#667 - Julie Derron: From Olympic Medals to IRONMAN Dreams

Julie Derron's Olympic silver was a milestone, but for her that was just the beginning. She's simultaneously exploring her potential at IRONMAN - aiming for a breakthrough on the Big Island - whilst keeping her foot firmly on the pedal in middle-distance racing. In this episode, Julie Derron shares insights on training, racing strategies and her plans for Kona qualification. Julie opens up about the challenges of transitioning between short course, middle distance and IRONMAN racing and the mental resilience required to excel at the highest levels. LINKS: Follow Julie Derron on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/juliederron/ Challenge Taiwan at https://www.challenge-taiwan.com/

We welcome Jack Moody, Kate Bevilaqua and Guy Crawford back to the show. This week we catch up on all the racing from the weekend plus we share excerpts from our upcoming interview with Julie Derron and dive deeper into her low torque high cadence bike sessions and how Brett Sutton programs her running. Sabastian Sawe breaks the world marathon record, was it just about the shoes? 0:05.16 – This weekend IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney 0:06.21 – T100 Singapore 0:21:16 – WTCS Samarkand 0:36:46 – Julie Derron at Challenge Taiwan 0:40:37 – Julie Derron bike training 0:51:47 – Julie Derron run training 1:01:00 – Sabastian Sawe breaks the run record at the London Marathon LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Kate Bevilaqua at https://www.instagram.com/katebevilaqua/ Guy Crawford at https://www.instagram.com/guyrcrawford/ Julie Derron at https://www.instagram.com/juliederron/ Sabastian Sawe at https://www.instagram.com/sabastiansawe/ IM703 Western Sydney at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-western-sydney T100 Singapore at https://t100triathlon.com/singapore/participate/ WTCS Samarkand at https://events.triathlon.org/2026-wtcs-samarkand

We welcome Jack Moody, Kate Bevilaqua and Guy Crawford to the show. This week we catch up on all the racing from the weekend plus we chat about the ups and downs of training, racing and the hilarious moments that come with it. Guy shares his experience of trying to retain his pro license while navigating some tough competition… and Jack reveals how one-arm swimming is surprisingly effective. Let us know what you think of our new format! 0:00.00 – Welcome to our show hosts. 0:11.54 – Sam Laidlow 0:22:42 – IRONMAN Texas 1:00:52 – IRONMAN South Africa LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Kate Bevilaqua at https://www.instagram.com/katebevilaqua/ Guy Crawford at https://www.instagram.com/guyrcrawford/ IRONMAN Texas at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-texas IRONMAN South Africa at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-south-africa

Penny Slater shares her journey from off-road racing to becoming a top-tier long-distance triathlete. She shares how she navigates the challenges of injury, the importance of nutrition and the mental resilience required to excel at the highest levels. Penny shares with us her work around Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) and hormone health and the role of education in athlete health and performance We also chat about the changing dynamics of pro and age group racing, race course design and the crucial role coaches play in athlete health. Shay McLeod won the free race entry to IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong. We find out how his race went. This weekend… IRONMAN Texas and IRONMAN South Africa. We give our thoughts. 0:00.00 – Xterra Rotorua 0:04.16 – Tim's off to Cartel Coaching 0:10:47 – Shay McLeod 0:19:46 – This weekend IRONMAN South Africa and IRONMAN Texas 0:29:47 – Penny Slater LINKS: Follow Penny on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/pen_slater Penny's research paper on RED's 'An Exploratory Survey of Education Needs and Preferences Regarding Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport for Female Triathletes and Their Coaches' at https://journals.humankinetics.com/view/journals/wspaj/34/1/article-wspaj.2025-0029.xml Xterra Rotorua at https://www.xterraplanet.com/event/xterra-rotorua-festival IRONMAN Texas at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-texas IRONMAN South Africa at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-south-africa IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-geelong Cartel Coaching at https://cartelcoaching.com/ Shay McLeod at https://symmetry.physio/staff/hoppers-crossing/

Jack Moody's back in the hotseat… with a shoulder injury! In a recent Slowtwitch article about 'fast age groupers beating pros' at IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside, Ali Brauer was called out as one of those pros. Ali takes issue with this article and we chat to her about why she's absolutely right to do so. Ali also shares her journey through health challenges, her return to professional racing, and her perspectives on recent changes in the sport, including race officiating and qualification rules. 0:00.00 – Jack's come off his bike 0:06.45 – Pro licence eligibility 0:22:14 – Ali Brauer 1:06:54 – The Open Wave and the Loan Market Half LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Ali Brauer at https://www.instagram.com/alibrauertri/ Slowtwitch article https://slowtwitch.com/news/some-fast-age-groupers-at-ironman-70-3-oceanside/ https://alibrauertri.substack.com/p/age-groupers-beating-pros-at-703 Loan Market Half at https://mountfestival.kiwi/events/tauranga-half/

Jack Moody's back in the hotseat and we catch up on the racing from Athletic Brewing IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside at the weekend. We chat with multiple IRONMAN champion MATT HANSON. Matt stormed home for a podium 3rd at the recent IRONMAN New Zealand race recording the fastest run split of the day with an incredible 2:34:49. In this episode Matt breaks down his race at IMNZ and shares his training strategies and thoughts on the evolving sport of long-distance racing. Discover how he approaches performance, the impact of the new draft rules and his plans for future races including Kona. 0:00.00 – Jack's now a married man 0:05.20 – IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside 0:15:46 – T100 start list 0:18:26 – Matt Hanson intro 0:21:28 – Matt Hanson LINKS: Jack Moody at https://www.instagram.com/jacktmoody/ Matt Hanson at https://www.instagram.com/matthansontri/ IRONMAN 70.3 Oceanside at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-oceanside IRONMAN Cairns at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-cairns

We catch up on the racing from IRONMAN 70.3 Geelong and T100 Gold Coast at the weekend. At IRONMAN New Zealand this month Tamara Jewett ran into 4th place with a blistering 2:42:40 marathon – the 5th fastest overall marathon run split on the day, including the men. In this episode, Tamara shares her journey from middle-distance running to IRONMAN racing, her experience moving from Canada to California and her approach to mental and physical training. 00:00 – IM703 Geelong and T100 Gold Coast 28:44 – Tamara Jewett intro 31:29 – Tamara Jewett LINKS: IM703 Geelong at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-geelong Follow Tamara on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/tamarajewett T100 Gold Coast at https://t100triathlon.com/gold-coast/pro/live-race-data/

We review the news and racing from the weekend. Ruth Croft is an elite ultra-trail runner from New Zealand, recognized for her remarkable achievements in the sport including winning the prestigious Tarawera 102K for the 4th consecutive year last month. Ruth's dedication and passion for running make her a credible voice in the ultra-trail running community as she chats to us about her ultra-trail running success, training innovations and race strategies. In this episode, Ruth Croft shares her journey from high school athletics to becoming one of the most complete female ultra-trail runners globally. She discusses her training methods including weight vest workouts, altitude adaptation and race nutrition strategies, along with insights into her race experiences and future plans. 00:00 – Calling in from Wanaka 07.09 – Tri news 25:06 – Ruth Croft introduction 26:44 – Ruth Croft 1:05:14 - Muscular durability LINKS: Follow Ruth on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/ruthcrofty/ Scott Johnston of Evoke Endurance at https://evokeendurance.com/ Paul Booth Sports Nutritionist at https://performancegainsnutrition.com/ Val Burke Exercise Physiologist at https://valburke.com/ Neversecond Nutrition at https://never2.com/ IM703 Dallas at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-dallas-little-elm IM703 Geelong at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-geelong

The Anzco Foods IRONMAN New Zealand edition where we review the racing from the day and chat to first Kiwi home Jack Moody. Rikki Anderson won the free race entry to IRONMAN Cairns. We find out more about her.

Kyle Smith, Kiwi Professional Triathlete, reflects on his journey as a triathlete, sharing the lessons he's learned from racing mistakes. We discuss the pressures of prize money in the Pro Series, the significance of consistency in performance and the dynamics of racing with a home crowd. Kyle also chats about his recovery from injury and his preparations for the upcoming IRONMAN New Zealand as he aims for a Kona slot. Kevin Hunt won the free race entry to IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney. We find out more about him. This weekend… IRONMAN New Zealand. We give our thoughts on how this race might play out. 00:00 – Racing from the weekend 06.00 – Temperatures in Taupo 09:20 – Kevin Hunt 16:40 – IRONMAN New Zealand 27:20 – Kyle Smith LINKS: IRONMAN New Zealand at https://www.ironman.com/races/im-new-zealand Follow Kyle Smith on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/kylesmithnzl/ Oceania Sprint Champs and Oceania Cup at https://trifestival.kiwi/event/oceania-sprint-distance-championships/ IRONMAN 70.3 Western Sydney at https://www.ironman.com/races/im703-western-sydney