The GB team had a sizeable contingent of around 150 racers, having qualified from Ironman races around the globe in the 2019 and late 2018 season.

One such athlete was Will Newbery, a long-term presence on the UK tri scene, former national champion and head coach at ‘9 Endurance Coaching’.

Having hit his goal of going sub-10hrs in the M40-44 category in Saturday’s 226km-long race, here’s Will’s verdict on the Kona experience for age-groupers…

ON THE KONA RACE WEEK EXPERIENCE

Kona is like Disney land for triathletes. All the big brands are grabbing your attention, all the fittest humans in the world wandering round in their Speedos. There’s a huge buzz for the few days before, and some panic training to try to emulate the super athletes when really you should be resting! The locals are so friendly and they seem genuinely happy and in awe of everyone. 

ON REPRESENTING GB

I went to the Parade of Nations and that’s a brilliant experience, but I wanted to have a bit more time with close friends and family rather than do the Team GB thing. I had eight athletes – and myself – that I’ve helped coach over the years here, so I tried to give them support if they needed it.

ON THE HAWAII SWIM

The course is so tough. On paper it should be fairly easy but the elements add a whole new dimension. The heat wasn’t ridiculous on Saturday but the humidity hit hard. The swim waves were interesting and definitely broke up the majority of the packs but disrupted the swim. My age-group started 2nd and within 400m we were catching the weaker swimmers from the group in front.

ON THE BIKE & RUN

The wind on the last 55km of the bike was brutal but the run is awesome. Ali’i drive is crazy. Busy. Loud. It’s tougher than you’d think with the gentle undulations. And the Queen K is like an oven with no wind. And it’s so quiet out there with no traffic, so the only noise is your feet on the asphalt and the aid stations.

ON THE KONA FINISH LINE EXPERIENCE

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The return to Kona town is okay but by that time the energy reserves are fading. Coming down Palani is a blessing because you know you’re a mile from home, but it’s so painful on your quads. With cheering and shouting crowds, it’s one of triathlon’s most recognisable finish line experiences and it doesn’t disappoint. I set out to go sub-10hr and managed to do that, so I’m super happy.

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Kona you beautiful beast you…

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The long road ahead: cyclists out on the 180km bike leg

Beautiful Kona – there’s nowhere quite like it for triathletes

Matthew Brumby of Australia out on the road 

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The evening sun: runners competing as the Kona sun sets 

It’s a family affair: Tim O’Donnell celebrates after his second place finish with his wife and Kona great Mirinda Carfrae

It’s a German first: Anne Haug holds the German flag aloft as she not only celebrates winning Kona but also being the first German woman winner…and therefore, as fellow compatriot Jan Frodeno won the men’s, it is also the first time Germany has done the double

The support network: Reace Charles-Barclay supports his wife Lucy at the finish after she gave the race everything she had

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The final finisher: The incredible 80-year-old Al Tarkington from the United States crosses the line

–        Train in a professionalised squad with 121 coaching up to 9 times per week from an award-winning coach?

–        Receive sponsorship from companies like CLIF Bar, Aquasphere, MP swimwear and Forth edge?

–        Get regular mentoring, education sessions, socials, free facility usage as well as accessing a network of over 200 athletes and coaches through membership of one of the biggest and oldest clubs in the country?

If so…One of the oldest tri clubs in Scotland, Edinburgh Triathletes, is set to launch a new adult age-group performance squad for athletes of all distances seeking a more professionalised training environment and coaching support.

The new squad will be sponsored by Simpson & Marwick, one of the biggest solicitor estate agents in Edinburgh and East Lothian (www.simpsonmarwick.com) and built on the foundations of the highly successful JETS squad which produced 66 GB age-group performances, 11 medallist, multiple 70.3 podium finishers and Scottish, British, European and World age-group champions as well as awards for both coaching and athletic achievement across the last 5 years.

Previous JETS and new ET Squad coach Joel Enoch says “While the JETS had been more successful than I could have possibly imagined, there seemed to be a better opportunity to support triathletes and grow opportunities for both athletes and coaches by relaunching as part of a large and well established club such as ET. One of the weaknesses of the JETS set up was that it was a bit isolated from the wider Triathlon community, but the new ET squad offers an exciting opportunity to support squad athletes more fully, in a more sustainable manner that also benefits the wider club athletes as well as offering for more advantages for sponsors. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to develop this new coaching environment with the rest of the ET committee and membership”.

The focus for the club now turns to establishing a roster of athletes who want to take advantage of this initiative and they are keen to hear from any triathletes based in or around Edinburgh who are interested in applying for the upcoming 2020 season. Training is due to start on Tuesday the 29th of October 2019 (so time is of the essence) and ET aim to build athlete numbers over the following weeks establishing a full squad of 13-15 athletes by Christmas.

The aim is to offer a professionalised training environment to amateur athletes at the best value possible. Squad athletes will receive:

Up to 9 coached sessions per week (swim, bike, run, brick and S&C)
Regular programme of mentoring and 121 sessions (individualised approach)
Education/Athlete development sessions
Technique video analysis sessions
Sports psychology training
WKO Training metrics analysis
Athlete handbook and training session library
Free access to squad facilities for sessions
Sponsor benefits (From partners such as CLIF Bar etc)
Discounted massage, nutritional profiling and S&C support
Free ET Tri-suit
Online group and individual planning and monitoring documents to track progression
Squad socials and annual awards
Access to squad WattsApp group
Access to squad turbos for indoor sessions
Access to ‘full’ coaching (limited places and at additional coast)

The cost for this will be just £137.50 per 4-week block (12 blocks per year), in addition to the £110 ET Gold Membership fee (which in turn gives members additional discounts).

Is it for you? The ET squad is about establishing a group of individuals who want to excel together towards international competition or qualification (GB AG, 70.3 or IM); but personality and mindset are most important. Ask yourself, are you:

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Committed to – Your training, growth, long term development, coaching process and racing?
Questioning – Will you try new things to get new (and improved) results?
Trusting – able to place yourself in the hands of a coach and an annual training process?
Professional – Becoming ‘elite’ in what you do in training and how you do it?
Positive – Enthusiastic about the opportunities you are presented with. Someone who avoids negative talk?
Growth minded – Looking to improve your performance in all areas as much as possible?

If this seems like an exciting opportunity you would be keen to explore, we want to hear from you. Even if you aren’t sure, ET would be very happy to talk it though with you and you can try a few sessions for free before you commit.

If interested, email Squad Coach Joel Enoch: [email protected]

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ET will be reviewing applications over the coming weeks and having conversations with athletes from the week of the 21st of October onwards.

In the first study of its kind, scientists investigated just how much an increased testosterone levels impacted athletic performance. They randomly assigned 48 physically active and healthy 18-35-year-old old women to 10 weeks of daily treatment with either 10mg of testosterone cream or 10mg of an inactive (placebo) substance. Hormone levels and body composition were measured at the beginning and end of the 10-week trial period, along with aerobic performance, which involved measuring how long the women could run on a treadmill before reaching the point of exhaustion.

In the group of women that were given the testosterone cream, testosterone levels rose from 0.9nmol/litre of blood to 4.3nmol/l. This had the effect of increasing their running time to exhaustion by a significant by 21.17secs (8.5%). Their lean muscle mass increased from 135g to 923g overall; and in their legs 91g to 398g.

There were no significant changes between the two groups on any of the anaerobic performance measures. Nor were there any changes in weight between the two groups at the end of the 10-week trial period.

“Our results are therefore of great importance for the ongoing discussion of whether it’s fair to allow athletes with naturally high testosterone to compete in the female category without reducing their hormonal concentration to the female range,” the scientists conclude.

The prevalence of elite female athletes with conditions that cause women to have male levels of testosterone is thought to be around 140 times higher than in the general population. The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has stipulated that these athletes must lower testosterone levels to below 5nmol/l of blood to be eligible to compete at international level in middle-distance races (400m to 1-mile). This policy has been widely criticised and legally challenged.

The researchers acknowledge that their study didn’t include elite athletes, was relatively small, and that the trial period lasted only 10 weeks.

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The paper was published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

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The Agilis swimskin was used by Alistair Brownlee for his maiden 3.8km Kona swim leg, while the Anemoi + tri-suit seen here was donned by David McNamee while racing. 

After years of R&D, the original Anemoi was created by Huub and aerodynamicist Dan Bigham (with input from McNamee) and was labelled a landmark tri-suit by our testers on release in 2017 due to its aerodynamics and comfort, and the new suit has a number of upgrades. 

We’ve been using a sample out in Kona and the UK for a number of weeks and the key changes are the fully bonded seams, which are said to save an extra four watts in aerodynamic tests conducted at the Derby Arena velodrome and the Vorteq cycling-specific wind tunnel in Northampton.

There’s also the new patent-pending Neoprene Trip Technology that aims to further improve aerodynamics, while further upgrades include an Arms Neutral position to limit restriction on the swim leg and a little longer zip than the original Anemoi.

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We’ll be testing in issue 372 of 220, out on 28 November.

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The ‘Organic Hellfire & Brimstone’ flavour and ‘Extra Messy’ formulation is bittersweet and complex – and we’ve almost finalised the recipe, we just need to get it signed off by the TORQ Brexit Committee. We’re taking pre-orders now and we might deliver before 31st October, or we might not ever deliver at all, we’re not quite sure at the moment!”

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For more details head to https://www.torqfitness.co.uk/news/torq-brexit-bar

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The partnership would imply there’s little risk to using artificial assistance to help see you through what is, after all, billed as the hardest one-day event on the planet. If it reduces discomfort and is promoted by the biggest brand in the sport, what could possibly be amiss?

Plenty, according to the backlash from both medical professionals, and professional and amateur athletes, who believe the drugs’ side effects – to fatal levels in extremis – are not being disclosed to an unwitting endurance sport community.

“There is a high risk of adverse effects to multiple organ systems including gastro-intestinal, kidney and cardiovascular,” says Craig Rosenbloom, a sports and exercise medicine doctor, who has conducted a review into the research on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in relation to endurance events. “Fatal effects include hyponatraemia (low salt levels in the blood), kidney failure, stroke, and heart attack.”

Britain’s multiple Ironman champion Lucy Gossage underlined that sentiment on Twitter: “I think it’s ludicrous to have a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug sponsoring Ironman. The message this is sending out is wrong on so many levels.”

Aleve is the brand name for naproxen, an NSAID sold over-the-counter in the USA, but mainly available on prescription in the UK. Rosenbloom cautions that its purported benefits of pain prevention and injury treatment are not backed up by evidence, and stresses that Aleve’s half-life can be up to 17 hours – compared to 2hrs for Ibuprofen – thereby extending its health risk potential.

Ironically, this “last all day” message is billed as a benefit by Lisa Tecklenburg of Bayer, the global drug company that produces Aleve. “When people hear ‘Ironman,’ they know that it stands for overcoming obstacles to reach the pinnacle of performance,” Tecklenburg says. “Aches and pains can be obstacles as well.”

And herein lies the nub of the issue. Aches and pains resulting from a 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run, are a normal reaction from a stressed body due to exercise. 

They are our cue for when to push on and when to ease back and allow for adaptation. Viewing them as obstacles to be removed by numbing the discomfort shows no sense of listening to our bodies’ warning signs, so it’s little wonder trying this shortcut has health consequences. Some ultra events already ban NSAIDs due to the health risks, and although largely unenforceable, it at least sends out the right message.

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In research for this column, I’ve been contacted by those who ended up in hospital with the onset of renal failure after taking tablets during an ultra run. None of this seems to shift Ironman. “Athletes need safe and effective solutions that allow them to address the muscle aches and joint pain that could hold them back from being their best,” says Matthieu van Veen, Ironman’s chief revenue officer. “This is why the collaboration with Aleve for the Ironman World Championship is such a perfect match.” Ironman was contacted for a response to this column.

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220: Can you share your top advice for the off-season?

Andy: Maximise recovery. Very little in nature flourishes all year round and this is certainly true for athletes.  

Take your time to relax and let your body unwind from a hard season of racing. Make sure that when you get back to training you do so gradually, incorporating easy sessions and a good recovery routine. 

What are your favourite swimming drills?

My favourite drills fit into two areas. The first is to improve body position by doing drills such as kicking on your side and six kick, one stroke, six kick (6-1-6). 

The second is to improve the feeling of catch and propulsion through drills such as sculling.

What do prioritise for bike training? 

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Along with working on an aerobic base through long and sociable steady rides, it’s good to build strength through the winter.

This can be done by increasing the number of hills that you ride up or if you don’t have too many hills, spend a bit more time in the big ring pushing a big gear. 

If you do ride up hills, remember to work your descending skills on the way back down too! 

How do your running sessions change in winter?

Run sessions can move to spend a little more time working on a weakness, be it technique, strength, endurance or speed. 

Running hills is again useful here as they will help you develop a strong technique (focus on running tall with high hips) and also give you a good cardiovascular workout. 

For the remainder of the sessions, working at a steady effort to improve aerobic base is good.

How do you change your approach to nutrition?

Remember that everything is about balance and that the off-season coincides with Christmas, which can be a time to relax a little. 

Away from this you might want to consider working on getting into good nutritional habits such as reducing the amount of processed sugars in your diet.

Also, make sure your post-training recovery nutrition is optimised, using something like milk or a recovery drink.

Is there any winter-specific training gear you cannot do without?

Warm clothing is a must for the UK winter; a warm body functions much better than a cold one!  

On the bike gloves, waterproof overshoes and something to keep your ears warm is a very good start, along with a good windproof jacket.  

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For run sessions some good leggings and a base layer that will help keep your upper body warm.