

I distinctly remember the fear I had right before I did my first triathlon. It was practically crippling. The agoraphobia gremlin was doing a jig on my sanity. I couldn’t eat the day before. I didn’t sleep the night before. I wanted to throw up the morning of the event.

I think my body was, quite literally, shaking with fear. And that was just a super-sprint.

I remember that fear so distinctly because, 30 years into this multisport journey of mine, I still have a similar fear (though a bit diminished) at every triathlon I do.

From the time I was 13, I suffered from thalassophobia (fear of swimming in large bodies of water). There was a somewhat traumatic jellyfish incident that had me shun the ocean.

Or maybe it was that time I got so tumbled in a wave that I didn’t know which way was air, and I went the wrong way. Then again, maybe the movie Jaws was to blame. That one put me over the edge. Either way, I didn’t get into open water until I was 30 when, for some godforsaken reason, I decided to do a triathlon.

That first triathlon went well. In some respects, so well that it made me want to do another. In other respects, it went so poorly that I wanted to do another. And so I did another.

And another. Because I’m Type A+.

And because I know that I always want to do better than before.

A funny thing happened to me along the path of this multisport life I adopted. I came to realize that if I’m with a bunch of people, and if we are all focused on the same goal, and if I’m just trying to stay relaxed and in a groove, then those fears that I have, I actually forget they are there.

When the streets are clear, when nobody is within two bike lengths of me, when my goal is to maintain my cadence and listen to my body, there are no fears.

When I start moving, when the serotonin starts flowing, when I finally exhale, I emerge into a different world. All my fears and anxieties just fade away. My mind is free, the gremlin is gone and I never ever want it to end.

In chaos there is calm.

Doing a triathlon can be a scary thing. But you know what’s even scarier? Sitting at home and succumbing to fear.

And that, my friends, is why I am a triathlete.

Jeff Matlow writes a newsletter that you’ll like. Subscribe here: bit.ly/IAJNewsletter.

You can also reach him on the Twitter machine @theIAmJeff

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