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This is the first investigation that compares the effects of heat and low-oxygen training side by side and the findings suggests that heat-based exercise can offer a more efficient means of improving altitude tolerance and physical performance than normobaric altitude training can provide.

“We show that when the duration and frequency of training performed in heat or at altitude are the same, the heat-based training can offer a more obtainable and time-efficient method to improving tolerance to altitude,” says lead author Dr. Ben J. Lee, from the University of Coventry. 

Dr. Lee and his co-authors asked a number of male cyclists to perform a time trial and tested their tolerance to low-oxygen levels before and after a series of ten daily 60 minute training sessions in either low-oxygen or hot conditions. In addition, blood samples were taken to see how their cells responded to the different training methods experienced by the cyclists.

Heat-based training reduced the physical strain experienced by the cyclists, as measured by their temperature and heart rates, as well as improved their time-trial performance. These positive effects matched those experienced by the cyclists that undertook low-oxygen training. The blood analysis showed that the stress response at a cellular level was also the same, indicating that there was little difference between the two exercise methods.

“There are many companies that provide normobaric altitude training and acclimation sessions prior to completing mountainous treks. However, the evidence that this form of training offers any enhanced adaptation to ‘real world’ altitude is limited. Therefore people preparing for an altitude trek may be better off training with a heat stimulus rather than paying for expensive altitude sessions,” suggests Dr. Lee.

The authors of the study stress there are some limitations to their findings, with the results only relevant to the recreational, rather than high-performance, athlete. In addition, the cyclists were not tested for their performance at high altitudes. “Our results have only been tested using artificial altitude oxygen levels and not real-world altitudes,” explains Dr Lee.

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Heat training: What are benefits of using a heated-room for training?
Five great altitude training destinations for triathletes

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MARS Protein and SNICKERS Protein bars are available on Amazon. From May RSP £2.19.

Daily bar of chocolate boosts performance

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“The British Paratriathlon Championships arrive at a fitting point in the 2016 calendar. With a month to go until the sport makes its debut at the Rio Paralympics, athletes will be looking to make their final preparations ahead of the Games and get race-ready on home soil,” said Jonathan Riall, British Paratriathlon Head Coach.

The paratriathletes will be competing over the sprint distance, a swim of 750m, cycle 20km using hand cycles, bicycles or tandem bicycles with a guide, and a 5km wheelchair or running race. Athletes compete in six categories according to the nature of their physical ability.

Paratriathlon: the ultimate guide

 “Not only do the championships offer an occasion to showcase some of the country’s finest sporting talent, they also create a chance to unearth potential stars of the future and increase paratriathlon participation; giving novices the chance to race alongside established names. It should be a great day combining all aspects of multisport for spectators to enjoy,” said Jonathon.

Participants who are physically or visually impaired who aspire to compete in national or international paratriathlon can obtain an official classification before Tri Liverpool by emailing the paratriathlon team at [email protected].

CEO of British Triathlon, Jack Buckner, said: “This announcement is significant for our sport, as we look to bring together both triathletes and paratriathletes to compete on the same iconic course. With flat terrain, swift transition and a looping urban route, it’s a chance for all our competitors to aim for a smooth performance, whether it be a potential Rio rehearsal for our elite paratriathletes, or just for fun.”

Further British Championship races taking place at Tri Liverpool are the British Elite Sprint DistanceTriathlon Championships and the British Age-Group Standard Distance Championships. A fully inclusive event which aims to cater for participants of all abilities and experience, Tri Liverpool will also host a sprint distance race, sprint relay and GO TRI+ beginner event on the day. Around 2000 participants are expected to take part, with the standard distance race already at maximum capacity with a waiting list of over 100 people looking to enter.

For more information about Tri Liverpool, visit www.triliverpool.com

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Paratriathlon’s qualifying criteria set for 2016 Paralympic Games
Britain’s pioneering approach to elite paratriathlon training

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Teammate Taylor-Brown attempted to go with her, while the chase followed 25 seconds behind, but on the bell lap it was only Lee who managed to keep the chase at bay while Taylor-Brown fell back to the large pack.

From there, it was no stopping Lee, as she dropped off her bike and shot out to the run. Despite running a few extra metres on the back of the first lap, which saw her lead dwindle from from 42 seconds to 37, the mistake wasn’t enough to cause her the win.

Germany’s Lisa Sieburger secured second after fighting her way back into the race on a challenging bike course, while bronze went to Austria’s Lisa Perterer.

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The 2016 Brit tri girls winning streak…

Gold for Brit Lucy Hall in Spain
Non Stanford claims stunning victory in Cape Town
Helen Jenkins wins WTS Gold Coast in Australia
Jodie Stimpson wins in Mooloolaba
Jodie Stimpson takes season opener in Abu Dhabi

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Connect IQ compatible, the Forerunner 735XT is the first device to come with the Strava Live Suffer Score app pre-installed so users can track how hard they have been working based on heart rate data. Users can download additional free custom apps, watch faces, data fields and widgets from the Connect IQ™ store to further customise the Forerunner 735XT.

“The Forerunner 735XT is the ultimate GPS smartwatch for athletes who want dialed-in data for training and a lighter load on race day,” said Andrew Silver, Senior Product Manager Fitness, EMEA. “It offers comprehensive data for all of their activities, keeps them connected with smart features including notifications and automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, and lets them customise their device to fit their needs with Connect IQ’s free apps, data fields and more.”

Triathletes can add a chest strap during training and receive data including stride length, ground contact time balance, vertical ratio and more.

The watch also pairs with the Vector™ pedal-based power meter system and is compatible with the full line of Varia™ cycling awareness accessories. Water rated 5 ATM (50 meters), its swim features will push users to crank up their training in the pool as the Forerunner 735XT will guide them through their swim workout. Users can also easily transition sports with the press of a button utilizing the auto or manual multisport feature.

The Forerunner 735XT is Connect IQ compatible and is the first device to come with the Strava Live Suffer Score app pre-installed. Suffer Score is based on users’ heart rate and tells them how hard they’ve been working. 

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 Priced from £359.99, however the tri bundle is £449.99 (includes HRM-Tri and HRM-Swim™) and every purchase  will include a free 60-day trial of Strava Premium.

The triathlete’s complete guide to heart rate zone training
GPS run watches: 10 of the best tested and rated

JONNY ON… THE WTS IN LEEDS

Leeds being part of the ITU WTS Series in June is something we’re incredibly proud about and supportive of. It should be an amazing event. I’ve been lucky to compete at a home Olympics but to have a truly home, home WTS race is incredible. If 100,000 people come out to watch and support, it’s going to be an amazing thing for triathlon.

JONNY ON… HIS LEEDS GOAL

As for my own goals, Rio is the big aim and I’m coming into decent shape but I’m not super-duper fit. After Leeds it’s Stockholm and then training at altitude again in St. Moritz for the final bits of training.

JONNY ON… PEAKING FOR YOUR ‘A’ RACE

I learnt last year about getting too fit, too soon. I was in the best shape I’d ever been in at the ITU Gold Coast race last year [where Jonny comfortably won] but I got a stress fracture after that; when you’re lean, running fast and biking hard you’re on that edge when it puts so much stress on your body and the bones to take. The idea for Leeds is to get fit for the Olympics, which are eight weeks around the corner, but not really, really fit.

JONNY ON… HEAT PREP

The Gold Coast was very close to being a really good race. I was very fit and I felt amazing until 8km of the run [Jonny still came third but collapsed at the line and required medical treatment after the race]. But it taught me that I need to do some more heat training before Rio. I went to the 35C Gold Coast from a snowy Leeds, which is too short a time to acclimatise. So St. Moritz will help with the heat training, and if it’s not too hot there we can use the heat chambers there. We arrive in Brazil two weeks before the event, so I should definitely be ready for the heat by then.

ALISTAIR ON… THE ORGANISATION OF TRI

There’s so much co-ordination that goes into organsing tri events. For Leeds, when you’re partially shutting a city down, there’s a huge number of things to be taken into account, like provisions for people who live in a care home. The organisation is incredible and I don’t envy the people putting on the race. It’s given me an appreciation of the kind of work that has to go into organising these races.

ALISTAIR ON… RIO PREP

I’ve had a really good winter of training. Rio is the big goal this season and the course suits me. I had a tough race when I was there last year [Alistair finished 10th], but I knew that I wasn’t fully fit. I’ll be training as hard as I can and racing until then.

ALISTAIR ON… RACE RIVALS AND MAKING HISTORY

I pretty much don’t check any social media, especially not what my rivals are up to. [In terms of becoming the first triathlete to win back-to-back Olympic titles] I’m obviously going into Rio to win that race, that’s the goal and all you can do is stand on the start line and be in the best position you can be in. And that’s what I hope to do.

ALISTAIR ON… MOTIVATION

Training in a group is a really good thing for motivation. It gets you out of the door and there are always people who are really good at brightening the atmosphere and having a laugh with you. Going out to enjoy the countryside and escape being inside banging your head against a brick wall.

ALISTAIR ON… RECOVERY

I always go for protein-heavy foods after a heavy session. I drink a pint of milk when I get home and eat something like chicken with green vegetables and a baked potato.

Jonny and Alistair were speaking at a Columbia Threadneedle World Triathlon Leeds promotional event. More info on the race, held from 11-12 June in Leeds, is at http://leeds.triathlon.org/

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IMAGE: JANOS SCHMIDT/TRIATHLON.ORG

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Their medals also meant that Mexico and Norway were represented on a World Triathlon Series podium for the first time in history.

After surviving the masses during the swim and bike legs that saw more than 60 men enter the second transition together, Mola executed on his run right out of the T2 gate and was able to stride his way into his third WTS victory of the season.

Mola said: “I am very happy with how things went today. I think I managed to do a good swim. I was able to stay among the front of the pack; the British guys did a great job in front so it made it a bit easier to stay there. And then on the run I felt great, so I could not be happier.”

“I am very pleased with how things are going. I know it is a long time until Rio, but my goal at the beginning of the season was to keep working and keeping racing as I did in the past, which has worked so why change what normally works. So now I will keep working in the next couple of months toward the Olympics, but of course with Javi racing it is going to be a different game.”

Also capitalizing on the run was Grajales who captured the silver medal, when he overtook Blummenfelt in the final kilometres of the course to advance into second place, while Blummenfelt was left to finish off the day with an impressive third.

“I am very happy. It is my first podium in the WTS, so I am very happy for me, for my coach, for my family and my country. It was a hard course, but I just am happy. It was an amazing race, but I am waiting for Rio so now I will go home for two weeks to relax and train for the Olympic Games,” Grajales said.

Adam Bowden was the best of the British squad, finishing in 12th place in a time of 01:47:24, just under a minute behind Mola.

In the swim the men stuck together with no obvious leader. USA’s Ben Kanute and Henri Schoeman (RSA) managing to exit the choppy waters in the lead, but they were followed by the masses, which created a busy first transition.

It was a similar scene on the bike leg with a pack of 50 contenders heading into T2 at the same time.

However, it was Mola who was able to avoid executed a swift and quick exit lead lead out onto the run. He immediately took control out front, setting the pace. But Blummenfelt would not let Mola escape alone, as the Norwegian powerhouse surprised by running right on Mola’s heels.

Halfway through the run, Mola was able to step it up a gear and eventually drop Blummenfelt, finishing the race with a comfortable lead that brought him into the finish chute first.

A group of men that included Grajales, Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), Fernando Alarza (ESP), Pierre Le Corre (FRA) and Schoeman grouped together right off the bat and ran together chasing Mola and Blummenfelt. Not until the final kilometres did Grajales seize the opportunity to get away from the others and chase down Blummenfelt.

In a final surge, Grajales pushed past Blummenfelt to capture the silver and his first WTS podium. Blummenfelt was then left to finish his day also earning a medal with the bronze.

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“I have been training hard the last couple of weeks so I thought I had a good chance on the run, I have been in good running shape and I have had some good sessions. But I am a bit surprised that I was able to get a medal after there was like 40 guys getting off the bike together. Running felt quite easy in the beginning, so I thought I would just try to hang on for a good seven or eight kilometres and see what could happen, but suddenly I hit a wall and just had to survive for the last five kilometres.”

Producing a consistently strong performance throughout the whole competition that saw her among the leaders in the swim and bike that set her up for her signature unbeatable run execution, Jorgensen was able to reclaim her spot on the top of the WTS podium. The victory also granted her the Yokohama title for the fourth consecutive year, a feat that no other elite athlete has done been able to do at the same venue.

Jorgensen said: “I really like it here in Japan, the crowd is always cheering, there is always a ton of people out so it makes it really exciting. There is one goal for the year and that is the Olympics on August 20th, I have been working towards that for four years, so I am just going to keep working towards that.”

Earning the silver medal was Aussie Ashleigh Gentle. After composing a very tactical and necessary doing after starting out on the bike with over 30 seconds down from the main pack, Gentle constructed a monster of a race to come from behind and ultimately take the second spot on the podium. Her silver medal also allowed her to demonstrate a strong case going forward with her national federation’s Olympic selection for the final two Australian women’s spots.

 “I was disappointed with that, I was a little displaced in the swim and it was really choppy and I knew I could swim so much better than that in the pool, but I need to improve there, there are no excuses, but I worked hard on the bike and really pushed the pace those first few laps to get in the game again,” said Gentle.

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“ Ai Ueda is a fantastic runner and I knew with the home crowd support she was going to put up a fight, so I really just tried to stick with her. At the end I tried to hold back just a little bit so hopefully I could have the legs for the sprint.”

The bronze then was awarded to Japan’s own Ai Ueda, who was able to enjoy a WTS podium in front of a home crowd.

It would be the run that would prove crucial as despite USA’s Summer Cook and New Zealand’s Nicky Samuels exiting the waters first, the swim saw no stand alones and that carried into the bike. After only one lap of the nine-lap total course, a massive pack tallying over 40 women was created and it never changed.

While Gentle and Ueda found themselves down by over 30 seconds coming out of the water, they initially were placed in the chase group. However, it only took Gentle only three laps to put the work in and close the gap and push herself and the chase group into the lead pack.

In the run leg it wasn’t long however that Jorgensen took to her signature pace and catapulted herself into the lead position. Her lead only gained more space and she was able to comfortably carry herself into the finish chute uncontested. Her run split time of 32:15 also became the fastest 10 kilometre run time on the Yokohama course.

The battle was on then to complete the podium, Ueda pushed ahead, but the group did not start to space out until the second half of the discipline. Ultimately however, Ueda and Gentle were able to get a wide enough gap and stride away from the others. Sticking together until the final metres, Gentle had a little bit more left in her legs to get ahead of Ueda and grab the silver. While Ueda followed behind in third.

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After winning the first three WTS races of the season the British girls were not in Japan and their next race will be on home soil at WTS Leeds. Bring it on…

Gwen Jorgensen – run secrets of a speed demon

Four-times Ironman world champion Chrissie Wellington holds, or held, all three world championship records relating to iron distance races; including the overall world record, the Ironman World Championship course record, and the official world record for all Ironman branded triathlon races over the full Iron distance.

She won the World Championship in three, consecutive years (2007–2009)., and was the first British athlete to hold the Ironman Triathlon World Championship, and was undefeated in all thirteen of her races over the iron distance. She is the only triathlete, male or female, to have won the World Championship less than a year after turning professional.

She lowered the world record on all three occasions (2009–2011) she raced Challenge Roth in Bavaria, Germany. Her current record of 8 hours 18 minutes 13 seconds is more than 32 minutes faster than the record which stood from 1994 to 2008.

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Chrissie is one of only three women to have achieved three consecutive victories at the Ironman World Championships, the other two being Natascha Badmann and Paula Newby-Fraser.

To be in with a chance just fill out the following application here, and answer the question: “I want to race with Chrissie and TYR at ChallengeGalway 2016 because…….”

Winners to be announced in the next 2 weeks. Good luck!

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We named Chrissie as third in our top 10 female triathletes of all time – do you agree wth our choices or should Chrissie be higher?

Female triathletes: top 10 greatest ever?