#156 - ANOTHER Ironman World Record!

Magnus Ditlev's redemption from Kona came in spectacular fashion at Ironman Florida, where he broke the full-distance world best with a time of 7:19:17, going under 7:20 for the first time in history. The bike split alone was the fastest ever recorded at the full distance. Ditlev said Kona is still what he thinks about. Alanis Siffert won the women's race in dominant fashion, with Holly Lawrence taking second. Sam Laidlow opens up about an injury that could require surgery and why he is doing everything he can to avoid going under the knife. Taylor Knibb lines up at the World Cup in Iquique just days after winning in Kona and takes silver by a photo finish, which almost feels like a footnote to what has been a staggering year. She won T100 Gold Coast, took a World Cup earlier in the season, led WTCS London, won both the 70.3 and full-distance world titles, raced the ITT for USA at the UCI Road World Championships, and now this. There is no one in the sport doing anything remotely close to what she is doing across disciplines. T100 Dubai is this weekend, with Hayden Wilde targeting a perfect six wins from six races on the tour. Mika Noodt and Kyle Smith are his main rivals. WTCS Abu Dhabi is also this weekend, originally the season opener before being postponed due to the Middle East conflict and rescheduled to November. Hauser and Wilde headline the men's field, with Lisa Tertsch and Jeanne Lehair among the key names on the women's side. Laguna Phuket also takes place on Sunday, one of Asia's most iconic races. SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 5% OFF ALL BLACK FRIDAY DEALS AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'BlackFriday5' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14

  Lionel Sanders is back, and in typically unhinged fashion. His latest YouTube video sees him open up about needing time away from the sport, wrestling with whether to call it a career, and ultimately deciding he isn't done yet. He will race Ironman Cozumel. The T100 Saudi Arabia race has been postponed to April 2027, and that news opens up a broader conversation. The postponement, along with wider questions around the T100 series, leads us to ask who has actually benefited most from the PTO's ambitions. The answer might be Ironman. Noosa Triathlon went ahead without a swim for the first time in its 43-year history after drones spotted sharks offshore the morning of the race. With 45 minutes notice athletes went run-bike-run instead. Matt Hauser dominated to defend his title and Natalie Van Coevorden took the women's race. Ironman Florida is the first big full-distance race since Hawaii and we look ahead to what promises to be a fascinating weekend. Magnus Ditlev headlines the men's field while Holly Lawrence is the standout name on the women's side after a string of withdrawals thinned the field considerably. At Challenge Xiamen on the same weekend, Mike Phillips, Kristian Blummenfelt and Gustav Iden line up together in what is a genuinely intriguing post-Kona showdown on the Chinese coast. SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 5% OFF ALL BLACK FRIDAY DEALS AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'BlackFriday5' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14

Hyrox is chasing Olympic recognition, and with World Triathlon now backing the format under the name Hyathlon, the dream of a 2032 Brisbane debut is more credible than it once seemed. We ask what that would mean for the sport and whether it is a good thing. Courtney Dauwalter turned up at Kona as a Salomon guest and left people talking. She has gone on record saying there is a hundred percent chance she will do an Ironman, with 2027 looking increasingly likely. Salomon also happens to be taking over as title partner of the Ironman World Championship that year. Henri Schoeman broke his silence this week on a decade of online abuse that followed his 2016 World Triathlon Grand Final win in Cozumel. He revealed death threats against him and his family, stemming from a result that some sections of the public never accepted. Ten years is a long time to carry that. Three races on the horizon. Noosa Triathlon is this Sunday, one of the most iconic short-course events on the calendar. Ironman Florida follows the week after as one of the last Kona qualifying opportunities of the year, with Alanis Siffert, Chelsea Sodaro and Magnus Ditlev among those on the start list. Dubai T100 is two weeks out, the penultimate stop on the T100 World Tour, with Hayden Wilde targeting a sixth win from six races. The final story from Kona. Solveig Løvseth's collapse in the final mile of the women's race cost her around $1 million according to her manager. The numbers behind what she lost make an already heartbreaking moment even harder to comprehend. SAVE AN ADDITIONAL 5% OFF ALL BLACK FRIDAY DEALS AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'BlackFriday5' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14

 James sits down with Vincent Luis fresh off his victory in Kona, in what was both his first and last Ironman World Championship. They talk through what it means to be world champion, the journey that brought him to the Big Island, and how he is processing a result that few saw coming. Luis takes James through the race itself, from the marathon charge that brought down Magnus Ditlev in the closing miles to the moment he crossed the finish line knowing he had done it. A wide-ranging conversation with one of triathlon's most compelling figures at the peak of his career. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14 You can follow Vince at https://www.instagram.com/vincentluistri   

This week there is only one event we are talking about, Kona! Taylor Knibb wins the women's Ironman World Championship in the most dramatic of circumstances. Solveig Løvseth led going into the final mile before collapsing on the road. Knibb went past her to take the title, Løvseth got back to her feet and walked across the line in eighth. Lucy Charles-Barclay led out of the swim but withdrew on the run. Laura Philipp took second, Julie Derron third. Knibb becomes just the third woman ever to hold both the 70.3 and full-distance world titles in the same year. Vincent Luis wins the men's race on his Kona debut, a race he had said publicly would also be his last. He started the marathon over five minutes down on Magnus Ditlev and ran him down in the closing miles to take one of the great Kona victories. Gustav Iden charged hard and finished second, with Sam Laidlow and Kristian Blummenfelt both falling away in the heat. Despite finishing second in Kona, Iden's consistency across the season was enough to win the overall Ironman Pro Series title. On the women's side, Laura Philipp takes the series crown. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14  

Andy Horsfall-Turner joins to give an update on his season and share his thoughts on the Pro Series as a professional athlete living inside the system. We talk about what it actually looks like from the inside, whether the series is working, and what needs to change. Kona is here. The Ironman World Championship returns to the Big Island with both the men's and women's races on the same day for the first time since 2019, and the fields are stacked. We go through who we think can win, who the conditions will suit, and what a race without defending champion Casper Stornes means for the men's title. The women's race features defending champion Solveig Løvseth, Lucy Charles-Barclay, Chelsea Sodaro, Laura Philipp, Kat Matthews and Taylor Knibb among others. We break down the contenders and pick our winners. The men's line-up brings together Gustav Iden, Kristian Blummenfelt, Patrick Lange and Sam Laidlow, with Stornes absent after his training crash on the island last week. We run through the field and ask who steps up to fill the void. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14 You can follow Andy at https://www.instagram.com/andrew_h_t  Check out Andy's podcast: https://www.instagram.com/uncomfortabletriathlon 

Jan Frodeno took on the Berlin Marathon and ran 2:23:33, beating his target of 2:25 with a faster second half. We talk about what it means for Frodo to still be pushing himself in new ways post-retirement from triathlon. Reigning Ironman World Champion Casper Stornes is out of Kona after a training crash on the Big Island. A gust of wind caught his front wheel and sent him over the handlebars, leaving him with a broken collarbone and a fracture to his L3. A devastating blow just days out from a title defence on the very island he came to conquer. Kona is on October 10 and the start lists are stacked. Seven former world champions are heading to the Big Island, with both the men's and women's races wide open following Stornes' withdrawal. We run through who looks dangerous and who the race suits. Cassandre Beaugrand was in a class of her own at the WTCS Grand Final in Pontevedra, winning the race and completing five wins from five series starts in 2026 to claim a second world title. Georgia Taylor-Brown was second and Kate Waugh third. The men's race went down to the wire. Matthew Hauser took the win in a sprint finish, with Vasco Vilaca crossing the line second and in doing so claiming the overall world title. Alex Yee finished third, just four seconds off the winner. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14

Taylor Knibb swapped her tri suit for a skinsuit in Montreal, taking on the UCI Road World Championships time trial and finishing 13th against a full field of professional cyclists. We dig into what that result actually tells us about her ability on the bike. Venice Beach has been confirmed as the venue for the LA28 Olympic triathlon, and the course has already divided opinion. Sand on the bike path is raising eyebrows, but the real talking point is how much the design suits the runners. With Cassandre Beaugrand already an Olympic champion and virtually unbeatable when the run is what matters, the course couldn't have set things up better for her to do it again. Hayden Wilde won T100 French Riviera, backing up his 70.3 World Championship title just days later and beating Jelle Geens and Kyle Smith in the process. Pontevedra hosts the WTCS Grand Final this weekend and there is still everything to race for. Beaugrand needs a podium to wrap up the women's world title, while Vasco Vilaca leads the men's standings going into the final showdown. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14

Sam Laidlow wins Challenge Samarkand despite a mid-race nutrition crisis that forced him to walk, eventually holding on to win over Emil Holm. Natalie van Coevorden takes the women's race despite being ill all week. WTCS Karlovy Vary produced a thrilling finale to the regular season on a wet and treacherous course. Dorian Coninx held off an astonishing late charge from Alex Yee, who overturned a two-minute deficit before running out of road, losing by just ten seconds. Georgia Taylor-Brown ended a three-year wait for a WTCS win in an emotional women's race. Nikki Bartlett wins Ironman Wales for the second time, with Henrik Goesch taking a first full-distance victory in the men's race. T100 French Riviera is coming up this weekend, with Hayden Wilde heading straight back into action after Nice, joined by Jelle Geens, Lasse Nygaard Priester and Rico Bogen in what looks like a strong field. Taylor Knibb wins a fourth 70.3 World Championship title in Nice in dominant fashion, setting a new bike course record and finishing well clear of Julie Derron and Alanis Siffert. Hayden Wilde won his first 70.3 World Championship, with Kristian Blummenfelt producing what is believed to be the fastest ever half-marathon split in 70.3 history to take second just 18 seconds back, and Jelle Geens completing the podium. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14 Give Emil Holm a follow: https://www.instagram.com/emil.holm3 

Joe Skipper receives an 18-month suspension for three whereabouts filing failures, with his results disqualified back to May 2025. Jonny Brownlee has retired from professional triathlon, announcing it at the Supertri Final in Jersey after injury prevented him from taking the start line one last time. He goes out as a triple Olympic medallist and one of the most beloved figures the sport has produced. Salomon has been announced as the new title sponsor of the Ironman World Championship in a five-year global partnership, with the deal taking full effect from 2027. The 2027 Ironman Pro Series calendar has been revealed, featuring seven new races, equal men's and women's programmes at every race weekend, and $1.7 million in bonuses. New venues include Leipzig, Lanzarote, Valencia and Muscat. At the Supertri Grand Final in Jersey, Beaugrand made it an unbeaten season with another dominant win, while Hauser took the men's title with Alex Yee suffering a cruel exit from the race. WTCS Karlovy Vary is this weekend, the last regular season race before the World Championship Final in Pontevedra on September 27, and we look at the start lists and what's at stake in the standings. We close with a full preview of the 70.3 World Championships in Nice, with Geens chasing history, Wilde under pressure, and a wide-open women's race with Charles-Barclay absent. SAVE 60% OFF GOGGLES AT WWW.HUUBDESIGN.COM USING THE CODE 'talkingtriathlon' Get your Talking Triathlon Gear at: https://stolengoat.com/webshop/talking-triathlon/ To support the podcast please head to: patreon.com/talkingtriathlon To watch this podcast as a video visit: https://bit.ly/3vzSss2  Or check us out on Social Media:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talkingtriathlon You can follow James at https://www.instagram.com/bale.james85 You can follow Tim at https://www.instagram.com/tford14